Frequently Asked Questions

 

PUPPY PRICING

• Merle Puppies are $1500 (limited AKC registration)

• Tri/Bi Colored Puppies with brown eyes start at $1000  (limited registration)

 

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REGISTRATION

Most of our puppies are SOLD with non breeding rights (limited registration) and marked not for breeding .
Pet puppies will get AKC papers sent home with them.
You can still register your puppy but the papers will be marked not for breeding.

Full Breeding Rights are available on SOME puppies for an ADDITIONAL FEE and a Contract for Full Breeding.

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DEPOSITS

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How do I make a reserve deposit for a puppy?
Contact me first.  You can pay the deposit with PayPal (3% charge), a money order, or an official
Bank Check. NO Personal Checks will be accepted.

How much is a deposit?

To put a hold on a puppy there is a $250 deposit  (non-refundable) required. The $250 will go towards the purchase price of the puppy. If you change your mind, you forfeit the $250 dollars

I found a puppy with another breeder, can I get my deposit back?

No, deposits are non-refundable. Please be certain of your intent to purchase a puppy before sending me a deposit as deposits are NON-REFUNDABLE.

 

If you reserve a puppy from a litter and give a deposit, is it refundable? No, reserve deposit money is non-refundable. We receive a deposit from you and mark the puppy 'sold' and take it off the market for you. By taking the puppy off the market and marking it sold, we would be losing the sale of him/her to someone else. The deposit signifies that the Buyer intends to follow through with the purchase of the puppy from the Seller. In the event that the Buyer cannot follow through with the purchase of the puppy, the deposit is forfeited and NO refund will be given. If by tragic accident the puppy were to die or be determined to have a congenital defect that prevents the puppy from being a companion animal, before the Buyer takes possession of the puppy, a full refund of deposit will be given to the Buyer. If there is another puppy available that the Buyer wants to put the deposit towards, the deposit can be put towards that puppy.

 

FORMS OF PAYMENT

 

What form of payment do you take? For deposits we accept either  money orders or Paypal (we do charge 3% more for usingPaypal). Final Payment is due when puppy is picked up (only cash will be accepted if payment has not been made in full prior to picking up the puppy). No Personal Checks on Final Payment. Wire Transfers are accepted. As well as PayPalpayments (3% charge will be added if using PayPal and the payment needs to be submitted at least 1 week before you pick up your puppy and clear the account. )

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PICKING OUT A PUPPY

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When you contact me, please signify which puppy you want. Once your deposit clears my account, I will place a hold on your puppy. If you put down a deposit and are undecided on which puppy you want and someone comes along and puts down a deposit knowing which puppy they want that puppy is unavailable to other buyers. 

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We only allow puppy visits once the puppies are 6 weeks and older (and have had their first set of vaccinations). This is for health reasons. We want to keep our puppies as healthy as possible. If you placed a deposit on a puppy you can come out and visit your puppy for a few minutes when he or she is 6 weeks old and vaccinated.  At 6 weeks old the puppies are moving around and starting to play a little more. Before this age they are very
small and require extra care from mom and us.

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I am a professional photographer and want to take pictures of some clients with your puppies. Can we come out?No. We do not allow people just to come out and play with and take pictures of our puppies. This is for health reasons.

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WHEN WILL YOU HAVE A FUTURE LITTER OF PUPPIES

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There is no guarantee we will ever have more puppies. If there happens to be a huge interest in puppies, then we may consider another litter. If that is the case, you will see the litter posted on the "Puppies Page"

MALES VS. FEMALES WHICH IS BETTER

Both are great! Many puppy buyers believe that one sex is better than the other. After all my years of breeding and being around
both sexes, personality is a big factor. Socialization and training are key. The more the puppy is around other dogs, animals, people, etc.. The better off they are in life.

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What is your most popular color and sex? Merle Colored Puppies are the most popular. 95% of people who contact me want a merle colored puppy with blue eyes. Females are slightly more popular than males. It is probably about 60% of people who want females and 40% want males.

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WHAT IS THE BREED STANDARD

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What is The height and weight of Male vs. Female?
The female Australian Shepherd will typically stand between 18-21inches at The point of her withers and will on average weigh around 40-55 pounds. She does not usually carry the density and length of coat as a male.
The male Australian Shepherd will usually stand 20-23 inches and will weigh around 60-70 pounds. As with most animal
species, The male Aussie is The showier of The two sexes, carrying longer hair, heavier bone, and a more masculine head.

