At Herdabout Shelties we take great diligence in how we raise our puppies:

We strive to breed litters and raise puppies that have good temperaments that are well suited for a working career or just a well adjusted member of the family.  We start off with the pups at 3 days old by using the "Super Puppy" Early Neurological Stimulation (see site: www.breedingbetterdogs.com/achiever.html)  This is done until the pups reach 16 days of age. 

 Between three and four weeks of age we start introducing the puppies to textures, sounds, overhead visual stimulation etc. 

Around five weeks we start desensitizing them for being groomed, by gently tugging their fur, ears, tails, whiskers, etc. on the grooming table to help teach them to relax while being groomed or examined by a veterinarian.

At five and a half weeks of age the pups start spending time in the large agility playpen to help build muscle and develop coordination, as they climb on, over, and through the mini equipment.  The little puppy teeter has just enough of a tip to start desensitizing the pups to motion, and they just love it!  The puppies also get used to the texture of real agility equipment.  We even gently rock the puppies in our arms in a glider rocker to help prepare against motion sickness while traveling.

We do not wean our puppies, we let mom do that because she knows best.  The pups spend time with their mom right up until they leave for their new homes between 8 and 10 weeks of age.  That way they can receive and learn to understand discipline from mom, which helps make a more biddable puppy for training down the road.

 Between 7 & 8 weeks of age our puppies are tested for temperament, as well as a performance potential evaluation.  Both of these tests are designed specifically for the Shetland Sheepdog.  The temperament test assess each puppy for early indications of a biddable, dominant, submissive, stoic, or fearful temperament.  While the puppy performance potential evaluation assess each puppy for early indications of herding instinct, obedience, agility, or tracking potential, as well as looking for focus and resilience.

 These two tests provide us with a general idea of the puppy's intelligence, willingness to work, potential strengths or weaknesses, which in turn helps us fit the right puppy into the right home.

 Our pet puppies sell for $800.** (US or Canadian dollars) and come with:

1.  a lifetime 100% money back guarantee against Hip displaysia, VwD Type 3 Affected, Thyroid disease, and Collie Eye Anomaly (all things we screen our dogs for before breeding),

2.  a 3 year extended health guarantee against any genetically inherited problem that isn't/can't be screened for in our breeding dogs, such as Legges Calves Perthes, etc.

3.  a puppy package containing information on all things specific to raising and training a sheltie puppy,

4.  1 Full 8lb bag of Purina Pro Plan puppy food (approximately one month's supply of food)

5.  full set of first inoculations (DHPP), three sets of dewormings,

6.  Microchipped, and CKC Registered, copy of full pedigree

7.   a certified health inspection along with a fecal parasite clearance by a qualified veterinarian,

8.   insurance for the first 6 weeks at his/her new home with up to $1050. worth of coverage. 

9.  All puppies are temperament tested, with a Puppy Temperament / Personality Test as well as a  puppy Performance / Working Potential Test. 

10.  Puppies are ready to go to their new homes between 8 and 10 weeks of age.  At that age they will have been well socialized and paper trained.

11.  We provide technical support and are always available to answer any questions or concerns about your puppy.

12.  A Goodie filled puppy care bag generously supplied by Purina.

 

	Current litters and available dogs
	Litters from the past

Our conditions are:

1.  Pet puppies are sold on a spay/neuter contract, with a CKC non-breeding agreement.  

2.  You will also a have four week trial period, during which you can return the puppy for a full refund of the purchase price.

3.  We also insist on the right of first refusal, which means that at any time in the dog's life you cannot commit to the dog, for whatever reason, and need to re-home the dog, you must offer to return him/her to us first, no questions will be asked, and we will take the dog back.  We are concerned about the dogs we breed and want the best possible for them. 

4.  The 3 year extended health guarantee covers full replacement of the puppy (when a suitable replacement puppy becomes available) if any genetically inherited disease appears and renders the puppy unsuitable for the purpose the puppy was purchased. Example being that if you purchased the puppy for the specific purpose of having an agility dog, and the puppy develops a genetically inherited spinal disease (such as the extremely rare spondolosis), we will take back the dog and replace it with another puppy when a suitable one becomes available.  However, the puppy would not be replaced if the dog's spine problem was a  result of an injury incurred while in your care. 

Our dogs are thoroughly screened for genetically inherited diseases before any breeding occurs, so we are confident to stand behind our puppies.  With shelties, by three years of age, if there was going to be any genetically inherited health problems, they should have surfaced by then.

 Wanting to purchase a puppy?

Each puppy has an individual personality and temperament and we try to best suit the individual puppy with the home that the puppy would perform the best in.  Therefore we need to find out some information about yourself in order to best suit you with a puppy that you will be pleased with.  If you could kindly answer the following questions it will help us match you with the best suitable puppy personality.  It would not be responsible for us to place a dog with a high drive for agility or herding into a home that wants a calm, laid back, couch potato type dog. 

Once you are sure that you want one of our puppies and we are sure that we have the right puppy for you we will request a non-refundable deposit of $200 to hold the puppy for you.  The non-refundable deposit is non-refundable if you back out of our deal/contract.  If something happened to the puppy that made him/her unavailable, and we back out, then the deposit would be refunded to you. 

1.  Have you ever owned a sheltie before, or any other dog?
2.  Do you intend to compete in any dog sports with this dog, such as agility, obedience, herding, tracking, etc.?
3.  How many people in your immediate family?  How old are the children?
4.  Do you live in a house with a yard, or an apartment?
5.  If you have a yard is it completely fenced, and escape proof?
6.  What coat colour preference do you have?
7.  Does it matter if the puppy is male or female?

We don't mean to scare anyone, or offend anyone in any way, we just want people to be very happy with the puppy they purchase, and we want the puppy to be happy too.
Jeff & Kellie Whiteside