QUICK FACTS
ABOUT US
EYE COLOR
w/ SPARTAN
as sire
We know what a huge deal it is to welcome a new family member into your home! That being said, we are honored to be considered for such an important role in your life, and we want to make sure that you are educated in your decision making process. Please take time to read the following before proceeding to commit to the life of one of our beloved Australian Shepherd puppies. We want to ensure that our pups are going to their forever homes! We are always available for questions or to talk through your choices.
IS AN AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD RIGHT FOR YOU? Read about the Aussie temperament here & why we love them but they are not the right fit for every home. ☺️
It is important to go into pet ownership with realistic expectations. Puppies are a lot of work and require lots of time and patience!
There may be sleepless nights early on from the puppy adjusting to its new life!
There will be accidents on the carpet.
You will need to puppy proof your home to protect your puppy & your favorite belongings.
You will have to be home to let the puppy out to potty and exercise.
You are going to get out of your pup what you put into them! Training, walking, socialization, play and consistency are key. These are all responsibilities you must prepare to make time for when you decide to adopt a puppy. We recommend you hire a trainer to build a firm foundation and avoid frustration and bad habits from being formed early on!
At Silverside, our pups are bred to have loving, friendly, intelligent personalities and even temperaments. We are very involved with all of our puppies and dogs. We put in a lot of time, effort and money. We fall in love with each one, and they are all very much a part of our family. With that being said it is our goal to make sure our pups are going to a home where they will be loved, cherished and spoiled, forever. If you are unsure if you are ready for a dog, or do not have the time to devote to a dog, please do not apply.
We want the very best for our pups and we want to set you up for success. We recognize the importance of training, and want to help you get started in the right direction. We have partnered with BAXTER & Bella & provide a 25% discount on their LIFETIME TRAINING SCHOOL ONLINE. This includes all the training resources you will ever need, leading to better animal ownership and the very best in canine companionship! Just use the code SILVERSIDE during checkout.
BREEDER RESPONSIBILITY: A POCKET GUIDE
YOU’VE DIED
YOUR HOUSE BURNED DOWN
YOU’VE MOVED INTO ASSISTED LIVING
YOU/FAMILY MEMBER FACE CRITICAL ILLNESS REQUIRING TRAVEL
YOUR DOG ATE YOUR FIRSTBORN AFTER I SAID IT WOULD BE GOOD W/ KIDS
In the above circumstances, aka emergencies, we are either en route already or will work tirelessly to find room elsewhere for your dog, depending on the level of emergency & whether it’s possible to bring the dog here, or whether it needs to be rehomed from a foster location, its home, or be evaluated by a Vet. If you have a potential placement in mind, we would love to consider them too. If your dog can be resold (which all depends on age, training, vet, genetic, & x-ray status, potential for work, temperament, etc) then we will refund any proceeds from any sale, less any Vet, medical, or boarding fees. Under no circumstances may you sell, transfer, abandon, dump, surrender, or otherwise rehome your Dog without expressed, written approval from Silverside Aussies according to the legally binding contract that we signed together during sale.