When can you tell if their eyes will be blue? I only want a blue eyed puppy.
Every puppy has a 50% chance of having blue eyes. I can start to tell if a puppy will have blue in their eyes at about 4 weeks. But even then the color change in the blue eyes until they are 3-12 months old or older. Usually solid black puppies will have brown eyes. Solid reds will have green, hazel, yellow or amber. Blue Meres will have brown, brown/blue or blue eyes. Red Meres will
have green, hazel, amber, yellow, blue, or a mix of blue with one of the colors listed.
We do not sell puppies based on eye color only at birth. Eye color is only frosting on the cake. If you place a deposit on a puppy and then back out because the eye color is not what you want, then you forfeit your deposit. It will not be applied to another puppy. We will not refund any money on a puppy if its eye color changes later in its life. I have no control over mother nature.

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Do you sell Mini or Toy Aussies? NO  We produce Australian Shepherds that will grow up to be 18-22" tall & 40-70 lbs.The preferred height for Australian Shepherds per AKC and ASCA is 18-23" to the top of their shoulder. Visit AKC www.akc.org and ASCA www.asca.org websites for breed standards for the Australian Shepherd.  

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COPPER MARKINGS A.K.A. TAN POINTS

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When will the copper markings show up on the puppies?
Copper points can take time to come in. Some Tri colored puppies when born look like they have no copper points. By the time the puppies are 8 weeks old we can really see a lot of copper. But even then, it could take 6-12 months for them to darken and spread.

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AUSSIE NOSES

Why are the newborn puppies noses pink? I want a solid colored nose? The pigment of the nose will often fill in. For the red colors you typically see a livered color nose and darker pigment for the black and blue Aussies. The merle's noses typically take longer for noses to turn from pink to liver or black. 

PRICING

Why are the merle colored puppies more money than the solid tri or bi colored puppies?
This is because 95% of the people that contact me want a merle colored puppy. Merle coloring is the most popular color and our merle colored puppies.

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TEMPERMENT

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Are Aussies good with kids?
Yes, they are great with kids if raised and socialized with them. Of course babies and toddlers should not be left unattended with your dog, no matter what breed. Puppies and children need to respect each other. A child should be taught how to treat the puppy and not tease or play too rough. Our puppies are whelped indoors and raised with children.
 

PEDIGREE REGISTRATION

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Are your dogs registered?

YES all of our dogs are AKC registered, .
Look at each individual dog's page to see specific registration for that dog.

Do puppies go home with AKC paperwork?
Yes, all of our puppies will go home with their AKC paperwork. Most of our puppies will have limited
non-breeding checked on the paperwork. It is up to the new owner to register their puppy if they want to.

What is your policy on registering and naming our puppy?
You can register your puppy name however you like. 

Why do the puppies have litter names?
Litter names are for us to identify each puppy. They are not their permanent name. New owners can call and name their puppies whatever they want. We call all the puppy’s  by the names their new owners want.



SHIPPING

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Do you ship your puppies?
No, We prefer our puppy customers to pick up their puppies in person from us. That way they can meet us and inspect the puppy before taking it home. Also meet puppy parent dogs.
Many of our puppy buyers like to fly in and then take their puppy back with them as carry on. Most airlines charge about $100-$150 to carry a puppy on the airplane. Contact the airlines to find out prices and restrictions. We can help arrange ground transport if needed.
 

WHAT IF WE ARE UNABLE TO KEEP OUR DOG?
If we cannot keep our puppy/dog for any reason, will you take them back?
We will not buy the puppy/dog back from you. We will try and place it in an appropriate home.
 

LIVING IN TOWN WITH AN AUSSIE

Can an Aussie live in town?
Yes, they can. In order for an Australian Shepherd to be happy, it needs LOTS of social interaction and LOTS of things to keep
it busy. In short, they need a job to do. Whether that job is agility, frisbee, flyball, obedience/agility classes, herding, showing, etc... The more time you spend with your Aussie the better they will be. Aussies can make wonderful suburban pets as long as
the needs of keeping the active in mind and body is meet.
 

