Frequently asked questions
Where are you located?
We are located on the outskirts of the small rural town of Farwell, MI. This is about 45 minutes north of Mount Pleasant, MI or 2.5 hours north of Lansing, MI.
What is the size difference between toy, mini and standard aussies?
The following height ranges apply to both males and females and are measured to the top of the withers (top of the shoulder). Toy Australian Shepherds fall within the height range of 10" to 14" tall. Miniature Australian Shepherds range in height from 14" to 18" tall. Lastly, Standard Australian Shepherds range in height from 18" to 23" tall.
Do Aussies get along well with children and other pets?
Aussies in general are wonderful companions. They do great in a home with children of all ages and are a true "Velcro" pet. By "Velcro" pet I mean that they are always by your side wanting attention and love as they follow you all around. Aussies are generally accepting of other animals as well; especially a puppy that is raised in a home around other animals and is well socialized. Once an Australian Shepherd becomes acquainted with animals already in your household, you will find that they will create great bonds with one another whether it be a cat or another dog etc.
Do Aussies need any type of training from the start of welcoming them into our home?
Your new Australian Shepherd puppy will require you to do some training right from the start. Which is true for any breed of dog that you may purchase. Once your puppy is home, you will need to be consistent in your wants with your new puppy as you show them lots of love and socialization. This breed specifically strives for an owner that starts them off with obedience training, socializing, and a lot of exercise. They look to please their owner and do best when given a "job." Aussies are naturally reserved around people that they don't know but with continued obedience training and socialization they will overcome this. This is one reason why it is so important to socialize your new family member from day one and make them feel like they are part of the family. Socialization is a must not only with people but with other animals/dogs as well. They are very loyal and strive to be accepted into the family and partake in everyday family activities. They love to be taught new talents frequently and often. Just be sure to always use repetition with them so that they learn what is being asked of them.
How much do your puppies cost?
Our pups are all individually priced based on several different characteristics. Some of these characteristics include: size, sex, color, markings, eye color and disposition. We also price our pups on "Pet Contracts" but offer full breeding rights to approved homes. Please fill out our Puppy Application if you're interested in purchasing a pup. Puppy Application can be found HERE.
How do I go about purchasing a puppy?
If you've found a puppy on our Available Puppies page, the first thing you will need to do is fill out a puppy application which can be here on the Contract page of our website. You will also want to review our contract to let us know if you have any further questions. Once you've filled out the puppy application, feel free to send us a text/e-mail/phone call and let us know.
I found a puppy that I want, how do I place a deposit?
Upon review and approval of your puppy application, we the seller require a nonrefundable deposit of 50% of the purchase price (a maximum deposit of $500) to hold said puppy in Buyers name. Full payment must be received prior to pup leaving our possession. Payment types that we accept are: cash, money orders, certified checks and PayPal (we do require the buyer to add 3% to the amount being paid by PayPal to cover their convenience fee which we are charge for using the PayPal service).
When does my new puppy have to be paid in full?
All puppies must be paid in full before they will be released from our possession/home to their new owner. No puppies leave prior to 8 weeks and should be paid in full by then.
Will my new puppy come up-to-date on its vaccinations?
All of our dogs/puppies are kept up-to-date on vaccinations. Each puppy will be released to their new homes with proof of vaccinations/deworming to show that they are current. However, the puppies will still need two more puppy booster vaccinations after they are released to their new homes at 8 weeks of age. They start their first booster vaccinations at 6 weeks of age with us and then will need another booster vaccination at 9 weeks and 12 weeks. After this, you will be ready to schedule your puppy for his/her annual vaccinations and rabies.
Are your dogs AKC registered?
All of our dogs are registered with American Stock Dog Registry (ASDR) but a majority are dual registered with AKC as Australian Shepherds too. Pups sold on a pet contract will not receive their registration papers until we receive proof of spay/neuter.
Where do we raise our puppies?
Our puppies are raised within our home and not outside in a kennel. We feel it’s best to raise each of our puppies within our home so that they can be watched over closely, socialized a ton, and become accustomed to numerous sounds. We feel that raising the pups inside gives us a better feel for each puppy and their individual personality. This way, we are better suited to place each puppy into their new home based on each individual families needs. This is very important to us when we place our pups since a puppy is a long-term commitment.
Do we provide any type of health guarantee on our puppies?
We most certainly do! All of our puppies come with a 48 hour health guarantee where the buyer can have a licensed veterinarian check over their new puppy. If for some reason your puppy does not pass the buyers veterinarian exam then you are to contact us immediately within the 48 hours to discuss the findings. This warranty does not cover minor treatable issues. We also offer a one year health guarantee, where the contract is valid and not void, for any untreatable genetic disease and disorder such as serious eye defects, deafness, or hip dysplasia. This does not cover any parasite, coccidiosis or diarrhea as these are treatable issues. All of this is spell out in more detail within our puppy contract. This contract can be found by clicking HERE. *Should a problem arise, each situation is dealt with on a case by case basis. For more detailed information review our contract. You acknowledge that you've viewed the contract prior to your purchase when you fill out the puppy application.*
Do we do health testing on our dogs?
All of our dogs that are use for breeding will have at minimum the following health testing done:
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Degenerative Myelopathy "DM"
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Hereditary Cataracts (Australian Shepherd Type) "HC"
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Hyperuricosuria "HU"
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Multidrug Sensitivity "MDR1"
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Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration "PRA-PRCD, PRCD"
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Canine Multifocal Retinopathy "CMR1"
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Collie Eye Anomaly "CEA"
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Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 6 "NCL"
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Cone Degeneration "CD"
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Chondrodystrophy w/Intervertebral Disc Disease Risk Factor "CDDY w/IVDD"
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Neuroaxonal Dystrophy "NAD"
If a buyer cannot keep their puppy, would we be willing to take the puppy back?
We would be more than happy to take a puppy back that a new owner cannot keep for any reason. Our puppies health and well-being is of great importance to us! Not only do we spell this out in our contract, but we also check up on our puppy buyers frequently to see how things are going. We do not want any of our puppies to end up in shelters or being rehomed. This is not fair for any of the puppies no matter what age they are, we are always willing to take them back.
Do you ever leave an Aussies pups tail long?
We normally dock all of our pups tails unless you are someone that wants the pups tail left long. In this case, we ask that you pick out and pay for your pup in full by the time they are 2 days old. This seems very soon to some but the tails are docked by 3 days of age and since Aussies with tails are less desirable to most, we ask for full payment upfront to lock in your choice. It is harder to rehome an Aussie that has its tail so we do this to make sure it is what the new owner wants.