DOG IS BIGGER/SMALLER/LIGHTER/DARKER THAN EXPECTED
DOG REQUIRES TRAINING
DOG REQUIRES MENTAL STIMULATION
DOG REQUIRES VETERINARY CARE
DOG SHEDS OR REQUIRED GROOMING
DOG COST MONEY
YOU CHOOSE TO MOVE SOMEWHERE YOUR DOG IS NOT ALLOWED
YOUR DOG DOESN'T GET ALONG WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND'S DOG
YOU MARRIED “JUST NOT AN ANIMAL PERSON”
YOUR DOG PREFERS YOUR SPOUSE
YOUR SPOUSE PREFERS THE OTHER DOG
YOU’VE STARTED A FAMILY
YOU DEEM DOG "A POOR FIT”
YOU DECIDE DOGS ARE TOO MUCH WORK
YOU HAVE A JOB & ARE TOO BUSY
YOU WOULD RATHER NOT BE BUSY OR PREFER LOUNGING
DOG WAS UNSUPERVISED & GOT INTO TROUBLE
YOU CANNOT MULTI-TASK TO SAVE YOUR LIFE
YOUR HANDLING SKILLS/LEVEL OF ALERTNESS ARE NON-EXISTENT
YOU CONSCIOUSLY BOUGHT A DOG WITH GENERALLY HIGH DRIVE & RESERVED WITH STRANGERS, DIDN’T SOCIALIZE & NOW DOG ISN’T FRIENDLY, BARKS TOO MUCH, OR “CAN’T BE TRAINED”
OR ADULTING IS JUST HARD
In the above circumstances, aka non-emergencies, you & I will work together to determine the best course of action for your dog. Your life choices are none of our concern, you did that all by yourself. If the dog is better off staying with you until we find him/her a better home, then that's where they will stay, because, again, these are not emergency circumstances outside of your control. To be clear, items listed in red are handling failures, i.e. your fault. Hard to hear, & words hurt, I know. But, luckily for you, we won't let your dog pay the price for human failure if we can help it. If the dog is not better off staying with you while we search for better placement, then we will personally take the dog in as soon as reasonably possible, & in the interim you will respect that we are not a high-capacity boarding facility & cannot guarantee what essentially amounts to immediate abandonment in the event that you're tired or stressed out. Even shelters don't necessarily accommodate an owner surrender at the drop of the hat & without surrender fees. Dog must be surrendered to Silverside Aussies at the expense of the Owner & all funds paid will be forfeited, including Deposit.
In either set of circumstances, emergency or not, we expect upon relinquishment that the dog be healthy unless otherwise disclosed previously, as well as up to date on DHHPv + Lepto & legally required rabies vaccinations, & have a current negative HW, TBD, & Parasite testing, as this is the bare minimum of care for any Dog. IE, don't drop what you claim is Cujo on us with an expired rabies certificate unless you’re ok with being invoiced for whatever it takes to get him/her legally ready to adopt, including medical & boarding fees.
While we ALWAYS want to do what's best for the dog & do feel responsible for them for life, this does not mean that you, the owner, bear zero responsibility for said dog in the time you own it. I prefer to think we are each 100% responsible. We are here as back-up for when life is unpredictable or if you need support along the way, we are always just a phone call or text message away; however we are not here to absolve you of any & all personal responsibility for the dog you committed to. If you believe otherwise, please seek lessons in accountability, not another pet.
If you’re still here, we’re excited to begin the journey towards your new best furiend! Get started today, visit the AVAILABLE PUPS or JOIN THE WAITLIST today!
CLICK HERE to view profiles for each dog in our program.
SIZE: All of our Aussies are STANDARD sized. They range from 40-60 lbs & 18-21 inches tall to their shoulders.
TAILS: SILVERSIDE PROMOTES NATURAL PUPPIES!!! We 💗natural tails & stopped docking them in 2021. We understand that people have different preferences & to accommodate that, we have several Natural Bobbed Tail (NBT) females in our program! If either of the parents carries the NBT gene, each puppy has a 50% chance of being born with a shortened tail. We list each puppy's tail length under their bios.
Docking was actually very popular & almost always done until very recently in the USA. Docking was done as a standard because Aussies are herding dogs and people believed pups had a higher chance of injury with a full tail. However, a lot of countries have already banned the docking of tails, which we love. When we were docking, I didn't find it to be traumatic but since most of our pups don't work, we find it unnecessary. All of our dogs are NBT or docked and they act no differently.
DEWCLAWS: We also don't remove their front dew claws as studies show it can accelerate arthritis in the future. Dew claws are the 5th nail on the front (or back) of a dog's legs. They are higher in the legs (think of your wrist to your hand). They often use them to climb or hold things they are chewing. They are prone to injury and may have to be removed once a dog is older if an injury occurs. However our dogs who have them are all fine and we haven't had any issues at all.
