A: 

Many shy from the cost of my puppies and try for a cheaper option. Not only is cheaper not always better but are you getting the same dedication from the breeder when you buy cheaper? So, what do you get when you purchase a livestock guardian from me with a price of 700?

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• Well first off I have a decade old program with the same genetics and retained dogs for documentation of workability and temperament. Working with the same lines and seeing many of my own dogs as they grow up tells me a great deal about the qualities Im producing and both the good and the bad about them. Genetics are fascinating and they are often fairly consistent and the more experience with the same ones, you begin to learn them and their tendencies and youre able to understand and often predict the future of the dog through experiences both with the animals being bred as well as the dogs retained from those generations.

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• I give dedicated time to uninfluenced behavior analysis of each puppy. My litters are observed by camera and by me sitting in the field quietly watching their behavior without my direct influence. I often pull the cameras up on my living room tv and just watch them. Puppies are brutally assessed and notes are made. Those are the things that I tell you when you inquire. I have no shame in cutting a pup from work if thats what suits them best. At the end of the day your purchase should be transparent and the puppy should have the best possible life that I can give it because that is my responsibility as the breeder. If you want a pet then that is what you should get. If you are expecting a dog with the right stuff to do the job then you should have the confidence in your purchase that that is what youre getting.

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• My puppies get a vet exam, not just the shots given by me or the caravan/discount vet mobile. I haul every puppy into the vet office and they are given a full head to toe assessment by my vet. She checks eyes, bite, heart, testicles and joints for any malformation and reports to me her findings and documents them in my file. This vet has physically had her hands on every single puppy from my program for all of the years I have been breeding. She used to work for an equine facility (that I still use) that did dogs for some farms and she has been both on site and now I go to her because she has become a valued part of my operation. (She moved to strictly small animals) I have full disclosure with this reference for anyone that inquires. I have absolutely zero problem with you speaking to her over the phone, and she has said she is fully willing to. This peace of mind for my buyers is absolutely high priority for me.

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•Why 700 though? Well, for the sake of being too transparent here is the breakdown. I spend roughly 1000 in vet care for each litter. I offer full access to me throughout the life of the puppy. I offer to cut travel time for you and meet haulers for their convenience free of charge. I also allow a 2 week pick up period after pups have a deposit placed and I do not charge you for those 2 weeks. For those who place deposits earlier before pups are ready to go, I give an entire week for you to schedule your own pickup day and time. I make myself available for the entire week. This means I schedule all of my appointments around the week and my husband has to get groceries if I cannot. I literally make myself entirely available to my buyers to make pickup unrushed and flexible for my buyers. I offer video calls at any point during the litter being here and allow you to pick when you want this to happen. I take weekly pictures to update all on the litters progress as well as many candids in between. I treat puppies for fleas and ticks and heartworm when they are of age here, free of charge. I also offer a guarantee if any proven genetic issue that comes about at any point in the dogs life, proven with a vet statement and the spay/neutering of the dog, I will replace the puppy on my next litter. And my feed bill doubles while the litter is here. Puppies are fed a quality dog food and not cheap junk. Dog food isnt cheap these days unless youre feeding your dogs garbage. I spend roughly 1500-2000 just to feed these puppies while they are growing up here. (Thats a scary number to calculate!) So with just their feed and vet care Im already at 2500-3000 and that doesnt include my time, gas, flea/tick/heartworm costs either. So it's easy to assume that Im very likely putting out 3,000-3,500 if not more per litter depending on the size. If I sold these pups for 350 as some do I would barely (if that) be covering their expenses to just be here let alone the fact that I often have a couple that stay longer than 8 weeks. Years ago when my program was new I sold puppies for 500. As time and experience and proof became a part of my program the price has increased the last few years to what it is now.

• We also deworm puppies but not as done typically. My vet has advised to do deworming as necessary and not to do the deworming schedule followed by most (to deworm every 2 weeks starting at 2 weeks old.) We deworm mom after she finishes whelping. And then we will deworm the litter when I notice that we have parasites. They typically are only dewormed two or three times while here. My vet has said they are noticing resistance in puppies who are dewormed excessively.

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•My adult dogs literally keep my farm running. I could not raise goats without my dogs so I have no doubt the quality of dog Im putting out there. I live in the middle of no where, anyone who has been here knows this and can vouch for me there! We have lots of coyotes, bobcats as well as other issues like racoon, opossums and skunks for our poultry. And then there are the stray dogs. Anyone who wants to see the number of strays we deal with check out my towns FB page. From peoples pets getting loose to actually feral strays the numbers are insane. For example for the past 3 years we had an open case with Animal Control because a neighbor had 21 dogs that were just left loose on our road! These dogs ran through our fence a number of times due to running through the barbwire fence the owner thought would keep them in. My farm would be a hotspot if it wasnt for the dedication and capability of my team of dogs.

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Buying a guardian for your livestock should never be taken lightly. A cheaper dog may work out but it may not and if it doesnt is the breeder standing behind it? Will they make it right or are you then out the cash and without the guardian too? If it doesnt work out then did they kill a beloved animal or just stand by and watch it happen? I say this and Ill probably always say this, "Of the breed doesnt always mean for the job." This is why strict analysis is so important for breeders to do. My puppies arent cheap but there is a lot behind them to make the expense and the peace of mind worth it and hopefully that is more clear now.