Friday, April 15, 2016

For Quality Mini Australian Shepherd For Sale CA Is The Way To Go

By George Price


Mini Australian Shepherd is one of the versions of Australian Shepherd with the only difference being in the size. They are much smaller. Another name used to refer to this breed is North American Miniature Australian Shepherd. In other cases, people prefer calling is Mini Aussie. Even with such a small body, the dog has a very strong work ethic. This makes it to be liked by many people. When one is considering Mini Australian Shepherd for sale CA is among the places one can get healthy dogs to buy.

Doris Cordova, a horse woman, started the program to develop Mini Aussies back in 1978. The program was based in Norco, California and it aimed at developing a very small variety of the Aussie Shepherd. Initial membership comprised of four individuals and they formed an association in 1980 for mini Aussies. Many people embraced the new breed which was promoted through registries.

The breed is very small and rises to a height of between 14 to 18 inches at the shoulders. The weight ranges between 9 and 14 kilograms. Basic coat colors include black, white, merle, red, tan, and blue. Although it is possible to find a dog with a single-colored coat, most of them have a wide variety of color combinations. Observed color combinations are as many as 16.

Probably one of the most memorable traits of mini Aussies is their tendency to herd people. They nip at the heels of small children to try and control their movement. Besides the herding tendency, the breed has a lot of energy and will always reveal it through games. They are highly sociable and playful to people they know. They may behave differently or sometimes aggressively to strangers. Early obedience and general training is usually advisable to get rid of any undesirable behavior.

Mini Aussies and other varieties of Australian Shepherds are commonly affected by various eye defects. Therefore, thorough testing of various defects should be done prior to buying. When testing, parents should also go under thorough testing and investigation. Some commonly observed eye defects include juvenile cataracts, persistent pupillary membrane, iris colobomas, and progressive retinal atrophy.

The abbreviation IC is often used to denote Iris Colobomas. This one refers to a cleft forming within the iris. Clefts vary in size and when they become too big, vision impairment occurs The dog may have increased sensitivity to bright light when the cleft is still small. There is no knowledge currently regarding the mode of inheritance, but it is believed to be polygenetic. Breeding a merle and another merle is also believed to be a possible reason.

Juvenile cataracts is congenital opacity of eye lenses. The defects results because of early degeneration of the tissues making up the lens. Vision deteriorates gradually and painlessly. By age 2-5 years the dog may be partially or fully blind. The condition is hardly noticed until when the canine has completely lost vision.

Persistent pupillary membrane is another very rare defect, but still occurs in some cases. The abbreviation PPM is often used. This defect involves formation of a membrane that extends to envelop eyes. After two months, the membrane may break away.




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