COAT COLORS: ALL OF OUR LITTERS can produce RAINBOW LITTERS which have Blue & Red Merle with Tan Points, Red Tri, & Black Tri pups. Spartan is considered a MINIMAL white Aussie, so the amount of white trim on our pups can vary greatly. We will often have puppies from the same litter that have white facial markings, white legs & chest, & full white collars, then we will have a puppy with only white on the tips of their toes, nose, & belly!! It is the neatest thing to see the variation in Aussies as it is part of what makes them so special (even if it increases wait times for that pictures perfect merle pup 😉)
EYE COLORS: Eyes may be any combination of brown, amber, hazel, green, blue, or marbled. Some of these dogs have eyes that are two different colors or may be marbled or swirled. For example, one eye can be blue and the other eye can be split between blue and brown. Puppies usually open their eyes at around 2 weeks of age & color can usually be seen very clearly in photos or videos around 4-5 weeks of age. Eye color can change until 6 months or in some cases as late as 2 years old, although not likely.
With Spartan as our sire, we have a VERY, VERY high likelihood of having 2 blue eyes. We are very fortunate that Spartan carries (2) blue eye genes, so each puppy inherits at least one copy from him. CLICK HERE to see our current percentage of blue eyes & other statistics.
Yes, Yes, & YES!!!! The health & safety of our puppies is our #1 priority, and as such, we do everything we can to support your puppy & keep you informed every step of the way. We offer Lifetime Support for your puppy!! Once you choose a Silverside Puppy, you can always count on us to share our knowledge, be an ear to share your doggie concerns, & help provide training tips. We are very involved with all of our puppies and dogs. We put in a lot of time, effort and money. We fall in love with each one, and they are all very much a part of our family. With that being said it is our goal to make sure our pups are going to a home where they will be loved, cherished and spoiled, forever.
Silverside Wellness Warranty: click here to view our PUPPY CONTRACT w/ Wellness Warranty. We want you to be confident that your puppy is healthy & will be with you for years to come. After researching, we found most Breeder's standards & contracts don't convey the confidence we have in our program & in the puppies we produce. Once your puppy is home, you will quickly fall in love and it is unrealistic to require that you surrender the puppy to protect your investment. We will NEVER do that. If your puppy is covered under the Extended Wellness Warranty, Silverside Aussies will reimburse you for any necessary medical care or training programs for up to 100% of the puppy's sales price or you could still choose to return the puppy for a replacement.
ENS, ESI, & Weight Tracking: We track the puppies very closely during the first few weeks of life. We created a daily chart & checklist to help us manage it all.
Vet Check: Each puppy will also be examined by a LICENSED VETERINARIAN around 7 weeks of age. The Vet will administer their DHPPv shots & install their Microchips. Some 3rd party transportation companies also require an additional vet appointment to obtain a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (health certificate or CVI). If required, there is an additional $250.00 fee. After pickup, you will need to schedule a series of appointments with your local vet for their additional rounds of vaccines.
Vaccines & Deworming: All of our puppies will go home with a printed Vet Exam & Medical Records. We record when your puppy received dewormer & vaccinations & what products were used. The puppies are dewormed at 3, 5, & 7 weeks. Your puppy will arrive with age appropriate vaccinations and deworming & will have a minimum of 1 round of DHPP-Lepto shots during their Vet check. In order to be fully vaccinated, puppies need shots administered every 3-4 weeks for a total of 4 rounds. Their first shot is administered at 7 weeks of age, so we suggest the next shots at 10, 13, & 16 weeks of age. It is not the number of shots that count, it is the age of the puppy. Per AAHA and WSAVA guidelines, for dogs under 16 weeks of age, Distemper & Parvovirus is given as a series of shots, starting as early as 6 weeks and continuing at 2 to 4 week intervals until no less than 16 weeks of age. This could mean shots at 8/12/16 weeks on one end of the spectrum or 6/8/10/12/14/16 weeks on the other end of the spectrum.
