Meet our handsome four-legged patriarch. All of our dogs have had age and breed appropriate genetic and health tests ran. Check out their pedigree, health profile and more below.
LITTERS
Meet our handsome four-legged patriarch. All of our dogs have had age and breed appropriate genetic and health tests ran. Check out their pedigree, health profile and more below.
Meet our handsome four-legged patriarch. All of our dogs have had age and breed appropriate genetic and health tests ran. Check out their pedigree, health profile and more below.
Check out ads and flyers we've made for our customers in the dog and livestock worlds!
FREQUINTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The questions when choosing a breed, and a breeder can be endless. Common questions pertaining to the Australian Shepherds, and highlights of reputable breeding have been mentioned below and addressed. It includes both factual things, along with where we stand on certain matters within the breed.
1. Personable - Aussies have highly adaptable personalities. They can often work well in families with children and other pets. While they can tend to herd and nip at others this can be corrected at an early age as they are highly inteligent.
2. Highly Trainable - Aussies are among one of the smartest breeds of dog. That along with being high energy makes them ideal for learning and mastering a multitude of different skills and tricks. With this high drive it is also important to keep a close eye on your dog as their intelligent minds may tend to wander beyond their boundaries.
3. Loyalty - As Aussies are bred to be herding dogs it only makes sense they would have a strong sense of loyalty to their "herd". Because of this they can also be warry of strangers which makes them great watch dogs. Aussies excell the most when they are provided human companionship, and a task to do that will please them.
4. Climate Adaptable - All Aussies have a double coat that protects them from the elements. The tough outer coat acts as a waterproof berrier, while the fluffier under coat acts as an insulator agains both hot and cold temperatures.
5. Size - Aussies typically end up being from 40-65 lbs. This makes them a manageable size for on-leash walks or training, or to transport in a car.
1. High Energy - The Aussies main intention for breeding was to be a working dog. This means they require daily exercise. With a daily routine of outdoor stimulation, these dogs will be excellent household pets. Also while Aussies can easily become overweight, their willingness and need for daily exercise makes weight-management easy to achieve.
*High energy and high trainability are great traits to have in a dog when managed appropriately. Aussies may turn to other things to occupy their time if they are not stimulated properly.
2. Shedding - Most owners will find they need to do a thorough brushing each week to remove excess fur and prevent matted clumps. Also, twice yearly these dogs shed more excessively, so owners will want to increase the frequency of brushing, with baths where neccisary. Being sure to start the grooming proccess early as a puppy will ensure this process to be much easier as the dog matures.
3. Eye Issues - Every breed is known for its health issues, and unfortuanlty the Australian Shepherd is no exception to that. Some of the eye issues may include colobomas, cataracts, detached retinas, and others. We can provide you with the parents eye tests from their recent eye exam. We do this to prevent these issues from continuing in the breed! Owners of puppies can also ask their veterinarian about routine ophthalmology exams.
Please note:
Just because a dog is more susceptible to a disorder doesn't mean it will happen. Most Australian Shepherds live fully content lives with none of these eye issues, but it is important for potential owners to understand the risks. As a breeder it is our job to bring issues such as this to potential owners attention.
4. Hip Displasia - Hip dysplasia is a common genetic malformation in the hip socket of some dogs, including Australian Shepherds. Over time, improper wear and tear on the hip joint can lead to arthritis pain, and sometimes surgery.
As breeders we are able to provide medical confirmation of the parents' hip health to potential buyers. *Dogs who get adequate exercise and a healthy diet will also generally experience fewer issues.
Click the accociation to see their standard for the breed as described on their website. We follow these standards as close as possible.
All of our mature dogs are fed Kinetic Performance Dog Food by Hubbard. Our puppies get started on Kinetic Performance Puppy Formula.
We also highly recommend Purina Pro Plan.
For best results we often add salmon oil, suplimental treats, and low sodium bone broth into each meal.
Water is also a simple and great thing to add as well! As the food is dried it takes much more water for your dog to digest it. By allowing it to soak in water just a few minutes prior to eating you can benifit your dog big time.
Leaving tails on is not something that we offer here at Bold Acres. There are few reasons behind it.
1. As we conform to AKC and ASCA's breed standards we do not offer full lenth tails as it is against breed standard to have a tail that is not docked to be less than four inches (AKC & ASCA). We also believe that though there is room for interpritations in breed standards for some things, this is not one of them. We feel if you are willing to break one part of the breed standard then you are willing to break others.
2. Aussies herd in a different manor than other breeds such as a Border Collie would. They get up close and personal which puts them at much higher risk of injury. By docking them at a few days old (much less painful and heals fast) it helps prevent this very painful injury from happening.
3. Australian Shepherds are known to carry a gene called NBT (Natural Bobbed Tail). If this gene is present some puppies can be born with a natural bob, or even a half lenth tail. Breeding two NBT dogs together has been proven to affect litter size, and some debate causes tails to not fully develope - making them more prone to being injured.
4. Puppies have their tails docked before 3 days old. At that point in life there is no way to tell which puppies will be show quality, and what their personailites will be like. Since we place puppies when they are around 7-9 weeks, there is too much uncertainty which puppy will end of with which family at the time of docking.
*The only exception to this being for puppies that are behind at 3 days of age. When a puppy is at risk of not making it, we do not take the risk of docking their tail in order to prioritize their life.
