Australian Shepherd - Standard, Miniature and Toy

The International Herding Dog Association recognizes the Australian Shepherd, regardless of size (Standard, Miniature or Toy). 

The "Aussie" is intelligent, adaptable and agile. The Australian Shepherd lives for his job, which can be herding livestock, performance events or just guarding the family. They do well as an all-purpose farm and ranch dog but also excel at being the family pet in an active home. The Aussie needs a lot of exercise and mental stimulation to be truly content. Because of the Aussie's intelligence and versatility, they excel in events such as herding, Treibball, agility, obedience, rally obedience, fly ball, dock diving, barn hunt, nose work and many more events.

Their coats can be black, blue merle, red merle and red with or without tan (copper) and white markings. White is acceptable on the neck (either in part or as a full collar), chest, legs, muzzle under parts, blaze on head and white extension from under part. A more detailed description of acceptable markings can be found on the breed standard link below.

Preferred heights:
Standard Australian Shepherd 18 to up to 22 inches
Miniature Australian Shepherd 14 to up to 18 inches
Toy Australian Shepherd 10 to up to 14 inches

 Important links for IHDA below