Insurance: Your puppy will come home with 30-days of complimentary insurance through TruPanion. This is an Opt-In offer which does not require any financial information unless you choose to extend your coverage past the trial period (see Trupanion Coverage Overview below)
You can buy with confidence! Genetic screening of the dam and sire for inherited diseases should be an integral part of any breeding program. Although it's extremely costly, Silverside Aussies chooses to voluntarily screen each of our dogs for inherited diseases prior to breeding because we know that screening our dogs is crucial in producing happy and healthy puppies. All of our dogs have been health tested through Embark & some double tested with AKC DNA.
Silverside Aussies offers an INDUSTRY-LEADING WELLNESS WARRANTY, detailed in our Puppy Contract, which guarantees your pup is free from life-threatening congenital defects. This warranty ensures you receive either a full refund of the Puppy’s purchase price for necessary medical care or training, or an exchange puppy of equal value.
Even if Silverside Aussies isn't your choice, responsible buying is crucial! ONLY BUY PUPPIES FROM TRUSTED BREEDERS WITH HEALTH TESTED DOGS & VET CHECKED PUPPIES! Your breeder should be able to READILY & EASILY provide proof of health testing (which you should be able to verify the results to from the tester directly, like the links we provide) & Buyer's reviews, even Vet references & preferably with dogs/puppies who have been vaccinated by a licensed Vet for vaccine quality assurance, which provides the puppies with Maternally-Derived Antibodies (MDAs) for disease resistance even before being vaccinated.
WE CHOOSE OUR DOGS SO OUR PUPPIES WILL NEVER CARRY 2 GENES OF MDR1 or ANY OTHER GENETICALLY INHERITED CONDITION which we can prescreen our dogs for. Be sure to read through each report for detailed explanations for each gene & how it is passed to your pups. I find it all fascinating & spend hours researching new tests & conditions, so rest assured, we have thoroughly screened our dogs to give your puppy the best head start in life!!
All of our dogs have GENETIC TESTING for Breed Verification, Coat & Body Traits, & Health Testing. Each of our dogs are:
💯 Australian Shepherd 100%
💟 Standard Sized (40-60 lbs & 18-21" to withers)
📜 AKC & ASDR Registered (Pups have Limited Registration)
🧬 "CLEAR" or "CARRIER" only, so pups should NEVER BE "AFFECTED" by any disease for which their parents have been tested.
🎨 Red or Red-Factored, so each pairing can product pups of EVERY COLOR
🔵 Spartan has 2 BET genes, so BLUE EYES are HIGHLY LIKELY for each puppy.
🐕 Only some litters can have NBT pups (see beside each mom below)
💌 Most of our dogs have CHAMPIONSHIPs in their lineage
CLICK TO VIEW profiles for mom & dad, including genetic testing, size, registry, & details about our next litter(s)
Embark also gives us access to a "Pair Predictor" which has easy-to-read results & interpretations of the parents & how it affects the puppies. VIEW EACH PLANNED LITTER TO SEE THE LITTER'S EXPECTED GENETIC RESULTS
You may have noticed that on our adults page, some of the dogs are listed to be "Red Factored". In Australian Shepherds, the B-Locus determines if a black or blue dog will be able to produce red offspring. If the dog tests B/B, that dog does not have the red gene, and will never have red offspring. If the dog tests B/b, that dog does carry the red gene thus making him/her "Red Factored". Breeding to another carrier or to a red dog should produce red offspring. Dogs that are actually red will test b/b.
