Ivy
Basileas Conspiracy Theory

Gender: F ​Colour: Red merle ​Eyes: Blue Tail: NBT Height: 44cm Weight: 16kg Hips: 3/3 Elbows: 0/0 ​Eyes: Clear ​ ​

CDDY & IVDD: clear CD: clear ​CEA: clear CMR1: carrier DM: clear HSF4: clear  HUU: clear MDR1: clear NAD: clear ​NCL6: clear PRA/PRCD: clear

Zoa
BrayKen Ground at Basilea

Gender: F ​Colour: Black tricolour ​Eyes: Blue Tail: Docked / full Height: 36cm Weight: 10kg Hips: A Elbows: 0 ​Eyes: Clear ​ ​

CDDY & IVDD: clear CD: clear ​CEA: clear CMR1: clear DM: clear HSF4: clear  HUU: clear MDR1: clear NAD: carrier ​NCL6: clear PRA/PRCD: carrier

Woody
ATX Texas

Gender: M ​Colour: Red bicolour ​Eyes: Blue  Tail: Full  Height: 42cm Weight: 12kg ​Hips: TBC Elbows: TBC ​Eyes:​ Clear  ​ ​​

CDDY&IVDD: carrier CD: clear ​CDPA: clear ​CEA: clear CMR1: clear DM: clear ​HSF4: clear HUU: clear MDR1: clear NAD: clear ​NCL6: clear PRA/PRCD: clear

black tricolours

blue merles

red tricolours

red merles

NBT's

tricolours

bicolours

News!

We are already taking applications for our 2026 litters

Please apply to [email protected]

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​We are actively searching for guardian homes!
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Please contact us to find out more.

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​We are welcoming our newest member to the Moortova family, ​Bee!

Genetic Traits
By understanding the following, you can predict the possible outcomes from our litters.

Red Vs Black

Phaeomelanin (red) Vs eumelanin (black), in this case red (b) is recessive and black (B) is the dominant trait, meaning if the dog has a copy of black it will be expressed however 2 copies of red (bb) is needed for the dog to have a red coat. Every red dog is bb and every black/blue dog is either Bb or BB.
We often refer to a black/blue dog as being 'red factored', meaning they carry red - they have 1 copy (Bb) and therefore can produce red puppies depending on who they are bred to. Because 2 copies of red is needed for the dog to have a red coat, a copy of b must be inherited from BOTH parents, therefore they must both either be red or red factored. 

Here are some examples:
- If 1 parent is BB (0 copies of red), they cannot have red puppies.
- If both parents are bb (red), they can only produce bb puppies.
- If both parents are Bb (red factored). roughly 25% of their offspring will inherit bb, 25% BB and 50% Bb 
- If 1 parent is Bb and 1 bb, roughly 50% of their offspring will be bb and 50% Bb
- If 1 parent is BB and 1 bb, 100% off their offspring will be Bb

NBT

NBT, short for natural bob tail is controlled by the T locus and determines the length of a dogs tail. A NBT dog will have a naturally shorter tail and will pass the shortened tail gene to roughly 50% of their offspring. It is a dominant gene, meaning dogs who inherit a copy will express it, they may have virtually no tail or only be missing a couple of vertebrae.

Merle

Merle is controlled by the M locus, it is a trait that causes dilution across the dogs coat (a black dog will become partially grey and a red dog will have a sandy colour. It is a dominant trait, meaning that if a dog inherits the M locus, they will express a merle coat pattern. If one parent is merle, roughly 50% of their offspring have the potential to be merle.
2 Merle dogs should never be paired together as they can produce homozygous merles, meaning a puppy inherits 2 copies of M. The dilution caused by M will be doubled and result in a mostly white dog who will likely have auditory and visual impairments. 

Merle can come in multiple forms: cryptic, atypical, typical, harlequin. These are classified by the length of the merle allele, which can be tested for.
A cryptic merle will have the same appearance as a regular solid coated dog, no merle colouring can be seen. The dog can be bred safely to another merle 

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.

multiple

We often have families that feel that 1 Miniature American Shepherd isn't enough for them, some just wanting a second so the dogs have company, other's want more.
Whilst we do offer a discount to returning families and also feel you can never have enough MAS, it is important to be aware of littermate syndrome and why we suggest you wait 24+ months before adding another addition.

Littermate syndrome applies to both littermates and unrelated puppies of a similar age and refers to behavioral issues that arise when they are raised together. Typically the puppies bond strongly to one another and ​

Topics for new owners

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