The Miniature American Shepherd

Appearance & Character

The Miniature American Shepherd resembles a smaller Australian Shepherd, they are intelligent, versatile, loyal dogs with a higher energy level. They are bright, lively dogs that originate from the U.S. from the 1960s, they were first found working in rodeo circuits and travelling to horse shows under the name 'miniature australian shepherds'.
​
Breed standard (summarised)
Please click below to view the full breed standard.
​
- Expression should be alert, attentive and intelligent.
- Males should stand between 35-45CM (14-18"). Females should stand between 33-43CM (13-17").
- Dog should weigh 9-18KG (20-40lbs).
- Nose leather should not be more than 50% pink.
- Coat should not be non conforming.
- Width of the hindquarters should have approximate width equal to the forequarters at the shoulder.
- Coat is of medium texture, wavy to straight and of medium length. The recongnised colours are as follows: Red, black, red merle, blue merle. These can be both bicolour or tricolour.
- Ears should be set high on the head, they should not be prick or hound ears.
- Overall structure gives an impression of strength and depth without bulkiness.
- The skull is of proportion to the body, the muzzle is of medium length and width, length is equal to the length of the crown. The stop is moderate but defined.

full breed standard

The breed standard is not only a guideline on how a Miniature American Shepherd should look just for the show ring, but it also highlights the practicality of these features for them as a working breed. For example large ears are not preferred as they are more likely to get torn whilst working, eyes that protrude outward or have prominent haws are more likely to have injury from debris, the stop is moderate but defined and not exaggerated to protect the skull and brain from a blow to the head from cattle, a kick should glance off the head.

Health

Health Testing - Why?
The MAS is overall a healthy breed with a life expectancy of 12+ years. When breeding dogs it is important that we understand the health issues commonly found within the breed and test for them, to ensure we do not produce puppies at heightened risk of poor health. We want to continue to improve the quality of our dogs, therefore we will genetically test and screen their hips, elbows and eyes to ensure the dogs we produce are at minimal risk of dysplasia and disease. We also test some colour traits to ensure we do not produce dilute, yellow or piebald pups.

Understanding Results

Genetic Results

A dogs genetic health test results can come back as three things: clear, carrier or affected. Please note that being a carrier (for most of the genetic diseases) does not mean the dog is at any risk of the affects from the disease.

Clear: The dog doesn't have the mutated allele and there and no affects of the disease.
Carrier: A dog has 1 copy of the allele and no affects from the disease, they are safe to breed from. Their offspring may be clear or carriers.
Affected: A dog has 2 copies of the disease (1 from each parent) and therefore will suffer from the affects of the disease. ​

Hip results

The result of the hip scoring will vary dependent on the company used to analyse them:
OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) - Hips are rated as the following (best to worse): Excellent, good, fair, borderline, mild, moderate or severe hip dysplasia. We aim for our dogs to be within the good/excellent range.
BVA (British Vetinary Assosciation) - BVA rates the two hips individually giving a score of 2 numbers presented as X/X. The minimum and best score for a hip is 0 and the maximum and worst score is 53 which would indicate severe hip dysplasia.' We will aim for our dogs to not have a difference of more than 3 between each hip and a total number of above 10.
FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) - Hips are scored from A to E with A being the best score meaning the dog has no sign of hip dysplasia and E the worst meaning the dog has severe hip dysplasia. Dogs in the A and B range are suitable for reproduction. 

Elbow results

Elbow will results will vary depending on who scores them:
OFA - Elbows will be classified as normal if no signs of dysplasia are present.
BVA & FCI - Elbows are graded either 0,1,2,3 with a lower score indicating that there is a lesser degree of elbow dysplasia present. 

Eyes

Our dogs eyes are tested through BVA, if no sign of hereditary disease is present they will be marked as clear. Some diseases have a later onset for clinical signs so we retest annually.

Genetic Diseases Found In The MAS - What Are They? 

CDDY & IVDD & CDPA

Dogs with this phenotype will have shortened legs alike a dachshund or corgi and a chance to develop abnormal premature degeneration intervertebral and herniated discs, carriers of CDDY have shorter legs than CDDY-free dogs and affected dogs have even shorter legs than their carrier counterparts, IVDD is inherited in a autosomal dominant manner, meaning only one copy of the altered chromosome (carrier) is needed for a significantly higher risk of damage.

