FAQ
Welcome to our Frequently Asked Questions page! Here you can quickly find many answers to some of your pending questions!
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Can I come visit your
We do not invite guests onto our property. Nor do we arrange "Meetups". This is for a multitude of reasons.
First and foremost, guests can bring in 'foreign bodies' that puppies can get sick from. Bordatella, Distemper, Coccidia, Giardia, and Parvovirus are just a few to name. Bringing in just one guest risks all the lives and health of the puppies and adult dogs within our kennel. Additionally, theft is a big concern. Between the chance of loosing puppies or dogs and putting our own family at risk of an attack-this is simply not something we can invite. We want our buyers to rest assured that their puppy is safe at all times. |
How does your selection
In our kennel, we place more value on matching you to the right puppy rather than letting everyone choose solely based on color. We have a specific process to help everyone find the puppy right for them. We start evaluations at three weeks of age and puppy selection is at 4 weeks of age. As long as puppies land in the range we expect based on what we know of the parents, we then go down our list numerically and have a conversation with each person about what qualities they are looking for and guide them in finding their pet. We do believe you should still select your puppy, HOWEVER! There are times we have puppies land outside of that range of expectations in energy or drive. These dogs need a specific home dynamic and we hold them back for the right home. We will not place a puppy in a home that is not the correct fit. We want our puppies to go to their forever home so this is why we do this. Do you want something specific? No problem! But please understand that you may wait longer if you want specific temperament or qualities in a puppy and you also want a certain coloring or gender. |
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So, what's the schedule?
We've created a litter schedule that we follow for every litter. Every waitlist member will receive this schedule when they are up for looking at an expected litter.
Week 1: Puppies are born, a litter announcement will be made and communicated to the facebook group/waitlist members! This is the week of bonding and resting for momma, so we really want to give her that. This would also be a week for us to help any struggling pups so this is what we want to dedicate our time to.
Week 2: Pups eyes and ears start to open and they begin learning to walk!
Week 3: We take first official individual photos! This is also when we start evaluating temperament and making note of everyone’s behavior.
Week 4: Selection week! I will call waitlist members going numerically down my list to discuss what we have and which puppies are suited best for each family.
Week 5: I collaborate with each family, going numerically down the list again, to schedule pickup time or transport needs!
Week 6: Second set of photos!
Week 7: All remaining shopping & puppy set up should be completed this week in preparation of your puppy to come home!
Week 8: All puppies go to the vet & receive their health check and start their vaccines. Final set of photos are taken and Final payments are due.
Week 9: Go home! Pickups & Transports take place!
Week 2: Pups eyes and ears start to open and they begin learning to walk!
Week 3: We take first official individual photos! This is also when we start evaluating temperament and making note of everyone’s behavior.
Week 4: Selection week! I will call waitlist members going numerically down my list to discuss what we have and which puppies are suited best for each family.
Week 5: I collaborate with each family, going numerically down the list again, to schedule pickup time or transport needs!
Week 6: Second set of photos!
Week 7: All remaining shopping & puppy set up should be completed this week in preparation of your puppy to come home!
Week 8: All puppies go to the vet & receive their health check and start their vaccines. Final set of photos are taken and Final payments are due.
Week 9: Go home! Pickups & Transports take place!
I live in a different state, how will I get my puppy?
We have multiple options for you to receive your pup if you are out of state! We have transport options of Driving, Flight Nanny and Shipping. Otherwise, you can always pickup at our local airport(MSP). We schedule this a month before go home with you. Go to our 'Prices & Policies' page for more info about transport as well as our rates!
How do I keep my Aussie exercised appropriately?
Aussies are generally a very healthy breed! They can, however, have some issues with Hip dysplasia and/or their joints if they are not cared for properly as a puppy. Puppies are so fragile, we often over exercise them in attempt to tire them out. While you still want your pup to be stimulated and get their energy out, doing it incorrectly can cause joint and hip issues down the road. Here is a super handy chart for age appropriate exercises for puppies from 8weeks to 2 years!
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Can I get a puppy with
Simple answer is: Yes! But there are a few things to know.
Firstly, in the Australian Shepherd breed, there is a mutation gene called Natural BobTail, often referred to as NBT by breeders. MANY Aussies are NBT. This gene only requires one parent to be a NBT in order to have puppies that are also NBT. Meaning, that any dogs in our kennel with this gene will always have NBT puppies, and therefore, those puppies will not be a full length tailed dog. Something notable about this gene is that it is not quite what you'd expect. "Natural BobTail" sounds like it would be a cute little bobtail that you know Aussies to have. This is not always the case. Most of the time they come out 3/4 in length or even 1/2 length. They can be crooked, or oddly shaped. We've even had them come out looking like a corkscrew! The info to take from this is that these tails were not fully formed in the womb because of this gene. These tails NEED to be docked for the dogs safety. So how do you get a dog with a full tail then? Simple! We have all of our dogs tested for this NBT gene. Not every dog in our kennel carries it. So we plan "Tail-on" litters twice a year and we pair two dogs together that will not have NBT puppies and we keep the tails on the whole litter! We decided on this method some time ago because we also felt it was more important to evaluate temperament in the puppies rather than have people pick based on tails alone. Please understand that if this is something important for you to have, your wait time will be longer. As mentioned, we only do TWO "Tail-on" litters a year. All other litters will be docked. If you're wondering what litters are upcoming that might be "Tail-on" check out our Planned Litters page under Our Dogs! |
How about Dewclaws?We will not leave dewclaws on an Aussie. Contrary to articles online, there is no added benefits to leaving these on. Your dog will still be able to grip, run and play without them. Leaving them on does pose more threats though. These claws are easily torn off, or injured. Aussies are a very active breed that are frequently running, jumping and playing making them prone to injury if dewclaws are left intact. This is not something we risk in our kennel.
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