with comments by J. Boursier
The Breed Standard in any breed is the guideline for the defining characteristics that separate one breed from another. The Breed Standard is the written description that each dog is judged against in the Conformation ring before being judged against the other dogs. It also serves as a blueprint for breeders in their quest to produce the perfect dog. The pet owner is reminded that the "perfect" dog which conforms to each and every aspect of the Breed Standard has yet to be seen!!
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GENERAL APPEARANCE:
The
Miniature Australian Shepherd is a well-balanced herding dog of small to
medium size. Bone is also moderate and in proportion to body size. He
is attentive and animated, showing strength and stamina combined with
unusual agility. Slightly longer than tall, he has a coat of moderate
length and coarseness with coloring that offers variety and individuality
in each specimen. An identifying characteristic is his natural or docked
bobtail. In each sex, masculinity or femininity is well defined.
Disqualifications: Toy like features |
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CHARACTER: The Miniature Australian Shepherd is intelligent, primarily a working dog of strong herding and guardian instincts. He is an exceptional companion. He is versatile and easily trained, performing his assigned tasks with great style and enthusiasm. He is reserved with strangers, but does not exhibit shyness. Although an aggressive, authoritative worker, viciousness towards people or animals is intolerable. Disqualification: Viciousness Fault: Undo shyness
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| The intelligence of the mini
Aussie is exceptional. Owners often remark that their mini is "smarter than I
am." Training the mini Aussie is often a simple process of communicating what you
would like for him to do. They are eager to please and will do anything asked of them for
the simple reward of their master’s approval. This aspect of the mini Aussie
personality makes them very attentive and easily trained to anything from simple obedience
commands such as sit, stay, and come, to complex tasks such as Agility, Herding, Tracking,
Obedience, Flyball, and Frisbee. Mini Aussies are naturally reserved with strangers due to their strong guardian instincts. This is not the dog that will bound up to strangers for kisses and pets. Rather, the mini Aussie will stand firmly by his master’s side until proper introductions are made and he is assured that the stranger is not a threat. Never should a one bite or attack without provocation. This is considered viciousness. Most cases of viciousness are a result of environment rather than instinct. Biting or attacking should NEVER be encouraged or tolerated. The opposite extreme to viciousness is shyness. The shy dog is one who after proper introductions will not allow himself to be approached or touched by strangers. Shyness is considered a fault in the mini Aussie due to a need for an outgoing nature in order to work stock or perform his duties among crowds.
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HEAD: Clean-cut, strong, dry, and in proportion to the body. The top skull is flat to slightly rounded, its length and width each equal to the length of the muzzle, which is in balance and proportioned to the rest of the head. The muzzle tapers slightly to a rounded tip. The stop is moderate, but well defined. TEETH: A full complement of strong, white teeth meet in a scissor bite. An even bite is a fault. Teeth broken or missing by accident are not penalized. Disqualification: Undershot bites; overshot bites exceeding one-eighth (1/8) inch EYES: Very expressive, showing attentiveness and intelligence. Clear, almond-shaped, and of moderate size, set a little obliquely, neither prominent nor sunken, with pupils dark, well defined and perfectly positioned. Color is brown, blue, amber or any variation or combination thereof including flecks and marbling. |
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EARS: Set on high at the side of the head, triangular and slightly rounded at the tip, of moderate size with length measured by bringing the tip of the ear around to the inside corner of the eye. The ears, at full attention, break slightly forward and over from one-quarter (1/4) to one-half (1/2) above the base. Severe Faults: Prick or hound-type ears |
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 Hound ear |
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Head: This describes a well proportioned head, examples of non-proportioned heads include the flat broad head seen in the bulldog. The Collie possesses a narrower head with a long tapering muzzle and no "stop" or angle where the muzzle meets the skull. The flat or slightly rounded topskull is in contrast to the more domed shaped skulls of the terrier breeds. Teeth: In a scissors bite the top front teeth just overlap the bottom teeth. In an even (level) bite the top and bottom teeth meet evenly. In an overshot bite the top teeth are more than 1/8th of an inch in front of the bottom teeth, while an undershot bite has the bottom teeth in front of the top teeth. When viewed from the side, the teeth should come together like the teeth of pinking shears. Eye: The eye shape and set is so in order for the mini Aussie to safely and adequately perform his function as a herding dog. The slightly oblique position of the eyes gives the dog improved peripheral vision. If the eyes are too obliquely set frontal vision is restricted, too close-set and peripheral vision is restricted. Eye colors are very
