Question: What is the difference between a Toy Australian Shepherd and a Miniature Australian Shepherd? Answer: Mostly size. Toy Aussies measure 10 - 14 inches tall, Mini aussies measure 14 - 18 inches. Also many Toy Aussies tend to have less herding drive, as most breeders of toy sized Aussies realize that our dogs are generally going to pet homes and will not be used to work livestock. Some larger toys can be used to herd sheep or ducks, but trying to herd anything with a tiny toy is putting the dog in danger of being hurt.

Question: What is a "teacup" Aussie? Answer: Teacup is not an official type of Aussie. Everyone uses the term differently. Some breeders use it to describe Toy Aussies that weigh under 10 lbs, some use it to describe smaller toys (under 12 inches). The breed standard calls for a Toy Aussie to be 10 - 14 inches tall, so I use the term "teacup" to describe a dog under 10 inches - too small to meet the breed standard. TRUE teacup Aussies are rare, even though you'll see quite a few advertised teacups:-) You'll find that most of those will actually grow to be "regular," 10 - 14 inch, Toy Aussie size.

Question: How do you know how big your puppies will be when they are grown up? Answer: Good question. And there is no easy answer, because breeders are taking their best guess based on many factors. There is no one hard and fast rule. I have found the size of parents, birth weight, and weight at weaning are not particularly good predictors. A breeder also has to take into account that different bloodlines mature differently. Some will not grow much after 6 months, yet others will gain another inch or more after 1 year of age. For example: Our male Quigley is 9 1/2 inches tall and weights 6 1/2 lbs. Our male Hero is 13 inches tall and weighs 14 lbs. Yet, at birth Quigley's puppies are usually larger than Hero's. At weaning, most of Hero's puppies will be just a little larger. Yet, Quigley's puppies stop growing MUCH sooner, and usually mature much smaller than Hero's puppies. As a breeder I take my best guess, based on experience, on the adult size I expect for my puppies, but all small Aussies have bigger dogs just a few generations back in their pedigrees, so sometimes surprises happen. Standard Aussies (over 18") started to be bred down to mini size (14 - 18"), only just 50 or so years ago. And small minis started to be bred down to toy size (10 - 14") much more recently. As we get more generations of toy to toy breeding, we will be more able to accurately predict adult size. If you want to read about the genetics of size inheritance,here is a link to a wonderful article by Dr Ann Bowling: Size as an example of Additive Inheritance

Question: What do you feed your dogs? Answer: Our adult dogs eat Instinct dry dog food, (chicken) made by Nature's Variety. All the dogs eat it well, and I'm really happy with their coats, and how they're maintaining their weight. This food is 42% protein. It is grain-free, gluten free and is made from lean meat & poultry and lots of fruits and vegetables. You can read more about it on their website Naturesvariety.com I wean my puppies on Purina Pro Plan puppy food (small breed formula). It is available at stores nationwide, which is important since our puppies go to new homes all over the US. I send a small bag of this food home with every puppy, and their new owner can mix it with with whatever food they choose to use. That helps the puppy to gradually get used to eating a new food and gives his digestive tract a chance to adjust.

Question: Will my puppy have all it's shots? Answer: We give our puppies the shots appropriate for it's age. According to the the AAHA guidelines, puppies should be given 3 sets of vaccinations between the ages of 6 and 16 weeks. Our puppies are given their first vaccination at 6 weeks old. If you take your new puppy home at 8 weeks of age, he will still need 2 more shots to be protected. And it will need a rabies shot at 3 - 4 months of age. You should do this according to the schedule recommended by your veterinarian. Our puppies are routinely dewormed at 3, 5, and 7 weeks of age. You will be given your puppy's worming and vaccination record to share with your veterinarian on your puppy's first visit.