TAIL DOCKING

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Do you dock your puppies’ tails?
Yes tails are removed at 3 - 4 days old. The short tail is a recognized breed characteristic. AKC and ASCA's breed standard calls for a tail less than four inches long. You can not show an Aussie in the USA with a long tail. The most popular reason for short tails is due to working. Tails are more prone to collect burrs when working. These burrs, if left untended, can cause
extreme pain and irritation to the dog. Also, there have been many undocumented cases of tails being broken from cattle stepping on them and gates being slammed shut on them.

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Can I keep my puppy tail long?
Yes, as long as your puppy is picked out before day 3 and you have given us a deposit in advance.

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DEW CLAWS

All puppies will have their dew claws removed by a licensed veterinarian. This is done within the first 3 days of their life.

 

MAKING PICK UP ARRANGMENTS

We can't pick up our puppy by 8 weeks old. Can you hold it for us?
If a puppy needs to stay with us longer than 8 weeks we charge $25 per day. This price includes boarding, food, additional deworming, shots, etc... Boarding fees start the day the puppy turns 9 weeks old.


BREEDING PRACTICES

Do you breed Merle to Merle?
NO! We do not breed merles to merles. We do not want to take a chance that a puppy would be born deaf and blind. We will only breed a merle to a solid tri or bi colored.

Are the puppies current on shots and deworming before they go to their new home?
Yes, they will receive their first puppy shot and will be up to date on deworming. Health records will be provided in the puppy pack.

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Are your parent dogs healthy? Yes, all of our breeding dogs are up-to-date on vaccinations and cared for regularly by a vet. Please visit our dog page to learn more.

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PUPPY PACK

What is included in the puppy pack?
Toy and Small Blanket that have been rubbed all over mom and litter mates.
Small Bag of Current Food that we are feeding.

Pictures of Parents and all the pictures I took of your puppy.
Samples of any supplements that we are feeding them.
As well as some articles with training tips.
Puppy packets contain: health records and registration papers.

Are your puppies potty trained?
They will be paper-trained. Puppies are susceptible to germs that could be picked up outside, therefore, we will train them to use paper as a safety precaution.  Of course, when they go to your home you will need to continue with potty training
as your house is a new home for them.

 

HEALTH GUARANTEE

Do you offer a Health Warranty Guarantee on your puppies?
Yes, puppies come with a 1 year health guarantee. Please View Our Contract



 

 

Please do your research on this breed before buying a puppy.
Here are some more articles on Australian Shepherds.

IS AN AUSSIE THE RIGHT BREED FOR YOU

 https://www.asca.org/the-australian-shepherd/finding-an-aussie/is-an-aussie-right-for-you/

An energetic breed with strong herding and guarding instincts, the Aussie requires daily vigorous exercise. Although
sometimes reserved with strangers, they are “people” dogs that want to always be near their families. Their thick coats
require weekly brushing

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AUSTRALIAN SHEPHER PROS AND CONS

https://thehappypuppysite.com/australian-shepherd-temperament/

AUSTRALIAN SHEPHER BREED- INFORMATION & TRAINING TIPS 

https://canna-pet.com/australian-shepherd-training-tips/

Make Sure you read this article before making your final decision to buy an Australian Shepherd

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DON'T BUY AN AUSSIE

http://www.ns4ar.org/Dont_buy_an_Aussie.pdf

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TRAINING TIPS
http://www.k9station.com/articles.htm   

TRAINING AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERDS
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/training/australianshepherds.html
 

DOG TIP: PUPPY SOCIALIZATION: WHAT IT IS, WHY IT'S ESSENTIAL, AND HOW TO DO IT
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_SocializationPup.php

 

 

ASHGI

http://color.ashgi.org/color/index.html

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- Field Guide to Coloration of Australian Shepherds
This field guide presents both the common standard colors listed in the ASCA breed standard as well as the common nonstandard
colors we see and gives the genetics of each, when known.

EXCESSIVE WHITE

http://www.lethalwhites.com/

 

- The White Aussie Project
This website exists to help explain white coloration in dogs, as clearly as possible. It was constructed by Aussie folks, which explains
why Aussies compromise the majority of the pictures! Some of the terminology is Aussie specific as well. Please be advised though,
that much of the information is truly applicable to other breeds as well.