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31-613: The MAS was bred first in the United States as a small herding and working dog. The Miniature American Shepherd (at that time still known as the Miniature Australian Shepherd) was first developed in the late 1960s by breeding what was thought to be small size Australian Shepherds , and by the mid-1970s the breed had reached its current desired size. In many areas and kennel clubs the Miniature American Shepherd

62-555: A century, the Australian Shepherd was virtually unknown outside of the livestock industry until the mid-20th century when the breed was popularised by Jay Lister, a rodeo performer, at rodeos across the western states with his Australian Shepherds performing all manner of tricks. A breed club was soon formed to promote the breed, the Australian Shepherd Club of America, and kennel club recognition followed in 1979 when

93-567: A high-energy breed, and require frequent exercise and mental stimulation. Australian Shepherd The Australian Shepherd is a breed of herding dog from the United States . The name of the breed is technically a misnomer , as it was developed in California in the 19th century. It is believed to have its origins in sheepdog breeds from northwest Spain , as well as collies imported, alongside sheep, from Australia and New Zealand ;

124-400: A stride in which its front and back legs cross over, making for an appearance of "on the edge" speed. The dogs instinctively use a "pounce" position to deal with cattle trying to kick them. They also have strong hips and legs, allowing for fast acceleration and high jumping, sometimes as high as 4 ft (1.3 m). An Australian shepherd named Pockets is credited as being the oldest dog to earn

155-514: A title in AKC history, having earned the Rally Novice title at the age of 15 years, 5 weeks. Carea Leon%C3%A9s The Carea Leonés ( English: Leonese Sheepdog ) is a breed of herding dog from León , Castile and León , Spain ( Europe ), and is used as a sheepdog . For centuries, they tended flocks of Churra (sheep) in the mountains of the historical region of León . The Carea Leonés

186-527: A variety of herding dogs imported to California with imported sheep, including collies from Australia and New Zealand . It was from these ancestors that the breed took its name. The Australian Shepherd spread from California throughout the Western United States where it became extremely popular with ranchers who valued the breed's sheep working qualities, as well as their ability to handle cattle and other livestock. A purely working breed for over

217-426: Is a dog whose morphology and character have been molded by its environment, both physical and human. Regarding the physical, it can say that this breed is rooted in the regions of the province of León and Zamora . This was so because it are agricultural areas where crops shared its existence with sheep herds. For such coexistence come to fruition, and due to shortage of shepherd men who were at any particular time, and

248-399: Is easy to train. The function of Carea Leonés is to carry and control livestock, whether sheep , bovine or equine . It is a stubborn and courageous animal with cattle, not allowing these daunted it. This is an important detail and valued by shepherds, and the dog should be strong with some bite to the respect earned it by the cattle so it can control a large number of sheep and impose to

279-399: Is level from withers to hip joint. The tail may be undocked, a natural bobtail, or may be docked to a length not exceeding three inches. Recognised coat colors in the breed are tri-color, blue merle , red merle , and red (liver). There are no specified quantities of marbling, flecking, or blotching for merle coats. Tan markings are permissible anywhere around the eyes and face, as well as on

310-505: Is one of the breeds more commonly affected by hereditary cataracts . Double merles often have excessive light or white areas and can have hearing and vision problems as a result of having two copies of the merle gene. Homozygous merles can be deaf or blind, or express iris colobomas , retinal detachment , cataracts , persistent pupillary membrane , a displacement of the lens, equatorial staphyloma , night blindness and microphthalmia . Audio impairment or deafness usually develops after

341-400: Is predominantly bred for pets; despite this, many retain a strong herding instinct and it is not uncommon for companion dogs of the breed to try to herd children or other pets. A very active breed, the Australian Shepherd is known to become destructive if it does not receive adequate exercise. A 2024 UK study found a median life expectancy of 13.7 years based on a sample of 62 deaths, which

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372-567: Is still divided over this compromise. In May 2011, the MASCUSA club was chosen by AKC as the parent club of the newly named Miniature American Shepherd. The Miniature American Shepherd Club of the USA achieved full AKC recognition and acceptance for the breed on July 1, 2015. The Miniature American Shepherd is a small dog, with the breed standard specifying a height of 14-18 inches (36–46 cm) for males and 13-17 inches (33–43 cm) for females. The topline

403-606: Is still used as a working breed in competitions. The predecessor to MASCUSA was the North American Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of the United States, NAMASCUSA and was the first Parent club registry for the Mini Aussie. The second club to register Mini Aussies Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of America MASCA is currently active but no longer accepts dogs registered as MAS with AKC. AKC MAS dogs may still breed to Mini Aussies however. In 1993

434-538: The Australian Shepherd . Their coat is smooth and short or moderate length and slightly wavy, and ranges from black to dark liver or merle with white and or tan trim. They range in size from 18 to 23 inches (45 cm to 58 cm) and in weight from 30 to 70 pounds (14–32 kg). This breed is used as a working dog and as a companion. Because of its intelligence, the Carea Leonés, like most sheepdogs,

465-465: The MDR1 gene. This mutation causes greater sensitivity to certain drugs at normally safe doses, including ivermectin . A test is available to determine if a particular dog carries the mutated gene. Australian Shepherds show relatively low levels (approximately 6%) of hip dysplasia, a heritable condition where the femur does not fit securely in the pelvic socket of the hip joint. The Australian Shepherd

496-455: The 15th most popular breed of dog in the United States. The Australian Shepherd is a medium-sized, athletic breed; they typically stand between 18 and 23 inches (46 and 58 cm) and weigh between 35 and 70 pounds (16 and 32 kg). The parent club, the Australian Shepherd Club of America's breed standard states male dogs should stand between 20 and 23 inches (51 and 58 cm) and females between 18 and 21 inches (46 and 53 cm), at

