My mini Aussie, Ruby, is a whopping 15 pounds. She belonged to my now deceased great grandmother. I adopted her when she was 8 and now she’s 9. She was overweight and has last 2 pounds in the last year. I don’t know much about her puppy days since I didn’t have her then. Is 15 pounds normal? Is there a such thing as a mini MINI Aussie?? Everyone that sees her thinks she’s an Australian shepherd puppy.
Ruby is a beautiful mini aussie ;-) we adopted our 23 pound Tucker from a shelter a few months ago -- honestly I cannot answer your question as I'm a mini aussie newbie myself. Just wanted to share my amazement that "working" dogs actually come in small sizes. I've always had herding dogs weighing in at 50-60 pounds. My daughter and I were locked in conflict for months. She persisted with her "a small dog is better" campaign. I was not about to have a yappy, obnoxious little dog with a Napoleon complex. And then Tucker came along.
There is a toy size. While some backyard breeders will mix in toy breeds (chihuahua, papillon) to get the small size, there are purebred “toys”—-though toy is just a size designation, not a breed. It typically means any dog under a certain height and weight.
My mini is 100% MAS (mini American Shepherd, the official name for “mini Aussie” by the AKC) by both DNA test and pedigree, but his mom is considered a toy as she was under 14in at the shoulder and about 15lbs.
My mom has an AKC purebred Australian Shepherd born from standard sized parents that is now 8 years old and she is 14lbs. Her vet insisted on a DNA test because he said it was “impossible” for Australian Shepherds to be that small and that my mom must have been lied to by the breeder. DNA test came back 100% Australian Shepherd.
So there can be purebred “toy” size minis and even standard Australian Shepherds.
Had a very similar argument with my vet and had dna testing. My girl was tested and has papers but she insisted her 12 pounds was soo small and she was clearly not a full aussie. She is. Shes just a tiny gal.
There are “toy Aussies”, created by crossing Aussies with toy sized breeds like longhaired chihuahua and then crossing back to Aussie lines. You may have one.
I have a miniature schnauzer Australian Shepherd hybrid, a failed attempt to get the calico colors into a miniature schnauzer. She a great dog, mostly black, with longer legs than a miniature schnauzer.
She is very smart. About 19 lbs and a fierce hunter, pulls move out from under the snow, has caught birds and rabbits, but doesn't howl.
That’s crazy, I rescued a 52/48 chi/mas mix and the woman at the rescue explained that she was taken from backyard breeding operation doing exactly what you said. Huh, thanks for the info
Even though toy Aussies are not officially recognized, many breeders now produce sub 20 pound dogs. I’ve seen 14lb toy Aussie and he was cute as a button.
All of the conjectures could be right. In the end, I don't care, but then again, I'm not a purist. Your little one is gorgeous! She is perfect to me:)
I got mine as a 2 y.o. from a breeder that was retiring from the show ring. She bred "toys" which according to most purists, are mutts. But again, I'm not a purist & was happy to take this little guy as I was just looking for a small dog after my 2 yorkies passed 1.5 years ago. He is THE most precious thing. As a breeder, she gave me complete health background & registration papers for The American Stock Dog registry & of course required neuter proof as well. Since I don't breed, not a problem & I never bothered to register either, cuz...I don't care about that. I love my Peanut with his upright ears- he looks like a little fruit bat. He's 12 lbs. Had a base x-ray & his spine is perfect so far. Just am happy he's healthy so far & the light of my life.
mine was also a mini but stopped growing after 20 lbs. he even looks a bit overweight so he’s trimming down now. we met a “mini” aussie in the dog park last week who’s 40 lbs!
There are mini Aussies that are registered Australian Shepherd (not Miniature American Shepherd) that are tiny - my girl is one and she’s 12.5lbs at almost 2 years old :)
She is a Toy Aussie. They come in 4 sizes: Standard, Mini, Toy & TeaCup. The smaller they are, the more neurotic they can be.
I foster failed a shut down Toy Aussie from a breeder who was shutdown for neglect. My little guy has never been more than 11.5 pounds. He is now 11 years old and is the happiest black tri on this planet. In fact, when he runs to me, others have commented he is the image all dog guardians should have when their believed pets cross the rainbow bridge.
My guess would be that she is part chihuahua. There are a lot of mini Aussies that look suspiciously chi in the face and it’s a backyard breeder trick to get the size down faster.
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u/SerafinaDllRose 3d ago
Ruby is a beautiful mini aussie ;-) we adopted our 23 pound Tucker from a shelter a few months ago -- honestly I cannot answer your question as I'm a mini aussie newbie myself. Just wanted to share my amazement that "working" dogs actually come in small sizes. I've always had herding dogs weighing in at 50-60 pounds. My daughter and I were locked in conflict for months. She persisted with her "a small dog is better" campaign. I was not about to have a yappy, obnoxious little dog with a Napoleon complex. And then Tucker came along.