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Miniature American Shepherds

21K views 111 replies 15 participants last post by  DaySleepers 
#1 ·
Tell me about them! Temperament, how biddable they are, are they noisy, etc. Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Biddable: yes

Noisy: YES!!!!!! You will know if the mail man is coming, trash is being picked up, your neighbors are outside, or a leaf falls in your yard, if they smell something new and strange, etc ... LOL.

Temperament: That can very a bit, but as a general breed, MAS are loving and affectionate with their people, but have "their" person in the family they like most, but they do like all the members of the family. Their Temperament is very much like the aussie, since that is where they came from, they have a suspicious nature and early socialization is a MUST as in you have to do it. Some, like mine never really "like" strangers, as in, he will never seek them out willingly, but I am pretty confident that I will get him to accept interaction from strangers with a "can take it or leave it" attitude. Most well socialized MAS I have known are like that, they will accept petting and attention from strangers, but its "meh take or leave it" with them.

The "boing": If you like a dog who always has "4 on the floor" than a MAS is NOT the dog for you, I swear they were born with springs in their paws because they are always boinging around like furry pogo sticks haha. They have a certain exuberance and enthusiasm about life in general that is just (for me) awesome, they are very much "yay I dont know what we are going to do and I dont care as long as I am doing SOMETHING with yoooooou!!!!"

Separation anxiety: Sadly, that wanting to be with us has its down falls, SA is one of them, to combat this, you must get your puppy used to being alone, I would put Lincoln out in the fenced yard, at my folks ranch or when we were in flower mound, on the porch by himself, without our other dog (because they can experience SA with other dogs, too) They must learn to "stand alone".

A good breeder: This is so so important, I cant stress this enough, if you are really serious, I know good breeders all over the country, you can PM me for more information, you can also find me on FB (though I will give my info under PM only since I dont want it out there on the public forum haha). There are a lot of breeders who, to get their dogs smaller faster, bred toy blood into their lines, most of those people stayed with "mini aussie" registration, and for the most part, should be avoided.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.
 
#111 ·
Biddable: yes

Noisy: YES!!!!!! You will know if the mail man is coming, trash is being picked up, your neighbors are outside, or a leaf falls in your yard, if they smell something new and strange, etc ... LOL.

Temperament: That can very a bit, but as a general breed, MAS are loving and affectionate with their people, but have "their" person in the family they like most, but they do like all the members of the family. Their Temperament is very much like the aussie, since that is where they came from, they have a suspicious nature and early socialization is a MUST as in you have to do it. Some, like mine never really "like" strangers, as in, he will never seek them out willingly, but I am pretty confident that I will get him to accept interaction from strangers with a "can take it or leave it" attitude. Most well socialized MAS I have known are like that, they will accept petting and attention from strangers, but its "meh take or leave it" with them.

The "boing": If you like a dog who always has "4 on the floor" than a MAS is NOT the dog for you, I swear they were born with springs in their paws because they are always boinging around like furry pogo sticks haha. They have a certain exuberance and enthusiasm about life in general that is just (for me) awesome, they are very much "yay I dont know what we are going to do and I dont care as long as I am doing SOMETHING with yoooooou!!!!"

Separation anxiety: Sadly, that wanting to be with us has its down falls, SA is one of them, to combat this, you must get your puppy used to being alone, I would put Lincoln out in the fenced yard, at my folks ranch or when we were in flower mound, on the porch by himself, without our other dog (because they can experience SA with other dogs, too) They must learn to "stand alone".

A good breeder: This is so so important, I cant stress this enough, if you are really serious, I know good breeders all over the country, you can PM me for more information, you can also find me on FB (though I will give my info under PM only since I dont want it out there on the public forum haha). There are a lot of breeders who, to get their dogs smaller faster, bred toy blood into their lines, most of those people stayed with "mini aussie" registration, and for the most part, should be avoided.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.
I'm very interested in these special breed but am scared to get puppy mill dog. And my next dog has to be under 40ush lbs. My last dog was a pit/weihmanner mix 15years, 17years with my Sheppard/collie mix. Appreciate any info. Thanks max
 
#3 ·
Thank you! That information was very helpful! I will for sure ask more questions when I think of any.
 
