How are you willing to pay for a puppy?

[SternRose]

I know a herding dog trainer who lives 30minutes away, I just wanted to do it on my own but I think I'll go to her. Lol, she does sheep, cows, and ducks for the different levels of training. Her name is Pam Wolf. Look her up.

 

[dainerra]

Quote:
people who come back matter IF they are compete in conformation or performance events. For pet people, repeat business simply means that the dog didn't go Cujo and start eating people and has no known catastrophic heath issues (or at least no issues that they have placed directly as being genetic). If you want to do herding, I would talk to the instructor that you mentioned training with. She can point you towards breeders in your area. Avoid the local paper, online classifieds, and most typical advertising places. Some good breeders advertise there, just to bring awareness to the public about the difference between a good breeder and a BYB but it's looking for a needle in a haystack. Some breed clubs actually have in their code of ethics that the breeder won't advertise in those venues. Try to convince your dad to look outside your local area as well. You might get lucky and find the perfect breeder 5 minutes away. But you could also find the best match from someone far away and the price including shipping can be about the same or only a couple hundred more. For ways to earn money, petsitting is good. Doing chores or part-time farm work may also be a possibility.

 

[SternRose]

She her self breeds collies: BC and reg collies. If my pup doesn't cut the herding expectation I'll have a nice pet/ 4-h dog to show. I don't expect a lot from him, I also forgot to say that I'll train him to be my lead dog so my husk will pull and I'll have a chance of getting a ride lol. It'll be my way of burning off the extra energy. I could even ask the nebior if he'll run them with his hunting dogs when he makes them pull his gator/ Cart thingy.

 

[dainerra]

you've gotr at least a year of burning off energy in some other way before you can think of having him pull anything. Or do any kind of "forced" running where he has to keep up with older dogs.

She should be able to point you to a good aussie breeder in your area.

 

[SternRose]

I know I have a good year, he's gunna be my running buddy too. There's going to ba ALOT of training and playing. His life is on a shedule( not to strict thought, cuz that's no fun) I have a few books I'm going to use with him. I'm not doing any classes thought, just 4-h classes. Lol

 

[SternRose]

i like this breeder too, but is 3hrs and 31minutes away from my house

i dont even want to ask him bout that one, i knw my answer.http://www.cedarwoodsaussies.com/

 

[dainerra]

Many breeders will consider meeting you halfway. Though with the new USDA laws, they will likely want you to visit the facility at least once.

Honestly, I would reconsider if the stipulation is that it has to be someone within a particular distance, so close that 3 hours away is out of the question. Not that you can't likely find a great dog in your area but it might not be the best dog for what you want. It severely limits your ability to get the "perfect" dog for you and increases the chances of going with a bad or so-so breeder simply because they are closer.

 

[naturalfeddogs]

A few of her past buyers have come back for the 3rd or 4th Aussies is that a good sign? I'm willing to pay $1,000+ but I'm also just wanting a 4-h show dog/ herding dog/pet dog. I'm also looking to get into better shape, I'm not fat but I'm in the 20% group for m1y a4ge. I'm 5'4 and only weight 84lbs. And Aussies have the energy level I'm look for. The second one takes 5-10 minutes

Neither of those look like herding line dogs. Both of those breeders are show dog breeders which means they may not have the herding instinct as strong as a puppy from working dog lines. If you want working lines, look online specifically for those, if you are wanting to do any herd work with your puppy.

 

[SternRose]

I get what your saying, when it gets closer to the time to buy ill email the breeders or call them and ask and set up a time to go over there and ask them a few questions about there dogs in person.

 

[dainerra]

honestly, most breeders will welcome an email. I generally start talking to breeders and narrowing down my list at least a year before I am thinking of adding a new dog. Many breeders will have waiting lists as well as only breed a couple times a year. Better to at least verbally say "I'd love to add a puppy to my family. I love how the puppies from Joe and Jane are growing up. When do you plan to repeat that breeding?"
It can take weeks of emailing back and forth before a breeder will ask you to come meet in person. Face it, there are a lot of crazies out there plus a good breeder has their own full time job outside the home as well as time spent going to dog shows, training, etc. Plus, if there are young pups at home, they generally don't allow any visitors for a few weeks because of the risk of tracking in disease or parasites.

If you are thinking of getting a pup in a year to 2 years, I would start emailing and open the lines of communication NOW. In person visits and more in-depth chats will come later. For my last boy, I started narrowing down breeders over 3 years before I was ready for a dog. Then I waited until the right time and the right litter came along to actually get a dog.

If you call a breeder and say "hey I plan on getting a dog in a couple weeks, I want to come visit and ask you a ton of questions" they are likely going to be put off. Better to narrow down your basic criteria of what you want in a breeder - show titles? herding titles? obedience? Find a breeder who does performance and conformation? Then audition to see if you are the type of person they will even consider selling a dog to. Be up front that you are shopping around but also tell them that you like their dogs and want to know if their breeding is a good fit for your life and what you want the dog to do.