individual. Mini Aussies may be seen with one blue and one brown eye, or with
"marbled" eyes in which blue and amber are present in one eye. This does
not impair the dogs vision however and is acceptable. |
| NECK AND BODY: The neck is firm, clean and in proportion to the body. It is of medium length and slightly arched at the crest, setting well into the shoulders. The body is firm and muscular. The topline appears level at a natural fore-square stance. The chest is deep and strong with ribs well sprung. The loin is strong and broad when viewed from the top. The bottom line carries well back with a moderate tuck-up. The croup is moderately sloping, the ideal being thirty (30) degrees from the horizontal. Tail is straight, not to exceed three (3) inches, natural bobtail or docked. |
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FOREQUARTERS: The shoulder blades (scapula) are long and flat, close set at the withers, approximately two fingers width at a natural stance, and are well laid back at an angle approximately forty-five (45) degrees to the ground. The upper arm (humerus) is attached at an approximate right angle to the shoulder line with forelegs dropping straight, perpendicular to the ground. The elbow joint is equidistant from the ground to the withers. The legs are straight and powerful. Pasterns are short, thick and strong, but still flexible, showing a slight angle when viewed from the side. Feet are oval shaped, compact, with close-knit, well-arched toes. Pads are thick and resilient; nails short and strong. Dewclaws may be removed. |
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| HINDQUARTERS: Width of hindquarters approximately equal to the width of the forequarters at the shoulders. The angulation of the pelvis and upper thigh (femur) corresponds to the angulation of the shoulder blade and upper arm forming an approximate right angle. Stifles are clearly defined, hock joints moderately bent. The metatarsi are short, perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other when viewed from the rear. Feet are oval shaped, compact, with close-knit, well-arched toes. Pads are thick and resilient; nails short and strong. Rear dewclaws are removed. |
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COAT: Of medium texture, straight to slightly wavy, weather resistant, of moderate length with an undercoat. The quality of undercoat varies with climate. Hair is short and smooth on the head, outside of ears, front of forelegs and below the hocks. Backs of forelegs are moderately feathered; breeches are moderately full. There is a moderate mane and frill, more pronounced in dogs than bitches. Severe fault: Non-typical coats
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| Non-typical coats refers to
an excessively long, short, coarse or silky coat. Coat is important as it not only must
provide warmth in the winter but be comfortable to work in the hot summer months, and
provide protection from rain and snow. An excessively short coat would not provide such,
while an excessively long coat would tangle in brush and interfere with the dogs ability
to work, in addition to being uncomfortable in the hot summer months. Of course, a dogs
coat will adapt to the climate he lives in. The dog living in North Dakota will obviously
be covered with a much thicker coat in the winter than say a dog in Florida! Because of
the mini Aussie's moderate coat he is able to live comfortably in every climate.
The short smooth hair on the
head and legs again is needed for working ability. He would not be able to sense and
respond rapidly to changes in the working environment if he had long flowing hair covering
his eyes and ears! Coat texture must also be considered in a primarily working dog as an
excessively wiry, wavy, or soft texture lends itself to tangles, burrs and mud and
increases coat maintenance. The proper medium-coarse texture of the mini Aussie coat
allows most dirt and debris to fall of the coat without intervention. Proper coat length
and texture allows the grooming needs to be limited to an occasional quick brushing. |
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COLOR: All colors are strong, clear and rich. The recognized colors are blue merle, red (liver) merle, solid black, and solid red (liver) all with or without white markings and/or tan (copper) points with no order of preference. The blue merle and black have black pigmentation on nose, lips and eye-rims. Reds and red merles have liver pigmentation on nose, lips and eye rims. Butterfly nose should not be faulted under the age of one year. On all colors the areas surrounding the ears and eyes are dominated by color other than white. The hairline of a white collar does not exceed the point at the withers. Disqualifications: Other than recognized colors, white body splashes. Dudley nose |
