Miniature American Shepherd Standards
- AKC (FSS)
- 13-18"
- 15-30 lbs
- small herding dog
- triangular ears set high
- tail is naturally bobbed or docked
- coat is medium length, straight or wavy
- black
- blue merle
- red
- red merle
- may or may not have tan or white markings
History of the Miniature American Shepherd
The Miniature American Shepherd is a herding breed that originated in the United States. In the 1960s Doris Cordova of California obtained small Australian Shepherds that were working the rodeo circuit and began selective breeding for size. This new size was fixed by 1980, although some crosses were still made back to the parent pool. Despite the fact that no other outcrosses have been used and that the breed is developed from true miniaturization their name has been changed several times and the name Miniature Australian Shepherd seems to have been avoided by their fanciers.