527-490: The above permitted areas may disqualify the dog from conformation shows. The MAS has an expected lifespan of 13–15 years. Several chronic diseases and detrimental genetic traits are known to exist within the MAS gene pool, including progressive retinal atrophy (PRA-prcd), hereditary cataracts , iris coloboma , micropthalmia , multi-drug resistance gene (MDR1), hip dysplasia , and degenerative myelopathy . They are classified as

558-407: The birth of a puppy with their ear canal still closed. The white color of double merles is produced due to the lack of melanocytes which provide high potassium levels in the endolymph surrounding the cochlea's hair cells. There is no surgery or treatment that can reduce the damage. Loss of hearing is directly linked to the amount of pigmentation cells a dog has. The same pigment that is lacking in

589-419: The breed can be born with long or naturally bobbed (short) tails ; traditionally long tailed dogs had their tails docked , although some countries outside of the United States do not allow docking and so some long tailed and partial bob tails are allowed to be exhibited in those countries. The Australian Shepherd is described as intelligent, active, loyal, protective, playful, and adaptive. The modern breed

620-542: The breed reportedly took its name from this trade. Originally used solely as a herding dog, the Australian Shepherd has become one of the most popular companion dog breeds in North America. The Australian Shepherd descends in part from pastoral dogs brought to herd Spanish flocks in North America as early as the 1500s. There is some speculation that these dogs included the Carea Leonés , a mountain sheepdog that can display

651-670: The breed was recognised by the United Kennel Club . The breed was subsequently recognised by the American Kennel Club in the 1990s and later the Fédération Cynologique Internationale . From the late-20th century the Australian Shepherd has increasingly been seen in conformation shows and it has become an extremely popular companion dog . In 2019 it was ranked by the American Kennel Club as

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682-914: The double merle trait. This trait is found in many breeds, but most commonly found in Australian Shepherds. The name "lethal white" is a misnomer , as this genetic condition is not lethal to the dogs; it is often the breeder who is lethal to the pups by culling them immediately after birth. Many consider the term "lethal white" to be derogatory. Like other herding breeds , these dogs excel at many dog sports , especially herding also known as stockdog , dog agility , dock diving/dock jumping , obedience , rally , tracking , disc , and flyball . Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive instinct tests. Australian Shepherds that exhibit basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in ASCA stock dog trials or AKC herding events. The dog has

713-411: The ear can also be lacking in the eyes, affecting its development. Although many believe that only dogs with blue eyes have eye problems, it is not correct. Due to the contrast between eye problems and blue eyes, eye conditions in blue-eyed dogs are much easier to spot. The term "lethal white" originated from horses born with lethal white syndrome , and has since evolved to often describe dogs born with

744-522: The eye color and merle coat found in many contemporary Australian Shepherds. It is sometimes claimed that the Basque Shepherd Dog and the Pyrenean Sheepdog were also among the ancestors of the breed. The breed as it is known today developed in California in the 19th century, as a sheep herding dog for Californian shepherds. The Australian Shepherd is also believed to be descended from

775-417: The feet, legs, chest, muzzle, underside of the neck and body, under the tail and on the undersides of the ears. White markings are permissible, but limited to the muzzle, cheeks, crown of the head, in a blaze on the head, in a partial or full collar on the neck and on the belly, chest, front legs and hind legs to the hock. White markings should not cover more than 25% of the ear and white body markings outside of

806-440: The next 15 years, there were numerous clubs that were formed, reorganised, and sometimes went defunct, trying to come to a consensus concerning the emerging breed. Enough members were eventually interested in obtaining separate recognition, thus prompting members of NAMASCUSA to approach the AKC. Working as a team with AKC and USASA, the name and breed of Miniature American Shepherd was born. The Miniature Australian Shepherd community

837-486: The number of heads could be high, it was necessary to resort to a helper who will control cattle to temptation, and this was the Carea Leonés. When Spain colonized America, they introduced Churra sheep for food and fiber. They also brought their Carea Leonés to manage the huge flocks. These dogs contributed to the type of herding dogs found throughout California and the Southwestern United States including

868-561: The original MASCUSA club was asked by the AKC to change its name. Additionally, Miniature Australian Shepherds could no longer participate under their chosen name as it was too similar to that of an AKC affiliated breed, so the Miniature Australian Shepherd was renamed the North American Shepherd. In 1993, MASCUSA (the original organisation) became the North American Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of America. For

899-403: The size of cows or mares, with the possibility of receiving a kick. In mountain areas these are used more for that type of cattle and take to the home the sheep, for the large herds spend most of the year, in the plain, paramos and shores where the carea is needed. It is an intelligent animal, with great learning ability and willingness to work. It is a dog with good personality but is subject to

930-556: The withers; the standard does allow individual animals to exceed these limits slightly. The Australian Shepherd has a moderately long and wavy double coat that has a dense undercoat and coarse topcoat; the coat is short on the face and well feathered on the rear of the legs. The breed is known for its unique colorations and variable coat patterns, it being said no two dogs sharing a coat. The breed standard allows for blue merle , red merle, solid black or solid red, with or without white markings and with or without tan points. Examples of

961-416: Was above the median of 12.7 years for purebreeds and 12 years for crossbreeds . Based on a sample of 48 still-living dogs, the most common health concerns noted by owners were eye problems (red eye, epiphora, conjunctivitis, and cataracts). Dermatological and respiratory problems also ranked high. The Australian Shepherd is one of the more commonly affected breeds for an autosomal recessive mutation of

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