You will also notice that Spartan & some of our females are genetically considered "Double Merle" through Embark. While this is technically true, the merle length gene in Aussies can vary greatly so we had additional testing done to determine the merle length. Spartan is considered "Cryptic Merle" which means that having such a short merle gene DOES NOT POSE ANY HEALTH CONCERNS for Spartan or his puppies!! CLICK FOR MORE INFO
What is ENS? Let's start with Early Neurological Stimulation, or ENS. It was developed by the US military and known as the "Bio Sensor Program," and later referred to by the public as the "Super Dog Program." ENS is believed by some experts to enhance the natural abilities of dogs and give them a superior advantage. It involves subjecting pups aged 3-16 days to 5 forms of stimulation that lead to “stress.” It is said to benefit puppy development in 5 ways:
Improved heart rate
Stronger heartbeats
Stronger adrenal glands
Better tolerance to stress
Greater resistance to disease
If you are wondering what type of exercises are used, it is quite simple:
Tactical stimulation-stimulate the bottom of the paw pads with a cotton swab
Hold puppy's head up for 3-5 seconds
Hold puppy's head gently down for 3-5 seconds
Hold puppy on his back for 3-5 seconds
Put puppy's belly down on a cool towel for 3-5 seconds
If you would like to learn more about ENS there is a great article written by Dr. Carmen L Battaglia, who holds a Ph.D. and Masters Degree from Florida State University.
WATCH A BRIEF EXPLANATION & DEMO VIDEO HERE (we are working on a custom one 😉)
What is ESI? Early Scent Introduction (ESI) is done in conjunction with the ENS training. ESI is designed to enhance a puppy's ability to identify and react to specific scents. Fun Fact, the area in a dog's brain that processes data picked up by the nose is 40 times larger than in a human brain. So, we could say that a dog’s ability to smell is a function of their intellect.
How ESI is done: Simple! We introduce a new scent each day starting at Day 3 & ending Day 16 of the puppy's life. We use items such as grass, bark, dirt, pine cones, fruit, herbs, leather, wood, tennis balls, essential oils, but no treats or dog food items. We watch to see if pup engages and for how long. That's it!
If something this simple can improve their abilities as service or therapy dogs, we are all in!!
You can read more about ESI or watch a short video at Avidog's website.
AKC & ASDR are different registries. ASDR is the oldest registry for Aussies but AKC is the biggest. Depending on if you planned to show your pup, you may want to choose one registry over the other for the amount of shows or the network size.
Both registries track the lineage of your puppy & can provide a pedigree which is a Certificate which can even be framed. AKC also tracks Titles & Championships, OFA results, & DNA verification for ancestors as well. We have registered all of our dogs on https://www.pedigreedatabase.com/ where you can even see pictures of ancestors which were uploaded by their owners over the years.
AKC limits the genetic pool because they will only register dogs who have parents that belong to AKC registry, where ASDR will register dogs from a list of different registries.
ASDR has a program called hardship, where dogs with no papers can be registered as long as they appear purebred by a vet and witnesses and with pictures, which is a point of contention for the registry because they could be allowing mixed genetics. However with the use of genetic testing for dogs, you can verify your dog is purebred Aussies (which ours are).
The test results for each of our dogs can be found at silversideaussies.com/aussies
All Silverside pups are sold with LIMITED registration as PETS ONLY as an obedience/agility prospect or as a show/confirmation prospects for NBT pups.
We were originally granting breeding rights up front but we had 2 or 3 people who bred the pups when they were only 11 months old (too young) without genetic testing and that is not the legacy we want for our pups.
ASDR limited registration means that the dog is registered but no litters produced by that dog are eligible for registration. As far as I can tell, there are no restrictions on showing your dogs with ASDR Limited Registration.
AKC limited registration means that the dog is registered but no litters produced by that dog are eligible for registration.
Chapter 3, Section 4A of the AKC’s Rules Applying to Registration and Discipline states the following: “may be requested for a dog when application for individual registration of the dog is submitted, provided the application, together with a request for such limitation, is filed by the owner(s) of the litter at birth. No offspring of a dog for which has been granted is eligible for registration. Each registration certificate for such a dog shall carry notice of the limitation, and the limitation shall continue, regardless of any change of ownership, unless and until the owner(s) of the litter at birth shall apply to AKC for removal of the limitation.”
