Breed List

Miniature/MAS-type Australian Shepherd

Miniature American Shepherds (also known as Miniature Australian Shepherds, or Mini Aussies) have the trainability, intelligence and energy of the larger Aussie cousins, and excel at outdoors activities and agility competitions.

Illustration courtesy of the Swedish Kennel Club

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Quick Facts

Height

Male:: 15-18in
Female:: 14-17in

Weight

Male:: 23-30lb
Female:: 17-24lb

Fun Fact

Like their big brothers the Australian Shepherds, Miniature American Shepherds sport a range of coat colors and eye colors - sometimes one dog may even have multicolored eyes! They sometimes even have naturally short (bobbed) tails!

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About this Breed

The Miniature American Shepherd descends directly from the Australian Shepherd, the 17th most popular dog in the United States. Despite their name, the Australian Shepherd originated from the ranches of the United States around the 1800s, with the Miniature American Shepherd bred from smaller individuals starting in the 1970s. Like Australian Shepherds, these dogs are known for their trainability, intelligence and energy. Miniature American Shepherds are outstanding agility dogs, striving for the approval of their owner.

This group of shepherds contains some dogs that are their own AKC group (“Miniature American Shepherds”) as well as other dogs whose breeders and owners have chosen not to join the MAS AKC club and still prefer to be called Miniature Australian Shepherds, or simply Australian Shepherds.