Comparison: Australian Shepherd and Miniature American Shepherd

Australian Shepherd and Miniature American Shepherd are marked as similar in our database. The table compares only the data we have on the breeds.

	Australian Shepherd	Miniature American Shepherd
FCI group	1. Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs)	1. Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs)
Country of origin	United States	United States
Category	Medium	Small
Height at withers	46–58 cm	33–46 cm
Weight	16–32 kg	–
Life span	12–15 years	–
Recognition features	Frequent merle coat and odd-coloured eyes Naturally bobbed or short tail Medium-length coat and athletic build	Small dog slightly longer than tall with moderate bone and smooth movement Medium-length straight to wavy coat with mane, in several colours incl. merle Energetic, trainable, reserved with strangers
Coat	Medium-length coat with undercoat; blue/red merle, black or red, often with tan.	Medium-length weather-resistant straight to wavy coat with a climate-dependent undercoat; short on the head and front of legs; black, blue merle, red, liver, and red or liver merle, with white and tan markings.
Purpose	Developed in the USA (not Australia) from herding dogs brought by Basque shepherds; a working dog of American ranches and rodeos.	A small American herding dog from California, bred for farm work and sport.

Breed page: Australian Shepherd · Breed page: Miniature American Shepherd

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The information is indicative. Texts are based on available sources and may contain inaccuracies; for binding details (e.g. for breeding or shows) use the official breed standard.