CD - Cone Degeneration

This affects dogs from as early as 8-12 weeks old when the retinas in the eyes are fully developed, affected dogs will have day blindness and photophobia (light sensitivity) due to degeneration of the cells in the eye called cone photoreceptors, which are responsible for vision in bright light. Affected dogs have normal vision in low light and structures of the inner eye appear normal on eye exam as there is no physical damage to the eyes, as vision in low light conditions remain unchanged.
​2 copies of the mutated gene are needed for a dog to be affected.

CEA - Collie Eye Anomaly

CEA ranges in degree of severity. In its worst form, changes to the blood vessels cause an internal bleed in the retina, unfortunately this can lead to retina detachment and can result in eventual blindness in the affected dog. The severity of the disease does not change throughout the affected dogs life, so an affected dog does not only go blind in old age, for breeders the one to recognise is the mildest form CEA is only recognisable in puppies up to the age of around 9 weeks, after which it is covered up by pigment storage.
2 copies of the mutated gene are needed for a dog to be affected.

CMR1 - Canine Multifocal Retinopathy 

Affected dogs usually present between 11-16 weeks of age. There will be discrete circular areas of retinal detachment, with underlying fluid accumulation that are visible on an eye exam. They are blister-like lesions and are typically found in both eyes. They can appear gray, tan, orange or pink, and vary in size and location. Progression of retinal changes is usually slow and new lesions are not noted after 1 year of age, generally the dog's vision is not affected however vision loss has occurred in some cases. Occasionally as affected dogs age, lesions appear to heal and are no longer visible on an eye exam. 
​2 copies of the mutated gene are needed for a dog to be affected.

DM - Degenerative Myelopathy

​The disease consists of damage of the spinal chord axons which causes movement difficulties and is caused by a mutation of the SOD1 gene. The average age of onset for dogs with DM is around 9 years of age. Affected dogs symptoms begin with gradual muscle atrophy and loss of coordination, often beginning in the hind limbs due to degeneration of the nerves. The condition is generally not painful for dogs but will progress until the dog is no longer able to walk. Late in the progression of disease dogs may lose continence. Affected dogs may lose full ability to walk 6 months to 2 years after the onset symptoms. 
​2 copies of the mutated gene are needed for a dog to be affected.

HC - Hereditary Cataracts

Cataracts are clouding of the eyes lense, which impacts a dogs visual abilities. A normal lens allows light to pass through, however in the parts of the lens affected by cataracts, vision becomes blurry. Dogs with HC usually begin to show between 2-7 years of age, small cataracts will be visible on an eye exam.
​In dogs that inherit one copy of the mutation, cataracts develop slowly, sometimes leading to complete blindness. It has been speculated that dogs carrying two copies of the mutation are more likely to develop a more rapidly progressing and severe cataract.
Dogs with 1 copy of the mutated gene are at increased risk.

HUU - Hyperuricosuria 

The SLC2A9 gene codes for a protein that allows the kidneys to transport uric acid from the urine. Affected dogs are predisposed to have elevated levels of uric acid in the urine, this can form crystals and/or stones in the urinary tract causing inflammation. Urinary stones in the bladder can cause UTIs or a blockage of the urethra. Both males and females can be affected, but more common in males due to differences in anatomy. Symptoms can include: frequent urination, blood in urine, and straining to urinate along with loss of appetite, lethargy, weakness, vomiting, and pain. 
​2 copies of the mutated gene are needed for a dog to be affected.

MDR1 - Multidrug Resistance 1

MDR1 is very common in herding breeds. The mutation causes dysfunction of P-glycoprotein, which is responsible for removing certain drugs and toxins from the body. Affected dogs are at risk of developing neurological symptoms that could range from tremors, excess salivation, anorexia and blindness, to coma and potentially death if the drug is unable to be expelled.
Drugs known to cause neurological signs related to the MDR1 mutation: Acepromazine, butorphanol, doxorubicin, emodepside, erythromycin, ivermectin, loperamide, milbemycin, moxidectin, rifampin, selamectin, vinblastine and vincristine
Dogs with 1 copy of the mutated gene can still suffer the affects from MDR1, and those with 2 copies are at heightened risk - It is worth noting that even clear dogs have been known to react to some of these drugs, so we recommend treating all Miniature American Shepherds as though they are MDR1 affected, despite their genetic status.​

NAD - Neuroaxonal Dystrophy

NAD comes from a variant in the RNF170 gene, the earliest symptoms tend to appear very mildly around 2-4 years of age, starting with gait abnormalities and a wide stance, they may start to struggle climbing the stairs and jumping. The symptoms slowly worsen, limbs begin to drag which can cause wounds on the dogs feet. Additional potential symptoms include vision issues, head tremors, incontinence, decreased muscle, mental dullness and laryngeal paralysis. 
2 copies of the mutated gene are needed for a dog to be affected.

