TOY MINI AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD PUPPIES MINIATURE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD MINI AUSSIES BLACK TRI BLUE EYES       /

     HUGHES Miniature - TOY Australian Shepherds                          Mjehughes@hughes.net                  503-668-3693

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WHAT IS A TOY AUSSIE??  quick overview - our breeding program

 
sky (14" smmini)  next to full size Aussie                   standard aussies 18+inch a shoulder, 50+lb

Minis  14-17in  20-40lb            

 

              
Sky (sm mini) 14" Bandit toy 10"
bandit fits in Skys food bowl

 TOYs 13" under-  to 20lbs

 super toy - we are getting even smaller, 10" under, 8lbs

this is lil guy & pumpkin (2yrs-&1yr) in hubbys arms - they like the crossed arms- closer to the face for kisses.

super toys 10" less under 10lbs

 IF you want a SMALL HOUSE sized dog with brains, smarts, loyalty, & HEALTH - with "limited" or no herding instinct our Toy aussie is what you are looking for. we try to selective breed OUT herding & aggressiveness for "family pets" so do not follow breed standard..

BREED HISTORY  - standard australian sheperd

from http://www.australianshepherds.org/about.html

"While there are many theories as to the origin of the Australian Shepherd, the breed as we know it today developed exclusively in the United States. The Australian Shepherd was given its name because of their association with the Basque sheepherders who came to the United States from Australia in the 1800's. The Aussie rose rapidly in popularity with the boom of western riding after World War II, becoming known to the general public via rodeos, horse shows, movies and television. Their inherent versatility and trainability made them useful on American farms and ranches. The American stockmen continued the development of the breed, maintaining the versatility, keen intelligence, strong herding instinct and eye-catching appearance. "

" A Small Australian Shepherd  

http://www.mascaonline.org/History.htm
During the 1960’s, a Californian Australian Shepherd enthusiast acquired several small working Aussies from the rodeo circuit. Intrigued by their compact size, she worked with a veterinarian to develop a breeding program in order to preserve the trait, which quickly resulted in litters producing both dogs only 13 to 14 inches tall as well as larger Australian Shepherds. The smaller dogs eventually became known as "miniature" Australian Shepherds.

The mini Aussie soon attracted the attention of experienced Australian Shepherd breeders and eager newcomers. Lines were researched and educated breeding to full-size Aussies was and is strongly encouraged to diversify the gene pool and improve conformation and type of the mini Aussies. Herding instinct, intelligence and drive were preserved and many mini Aussies continue to work a variety of livestock today. "

 

The TOY AUSSIE -Our program

 

 This is SKy - 14" mini male and his great granddaughter -

 Miss Gnat-a-lee (8")  photo at 6mths -almost full grown

 Breeding selectively -

 Sky 14" x HOlly 13"  = Tootsie 12"

 Tootsie 12"  x  Peppi 12" = Miss Bee Bee 10"

 Miss Bee bee 10" x  Sir Prize 10" (bandit x Princess) = Gnat-a-lee 8"..

finally have a male MiteYmouse that we MAY be able to safely breed to  Gnat-a-lee  - will the next generation be smaller???
Standard aussie 17" and over

Lady hawk "STANDARD" 20", with skyhawk 14" next

 
Mini Aussie   14"-17"

 Skyhawk 14" with bandit 10"

 

  Toy Aussie  13" & under

 Pretty Girl 12" - Sunny x BOnnie blue

 our experience most puppies that mature 13" or under - TOY aussies are not over 3.5lbs at 8wks -

 most of ours that mature `12" range are 2.5-3lbs. at 8wks
 

 "Teacup" Toy aussie - 10"

 Funnygirl - 10" 1yr - about 8lbs..

 
 

  "Micro?  Aussie  9" & under

   Lil guy (bandit x holly) 9", 7lbs

 (bucket behind lil guy is 9" tall)

Sky 14" & grtgrdtr Gnatalee 8"

 

 

How we came to breed "TOY AUSSIES".. My husband fell in love with a dog that a customer would bring in to his work occasionally. The dog was about 14", 15lb, a good sized family pet.. when asked what it was the customer said "australian shepherd".. so when we had a place we purchased an "australian shepherd" puppy, only to have our puppy mature 20" and 65lb - Ladyhawk.  The next time the customer came in my husband asked why our australian shepherd was sooooooo much bigger.. and the customer said ' Oh this is a MINI australian shepherd"..

After being on waiting lists for 2 years we obtained our first dogs..   HOlly a 13" female, and skyhawk a 14" male.. they were wonderful outside/limited indoor pets..  We had  a couple of litters.. WE sold a male puppy to a person I worked with . who after a couple months, said the dog we sold her hadn't grown much.. to find out we were getting "toys" from Sky x Holly..  The next one we kept, "TOOTSIE" matured 12",  and became our spoiled house/bed dog.. 

This is when we discovered/ fell in love with the TOY AUSSIE.. We had seen one when we purchased/picked up skyhawk, but the breeder said they were few and difficult to obtain.. The toy Aussie is  A small "house sized" dog that you can pick up with one hand, have one (or several) sit on your lap and not be "dog" overwhelmed.  I had always thought I was a "cat" person as the large dogs were 'OK"  outside companions/guards.. , but were overwhelming/dirty smelly in the house, and small dogs (chihuahua, shit zus, etc) were too hyper "fru fru", needed too much maintenance (more hair care than I get) were YIPPY, PIDDLY, scared or aggressive, with too many health issues - ..  with "tootsie" I found out I was a dog person, just a small "SMART" healthy type"  dog person. AND AS A LOT OF FOLKS SAY with the TOY AUSSIES, they are ADDICTIVE.. 3-4 toys equal size & mess of 1 mini..

WE DO NOT CROSS BREED, and have purchased all breeding stock from KNOWN breeders with National lines, .. WE are  selectively breeding for Toys from our mini s, by selectively purchasing "toys" from various breeders and culling (petting)  out those that did not remain under 13" mature or produce toys when bred.  or do not meet our other standards regarding family disposition and good health., -  We have gone from 14" to 8" (see photo of Sky and his great-granddaughter Gnat-a-lee) in 4 generations.. each generation Vet checked for health.

We also found that some aussie traits are not suitable in this small a dog.. THE  "HERDING instinct" is not Recommended in the TOY in our opinion - My 17H warmblood horses don't acknowledge the TOYS, and pet buyers don't want the dog herding their cats & children. So we selectively breed OUT the herding and any overly protective instincts from our breeding group. - they do work hard to keep our yard Crow free.. and haven't seen a rabbit in years..  Since HOLLY was a very docile, loving dog that would rather sit at your feet than run wildly this became our foundation line.. we have her daughter- tootsie, and son :lil guy to continue her line.

 IF you want a SMALL HOUSE sized dog with brains, smarts, loyalty, & HEALTH - with "limited" herding instinct our Toy aussie is what you are looking for.

IF YOU want a MINI aussie we do get throw backs to 14-15" dogs -  but they are still FAMILY PETS, we try to breed for  limited herding drive.