KENAI
Miniature American Shepherd

The breeds · herding

AKC Herding · UKC Herding · FCI standard 367

Miniature American Shepherd.

Herding. AKC standard: a small herding dog, primarily a working dog of strong herding and guardian instincts, a resilient and persistent worker who adjusts his demeanor and arousal to the task at hand. FCI 367: farm and ranch shepherd dog. RKC: effective at herding smaller livestock, developed from smaller Australian Shepherds; at home on a working farm or in an active household..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
20–40LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 20 to 40 lb; breed bitches 20 to 40 lb.
1.5HRSExercise, every dayBetween 1 and 2 hours per day (RKC band). The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 14 to 18.1 in · bitches 13 to 17.1 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2012

Three standards agree to within the cm rounding. No ideal printed, center blank.

Weight

dogs 20 to 40 lb · bitches 20 to 40 lb

Breed clubAKC

The AKC standard and UKC print no weight; FCI 367 says only that healthy weight varies with size, sex and substance. Single registry-page source.

Coat

Double coat of medium length and coarseness, straight to wavy, weather resistant; undercoat varies with climate; short smooth hair on head and fronts of legs, moderate feathering on backs of forelegs and breeches, moderate mane and frill (more in dogs). Black, blue merle, red (liver) and red merle, with or without white and/or tan (copper) points. UKC and FCI 367 agree.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2012

Shedding

AKC breed page: sheds a fair amount, more so during shedding season, which can occur once or twice a year.

Breed clubAKC

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · AKC standard: double coat of medium length and coarseness; medium texture, straight to wavy, weather resistant; undercoat varies with climate; moderate mane and frill

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2012

Derived from the coat description: a medium double coat = 3.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Between 1 and 2 hours per day (RKC band)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: 1 to 2 hours = 90. AKC rates energy 5 of 5 but calls the exercise need moderate.

Exercise need

RKC: between 1 and 2 hours per day; thrives on activity and engagement. AKC breed page: active and athletic, a moderate amount of exercise, very adaptable to the family's way of life, does well as a city dog if exercised enough; excels in obedience, agility and tracking.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC and AKC word the amount differently; both stand.

Energy

5 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · RKC: more than once a week, medium coat, sheds. AKC breed page: weekly brushing, daily during the once- or twice-yearly shed.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than once a week = 3.

Grooming

RKC: more than once a week; medium coat; sheds. AKC breed page: double coat with a longer outer coat and wooly undercoat; sheds a fair amount, more in shedding season; weekly brushing, daily in season; slicker brush or metal comb for mats.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Herding. AKC standard: a small herding dog, primarily a working dog of strong herding and guardian instincts, a resilient and persistent worker who adjusts his demeanor and arousal to the task at hand. FCI 367: farm and ranch shepherd dog. RKC: effective at herding smaller livestock, developed from smaller Australian Shepherds; at home on a working farm or in an active household.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2012

No breed-club working description was reachable.

Primary game

Livestock, not game. FCI 367: smaller stock such as sheep and goats, though "they have the heart to tackle larger stock as well". RKC: sheep and goats.

Breed clubFCI Standard No. 367, 2019

Also used on

FCI 367: popular with equestrians as a travel companion to horse shows; companion on a ranch or in the city. AKC breed page: obedience, agility and tracking. No hunting use is stated in any source read.

Breed clubFCI Standard No. 367, 2019

Field trial standard

FCI classification: Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattledogs, Section 1 Sheepdogs, without working trial.

Breed clubFCI Standard No. 367, 2019

The FCI classification only; no AKC herding test standard was read.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Most common disorders

Parent club testing list. Required (OFA CHIC, AKC Breeder of Merit): hips, annual ACVO eye exam, and DNA tests for PRA-prcd, multiple drug sensitivity (MDR1), hereditary cataracts (HSF4) and neuroaxonal dystrophy (NAD). Optional: elbows, patella, dentition, collie eye anomaly, degenerative myelopathy, CDDY/CDPA, hyperuricosuria and CMR1. AKC breed page: generally healthy, with no named conditions.

Breed clubMiniature American Shepherd Club of the USA (MASCUSA), 2026

A list of conditions screened for, not prevalence figures; no OFA statistic or VetCompass paper was found. The AKC page prints Life Expectancy 12 to 13 years; that registry band is not used as a median.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 5; Mental Stimulation Needs 5; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 5; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 5; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 3; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 4; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 5 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Mini American Shepherd, MAS, Miniature Australian Shepherd (former name)

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

Your miniature american shepherd, on the record.

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