NCL6 - Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 6

Affected dogs lack specific enzymes necessary for ordinary metabolism. As a result, an abnormal amount of waste product accumulates within the cells of the nervous system, leading to a range of nervous system disorders. Affected dogs tend to present around 1.5 years of age, symptoms include loss of vision, behavioral change, anxiety, lack of muscle coordination, and abnormal gait.
​2 copies of the mutated gene are needed for a dog to be affected.

PRA-PRCD - Progressive Retinal Atrophy & Progressive Rod Cone Disease

Progressive retinal atrophy, progressive rod-cone degeneration is a late onset inherited eye disease. PRA-prcd occurs as a result of degeneration of both rod and cone type photo-receptor cells of the retina which are important for vision in both low and bright light. Affected dogs will initially have visual difficulties in low light and loss of peripheral vision. Over time affected dogs continue to lose night vision and begin struggle in bright light and progresses to complete blindness in most dogs.
​2 copies of the mutated gene are needed for a dog to be affected.

Inherited Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a seizure disorder. Seizures can be caused be multiple things, infection, head injuries, toxic exposure, brain damage etc. In the event that a seizure was caused by the aforementioned, vets should be able to determine a cause through the dogs history, blood tests or an MRI. If a cause for the seizure/epilepsy is found, the dog can be treated to prevent or soften the fits.
​If no cause for the seizure can be identified there is a possibility that the dog has inherited epilepsy, which is a currently untestable disease. Luckily there is ongoing research into the inheritance if it. If a dog is found to be closely related to a dog with inherited epilepsy they should not be bred. 

How Your Puppy Will Be Raised

Your puppy will be bred from two pedigree AKC registered, fully health tested dogs with ideal temperaments. We aim for our offspring to meet the breed standard and overall be healthy, happy dogs to suit the lifestyle they have ahead of them, whether that be companionship, a working home or sporting prospects. 

Puppies will spend their first weeks of life in their whelping box with their mum, they will be kept on vet bedding to ensure they keep warm and dry. Their socialising/desensitisation starts early, from day 4-16 of life we expose the pups to a range of handling positions, scents and sensations, known as ENS and ESI (early neurological stimulation and early scent introduction).
As we finish the course of ENS/ESI they will begin to open their eyes and start walking at a similar time, they are very wobbly initially! As they establish their movement and become more active they will have access to an extension of their whelping box during the day. In this space they will start to encounter some of our play equipment such as balls, soft toys, tunnels, dangly toys, a small ramp and cat cave. It is around this time that they begin to wean off their mother.
Once they're more confident on their feet (around 4 weeks of age) they are soon upgraded into a larger playpen, here they will be introduced to new apparatus such as wobble boards, a ball pit, puzzle toys and plenty of things to climb on and in. We will continue to socialize the pups by getting them accustomed to common household commotion such as the hoover, doorbell, other dogs and the television along with giving them more practical exposure such as car rides, claw clipping and bath time. Previously our puppies have been able to spectate livestock and supermarket car parks from the safety of the vehicle, began crate and toilet training, had 1 on 1 play time with them individually and have overall been very well handled, developing into confident well-rounded puppies, ready for the transition to their new homes.
Although we will always do our best, we only have so much time with them and it is the owners responsibility to further continue their socialising to ensure they mature into adaptable, self-assured dogs. Nervousness is not uncommon in the breed and they generally need 3x as much socialising as retriever breeds, for this reason we highly encourage puppy buyers to frequently expose their dogs to the outside world in this crucial stage of life. It is worth noting that unvaccinated puppies do not have to miss out on early socialising, they are safe to leave the house and observe public spaces from the safety of their owners arms. A lot of the training, socialising and overall treatment your puppy receives in their early days will really mold their personalities and shape their behaviour in the longrun.

Our Process

We encourage potential owners to reach out to us as early as possible. Whether you're interested in a current litter, an upcoming pairing or hoping to join the waiting list a year in advance, feel free to contact us.

