Our puppies are kept with their siblings until 8-9 weeks of age.  We find they become better, well-adjusted adults when kept with their litter mates for longer than 6 weeks.  They learn valuable lessons from each other in this period, that will enhance their temperament, and overall well-being as an adult.

The first step to a super puppy begins prior to birth with the selection of parents that have good health, willing to please, friendly temperaments, and keen minds.  We believe what makes our puppies stand out above the rest is the care and focus on choosing the right pairing of parents and the care we put into their parents and the puppies from conception to the time they leave us to go to their forever homes.  Our puppies are raised within our home, allowing them to experience the hustle and bustle of our daily lives.  They experience all the sounds of everyday life.  By the time they are 8-9 weeks old, they are pros at riding in the car in a crate.  Soon after birth, day 3 thru day 16, we start Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) exercises on them.  See the video below.  You also can Google 'Breeding Better Dogs' and click on the early stimulation link to better understand the purpose and benefits of these exercises when a puppy reaches adulthood.  Puppies are individually held every day.

Puppies are born with a brain that is not fully developed, allowing us, as breeders, to use stimuli to advance the puppies intelligence, health, to name a few.  Puppies go through different stages/periods within the first couple of months as stated in the book 'The Puppy Puzzle' by Pat Hastings.  We use some of her ideas of utilizing these stages to provide the puppies with different environmental stimulation at appropriate times.  An example of this is desensitizing them to loud noises which is valuable when adults.  So many dogs have fear or high anxiety with fireworks, thunder and even the vacuum cleaner.

 More examples of this early training are meeting new people, introduction to sheep or ducks if available, other dogs, individual car rides, introduction to different surfaces and textures, different obstacles and motion, to name a few.  We have a Puppy Party at around 6 weeks of age where families can come meet their new puppy.  This is very important to the future socialization process of your puppy.  The puppies are handled by different individuals allowing them to meet new people, experience a loud, busy crowd.  We like to have families that want to have a 'meet and greet' come to these puppy parties, also.  More people... more socialization.  These future families will be able to meet puppies and see what we are all about.  A lot of friendships have developed with us and other families during these parties. Puppies are also raised with the Avidog Sensory System, another method of desensitizing.  Puppies have early scent introduction starting at day 3 through day 16 coinciding with the ENS exercises.  Each day they are introduced to a different scent, ranging from a pet rat, a pine bough, moss, to a sweet-smelling gummy calcium. Some like the smells and some are indifferent.  Some hate certain ones.    This has been proven beneficial for dogs that will become search and rescue dogs (SAR), barn hunt dogs, dogs that will compete in tracking and nose work, competition obedience, and dogs that will become service/medical alert dogs for people that have seizure disorders or low blood sugar.  Finally, cancer detection.  Puppies have a huge variety of stimuli in their puppy area.  One item we use is the 'Adventure Box' (see video below) This fun filled activity introduces puppies to motion, sound, sight, and touch.  Weekly updates of what puppies are doing and what we are doing with them, and pictures are taken and sent to individual families.  Pictures, at first, are staged.  This allows a lot of beneficial handling, touching new surfaces, as well as a small amount of stress that is beneficial to their neurological system. As your puppy matures, we will take weekly videos allowing you to see your puppy in action!  All of these methods help puppies become confident, stable adults.  A puppy that will mature into an intelligent, well-adjusted family member.

Our puppies come with a four (4) year health guarantee if you follow my spay/neuter requirements, feeding/vitamin recommendations, and shot protocol.  If you choose to not feed Lifes Abundance and/or NuVet  vitamins, the guarantee will be for two (2) years. We also have an open-door policy offering lifetime support for advice, concerns and questions.  Puppies are on a spay/neuter contract.  We DO NOT place puppies in homes where they are used for breeding.  Our adult dogs have hip/elbow clearances with OFA, yearly eye OFA exams, and are DNA tested clear of the HC,  hereditary cataract gene, CEA/CH, PRA/PRCD, CD, DM, HU, CMR1, IVDD/CDDY. Our adult dogs are DNA tested for the MDR1 drug sensitivity gene.  Puppies have  a thorough vet wellness check prior to going home at 8 weeks.  Visit our Health Testing page for an explanation of these tests and what it means to the health of your puppy. All of our dogs and puppies are fed a premium food, Life's Abundance.  Your puppy will be an important part of your life for the next 12 plus years.  Health tested parents, along with proper nutrition plays the biggest role in ensuring your Aussie's quality of life and longevity.  All of our adults are supplemented with NuVet vitamins and Probios, a probiotic.  Visit the NuVet vitamin and the Life's Abundance page for more information.  

Our goal is to produce healthy, well structured, stable working, competition, or the family companion dog adhering to the AKC/ASCA breed standard.  A dog that can adapt to any situation.  We want our puppies to go to forever homes.  A home where they are treated as a valued family member.  We do not want our dogs ending up in shelters or in rescues.  We re-home our puppies/dogs at any age or for any reason their family cannot care or keep them.

Vet checked at 7 weeks of age

Early Neurological Stimulation exercises

Early Scent Introduction

Sound Desensitized

Crate trained

Health record

Puppy folder with valuable information

Puppy exercise guidelines

Registration litter papers

Worming at appropriate ages

First Vaccines at 8-9 weeks

Blanket or toy with scent of mother and siblings

Puppy teething kneecap bone

Written 2- or 4-year health guarantee 

Spay/Neuter contract

3-day supply of NuVet vitamins

Freshly bathed/nails trimmed

Socialized

Lifetime breeder support

Susan Nelson    Heather Tefft

Golden Valley, Arizona

hrdndogs@yahoo.com

541-250-9853

Our Puppies