Mini Aussies

There's plenty of less than stellar Aussie breeders too. I see them all the time at the flea market selling their their double merle puppies who have deformed eyes and are likely deaf. Do those breeders and puppies speak to the quality of the entire breed or all breeders involved in the breed?

As to the point, I suppose it isn't for you to decide. They are already a recognized breed and they already have quite a lot of people seriously involved in them. A lot of the interest in them is people wanting a herding breed with a more work-oriented temperament in a smaller size. The Mini Aussie standard is 14"-18", so the smallest female in standard Aussie is the size of the biggest Mini Aussie/MAS allowed by standard (14"-18"). And it can be quite hard to tell if you're going to get such a small one if you are picking out a puppy. It sounds like the OP has already found a breeder he's happy with who does a lot with their dogs.

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Hell, look at Phalenes. They are basically just a drop-eared category of Papillions, but they've got their own breed.

I really don't understand how people can take Aussie's and breed them down for size,but have the results not be Aussies. Mom was an Aussie, Dad was and Aussie, how can the puppies not be called Aussies? It's not like another breed was added in. There is no snark intended in this, I really don't understand.

This is how I see it as well. If only aussies were involved in the making of the miniature variety, then why would they be radically different from aussies?

Does anyone here have first hand experience with both well-bred mini aussies and aussies? Is there a noticeable difference in temperament?

This is how I see it as well. If only aussies were involved in the making of the miniature variety, then why would they be radically different from aussies?

Does anyone here have first hand experience with both well-bred mini aussies and aussies? Is there a noticeable difference in temperament?

The minis I meet around here are snippy, snarky, weird dogs. I can't say I meet too many standard size aussies I fancy either though.

This is how I see it as well. If only aussies were involved in the making of the miniature variety, then why would they be radically different from aussies?

Does anyone here have first hand experience with both well-bred mini aussies and aussies? Is there a noticeable difference in temperament?

Those would go into the "shoddy hacks in it for the money" category.



FWIW, my opinion (which reflects a vast portion of the ASCA Aussie world, you know, the original parent club of the Aussie) isn't for you to decide either. You'll be hard pressed to find someone who has been in the breed for a long time who is "ok" with the whole Mini Aussie thing. A lot more respect has been given to those who recognize that what are they working towards producing is no longer an Aussie in the standardized sense and have renamed their dogs accordingly. There are always outliers to the standard; a woman who is well known in the Aussie breed has a Slash V bitch that falls an inch or two under the minimum height, but she calls her what she is--an undersized Aussie. She bred to a typical working male and all the pups in the litter fall within the written ASCA standard. Conversely, there have been those random dogs that exceed the maximum height and weight, but they've not been selected for nor marketed as "Giant Aussies".

Maybe this should go in the "unpopular opinion" thread, but I personally hate size categories in breeds. When you start deviating that drastically from "the norm", you will always end up changing more than just the size--typically temperament. It's been stated countless times over, no one breeds in a vacuum. Change one thing, you'll change something else too. The best programs are the ones that have figured out how to match and balance. So, if you're set on changing a breed, let's say, breeding Shelties to the size of Collies, then you have not just created a category of "Giant Shelties", you have created a new breed. Or poodles. There is nothing about a toy--and most minis--poodle that resembles it's standard counterpart beyond general physical appearance and I feel should be called something else entirely. But phenotype alone does not make a breed. Otherwise, the weim that is built like a dobe could just be called a solid blue dobe. Taking a Groendal, downsizing it and docking it does not make it a Schipperke.

Hell, look at Phalenes. They are basically just a drop-eared category of Papillions, but they've got their own breed.