​For those already on our waiting list, every step of the journey is shared - from meeting the stud to the birth and all the chaos that ensues afterwards, you'll be able to watch the puppies grow up from the start. At around 5 weeks old picks will begin to be made, we like to factor temperament and build into the homing of our puppies and therefore will not usually accept reservations on a puppy before this time. Once a pick has been made a deposit is required to reserve that puppy which is secured with our deposit contract. Final payment must be made before the pup leaves our care and our sales contract must be signed.
Once our puppies have found their homes, a puppy group chat will be created for the owners of each dog in their litter. This is used to share any advice, experience and updates, we love watching them grow up together. Puppies will leave with a puppy pack containing the following: food, soft toy, collar, tug toy, blanket with mum and litters scent on, treats, a chew and any documents regarding your puppy. They will leave microchipped, wormed, vet checked and flea treated, they do NOT leave vaccinated. 

About Us & Our Dogs

We are located on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon and have been breeding MAS since 2023. We first discovered the breed through agility competitions and immediately fell in love with their athleticism, huge characters and compact size. We have found the breed to be very adaptable and loyal which has been ideal for our lifestyle, we are a spontaneous, active young couple and enjoy our daily tasks much more with 4 legs shadowing our every move. Our dogs have travelled across Europe by campervan and around the UK with us and we've been thrilled by their versatility and stamina, furthering our admiration for the breed. Overall we have found them to be our perfect companions and wish we had discovered them sooner.
Above anything our dogs are pets, they are not kennel dogs and are treated as family - they sleep on our bed, have a balanced diet and get plenty of exercise on the moor. We bring them everywhere with us and enjoy hiking, paddleboarding, trick and agility training, although no longer participate competitively at this time.

Our ambitions through breeding: Our dogs have been carefully selected and imported from fellow breeders in the UK, America, Canada, France, Poland and Norway for their health, structure and bloodlines. Through our future breeding we hope to breed beautiful, unique dogs with strong Aussie features and overall produce healthy, intelligent dogs to suit a the lifestyles they have ahead of them, whether it's a working or sports home or being a family pet. We have great variety within our dogs, regarding size, temperament, energy and build but what they all have in common is great health, trainability and a friendly nature.
Moving forward we hope to bring some smaller, lesser seen bloodlines into our breeding to improve genetic diversity, the studs we use are carefully selected with this in mind. We aim to grow the pedigree's of our dogs that have more 'common' lines and develop them into something more unique through the generations, they are the most popular bloodlines for a reason, being some of the most consistent producers within the breed.

Socialising & Topics For New Owners

Socialising
When getting a new puppy, it is important that you consistently socialise them from the very start, especially before 16 weeks old. Socialising is your dogs way of learning the world and becoming desensitised to it, it is a key part of raising a friendly, confident, self assured MAS. Although we will always give our puppies the best start to life, we only have limited time with them so it is detrimental for owners to expand on their exposure to varied experiences. The result of an unsocialised MAS is extreme fear, aggression and reactivity, which nobody wants.
Herding breeds in particular require a lot of socialising due to their sensitivity to movement, noise and new environments, they are easily over stimulated and naturally suspicious of strangers whilst loyal to their owners, it is important that this reserve does not develop into fear or aggression.

How do I socialise my MAS?
- Socialising is a matter of allowing your dog to go everywhere and see everything in a controlled manner. It is important that they have positive experiences so be mindful of what your pup is or isn't comfortable with, forcing them into stressful, overwhelming situations in the name of 'socialising' can do more harm than good!
- You'll want to have a high reward treat on hand to build reinforcement on the behaviors that you do want to see, such as politely greeting someone, or ignoring a passing cyclist.
Rewards can also be used as an aid to manage fear: for example, if your pup is nervous of traffic, but every time a car passes they get a treat, eventually they will start to associate the car with a treat, and therefore their nervousness can develop into something positive.
- It is important to focus on calmness, not just exposure. Your goal is for your dog to be placid and responsive to you, regardless of their surroundings. While it is important that they meet new people and dogs, sometimes you will want to sit back from the action and teach neutrality in these environments, calm behavior and responsiveness to handler should be rewarded. 
- Socialising isn't just a matter of external places, it begins in your home. Having strangers visit the property, the doorbell, being groomed, kitchen noises, hoover, car, staircases, other pets, having their paws/ears/gums touched will all be learning experiences for your pup and help mold them into the dog they become.​

