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How To Deal With Dog Behavior Problems and Obedience Training
About the Australian Shepherd
The Australian Shepherd and Miniature Australian Shepherd are
Separate Breeds
> Breed Standard
> Colors and Markings
Aussie vs. Mini Aussie. Before we begin any discussion about the Australian Shepherd or
Miniature Australian Shepherd I would like to make clear that
they are separate breeds. This site is about providing accurate
information about these breeds who, although they do share a common history, are now distinct
and separate.
The Australian Shepherd is recognized by the American
Kennel Club > (AKC) and
their parent club, the Australian
Shepherd Club of America > (ASCA). Neither of these organizations recognize a miniature (or
toy) variety as part of the Australian Shepherd breed. (Miniature
Australian Shepherds are actually called North American Miniature
Australian Shepherds.)
According to the ASCA:
The Miniature Australian Shepherd, North
American Shepherd, North American Miniature Australian Shepherd,
and/or Toy Australian Shepherd breeds are not recognized as
a variety of Australian Shepherd by ASCA. The club considers
such dogs to be a distinct and separate breed and will not accept
them into its registry.
"Our bylaws state that ASCA purpose
is: 'To encourage members and breeders to accept one breed standard
for the Australian Shepherd as approved by the Club as the only
standard of excellence by which Australian Shepherds shall be
judged.' It is the mission of this club and the mission of its
members to preserve the breed rather than change it."
The question of the status of the North American Miniature Australian
Shepherds can be a hot-button issue for many. This is especially
true when confusion about the relationship of these breeds is
promulgated.
For example, use of the phrase "Standard Australian Shepherd"
serves to create the impression that the Aussie is the "standard"
size and that the Mini is just a "miniature" size variation
of one breed called the Australian Shepherd. This is misleading
and is why you won't find that phrase on this site.
The remedy for this situation is not animosity, it is education;
not confusion but clarification.
Originally the official Australian Shepherd registry was the National
Stock Dog Registry > (NSDR).
The ASCA took over this function in the 1970's. In fact the current
breed description wasn't written until 1977.
As the Australian Shepherd had been bred to be a working stock
dog ASCA decided against joining the AKC as they felt too
much emphasis was placed on conformity to breed standards and
not enough on performance.
Those who sought AKC recognition created the United
States Australian Shepherd Association > (USASA). They developed their own breed standard and the Australian
Shepherd was officially recognized as a breed by the AKC on January
1, 1993.
A miniature variety, however, was never part of the development
of the Australian Shepherd breed. Miniature varieties are not
recognized by ASCA, USASA or AKC. These organizations do recognize
Australian Shepherds who are smaller than the breed standard —
so long as they are not called or registered with other organizations
as "Miniature".
As far as these organizations are concerned they are just small
Australian Shepherds. If these "small Aussies" are registered
as "Miniatures" they are effectively shunned and lose
their breedhood (is there such a word?) and are no longer considered
to be Australian Shepherds. For example if such a dog was registered
with ASCA and was then also registered as a Mini, ASCA would revoke
its papers.
Although Minis are not recognized by ASCA, USASA or AKC, they
can be registered with the American
Rare Breeds Association > (ARBA). A parent club for Minis was created in 1990. Originally
called the Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of the USA (MASCUSA)
its name was later changed to North
American Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of the USA > (NAMASCUSA).
This name change occured after the Australian Shepherd was recognized
by the AKC and ARBA had a policy of not allowing dogs to show
with them who had the same name as an AKC recognized breed. This
is when the Miniature Australian Shepherd became the North American
Miniature Australian Shepherd.
One can understand the desire of Mini breeders to maintain a
link with the Aussie legacy but keeping "Australian Shepherd"
as part of the name has contributed to the continuing confusion
about the relationship of Australian Shepherds and Miniatures.
Also contributing to concerns about Minis are the health issues
that can arise from seeking to breed down in size. Selectively
breeding the smallest of the litter, or runt, could introduce
a greater tendency toward health problems.
A practice I've heard of that I find disconcerting is cross-breeding
Australian Shepherds and Minis with completely different smaller
breeds to get the size down and then re-crossing them back with
Aussies to get an "Aussie look" back. Of course such
a dog would in reality no longer be a Miniature Australian Shepherd
let alone an Aussie. It would just be a mutt.
