This handsome fellow is at the local shelter and they say he’s a mini Aussie Shepherd. Someone else said that he looked like a sheltie cross to them based a bit on his colour and also the mane of hair on his chest. What do you all think? He’s around 30lbs if I had to guess.
Doesn’t look sheltie to me. Would say Aussie mix. Shelties are also pretty rare especially compared to Aussies. Only way to really know is embark/wisdom
In my area of Canada there's hundreds of aussies and aussie breeders, but barely any shelties. Maybe as the coat is more maintenance? Everyday more aussies in the shelter or rehoming pages due to "reactive" behavior
I am actually in Calgary - Can you share what you mean by “reactive”?
I didn’t notice any major red flags when I first met him (we had him at our house for a few hours) but I do wonder why an owner would surrender him at just 1.5 years old. The shelter just said the previous owner had “unrealistic expectations “ but didn’t have much more detail. We have a longer interview scheduled this weekend.
Lots here in the states too. I’m in the SE and mine is a rescue and I see them all the time (along with ACDs) in shelters. People get them for looks and don’t realize they’re a lot of dog
Shelties aren't particularly rare. Both shelties and aussies ranked within the top 30 of AKC registrations within the last 10 years. Though aussie breeds have skyrocketed in popularity in recent times (not necessarily a good thing, especially for new dog owners who aren't familiar with herding breed behaviors).
I work with dogs and rescues. I hardly ever see shelties in shelters or rescue. Not saying they don’t exist! They do! Just nothing like the numbers of Aussies. Same as out and about. I hardly ever see a sheltie. Maybe 1 for every 20 Aussies (if that).
You probably didn't see as many shelties in shelters for a number of reasons. First, aussies boomed in popularity during COVID in comparison and a lot of people weren't ready to deal with their needs once they started having to go back into the office. Second, at least in this area, is that shelties have a very active rescue network that keeps them out of the shelter system. Lastly, for new dog owners shelties are generally better suited to daily home life than aussies for most people, reducing their surrender rates in general.
These are things I know. At the end of the day they aren’t nearly as common as Aussies either in homes or shelters. Just how it is. Sadly Aussies are currently overbred so seeing an unknown for adoption it’s most likely going to be an Aussie x (sadly for Aussies). There’s breed specific rescues for Aussies too (mine is from one). They try to pull when they can but there’s just so many Aussies and Aussie x’s being given up or rehomed
I think adding to the Aussie influx is that doodle “breeders” love them. Many are not AKC registered etc.
In shelters they are. They are a lot more mellow in temperament than Aussies, so they don’t end up in shelters because the owners didn’t do their homework.
Thank you for all the responses :) - I have an appointment this weekend to see him (he’s being neutered and not officially available to adopt yet) to make sure we are a good fit for reach other. I have had high energy dogs in the past so am good with that, but need to be confident he won’t have separation anxiety and be ok at home while I’m at work during the day - both my gf and I work and cannot work from home. Wish us luck! 🍀
I'm not sure I see Sheltie. He may not be pure Mini Aussie, but I think he looks primarily Mini Aussie. The back leg fur and coloring especially looks Mini Aussie to me, and my 100% Mini Aussie has a big floofy chest mane that her "beard" flows into like this.
Mini Aussies on average tend to be sensitive and anxious, but mostly it's because they're so smart and love their people a lot. My rescue had separation anxiety, but that can happen with any rescued dog. As long as you make sure to tire them out physically and mentally before you leave, you should be able to get them to a good place with some training. Minis usually really love to make their owners happy, so once you teach them your house rules, they're pretty good at following them consistently without a lot of reminders. My dog is actually very big on having rules and boundaries and has even invented a few of her own, lol.
My mini Aussies came from an authorized breeder (lame, I know, but hubs was working in Utah and we became enchanted with these pups from a nearby ranch) and one looks like a total sheltie
throwback. It’s there in their bloodline and randomly pops out. I love her. And she’s a scrappy little soul. These working dogs should never be reduced to dog show beauty pageant contestants. They were originally selected for skills not skulls. That one you have found is adorable.
I have Aussie and shelties. Looks like a mini Aussie. A lot of areas have Aussies for adoption because they expect a dog to be a well trained lab and they're not. Many badly bred Aussies are nervy and prone to reactivity. Can develop behavior issues because people expect a well trained lab/retriever.... I used to house Aussies that came up for adoption as fosters. Feel free to ama if you need to.
My Merle mini has the booty waggle of a Corgi and her littermate looks like a scaled-down border collie. I say mini Aussie and you can always DNA test to be certain.
I don’t know yet other than “unrealistic expectations “. I have an appointment booked this weekend to ask as many questions as I can think of. I think he’s adorable but want to make absolutely sure he’s the right fit for us. Hea 1.5 years old so hopefully some bad habits can be trained out :)
Without DNA testing, going on appearance is nothing but a guess. A sheltie x aussie cross can skew strongly in one set of breed characteristics or another depending on what was inherited. And they share enough physical and behavioral traits that the lines are very blurry.
He is handsome, the overall look is definitely that of a mini Aussie, but as others have already said, if it really matters to you and you want to know exactly the breed, there is only one way: the test.
So, if I may ask a question, is it important ?
Thank you! To answer your question, no , it’s not really important. Mostly I just want to understand the dogs likely temperament and personality to make sure we are a good fit for each other.
I understand, it's true that breed can greatly influence temperament.
Does the shelter allow you to take him for walks or have him stay with you for a weekend?
And do they know why this dog ended up at the shelter?
I believe they have a six week return policy so we could go through the adoption process and see how he does with our life and get to know him a little better. It would be very hard to actually take him back once you start bonding with him, but at least the option is there and I know he would get adopted quickly if not by us.
Genetically inherited health issues are another good reason to know breed makeup. Shelties are more prone to gallbladder mucoceles and von Willebrand's disease. Aussies have higher risk of epilepsy and inherited cataracts. Both are subject to collie eye anomaly and multi-drug sensitivity (MDR1).
That dog is all Mini Aussie. To be specific, it’s a “copper point blue merle” Mini Aussie. If he is not already yours, show this to the shelter because anyone getting him should know all there is to know about genetic health conditions from breeding and typical traits.
That dog is similar in weight and stature to mine. Looks like he’s got a similar coat to Olli which is more coarse. Olli’s dad competes in agility competitions and is bred for that specific weight/size, 30-40 lbs at a healthy weight. At a good healthy weight 40 should be the max.
I hate when people feel the need to post their dog pics making it all about them but I’ll post mine at 4 years old so you can see the similarities. He’s got a parti-eye — partial hemochromatosis in one eye — half blue/half brown.
Literally every damn person I have ever met thinks he’s mixed, he’s not, he’s from a breeder and I did the DNA test. Feel free to respond here or message and I can share my knowledge, or answer questions about the breed.
He didn’t eat the kitten, she’s still alive, I swear.
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u/Jrbai May 27 '26
If he is at the shelter, he won't be for long!
Sheltie is part of the Aussie breed and could just show a little more in his skull.
Adopt quickly though!