Vaccinating

After birth, the mother will be producing colostrum, a high antibody-rich fluid to provide the puppies with initial immunity. By the time the puppies are leaving for their forever homes this immunity will be wearing off, requiring vaccinations to build up their antibody count (titres). Vaccinations work by introducing the dog to antigens (dead & weakened pathogens), stimulating their immune system to produce the antibodies needed to fight future infections.
When your dog gets their vaccination, their immunity significantly drops and vets will advise you to not take your puppy out for weeks, which would cause them to miss out on tons of socialising at such a critical, impressionable age. To ensure they still get the social experiences needed at this age, it is recommendable to look into puppy sling options, or even carry them so they still get to see, smell and hear the world without touching the ground. 
​In the UK puppies receive DHPPi and L4/L2 which protects them from distemper, canine hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza and leptospirosis, from 2-3 jabs a few weeks apart. Dogs travelling internationally will also need a rabies vaccination.

Our puppies do not leave vaccinated for 3 reasons
- Our vet will not vaccinate earlier than 8 weeks old
- Different vets tend to use different brands/variants of the vaccines which aren't all cross compatible. We would hate for a puppy to have to restart their vaccine cycle, further delaying their socialising.
- Some studies show it is optimal to wait until 12+ weeks old before their first jab, as the maternal derived antibodies from the colostrum interfere with the puppies response to the vaccine by neutralising the antigen. This also allows time for early socialising before their vaccines hinder their outings.

Everybody knows about vaccinating but have you heard of the lesser known titre test?
Titre testing is a simple blood test to determine a dogs anti-body count. In the event that the dogs antibodies are normal, a booster jab would be unnecessary, it is actually possible to over vaccinate a dog.

Socialising

When getting a new puppy, it is important that you consistently socialise them from the very start, especially before 16 weeks old. Socialising is your dogs way of learning the world and becoming desensitised to it, it is a key part of raising a friendly, confident, self assured MAS. Although we will always give our puppies the best start to life, we only have limited time with them so it is detrimental for owners to expand on their exposure to varied experiences. The result of an unsocialised MAS is extreme fear, aggression and reactivity, which nobody wants.
Herding breeds in particular require a lot of socialising due to their sensitivity to movement, noise and new environments, they are easily over stimulated and naturally suspicious of strangers whilst loyal to their owners, it is important that this reserve does not develop into fear or aggression.

How do I socialise my MAS?
- Socialising is a matter of allowing your dog to go everywhere and see everything in a controlled manner. It is important that they have positive experiences so be mindful of what your pup is or isn't comfortable with, forcing them into stressful, overwhelming situations in the name of 'socialising' can do more harm than good!
- You'll want to have a high reward treat on hand to build reinforcement on the behaviors that you do want to see, such as politely greeting someone, or ignoring a passing cyclist.
Rewards can also be used as an aid to manage fear: for example, if your pup is nervous of traffic, but every time a car passes they get a treat, eventually they will start to associate the car with a treat, and therefore their nervousness can develop into something positive.
- It is important to focus on calmness, not just exposure. Your goal is for your dog to be placid and responsive to you, regardless of their surroundings. While it is important that they meet new people and dogs, sometimes you will want to sit back from the action and teach neutrality in these environments, calm behavior and responsiveness to handler should be rewarded. 
- Socialising isn't just a matter of external places, it begins in your home. Having strangers visit the property, the doorbell, being groomed, kitchen noises, hoover, car, staircases, other pets, having their paws/ears/gums touched will all be learning experiences for your pup and help mold them into the dog they become.

Places to socialise your MAS
- Puppy classes: attending puppy classes will teach your dog to focus on you in a more exciting environment and greet other youngsters politely in a controlled environment. Some vets and pet shops (such as petscorner) host puppy parties, these are sometimes puppy free-for-alls so please be mindful of whether this will be beneficial or damaging to your pups development.
- The pet shop: workers won't be pushy when greeting your pup, there will be lots of edible and doggy smells to distract them from and any dogs will be controlled on lead.
- The park: you might see some children shouting and playing, dogs, possibly a runner or cyclist and have plenty of space to step aside and focus on calmness amongst the chaos.
- Outside a supermarket: they will see many people and desensitise to the rattle of trollies, cars driving in the car park and sliding shop doors.
- Town/city centre: you'll want to take your pup somewhere busy when they're ready. They'll see countless people, most of which won't be interested in greeting your pup, the occasional dog on lead and traffic, bonus points if you are able to take them on a bus.
- Dog show: you'll find there are often unofficial 'companion' dog shows in your area, these are open to any breed and work by entering on the day, often having classes such as best puppy, best trick, best male/female, best crossbreed. These are typically hosted at village fates or charity events. 

