en
aussies bred for action

Info

Frequently asked questions, information about aussies, useful links etc.

Frequently asked questions

1. Is an aussie suitable as a first dog?

2. How are aussies different from e.g. border collies or other similar shepherd breeds?

3. How much activity does an aussie need?

4. What kind of dog sports can you or should you do with an aussie?

5. Do you sell puppies to live in apartments?
Yes I do. I have had aussies in an apartment since 2005 and at the moment am living in an apartment building with my three aussies. Many of the dogs I've bred also live in apartments. I don't think it is a bad way for an aussie to live. Home is a place for the dog to rest and relax, not where you do activities.

6. Do you sell puppies based on color? I would like a red merle with blue eyes... 
If color is an important criteria for a puppy buyer, they need to find a puppy elsewhere. Of course you are allowed to have a preference, but it shouldn't affect your decision when choosing a puppy. If color is the reason you're interested in a litter, or is mentioned in the first message as your only criteria, I am not convinced a working aussie is the right dog for you. Messages asking for a blue-eyed merle with little other information usually end up in the spam folder.

7. What are the differences between a male and a female?

8. How much does an aussie puppy cost?
At the moment the average price of an aussie is around 1200-1300 euro in Finland. I believe that the quality of the litter should be reflected in the price. If the puppies are more expensive than average, there must be a good reason for that. The reason could be for example using frozen semen (which is expensive), using a foreign male, the female is brought from abroad, the parents have more health results than required by PEVISA (e.g. back has been officially checked, DNA-testing), or the parents have lots of trial results. I try to set the price based on the expenses, so if I use two Finnish dogs and there are no complications, the puppies are cheaper than if I have used a lot of money and effort to make the litter happen. You might want to consider if you want to pay 1500 for a puppy whose both parents live with the breeder, only have the minimum health checks and the litter is big. It may mean the breeder is interested in something else than breeding quality dogs... My litters have been priced at 1200-1500 e. There might be an additional cost for MyDogDNA testing if I think the puppies should be tested.

9. How is the general health situation in the breed? 

10. How can I buy a Red'n Ready puppy?

11. Why are you not answering my message?
Unfortunately I'm quite busy, and most days don't have lots of time to spend in front of a computer. Combined with forgetfulness, emails are easily ignored. In a few weeks they are then piled under a wave of new messages. If I don't answer within a few weeks, try sending your email again. You may also want to check your message, was it maybe only a few sentences? I might not answer if the message is very short, not asking anything relevant or if it doesn't seem like you would be a suitable buyer. The better the message, the more likely I am to respond quickly. If I stop responding after a couple of messages, feel free to remind me. I'm not ignoring you on purpose, I just get dozens of puppy messages each month and answering takes time and energy. I sometimes also get asked what are aussies like in general. Unfortunately I rarely have time to answer those. There are loads of articles about aussies on the internet, as well as facebook discussions about the breed. I think it is everyone's own responsibility to find out information about the breed and whether it's suitable for them, I can't do that for a stranger. My responsibility is then finding out if the person is right for my aussies.

12. I want to see aussies live. Can I come meet you?
In principle I encourage everybody interested in the breed to see the dogs live! It's the best way to get a realistic idea of whether the breed would be a good fit for you. Unfortunately I can't meet all the interested people on top of people wanting a puppy, otherwise that would be the only thing I ever did. I recommend asking people doing dogsports if you can meet their dogs, or going to events where you can meet a lot of aussies. For example FinASC orginizes aussie agility trials (ASCA agility) 2-4 times a year in Vantaa. It's a great opportunity to see a loads of aussies from different kennels and all the different lines. You can of course contact me to ask where you could see my dogs or dogs from my breeding. I can then let you know e.g. the next trial where we will compete and you can come watch. People interested in my puppies are more than welcome to come meet us, but then you need to already be planning to take an aussie and be interested specifically in my dogs. 

13. Are aussies suitable for therapy dogs? 
This has become a very frequent question lately. Therapy dogs are apparently in and for some reason many people dreaming of a therapy dog want an aussie. However, in my opinion aussies are already by the breed description unsuitable for this. Aussies are a herding and watch dog breed, they are active, energetic and reserved. Even though there's a lot of variation on an individual level, I would not sell my puppies to become therapy dogs. None of my own dogs this far would not have been suited for that, and I could not guarantee that a puppy would be social, friendly and calm enough. Aussies are usually very devoted to their own families and might not be at all interested in strangers. They are also bred to use their teeth while herding, so there is a risk they would bite if surprised or scared. Aussies are also very quick and active, so they may be too restless to meet children or elderly. I am not saying there could not be suitable individuals, or puppies that could be systematically trained for it, but there are a lot of breeds that would be better suited as therapy dogs.

About the aussie

Hyviä artikkeleita ja kirjoituksia rodusta, sekä omia pohdintojani aussiesta ja siitä, millainen on ihanneaussieni.

Links

Clubs & general aussie links:

Finnish Aussie Breeders:

Copyright
Banner: Anne Barck Photography
Page content: Shanti Karinen