#8 ·
Shedding is kind of in clumps that you can pick up off of the ground. Their coats blow out 2 times a year. You do have to brush them every other day though.

For exercise, it's mostly mental stimulation. They are a working dog so they will be happiest with a job to do. I am getting mine in to Agility and Dock Diving when he's old enough, and working on things like "sit" "stay" "leave it" as well as a plethora of other useful things I've found on Kikopups youtube channel (which I highly recommend looking in to regardless of what breed of dog you are getting)

That being said, that doesn't mean that MAS are exempt from daily walks (when at the appropriate age)
 
#11 ·
All one and the same! Confusing isn't it?

Some Australian Shepherd owners are really anal about them not being "REAL" Australian Shepherds so people have started calling them Miniature American Shepherds, which IMO is actually more accurate, considering Australian Shepherds technically originated in the USA
 
#12 · (Edited)
There is no size variation of the Australian Shepherd as the parent club (ASCA) doesn't approve of it. But yes, in day-to-day talk, people are referring to the same thing pretty much. Personally, I'm happy more and more people are starting to use MAS.

@OP, grooming and such will vary some depending on the coat. There is variation between lines and some have a lot of coat and a heavy undercoat, while others have significantly less coat. Matting shouldn't be a problem as long as you brush once a week or so.
 
#13 ·
Yeah it's very confusing! I prefer the term Miniature American Shepherd myself though. I think I found a pretty cool breeder, but it would be at least a year before I get a pup. I heard about the furminator, is that a good thing?
 
#17 ·
MAS are the AKC offshoot of Mini Aussies. Some breeders opted to not go with the AKC and instead register with a separate breed club and still consider their dogs Mini aussies. The only people I know that use Miniature American shepherds are those who are very particular to explain that their dogs are the AKC version. Right now the two are the same but if they stay split they will end up being separate breeds. Toy Aussies also have another separate registry however some breeder breed both toys and minis together.

If I were to get one, I'd go with a Mini American because they seem more consistent.

I was at agility last night with over a dozen mini and toy aussies (no AKC dogs though I know some). Wide wide variety. From 8 lbs to 35+ lbs. Fine boned, heavy. Toyish or not toyish. Calm to very wild.

The breed varies a LOT in size. One of my friends has a mini roughly Hank sized (so mid 20 lbs) and his dad was 70 lbs. One other friend has MAS that are 15 lbs and then one 30 lb from the same breeder. Both girls too.

Some are very high drive and bold and probably even higher energy/drive than the average aussie but a lot are pretty soft and small. Some are very toyish in features and I know several that are Mia and Summer sized or almost. They are very very popular here in dog sports.

So basically what I'm saying is the breed is not very established yet and you have to be careful to find someone producing consistently what you want. And also still be prepared for variety. They just are not that separated from Aussies yet so you can easily get something full aussie (or nearly) sized too.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Yeah, that's why I'm trying to be very careful with breeders. I've heard before that they vary A LOT. I've heard of Dynasty MASes, and I was wondering if they seem like a good breeder? Are there any red flags?
 
#19 ·
My training partner/student has a MAS. WOW! What great little dogs. However, their breed rescues are teeming with incredible dogs who have lost their homes. They absolutely aren't right for everyone.

Seems like many lose their homes for nipping and hyperactivity. While there certainly is a lot of variance from individual to individual, the dog I train with is PSYCHO. He needs a ton of exercise and lots of mental stimulation or he goes nuts. I've hung around with others who are much more mild.

I think my next dog is a MAS. Because there are so many incredible ones to chose from in rescue, I will probably get an adult rehome. One advantage of going that route is that you will sort of know who the dogs are. Unfortunately, there are probably more active dogs than passive ones available. Since that's what I'm looking for, it works for me!
 
