Growing up in our kennel
The period in the nest is incredibly important in providing a stable foundation for the puppies. We only occasionally breed a litter of puppies, which allows us to dedicate all the time and effort needed to find the best combination and to raise the puppies.
Our puppies are raised indoors, in our living room, which means they are exposed to many of the things that normally happen in a household. The first few weeks are reserved for the mother and her puppies, and starting around 3-4 weeks old, once the situation is stable, the puppies will receive their first visitors. That’s when the real adventure begins! In addition to the home environment, our puppies also get acquainted with the cat, our chickens and we take a few fun trips to explore the world with them.
During their time with us, the puppies are introduced to both kibble and raw meat, just like our adult dogs eat on a daily basis.
The puppies aresocialized according to the Puppy Culture protocol, providing them with an important foundation that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. You can read more about Puppy Culture in the section below!
Our puppies are bred according to the rules of the Dutch Kennel Club (Raad van Beheer) and the breeding regulations of the Australian Shepherd Club Nederland (ASCN), of which we are also active members.
The puppies all get a FCI pedigree from the Dutch Kennel Club, and the litter will also be registered with ASCA, where an additional pedigree can be requested if desired. Additionally, the puppies are microchipped by the Dutch Kennel Club and receive a DNA certificate for verification of parentage, they are dewormed according to schedule, have had their first vaccination before they can move to their new homes, and receive an EU pet passport. Our puppies also undergo an ECVO eye examination before they live for their homes.
We have decided not to place any puppies for breeding purposes!
The Australian Shepherd is a breed that deals with various hereditary conditions, and therefore we do not sell puppies for breeding purposes. We find maintaining the health of the breed of great importance andput a lot of time and effort into preserving our lives by making the best possible combinations. We do not want people to start breeding just for fun without the necessary knowledge and preparation. Breeding involves much more than just having a cute dog!
Puppy Culture
The first 12 weeks in the life of puppies, especially in herding breeds, play an incredibly important role in their development and in preparing them for life in our society. For this period we use the Puppy Culture progra, De eerste 12 mw which has been developed as a guide from their birth until the end of the critical socialization period.
The puppies’ development from birth goes through various phases, and the Puppy Culture program is designed especially to provide the right new experiences at the right stages of development. This stimulates the puppies to develop both mentally and physically into well-balanced dogs capable of thriving in our busy lives.
Part of the Puppy Culture program includes the application of ENS, Early Neurological Stimulation, to gently accustom the puppies to different types of physicial stimuli from a very young age. Additionaly, even before they open their eyes and ears, puppies use their noses extensively to explore the world. To familiarize them with this early on, we use ESI, Early Scent Introduction. The application of ENS and ESI helps puppies become more accustomed to new stimuli and to develop confidence and resilience more easy which is a great asset in their future life.
The best match for your family
The Australian Shepherd is an intelligent, independent thinking working dog and is able to react within moments. Therefore, not every dog within the breed will have the same ease to fit into different environments and different lifestyles. We consider a great match for our pups of great importance, so they’ll find their forever homes.
At an age of approximately 7 weeks, the puppies will be evaluated and temperament tested. After that, the puzzle will start to find the best match for each of our single puppies. Placement of our puppies is based on temperament and character, in which we take the family environment and plans with the dog into consideration. Because we think a matching temperatment is more important than a matching color, we decided to not place puppies solely based on color preferences.
When inquiring for a puppy, we’d love to hear more about yourself, your home and why you decided to go for this breed. We are looking for the very best homes for our puppies so they’ll have a lovely and fun life ahead of them.
We really value to keep in touch with our future puppy homes. We are not only available for advice and guidance during the puppy period, but for the entire life of the dog – we also would love to hear about the good and sad moments.