A dog registered with an AKC Limited Registration shall be ineligible to be entered in a breed competition in a licensed or member dog show. It is eligible, however, to be entered in any other licensed or member event. These events include: Obedience, Rally, Agility, Tracking, Field Trials, Hunting Tests, Herding, Lure Coursing, Earthdog, Fast Cat, CAT, Scent work, Junior Showmanship, Trick Dog and CGC.
REGISTRATION CONVERSION. Registration to Owner with Co-Ownership to Breeder is ONLY considered on a case-by-case basis & is never guaranteed. Registration Change would very rarely be approved, if ever, & only for that VERY special Puppy who can contribute to the Australian Shepherd Breed & that VERY, VERY special Person who can uphold our Breeder's Standards & Legacy as a partnership. If after Puppy’s 2nd Birthday, Owner wishes to seek Full Registration for the purposes of Breeding, Owner must submit to the full series of rigorous compliances that Silverside Aussies currently completes during the intake of a new Dog as a potential breeding candidate. Full Compliances include, but are not limited to, submission of medical records, health & genetic testing, and/or disposition, temperament, or physical evaluations of the dog and/or Breeding Facility, etc. Owner is also responsible for finding a suitable mate of equal testing & quality for approval by Breeder. If testing is appropriate & approved, the parties shall negotiate & agree upon terms of a Co-Ownership Agreement to include an Evaluation Fee starting at $1000.00 plus travel expenses will be due by Owner to Breeder before commencement.
Each puppy's website profile contains a unique 2-way photo album where most owners regularly send pup-dates for us to see. We also have 5 star REVIEWS on Google, Facebook, & GoodDog from people who have bought puppies from us & they usually contain pictures too! Buyers also post their photos on the Woof Pack, Facebook & Instagram. Many of our pups that are placed in their furever homes even have their own Instagram accounts - if you go to our Instagram profile and see who we are following you can find all of their accounts. You can follow them and all their sweet adventures. Feel free to reach out to whoever you'd like.
I WOULD ALSO LOVE TO HELP YOU!! If you are having trouble deciding on a puppy because you are just not sure how these little "potatoes" turn into the stunning, fluffballs of the future, I would love to show you! I spend hours with each puppy daily & one amazing "side effect" is that I can usually identify our puppies on sight!! Just send me some pictures of puppies you love (either ours or others) & I would love to show you which puppy or upcoming litter could check those boxes for you!!! 🥰
There is no wrong choice - either a Male or a Female will make a great pet. Through our experience with Aussies, we have not had concerns with introducing males or females to our pack. We practice calm, assertive leadership in our pack & we strongly believe that if you are committed to raising a balanced puppy, you can introduce a pup of either gender into your home.
However, if you do have a dog currently that may have gender issues, the general consensus is that if you currently have a female dog in your home, a male is suggested as having two females can sometimes cause issues, especially if they both have alpha tendencies or are not spayed. If you currently have a male dog, either gender should be alright for you. As males are generally more laid back, especially, after they’ve been neutered.
At this time, for the health and safety of our family (dogs, puppies, and people), we only extend visitation privileges during Gotcha Day or after the puppies are 8 weeks old & ready to go home. Puppies are available on a first come, first serve basis. If we have puppies that are still available at 8 weeks of age, you are more than welcome to come meet them & take home your pick immediately if you have an approved application to JOIN THE WAITLIST, including the $400 REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT. During your visit, if you find the puppy for you, we would complete a Puppy Contract & the purchase price must be paid in full before Transfer of Ownership. If you do not find the puppy for you, you may choose to remain on the WAITLIST or your Deposit will be Refunded IMMEDIATELY.
IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO PAY A DEPOSIT, we completely understand & actually, we appreciate your caution, but please understand we are very cautious too. We raise our puppies inside our home because we strongly believe that is both ethically the right thing to do, as well as producing the most well-adjusted puppies. The downside to this is we do not have an office or kennel outside of our home that people can visit. THEREFORE, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO VISIT WITHOUT A DEPOSIT, you must still have an approved application & we can schedule a time that works for you & us, but WE WILL NOT SEND OUR ADDRESS AHEAD OF TIME!! We will meet you at our local safety pickup/drop off point (Local Police Dept) & chat for a moment before we invite you back to our home.
Luckily, modern technology has a good solution for this modern problem. We ask that you 'visit' us online on our website, via email, Facebook, GoodDog, and on Google rather than in person so that you may see our dogs and watch our puppies grow. We photograph and video our puppies regularly and post the photos to their photo albums on our website, Facebook, and Instagram pages almost daily. Our website has bios for each dog & puppy which are often updated by our new puppy owners too so you can see our puppies all grown up!! We have a Facebook group where several people send pup-dates & you are free to reach out to them. We have dozens of reviews across Google, GoodDog & Facebook. You are welcome to reach out to anyone who has posted reviews or pup-dates through our media pages.
We often have potential clients say, “but I want to meet the puppy before committing to it to make sure the personality is the right fit”. We truly understand, however, we can’t accommodate the high number of requests for visitation, nor can we safely do so. We appreciate your understanding & if you are still not ok with this, then unfortunately we are not the breeders for you & we wish you the best of luck in your continued puppy search. 😊
While we understand this sentiment, the reality is that one visit is NOT realistic for a new person to really get an idea of their true personality, for a couple of reasons. First, it’s just not enough time to judge a puppy’s temperament; that would require spending time with the puppies on a regular basis to truly judge that. Secondly, there have been several long-term studies to show the temperament of an adult dog often doesn’t match that of the puppy -- their new environment heavily influences their final/adult temperament.
The health and safety of the puppies and dogs is our #1 priority. Many folks don't realize there are countless things to consider as a breeder of home raised puppies. The dangers of exposing young puppies to communicable disease are very serious and can be detrimental to a breeding program and the welfare of our dogs. Visitors can (of course unknowingly) bring diseases onto the property on their feet, hands, etc. The mothers are also being protective of their 'den' (impending litter/pups) during this sensitive time. This is not a good time to assess the mother's temperament and will cause her stress and unease with the number of visitors coming and going while she is preparing for delivery or has a litter of pups.
We select our dogs based on personality because companionship is the primary focus of our program. After completing all health testing, our goal is to raise well-rounded, adaptable Aussies so we are confident that whichever pup you choose will be able to fit with you seamlessly into your home. There is a very high demand for a Silverside Aussie because of our good reputation, dedication, and the above and beyond efforts we use to raise puppies in the most advantageous way possible.
Thank you for understanding and we look forward to meeting you on Gotcha day or when you come to select and/or bring home your puppy!
As far as our Silverside Aussies puppies, we have been very fortunate to not have pups available beyond 12 weeks due to our consistently long WAITLIST.
HOWEVER, from time to time we have retired dogs that become available. We do not start breeding our females until they have reached maturity both physically and mentally, and have been examined by our wonderful licensed Veterinarian. We work closely with our Vet to help determine when it's time for retirement.
Some of our Aussies will stay here forever, but some will need a loving home someday. Our dogs are our children; We LOVE them with all our hearts; We are VERY particular as to who our dogs go to, so much in fact you must be within driving distance of me in case it doesn’t work out we will jump in my car in a moment's notice to pick up our dog. If you are interested in a retired dog please know that we will require you to personally come to our home to spend a few hours with us and the dog (or potentially vice versa). If we feel it’s not a good fit we will issue a Refund of Principle & Deposit payments IMMEDIATELY. Our dogs are VERY special and deserve to go to loving homes where they will be spoiled and shown affection daily because they already have that here, but we want them to have more individual love than we can provide with our program. If we feel you and the dog would be a good fit please know that we WILL be emotional and we ask that you truly understand that we love my dogs and hope that you will stay in contact with us from time to time. Just because we are rehoming does not mean for one second that we will stop loving or thinking about them.
