Miniature American Shepherd

He's the sweetest dog I think I've ever owned. Very clingy but in all the best ways. Couldn't live without him!

Adopted Rio at 9 months. Definitely a handful! After several months of learning rules of the house, he settled in. Does not like to be left alone and wants to be a part of everything. He's afraid of nothing and friendly to all dogs and humans. Even met his first cat a while back and was fine with it. Recently started Agility Training with him. After 3 classes, trainer said he's ready for his first "Splash" tournament. She said he'll be ready for full agility competition by the end of this year. He learns so fast and is eager to learn anything new. Very protective of everything! Is always on the watch for anything suspicious. Could not recommend a better dog.

The Miniature American Shepherd was a little timid to walk at first and was spooked easily by cars and squirrels. However, she was incredibly friendly and gentle dog. She sat on command and would patiently wait until told to come. She very much loved her Wag report card photograph to be taken and would studiously pose. She enjoyed being verbally rewarded and would respond well to an excited voice. She was well-behaved and did not try to run out of the door and sat obediently when putting on collar and when asked. She did not pull on the leash at all, even for being such a young pup. The Miniature American Shepherd has a small, manageable stature and is capable of running for thirty minutes.

Mini Australian shepherds, also known as Mini Aussies, are very high energy pups! They usually respond well to voice commands. Mini Aussies are very loyal. Due to their heritage with full size Australian Shepherds, they constantly look back to make sure you are still walking behind them. Also similarly, they are extremely intelligent. They definitely need a lot of exercise, just like the full sized dogs. If you are doing a walk with this breed, definitely go for at least an hour and enable the Wag walk extensions. The dog and the owner will thank you for the workout! Lots of Mini Aussies have high energy, and as a result, are very vocal. Expect plenty of barking or whining. They essentially are saying “let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” as you greet them at home. Mini Aussies are also very compatible with other dogs on your walk. I walked one in West Seattle with another similarly sized pup and they both acted very affectionately towards each other. Going back to their excitability, this particular dog was so bundled up with energy when putting his leash on, he unknowingly scratched me up pretty well. It was not that the dog was upset in any way, just long nails. So be aware of this with smaller dogs like the Mini Aussie. Apart from that experience, I would highly recommend taking any chance you get to walk these dogs!

Be sure you have your running shoes on with this guy! He likes to move in all directions! If you have a frisbee or ball, he would love to play fetch and fly into the air to catch every toss! This guy would be great in agility class! Very smart guy!

Miniature American Shepard are just as smart, energetic, affectionate, enthusiastic, and loyal as their larger counterparts. In fact, there is hardly much difference in personality between them and their larger cousin, the Australian Shepard. This means that despite their small size you can find a miniature American shepherd trying to herd and nip other animals or humans. I once witnessed a sixteen-pound mini American shepherd herding a grown Border Collie. They need as much exercise as an Australian shepherd as well. This is best in the form of at least one hour of fetch or high cardio intensive exercise. Their endurance is a rival for their full sized cousins and they are easily content to play fetch for hours. They also possess the loyal, affectionate nature of the Australian shepherd. They are obsessed with balls also in much the same manner. Any task or challenge that they are being uncooperative for will be made infinitely easier by showing them a ball. They are typically toy motivated but won't turn down a treat and love to be doing a job or some other kind of higher-level training. Challenge their mind or make their heart race and they will love you for it. The more their heart pounds the happier they will become. They are extremely social and love the company of other dogs and people. Most even whimper at the sight of other dogs. They are extremely intelligent and emotionally aware. They tend to pick up on the owner’s body language and mood, which can make them seem sensitive. They are incredibly gentle with kids and other pets, which results in them being very good with families. They are patient dogs that take to learning very well given enough time and incentive. While they may seem stubborn to some, they are in fact independent enough to wonder if they want to do your trick or learn your task. While their coats seem thick and luxurious, they in fact do not shed much at all. They come in a variety of colors (black and white, red merle, blue merle) and each one is like a unique painting. It makes meeting a mini American shepherd interesting every single time. They are truly magnificent companions with dispositions ranging from hyper and energetic with a desire to interact socially to very docile and selective. They are some of the kindest dog breeds around from my experience.

He is my constant loyal companion . He makes me happy when I am sad and has been my emotional support thru my dealings with breast cancer.

She is the best dog ever. Beautiful, fun and loyal.

Incredible energy and very sweet and lovely

Cassie is very affectionate and lots of fun to have at home. She does not like other dogs or people. This has been a disappointment. However, she behaves in her agility class, we can take her for walks and have her trained for some coping mechanisms when people pass, but she loves to bark at other dogs. To defend her, her older sister is a cattle dog mix who seemed to love and enjoy playing with Cassie until Cassie became an adult and now she ignores her, will not play, and every 6 weeks or so they fight. Her sister is a bully and Cassie will not back down. They are both very good at agility and I enjoy running with them so much. They can both be very sweet but Cassie is definitely more affectionate. We have spent a fortune in training these dogs. We are in our 70's and I know that they both probably would have been happier with younger parents, but we love them dearly. Having said all of this, if I were younger, I would get another Miniature American Shepherd in a heartbeat.

fun, playful, kind, loving

Wonderful companion dog. Loves going for rides in the car. This is our first MAS, but we had a standard Aussie who was actually smaller than our MAS. She was only 30 lbs and our MAS is 38 lbs.