Guest Anonymous Posted July 6, 2002 Posted July 6, 2002 I keep seeing ad's for these. Has anyone actually ever seen one? What are they a mixture of? Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted July 6, 2002 Posted July 6, 2002 I have seen the mini aussies and they really are a downsized version of the standard aussie... as to wheather you can register them with anybody I do not know... I imagine they are the product of a lot of intesive breeding with runts... or smaller dogs. Most aussies are around 35-50lb. I have even seen a 90lb dog... and he wasn't overweight! Minis run around 25 and even smaller. I don't know much about temperment, though I have heard it's pretty much the same... I guess those who don't have the yard space but like the look would really want one of these? Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted July 7, 2002 Posted July 7, 2002 [quote name='Sidney']I keep seeing ad's for these. Has anyone actually ever seen one? What are they a mixture of?[/quote] I suspect they are just small sized dogs being bred down - problem is if you diminish the bone on dogs as active as these and designed to do the tasks they are created for I would guess you could be looking at some serious problems with patellae and maybe hips and elbows. I would not consider a dog to purchase if the parents were not cleared of hereditary problems like HD etc prior to the breeding. Of course other breeds could be added in to miniaturize the breed faster and then you would need to know the problems in that breed too in order to test the adults before breeding. People who breed 'fad' litters are usually not responsible breeders they are too often make pups for money people instead. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted July 7, 2002 Posted July 7, 2002 There are no such breeds - just unreputable people who breed poor quality dogs that are way below breed standards, so they try to make people think it's a new breed. Sad. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted July 8, 2002 Posted July 8, 2002 A miniature aussie is a true breed but is not recognized by the registries. I do flyball with my dogs and I know a few mini aussies. When they are registered with NAFA, they are registered as North American Shepherds I believe, I may wrong on the name though. When registered with AKC, they are registered as standard aussies but I think they have to be ILP'd. Not sure since I do not believe in the registries and I am not sure about all the politics. They are usually very small but at times they are known to get as big as a standard aussie. There temperaments seem ok. Other than that I know nothing else about them. I have never heard of a mini heeler. I have seen a couple petite ones but never known any to be claimed minis So basically, these different minis are technically a bogus breed in many eyes. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted July 8, 2002 Posted July 8, 2002 During college, studying genetics, we had a breeding pair of Australian Cattle Dogs donated for the purpose of studying their genetics. They were normal sized by AKC standards. In every litter, when the bitch was bred to this dog, she produced 1 to 3 small-sized pups, out of a litter of usually 7. They were actually dwarfs. The sire and the dam were both carriers of the dwarf gene. They were amazing, normal in every aspect, no health problems (some would occasionally snort), no temperment problems. They were an anomily. Usually only reaching 12 to 14 inches at the shoulder. Just a thing that happened, genetically speaking that is. It could have been environmentally caused, caused by inbreeding, terratogens, mutagens, gene drift.....who knows. It just happened. And yes, to answer the next question: Both the sire and dam were registered with AKC and came from a reputable breeder. Part of the agreement for the donation, was that the sire and dam were to be returned to the original owner after we had conducted our studies. Dwarfisms can and do occur. If this is ethical or politically correct to continue breeding knowing there is a possibility of a dwarf gene being expressed, that is up to the person doing the breeding. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted July 9, 2002 Posted July 9, 2002 [quote name='Tic Doc']snip Dwarfisms can and do occur. If this is ethical or politically correct to continue breeding knowing there is a possibility of a dwarf gene being expressed, that is up to the person doing the breeding.[/quote] Ah but dwarfing and miniaturization are different things Dwarf type dogs include the corgi and the basset Miniaturized dogs are the ones found in the toy group with the only dwarf looking one I can think of off hand being the peke Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted July 9, 2002 Posted July 9, 2002 [quote name='Anonymous'][quote name='Tic Doc']snip Dwarfisms can and do occur. If this is ethical or politically correct to continue breeding knowing there is a possibility of a dwarf gene being expressed, that is up to the person doing the breeding.[/quote] Ah but dwarfing and miniaturization are different things Dwarf type dogs include the corgi and the basset Miniaturized dogs are the ones found in the toy group with the only dwarf looking one I can think of off hand being the peke[/quote] Miniature's would be "midgets". They are in proportion of body vs legs (like a person). The Heelers were dwarf's, their body and head were slightly larger than their legs --- they were not in the correct proportion (body vs leg length). Legs were short, but not like that of Corgi or Basset. Quote
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