Unfortunately, when such stories come to light reputable breeders
can often be tarred with the same brush and unfairly fall under
a cloud of suspicion. This again serves to keep the Aussie vs.
Mini debate simmering. Of course, shady backyard breeders plague
Aussie breeders as well.
However, a review of CERF and OFA data reveals that the Miniature
does not suffer from adverse health conditions in comparison to
the Australian Shepherd. In fact, the two populations have approximately
equal occurrences of the same health issues.
Also due to the natural variation in size it is not necessary
(or desireable) to use runts in breeding programs. Historically,
the Australian Shepherd is an amalgam of herding breeds that were
present in the American Old West. Some of these contributing breeds
were small as compared to the contemporaneous Australian Shepherd.
Some of these breeds were large in comparison.
In the early to mid 1960’s when the miniature was originally
developed, there was very little size consistency in the Australian
Shepherd breed. Remember, that at this point there was not even
an official breed standard for the Australian Shepherd! In any
litter of Aussie puppies, some could be smaller and some larger,
not due to health issues, but due to the genetic influence of
these varied foundation breeds. Common sense tells us that a population
of dogs as large as that of the Miniature Australian Shepherd
could never have survived, let alone flourish if its foundation
and ongoing development was limited to weak, unthrifty, unhealthy
dogs.
Further evidence may be presented that a dog that is small due
to poor health would genetically reproduce offspring larger than
itself. Thus, developing an entire sub-population of smaller dogs
(that number in the thousands) could not have been successful
using small dogs whose genetics produced larger dogs.
Aussies and Minis Trace Back to Common Roots
The Australian Shepherd was originally registered with NSDR in
1956 (IESR at the time) with no varieties. 12 years later, in
1968 the NSDR accepted its first Miniature Australian Shepherd
into the AS registry. That dog was the offspring of two NSDR registered
AS. NSDR assigns a registration prefix of "A" to dogs
registered as AS and "MA" to those registered as MAS.
Since 1968 NSDR has registered the MAS as a variety in that an
"A" dog whose adult height is less than 18" can
be reassigned a registration to "MA". By the same token,
an "MA" dog whose adult height is over 18" can
be reassigned a registration to "A". This practice was
established years before ASCA was formed and before ASCA began
their registry and continues to this day.
This is the historic basis for those who believe that the MAS
are and should be considered by all organizations to be a genetic
variation of the Australian Shepherd.
MASCUSA (now NAMASCUSA) was formed in the late 1980's to provide
a parent club for those focusing on producing Miniature Australian
Shepherds. Initially MASCUSA adopted the same registration policies
as NSDR concerning parentage of their registered miniatures, but
within a few years revised the registration policy to require
that at least one parent be a registered miniature with either
NSDR or with MASCUSA, while allowing that the other parent may
be an ASCA or NSDR registered Australian Shepherd. This change
was instituted in order to achieve better size consistency in
the miniatures being produced. AKC Australian Shepherds were included
in this policy when acceptance to that registry was gained by
the Australian Shepherd.
Those who would accept that the Miniature Australian Shepherd
is a separate breed point out that a genetic separation began
to occur at the point that one or both parent(s) was required
to be a miniature in that the Miniature lines now concentrate
on a specific sub-population of the Australian Shepherd. All Australian
Shepherds and Miniature Australian Shepherds trace back to the
original NSDR registry.
These breeds have a great deal in common and much of this site
is relevant to owners and breeders of either (or both). The differences
won't be resolved here but I feel it is important to maintain
this as a positive and inclusive resource to help owners and breeders,
and most of all to provide information and education for the public
about both Aussies and Mini Aussies.
This is why it is so important to research which breed and which
breeder is right for you. Don't take shortcuts. You will be living
with the consequences of your decision for 12 or more years.
For further reading:
Is the Aussie or Mini Aussie
the Right Breed for You?
How To Choose the Best
Aussie or Mini Aussie Breeder
History of the Aussie and Mini Aussie Breeds
TOP of About the Australian Shepherd
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