If you are interested in adopting one of my retirees, please feel free to apply. & let us know you are considering an adult & we will reach out when we are considering one to rehome so you can come meet them (even several times) & make sure its a good match. We try to post our adults in advance (typically 6 months or so) so we can have a long time to evaluate potential placements to give everyone time to consider. We do charge an adoption fee based on the individual dog, and do require you to sign a legal document that you will give the dog back to us should it not work out. Sometimes we offer discounts on Adult dogs to prior Silverside Aussies owners & even deeper discounts to Owners who own a puppy from that dog 😉 All adults come up to date on vaccines, groomed, spayed/neutered, and microchipped.
All puppies need to be trained with consistency and love. Aussies love to be involved in family activities and do best with families that provide obedience training, socialization and exercise. Aussies are naturally reserved around strangers and need to be properly socialized early in their lives. They are also extremely loyal dogs; wanting to be by their masters' side more than anything else on the planet! Aussies are extremely smart and want nothing more than to please their owner. They can very easily be trained to do anything!
One of the most common questions we receive from pet families is regarding our training recommendations and where to find ongoing training help. Considering everyone wants a calm, well-mannered and better-behaved canine companion, we actively research what is changing in the world of dog training and who does it best! We want you and your pup to be set up for success from day 1 so in a sincere effort to provide our families with a great training option, we are thrilled to have officially teamed up with Baxter & Bella's Online Puppy School, which is an online dog training school that provides a lifetime membership to amazing training resources, and also includes unlimited professional support from a team of incredibly talented dog trainers! In short, our partnership with BAXTER and Bella provides our Silverside Aussie Owners an instant 25% savings to their LIFETIME TRAINING program, which is the largest they offer! Our unique discount code to use during checkout is is: SILVERSIDE
As a lifetime member not only will you have access to more than 25 individual CLASSES and over 35 weeks of training COURSES, but you can work through their signature STEP-BY-STEP PROGRAMS, which function like a recipe for integrating your dog into your life, family and home! What's more, there are GAMES to play, ACTIVITIES for socialization, support forums, social groups, printable charts and checklists, in addition to LIVE video calls with trainers! Group Discussions multiple times a week, and PRIVATE ONE-ON-ONE Coaching help, and so much more as you and your dog work toward achieving better animal ownership and experiencing the very best in canine companionship!
LEARN MORE about BAXTER & Bella HERE: https://www.baxterandbella.com/learn-more
Just think, lifetime access to amazing dog training resources, unlimited support from a team of incredibly talented dog trainers, and the convenience of it all being done online so no need to load up your dog after a long day at work, no need to deal with traffic when your tired, no need to find a parking space downtown, it's an online dog training school that is available to when, where and how you want!
Yes, definitely. In general, these intelligent dogs make excellent companions to adults, children and other pets. They respond beautifully to training. They are good-natured and even-tempered; may initially be reserved with strangers yet make a very loyal companion. The Aussie is an active dog with a happy and even disposition, good-natured, seldom quarrelsome and responds with enthusiasm to the challenge and responsibility of having a job to perform.
Some Aussies are very shy, apprehensive dogs. Because of this it is important to socialize your Aussie as a puppy and to expose them to as many people and situations as possible. Once your puppy has completed their puppy vaccines, we strongly recommend Puppy Classes, Doggy Day Care, taking your dog to safe dog friendly places where they are regularly exposed to different people, dogs, and situations.
They do shed. The Aussie wears a moderately thick double coat. The undercoat is shed twice yearly and shedding is moderate between these periods, although degree will vary for each dog. Regular brushing once or twice a week will help minimize shedding and keep their skin and coat healthy.
Australian Shepherds are NOT hypoallergenic.