Mini Australian Shepherd: Unsure About Size? This Guide Helps 2024

Last Updated on March 26, 2024 by themubbi63

Australian shepherd dogs, contrary to the name, aren’t actually an Australian breed at all. No, they’re actually American dogs. The mini Australian shepherd, which is a smaller size of the standard Australian shepherd dog, goes by many names. It’s also called the miniature American shepherd or the North American shepherd and it’s become quite a popular dog breed nowadays.

Mini Australian Shepherd Height

A miniture Australian shepherd, although a purebreed in itself, isn’t as big as the standard Australian shepherd. Obviously, they’re a slightly smaller size. And that affects height and length as well as weight. 

As far as height is concerned, a fully grown male mini Australian shepherd stands around 14 – 18 inches (35.5 – 46 cm) while the females stand around 13 – 17 inches (33 – 43 cm).

While the American Kennel Club recognizes them as a breed in themselves, the smaller size makes these dogs better for apartment living.

Animal	Inches	Centimeters
Mini Australian Shepherd	Males 14 – 18 Females 13 – 17	Males 35.5 – 46 Females 33 – 43

Mini Australian Shepherd Weight

Along with being smaller in size, these miniture Australian shepherd dogs are also accordingly lighter. They can weigh anywhere between 20 and 40 lb (9 – 18 kg) with females being on the lighter end of the spectrum and males being on the heavier end. 

Despite the small size, they’re athletic and lively dogs and are very good herders. They’re just more compact than their standard counterparts.

Animal	Pounds	Kilograms
Mini Australian Shepherd	20 – 40	9 – 18

Mini Australian Shepherd Puppy Size

A miniature Australian shepherd puppy at the age of 1 month weighs around 2 – 4 lb. This breed grows fast and reaches half their total body weight by the time they’re only 4 months old. Thus, an average 4-month-old puppy should be around 15 – 20 lb. 

Puppies have their own pace of growing so it isn’t to say that your puppy can’t be bigger or smaller. A 10 lb or 25 lb 4 month old puppy is also totally normal.

At 6 months, the puppy can weigh anywhere between 20 and 40 lb. It may be already fully grown or it may have just reached half its weight. For this reason it can be quite hard to predict this breed’s weight.

Mini Australian Shepherd Full Size

A mini Australian shepherd, like most smaller dogs, tends to mature faster than large or giant dogs. Thus, it might reach its adult size by the time that it’s six months old. However, it can take them upto 18 months to reach their full size.

The growth of a puppy is quite slow after 9 months. They don’t usually put on more than a pound or two after that so you should have an idea of your puppy’s final weight by that point. A full grown mini Australian shepherd, as we’ve already seen, weighs about 20 – 40 lb and stands 13 – 18 inches at the shoulder.

Mini Australian Shepherd Litter Size

What’s the standard size of a litter? Well, for most dogs, the average litter is 6 – 7 puppies. It’s not much different for the mini Australian shepherd. The litter can range between 5 and 9 puppies although litters of as few as 1 or 2 have been seen before.

These puppies can come in a variety of colours from black to blue merle and red merle or just plain red. There’s no knowing how the marbling or blotching of their coats will manifest.

Mini Australian Shepherd Size Comparison to Humans

A mini Australian shepherd is considered a small to medium sized dog. Reaching a total height of no more than 18 inches at the shoulder, the mini Australian shepherd would stand at less than knee high for an average human. 

The average human being is about 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches in height. That’s 67 – 69 inches to the mini Australian shepherd’s 13 – 18 inches.

Mini Australian Shepherd Vs Standard Australian Shepherd Size Comparison

Technically recognized as a new breed, the mini Australian shepherd isn’t actually all that different from the standard Australian shepherd in anything but height. Minis got recognized as their own breed fairly recently and were just treated as Aussies before that.

A full grown male standard Australian shepherd stands about 20 – 23 inches in height while its 18 – 21 inches for females. They’re also quite a bit heavier, weighing around 50 – 65 lb. Minis, on the other hand, weigh about 20 – 40 lb and stand at a height of 14 – 18 inches for males and 13 – 17 inches for females.

Animal	Height	Weight
Mini Australian Shepherd	13 – 18 inches (33 – 46 cm)	20 – 40 lb (9 – 18 kg)
Standard Australian Shepherd	18 – 23 inches (46 – 58 cm)	50 – 65 lb (23 – 29 kg)

Mini Australian Shepherd Vs German Shepherd Size Comparison

Finally, let’s compare these mini Australian shepherds to some of the most famous herding dogs in the world. German shepherds are often compared to Australian because they were bred for the same purposes but the two breeds are actually quite different. German shepherds don’t have any recognized miniature breed and are thus quite a bit bigger than these mini Australian shepherds.

German shepherds stand much taller than the minis at 23 – 25 inches at the shoulder. Not just this, they are also much heavier. The average German shepherd weighs around 60 – 75 lb as compared to the mini Australian shepherd’s 20 – 40 lb.

Animal	Height	Weight
Mini Australian Shepherd	13 – 18 inches (33 – 46 cm)	20 – 40 lb (9 – 18 kg)
German Shepherd	23 – 25 inches (58 – 63.5 cm)	60 – 75 lb (27 – 34 kg)

Conclusion

Mini Australian Shepherds are charming, energetic dogs with a big personality in a smaller package. Their size makes them ideal for apartments, but don’t let their stature fool you – they’re just as playful and intelligent as their standard counterparts. Mini Aussies are a perfect fit for active families who can provide them with enough exercise and mental stimulation.

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