#20 ·
Thank you so much! Yeah, I've heard that they can be very hyper. I think I can handle it though.
 
#26 ·
Just popped into my head. Really never connected the dots before but Shelties, mini Aussies? Not much different so long as you go for working/sporting lines.

At agility I've met lots of Aussies, a few mini Aussies and lots of Shelties. All bark a lot, all are wonderful smart funny bouncy dogs and usually excel in agility. Shelties are a more established breed than NAS or MAS or mini Aussies, whichever line you are looking at, and close to size and temperament and all so far as I can tell. Health maybe?

I'd be hard pressed to choose between NAS with a tail and a Sheltie.
 
#27 ·
It's funny: I would never own a sheltie but I want a MAS. I perceive the difference to be something about "toughness." In my very limited experience, shelties are much more sensitive. It's that sensitivity that I don't like. But the MAS seems more durable, more tolerant of handler pressure/mistakes.

I wonder if I am wrong about this... I certainly am basing my feelings/thoughts on limited experiences.

MAS seem to live a bit larger and louder. Seem more bold.
 
#28 · (Edited)
MAS and shelties are about as similar as aussies and collies - and possibly less alike than shelties and BC. Their size is about the same, yes, and they're both in the herding group, and I guess they're both kind of fluffy.

But that's where the similarities stop. It's kind of like saying 'well, if you want a pap, why not get a long haired chi' or 'if you want a JRT, why not get a Rat Terrier?' or even 'so you want a German Shepherd, why not get a Mal?' Not that there's an 'easier/harder' one in all of those, but just because they look kind of the same and are in the same breed group doesn't mean they aren't pretty different.

I would LOVE a sheltie. I do not particularly want a MAS. I will own another BC. I have little desire to ever own an aussie (there is ONE local working breeder around here I might make an exception for, and of course adult rescues who are outside the norm are always possible). I like my herders not just high energy, but also kind of loud, kind of quirky, a little neurotic, and most of all EXTREMELY soft and sensitive. I don't *want* a rough and tumble, physical, hard dog.

Are there hard Shelties? Yes. Are there soft MAS? Sure.

But as a rule - What I want exists in shelties and what other people exists in MAS. They're not... the same dog in a different package.


From my limited perceptions, I'd agree with that - even if I'm on the opposite side of the coin.
 
#29 ·
Couldn't of said it better myself, just like I would prefer a MAS, you would prefer a Shelite.
 
#32 ·
In fairness, there are some AWESOME MAS that I see around agility. Some of them aren't my kind of dog, and a lot of the ones locally are really, really little, but as I get out more I see more decent sized ones. Also we have a couple in our agility club now that have 3 that I like quite a bit.

It's just the ones I would own are still anomalies and honestly look and present like very small BC than aussies. That energy thing.
 
#34 ·
Honestly, if it's important to you the puppy is the opposite of what you want. No amount of raising it 'right' is going to change a dog's basic temperament. It's not going to make a shy, aloof, sensitive dog harder or the reverse.

I love puppies, but you really have to be willing to (to some degree) take what you get.
 
#36 ·
I didn't think of it that way. Yeah, that makes sense. However, a puppy is still not out of the question though.
 
#38 ·
Sure. Just get a puppy because you want a puppy, not because you think you're going to mold it's personality and temperament to any real degree. They basically come hardwired with that, frankly, and all the raising in the world won't change it.

Also, let me be really real here:

No one raises a puppy 'right'. Some people do it really, really, wrong, but no one does it exactly right. You're *going* to mess up something, somewhere.
 
#43 ·
Technically the dog will just be a registered Australian Shepherd, but of a smaller "mini" size. The breeder does not believe in registering them as MAS because she does not want to imply that it's a different breed. -- All this stuff is a whole can of worms though (people have very strong opinions lol). But... in short, yes, I will be getting a Mini Aussie :p
 
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