Shepherds
General Appearance:
The Miniature Australian Shpherd is a well-balanced dog of medium size and bone. He is attentive and animated, showing strength and stamina combined with unusual agility. Slightly longer than tall, he has a coat of medium length and coarseness with colour that offers variety and individuality in each specimen. An identifying charecteristic is his natural or docked bobtail. In each sex masculinty or femininity is well-defined. Bone is moderate and clean with coarseness, heaviness or lightness being undesirable. Overall type, balance of conformation and movement are valued more highly than individual structural perfections because it is balance that enables him to fulfill his purpose.
Character:
The Australian Shepherds and Miniature Australian Shepherds are intelligent, primarily of working do to strong herding and guarding insticts, they are exceptional companion. They are versatile and easily trained, performing their asigned task with great style and enthusiasm. Both may be reserved with strangers but do not exhibit shyness. Although aggresive, authoritive worker, viciousness towrds people or animals is intolerable. Fault: Undue shyness. DIsqualification: Viciousness.
Head:
Clean cut, strong, dry, in proprtion to the body. The top skull is flat to stlightly rounded, it's length and width both eqaul to the length of the muzzle, wich is in balance and proprtioned with the rest of the head. The muzzle tapers slightly to a rounded tip. The stop is moderate but well defined.
Lips: Giving a dry appearance. Disqualification: wet flews
Teeth: A full compliment of strong, white teeth meet in a scissor bite. An even bite is a fault. Teeth broken or missing by accident are not penalized.
Disqualifications: Undershot bites; overshot bites exceeding one-eighth inch.
Eyes: Very expressive, attentiveness and inteligence. Clear almond shaped of moderte size, set a little obliquely. Neither prominent nor sunken, with pupils dark, well-designed and perfetly postioned. Colour is brown, blue, amber or any variation or comination therefore including flecks and marbling, with no preference. Disqualification: Offset pupil.
Ears: Set on high at the side of the head, triangular and slightly rounded at the tip, of moderate size with length with length measured by bringing the tip of the ear around to the inside corner of the eye. The ears, at full attention, break slightly forward and over from one-quarter to one-half above the base. Prick and hound ears are severe faults.
Neck and Body:
The neck is firm, clean and in proprtion to the body. It is of medium length and slighty arched at the crest, settling well into the shoulders. The body is firm and muscualar. The top-line appears level at a natural four-square stance. The chest is deep and strong with ribs well sprung. The loin is strong and broad when viewed from the top. The bottom carries well back with a moderate tuck-up. The croup is moderatly sloping, the ideal being thirty degrees from the horizontal. Tail is straight not to exceed three inches, naturally bobbed or docked.
Forequarters:
The shoulder blades (scapulae) are long and flat, close set at the withers, approximately two fingers width at a natural stance, and are well laid back at an angle approximating forty-five dgrees to the ground. The upper arm (humerus) is attached at an approximate right angle at the shoulder line with forelegs dropping straight, perpendicular to the ground. The elbow joint is equidistant from the ground to the withers. The legs are straight and powerful. Pasterns are short, thick and strong, but still flexible, showing a slight angle when viewed from the side. Feet are ovel shaped, compact, with close knit, well arched toes. Pads are thick and resiliant; nails short and strong. Dewclaws may be removed.
Hindquarters:
Strong and muscular. Width of hindquarters are approximately equal to the width of the forequarters at the shoulders. The angulation of of the pelvis and the upper thigh (femur) corresponds to the angulation of the shoulder blade and upper arm forming an approximate right angle. Stifles are clearly defined, hock joints moderately bent. The metatarsi are short, perpendicular to the ground and paralell to each other when viewed from the rear. Feet are oval shaped, compact with close-knit, well arched toes. Pads are thick and resilient; nails are short and strong. Declaws may be removed.
Coat:
Of medium texture, sraight to slightly wavy, weather resistant, of moderate length with an undercoat. The quantitie of undercoat varies with climate. Hair is short and smooth on head, outside of ears, front of forelegs and below the hocks. Backs of forelegs are moderately feathered; breeches are moderately full. There is a moderate main and frill, more pronounce in males than females. Non-typical coats are severe faults.
Colour:
All colours are srong, clear and rich. The recognized colurs are blue merle, red (liver) merle, solid black and solid red (liver) and with or without white makings and/or tan (copper) points with no preference. Blue merle and black have black pigment on nose, lips and eye-rims; The red (liver) merle and red (liver) hane liver pigmentation on nose, lips and eye-rims. Butterly nose should not be faulted under one year of age. On all colours, the areas surrounding the ears and eyes are dominated by colour other than white. The hairline of a white collar does not exceed the point of the withers. Disqualifications: other than recognized colours, whit body splashes, dudley nose.
Gait:
Smooth, free and easy; exhibiting agility of movement with a well- balanced, ground covering stride. Fore and hind legs are paralell with the centre line of the body; as speed increases, the feet, both front and rear, converge towars the centre line of gravity of the dog, while the topline remains firm and level. Joints not to bend or twist while in motion.
Size:
Preferred height at the withers for males is fourteen to eighteen inches; that for females is fourteen up to but not including eighteen inches. Dogs or bitches above or below these measurements should be faulted to the dgree of variance, however, quality is not to be sacrifced in favour of size. Disqualificatons: Below fourteen inches at the withers.
Other Disqualifications:
Toy-like features (i.e. domed head, bulging eyes, fine bone), monorchidism or cryptorchidism.
Note:
With the Miniature Australian Shepherd it is to be jujged as if it were an Australian Shpeherd in all respects other than size. The Australian Shepherd and Miniature Australian Shepherd's conformation, moderate coat, efficient yet driving movement and stable temperment should all imply a herding dog capable of working long hours in a variety of conditions. Shown in near to natural state. Hair may be trimmed away from and around the pads. Wiskers may be trimmed or untrimmed ( never removed on a dogs to work stock). Pasterns may be trimmed between carpal pad and heel. Hair along hock and long hairs on docked or bobbed tails are sparse, stray or staggly hairs may be trimmed to make a neater outline.
6541 County Rd. 21
Alliston, Ontario
L9R 1V2
(705)424-2423
info@hhcminiaussies.com