Miniature American Shepherd

About the Miniature American Shepherd

The Miniature American Shepherd was bred in California in the 1960s and 1970s from the smallest Australian Shepherds, originally to travel with riders on the western horse show circuit, and it is now recognised as a breed distinct from the Aussie rather than a size variety of it. The herding instinct came across intact.

Dogs stand 35.5 to 46 cm, with a medium-length weather-resistant coat in black, red, blue merle or red merle, with or without white and copper. Merle to merle is the one mating never to make: a puppy inheriting the pattern from both sides is at high risk of deafness and serious eye defects. A stud should be attentive, confident with strangers and physically sound, since these dogs are asked to do agility and flyball at speed.

The MDR1 drug-sensitivity gene runs through this breed as it does through the Australian Shepherd, and knowing a stud's status can save its life on a vet's table, so ask for the result. Collie eye anomaly, hereditary cataract, prcd-PRA and degenerative myelopathy all have DNA tests used in the breed. Ask for hip scores, a current eye certificate, and about epilepsy in the line.

Health & breeding

We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.