Neutering 

A dog will need their hormones in order to develop correctly, with some of the later growth plates closing around 18 months old it is not advisable to neuter before this age, allowing full, unaltered growth.

There is typically no need to castrate a male, unless needed medically or if lower testosterone may help behaviorally. However for females studies show an increased risk of mammary cancer in unspayed females. For this reason many opt to neuter between 18-24 months of age, thus also eliminating the stress of their girl in season and accidental pregnancy.

Neutering is not something we mandate in our contract but we do encourage all owners to make an educated decision.

Grooming

The Miniature American Shepherd has a double coat, this means that they have a longer outercoat and wooly undercoat, making them resistant to harsh weathers. The MAS sheds quite a lot, especially during the shedding seasons which occur 1-2 times a year. 

Although you may opt to send your Miniature American Shepherd to the groomers, it is not something we have found necessary. You can absolutely stay on top of their grooming needs at home with some thinning scissors and a wire brush. Typically, a good grooming routine will include: brushing the full body (they are especially prone to knotting behind their ears, armpits and butt fur), trimming and shaping the paws, ears and featherings. Claws should be clipped/filed frequently, you'll find if you walk your dog primarily on grass (like us) you'll need to cut them more often than dogs walking on pavements as the hard surfaces will slowly be grinding them down. Shaving their coat is not recommended.

Exercise

This is a higher energy breed that requires a moderate amount of exercise, they love their walks and have the stamina to go on and on all day. Ours also love to chase a ball, play hide and seek and swim when possible. They are bouncy, athletic and excel when given a purpose such as herding or dog sports. As much as physical exercise is needed, it is important not to overlook the equally important metal stimulation. An unsatisfied MAS may find their own way to stay occupied, such as shredding.

Examples of mentally stimulating activities:
Food dissections (eg. stuffed kongs, filled hooves), chew bones, retrieval games - also physically stimulating, trick training, hide and seek, lick mats & puzzle games, free play with other dogs, snuffle mats & scattered food (works well on grass/in leaves), parkour (teaching a command to jump up onto something and applying it to logs/benches/banks out on walks)

Activities to try with your MAS:
Agility, flyball, obedience, canny cross, heelwork to music, rally, paddleboarding, herding, parkour, hoopers, scentwork, conformation, the good citizen dogs scheme, kayaking, dock diving, mantrailing, frisbee etc.

Training

Intelligence & boundaries
Miniature American Shepherds are intelligent and learn obedience commands quickly but this is only part of how their intelligence works: they are problem solvers and are renowned for their ability to think independently and make decisions on their own. They do not see limits in their environment, only opportunities. This is a necessary trait in an Australian Shepherd's working ability with stock and it carries over to MAS in other areas of life. Owners should thoughtfully teach limits, before your MAS chooses their own boundaries! For example, other dogs see fences as impassable obstacles, whereas the MAS may look at a fence and see a challenge and attempt every possible way to get over, under, around or through the fence. As obedience/sport prospects, their problem solving capacity can be a problem with owners who use repetitive, drill style training methods as they get easily bored and frustrated. MAS learn quickly and enjoy a challenge, repeated drilling can quickly bore or even cause them to dislike the activity. Keeping them motivated includes allowing them to problem solve.

For more on the in depth character and rearing of a MAS I suggest you read the article linked below:
Packet Ranch ~Ghost Eye Aussies & Miniature American Shepherd ~Raising an Australian Shepherd, Mini Aussie & Miniature American Shepherd. Temperament & Development.

Tricks
There are many resources online to help you train your pup and show different methods to achieve the same goal. Predominantly you'll be using a luring method to manipulate the way your dog moves and reward the desired outcome, for example cuing 'sit', using a treat to tip your dogs head back until they sit down, then rewarding.

Travelling

For owners considering taking their pets on holiday internationally you will need to comply with the following
- A rabies vaccination, only valid after 21 days in the body
- An animal health certificate issued within 10 days of the date of departure
- The animal health certificate will allow your pet to re-enter GB within 4 months
- To re-enter GB, you will need a tapeworm treatment administered and recorded on the AHC by a vet. This must be given between 24-120 hours of your re-entry into the country.
- To travel again, you will need a new AHC. 
- If the rabies jab is readministered before the previous has expired, you will not have to wait 21 days before travelling.