Options now days for finding a new dog are almost endless. Everywhere you turn you may see puppies that are available, but do you really know what you are getting?
When getting a puppy from a reputable breeder you are getting the product of two prized dogs. You are getting a puppy that came from a litter specifically designed to better the breed, or preserve it. You are getting a puppy with a predictable temprament and health.
What is included in a the price of a puppy from a reputable breeder:
1) Known Genetic Defects
2) Parents with tested Hips and Elbows
3) Titled dogs that have proved themselves
4) Sleepless nights spent with the puppies
5) Endless amounts of love given to puppies
6) Solid foundation for socialization
7) Start on certain training
8) Breeder makes sure you are a good fit for the dog
9) Lifetime support from breeder
10) Predictable temperament and characteristics
WE TREAT ALL OF OUR DOGS AS IF THEY ARE MDR1 POSSITIVE, REGARDLESS OF THEIR TEST RESTULTS TO BE SAFE.
MDR1 is short for Multidrug Resistance Mutation. The MDR1 gene mutation causes dogs to be more sensitive to the negative effects of certain medications. Exposure to certain drugs can cause seizures, tremors, disorientation, blindness, lack of muscle control, or even death. It is important to let your vet know if you Australian Shepherd has MDR1 or if they are an MDR1 carrier so they can properly perscribe medicines to your dog.
We use and recommend using Paw Print Genetics to test your dogs!
The Australian Shepherd breed is quick to catch anybody's eye. From their unique coloring, to their blue eyes how could they not! There is so much more to these dogs than that however. Take the time to see if an Aussie will truely fit into your lifestyle before diving in. Here are some things to think about when deciding if they are right for you:
The Australian Shepherd is a highly inteligent breed that was specifically designed to herd sheep and cattle. These dogs are wired to be dominant because of that. With that being said, if there is no livestock around, they will turn to their herd (thats you and your family) to contorl. How you react to this personality will dicate a lot! Either you need to show you are in charge or your Aussie will!
For a dog that is as inteligent as the Australian Shepherd training isn't an option anymore, it is required! An untrained Aussie is not something you want, trust me. This breed aims to please, which in turn means they love to learn. They are very highly trainable, and it is esential you set boundries (though that won't stop them from testing you!). I have often found myself comparing their intelligence to human's. I once had someone tell me this little story about Aussies and I thought it was beyond true!
"If you put two dogs in a vehicle (one of which is an Australian Shepherd and the other is not) and tell them not to jump out that window, when you come back the other dog will be in the car, and the Aussie will be outside of it waiting for you. The Aussie will simply say, "You told me not to jump out of that window, so I jumped out of the other one".
Australian Shepherds main purpose is to be out in a feild working all day, so it should come as no surpise when I tell you that they need and love exercise. Lack of exercise in an Aussie can lead to potential behavioral changes, and even an antsy dog. Both of which are things you don't want to get into!
"Velcro dogs". They didn't pull this name out of thin air! The Australian Shepherd breed is known to be verry attached to their family as they are herd dogs. Don't expect to go anywhere without them being one step behind you. You might even find yourself tripping over them all too often! These dogs require affection and a social lifestyle.
As a herding dog, they also tend to be good watch dogs. You will know when someone is coming up your driveway that's for sure! Aussies are bred to be warry of strangers, but don't worry (when socialized properly) all it takes is one good scratch and they're already best freinds with your new visitor!
Getting an Aussie when you have kids, especially younger ones, can be a tricky situation. As mentioned time and time again the breed is ment for herding. It is often found to be an issue to have an Aussie around if your kids are doing something like playing in the yard. To no fault of their own the Aussie's insticts may kick in causing them to herd and even nip at playing children. Without proper training this will continue to go on. It is important to make sure that you set boundries not just with the dog, but with everyone in your family as well.
As reptable breeders our first priorty is to prove our dogs. With that being said show homes takes first priorty. From there we will address personalities and see which ones may be ideal fo which particular person on our wait list.
We do NOT place puppies solely based on color. If you are on the wait list for a particular litter we will provide options, and you may opt to tranfer your deposite to a future litter if you wish to wait for color.
Aussies are a medium size breed with males being 20-23 inches and females are 18-21 inches at the shoulder.
The Australian Shepherd is not a size varaible breed. With that being said we simply only raise Australian Shepherds. We don't breed for toys, minis, or standards. It is our goal to follow the AKC and ASCA breed standards.
At Bold Acres we hold the dogs in our breeding program to a high standard.
Here's what each dog of ours must pass before being considered:
1. Clear/ Mostly Clear genetic panel - Either through parentage or testing
2. OFA Hips and Elbows
3. Eyes Cleared anually
We are happy to provide you with proof of any and all testing, just shoot us a message! We are open about our dog's health, but try to keep the forms semi private to help elimante them from being stolend and used by scammers.
We do not take breeding lightly. Each dog we allow to reproduce has been thouroughly tested and proven to ensure they are quality enough to produce the next generation.
The basics of our checklist:
-Conformation
-Color (not too much white/ Color testing results)
-Clear/ mostly clear genetic panel
-OFA Hips and Elbows above normal
-Eyes clear anually
-Tittled (we do our best to tittle our dogs with a CH in conformation before breeding)
