The Miniature Australian Shepherd is a fairly new breed, having only been developed in 1968. In 1968, Doris Cordova of Norco, California, began a breeding program to produce a smaller version of the Australian Shepherd. By using small Australian Shepherds, Cordova and a handful of other breeders were successful in creating a miniature version of the Australian Shepherd. Throughout the short history of the breed, there has been a great deal of controversy. The National Stock Dog Registry (NSDR) considered the Miniature Australian Shepherd a size variant of the Australian Shepherd while the Australian Shepherd Club of America considered it a separate breed. For years, both the AKC and the UKC grouped the Miniature Australian Shepherd and the Australian Shepherd together. In 2011, however, the AKC admitted the Miniature Australian Shepherd to the Foundation Stock Service (under the name Miniature American Shepherd) and, finally, in 2015. granted full recognition to the breed.