dog breed Mini Australian Shepherd Review

Overall 4.33 of 5 view all 3 reviews

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pammylbear
East Bridgewater, MA

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Great advertisement for her breed. And gorgeous, too.

dog lover, a dog owner, have a great veterinarian, practical, Dog Owner, concerned w/safety & comfort of my pets

Pros

Mellow temperment, Everyone is her friend, Great with other dogs, Great with kids, Great agility dog

Cons

A little too submissive, Doesn't like the car, Doesn't like baths

NOV

2007

Our dog Misty has been a true blessing. We got her when she was 8 weeks old and haven't looked back since. If you're considering the breed, do your homework first. This is a herding breed, and has a number of traits bred in, just like terriers. Too many of these wonderful dogs end up in rescue because they weren't the quiet lap dog someone really wanted or needed more attention and exercise than someone could provide them with. Mini Aussies are smaller versions of the full-size dogs, but they come with 100% of the breed personality.

Misty is of the opinion that everyone loves her and wants to be her friend. She has learned that isn't always the case, however, and knows which people to just look at when we go on our daily walks. She's one smart cookie! On the other hand, there are plenty of peple we've met because Misty is so well behaved and friendly. I've been told this is contrary to the norm for the breed - that they are generally reserved with strangers.

Cars are definitely not one of Misty's favorite modes of transportation. Even after going to agility classes for 12 weeks in a row, she still didn't look forward to the ride. It may have something to do with the harness we put on her to secure in the car, though. She cringes and hides when we bring that out! Now we put it on her about an hour before we leave so hopefully she doesn't associate it with the car ride.

Dogs are definitely one of Misty's favorites! She knows where all the dogs in the neighborhood live and looks for her special friends when we pass their homes. I wish I could teach her to do the mutual butt-sniffing, but she tends to back away when the other dog initiates it.

Misty is not a high-drive Aussie, so I haven't had to deal with the herding part of an Aussie's personality. The only time I see it is when the kids are yelling and screaming and running in the house. Come to think of it, maybe it's a good thing. I don't like it when they get that started, either.

She can definitely focus, such as when we play Frisbee or do agility. And she is very food motivated, as I've heard a lot of Aussie's are. This has made her very easy to train. One thing to remember is to keep reinforcing the behaviors your dog has learned.

As any dog owner will tell you, dogs are indeed man's best friend. And our Misty certainly qualifies as one of my best friends.

dog breed Mini Australian Shepherd is recommended by pammylbear

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Comments about pammylbear’s Review

jazzybean01 wrote on Dec 20, 2007 at 5:18PM

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OMG the little mini's are so cute. How precious. My dog is the same way with people, everyone must love him. There's only one person he doesn't like and that's our neighbor who is always in trouble with the law. I call Barkley my little law dog.

Meredith wrote on Nov 16, 2007 at 9:28AM

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Awesome review! This really helped give us an insider's perspective of what this breed is like :) Thank you! Misty is totally adorable! Sounds like she's a bundle of joy & excitement. My family has always owned Boxers which are such great dogs as well!