Cedar Valley Ranch

A little about us!

We have been raising Mini Aussies since 1996. They are now known as Mini American Shepherds recognized by AKC and part of the herding group. The females are typically between 13-17”at the shoulder and males are between 14 - 18”. On occasion we have one that is below or above the preferred size range. We cannot guarantee size although we do our best to breed within the breed standard. They are a herding breed so need to be kept busy so they don’t get in trouble. Most of mine are medium energy. They are extremely smart! They are still used today for herding! But also excel in obedience and agility and most anything you can think of to use them for. Because of their size they are extremely popular as traveling companions, and they are as at home on the ranch as well as they are in the city as long as they have a yard to play in and release that energy. They are quite popular both in the USA and abroad. A very unique breed with no two marked exactly alike. They come very unique colors from red and blue merles to red and black tris. And any combination of eye color! We breed for the absolute best pet we can, wanting the healthiest most beautiful pet with the best temperaments we can breed. Our dogs are guaranteed for 2 years for any genetic or congenital defect and we do a lot of genetic testing, our dogs are tested for PRA,MDR1,HC,DM, IVDD and CEA. They also have their hips done, OFA’d and eyes cerfed before breeding.

We vaccinate our babies with 2 neo par shots and a da2pp before they go home, they also will have been wormed before going home. They also are used to having a litter pan with wood pellets that are made for horse stalls or for your pellet stove. NEVER cat litter. We try to do as much as we can to make the switch from our home to yours an easy one.

We do a lot of socializing with our babies and that is VERY important with this breed. They see new people and animals all the time. They will have had a ride in the car also, and will have been on many kinds of different surfaces such as tiles carpet dirt grass cement.

if you have any questions now or ever please don’t hesitate to ask, our babies come with lifelong support!!! We also reserve the right to not place a puppy in any home if we feel it’s a bad fit.

Something to consider……

It is very interesting to see how many people were drawn to the breed for the merles but later developed a strong admiration for the tris, and it made me really think..

Any breeder will tell you- almost all they hear from prospective buyers is "I want a blue/red merle with two blue eyes." Very rarely does anyone ask about drive, temperament, activity level- all they care about are the spots. As a breeder, this drives us nuts! 🙈🙈

Sure, you are welcome to get what you want but please understand, you are going to LOOK at the color but you have to LIVE WITH THE DOG. I love my merles and my tri dog equally but limiting yourself to only merles automatically excludes half of the litter (on average) from your choices regardless of how ideal they may truly be for your family. So you want a more mild mannered merle- but the only merles are high drive and active so you settle for a 30% fit merle instead of the darling little tri that would fit in with your family PERFECTLY. Who is going to make up that 70%? You or the dog?

“But the merles are just prettier!” Look into the soulful brown, amber or blue eyes of a tri with their sharp, contrasting markings and tell me that isn't a beautiful dog inside and out. 🤗🤗

Something to consider..

Tris come from the same parents and have the same amount of effort put into them as the merles. By selecting a tri, you can often end up with pick of the litter in either conformation, temperament, or both simply because the merles were chosen first based strictly on looks.

Consider more than the color, and don't forget to look at those precious solid babies dying for you to notice them. Don't pass up your ideal best friend simply because they were born a different color. Giving a tri a try may be the best thing you'll ever do. You'll never know if you don't TRI!

COPIED FROM ANOTHER BREEDER -