Coat colors in the mini Aussie are very distinctive and make them easily recognizable. The variety of colors and markings makes each dog very individual in appearance. Some owners prefer one color over another, but in the breed standard and conformation ring color is not preferred. The base coat colors for mini Aussies are black and red. The black colors should be deep midnight black down to the roots, while the reds vary in intensity from rust, to sorrel to liver. Markings may include copper/tan points and white. Copper tones range from very pale beige to very dark bronze. White markings also vary widely from a thin white strip on the chest or muzzle to a very flashy full white collar, chest and stockings. Copper and/or white markings may or may not be symmetrical and may appear on the head, chest, neck, belly and legs. The combination of these colors gives us the red and black tri-s with white and copper markings, and the red and black bi-s with white markings but no copper. Finally, we have the merles. A merle does not have the solid body color of the tri-s, but instead has a pattern of colors over his entire body. The blue merle is a variation of the black tri. Shades of black in steel, gray, and ash are contrasted against dark black body splashes and may have copper and white trim as described previously. The red merle is comparable to the blue with red hue splashes. The merles are probably the most distinctive and unique of the Aussie colors. Excess white is faulted and/or disqualified in the mini Aussie. The ears and eyes should be surrounded by a color other than white. Absence of pigment in these areas can cause deafness. For a more complete discussion on patterns of white and their effects please see "Lethal Whites" in Health Concerns and Color Genetics 101. The nose leather, eye and lip
rims should coordinate with the predominant color of the dog. A predominately black dog
should have a black nose and black eye and lip rims. A predominately red dog should have a
liver pigmentation. The Dudley or Butterfly nose refers to a lack of pigmentation on the
nose leather. The nose pigmentation fills in over time, so it is not uncommon for young
puppies to have a butterfly nose. It should however, begin to fill in by one year of age
and be completed pigmented by two years of age. The non-pigmented areas of the nose are
very sensitive to heat and sunlight exposure and therefore are a fault in a dog that is
designed to spend long hours in the field. |
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| GAIT: Smooth, free and easy; exhibiting agility of movement with a well-balanced, ground-covering stride. Fore and hind legs move straight and parallel with the center line of the body; as speed increases, the feet, both front and rear, converge toward the center line of gravity of the dog, while the top line remains firm and level. |
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Forequarters, hindquarters,
and gait are extremely important in a dog whose primary function is to work. A herding dog
such as the mini Aussie that is asked to run, jump, turn suddenly and stop and start
frequently must have all parts moving in harmony. The Breed Standard for the Forequarters
and Hindquarters is such that the structure of the dog allows for maximum movement. Proper
forequarters gives the dog "reach" in that the front legs are able to reach as
far as the point of the nose. Proper hindquarters allow for "drive" or maximum
forward propulsion. When the hindquarters and forequarters are balanced the dog is
seen to have reach and drive allowing for speed and agility with minimum energy
expenditure. Balance is the key. A dog with strong, well-angulated forequarters
but whose hindquarters are weak or poorly angulated is unbalanced. He will not be
able to move efficiently as his front will have to work harder than his rear and he will
expend more energy. In a herding dog, this means that the dog would have less of the speed
and agility to stay "one step ahead" of the stock, and would tire before the job
was done. In other words, this dog would no longer be functional. |
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SIZE: Height for dogs and bitches is 14 inches up to 18 inches at the top of withers. Quality not to be sacrificed in favor of size within the guidelines of this breed standard. Severe fault under 14 inches and over 18 inches. Preferred heights for males is 15 to 18 inches at the withers. Structure in the male should reflect masculinity without coarseness.
Preferred heights for females is 14 to
17 inches at the withers. Structure in the female should be feminine
without being slight in bone. |
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NAMASCUSA holds firmly in
their position that maintaining and promoting the smaller size of the miniature Australian
Shepherd is of utmost importance in light of the fact that this is the only distinction
between the miniature Australian Shepherd and the Australian Shepherd.
In order for the mini Aussie to declare true variety status, disqualifying
cut-off points are necessary to distinguish the size varieties, one from
the other. |
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Disqualification's: ü Monorchidism and Cryptorchidism ü Toy like features (i.e. domed head, bulging eyes, fine bone) ü Other than recognized colors, white body splashes, Dudley nose. ü Viciousness ü Undershot bites; overshot bites exceeding one-eighth (1/8) inch |
Monorchidism is the absence of testicles in the male dog. Cryptorchidism is the failure of one or both testicles to descend into the scrotal sac. These are faulted as they prevent or restrict the dog’s ability to breed. |
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"Drawings
from Victoria and Christina Mistretta's book The Structure and Movement of
the Australian Shepherd. Permission to use granted 01/01. All drawings
are Copyright protected. All rights reserved. No picture may be reused or
copied without written permission from authors."
The Structure & Movement of The Australian Shepherd
Available from Victoria Mistretta,
675 Rogue Air Drive, Shady Cove, OR 97539
Phone 541-878-9482
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