About our Litters

Thank you for your interest in a Western Hills Aussie. Below you will find some of the key issues we feel are important when breeding Aussies:

Quality not Quantity - We plan each litter with the breed standard and puppy buyers in mind. On average, we breed once a year. Sometimes we breed twice in one year and take a few years off between breeding. The puppies are born in our home and are socialized very well with other dogs, kids and even cats. We believe in a good strong foundation to make the best start for every puppy that leaves our home. Because we spend so much time with each litter we have taken a strong stand against over-breeding.

Health and Temperament - Health and temperament is very important to us. Heidi is a Registered Vet Tech and carefully watches the puppies from birth until they leave our house. We start early with the development of the puppies by doing the Early Neurological Stimulation method developed by Dr Carmen Battaglia. We try to genetic test all dogs we breed. The results of all tests will sent home with the puppy owner. The eyes on the puppies are checked for hereditary eye defects before they go to their new home. All puppies go to our vet for a check-up and get their first shots at 6 1/2 weeks old. We also temperament test all puppies at 7 weeks old.

Puppy Placement - Because we don't breed often, there is usually a waiting list for our puppies. We rarely have puppies available unless a potential home has fallen through. We encourage people to contact us early if they are interested in a future litter from Western Hills and we carefully screen all potential homes. When placing the puppies, we feel the most important thing to consider is temperament of the dog and not the color. Because we spend so much time with the puppies, we choose the puppies for the homes. We want the best match between dog and owner. It is our goal for both the dog and the owner to have a lifetime of enjoyment.

When matching puppies with owners, we try to be as expedient as possible in the decision making process, but we do not begin making final decisions about which homes individual puppies will go until after the pups are 6-8 weeks of age. It is at this point in the pups life when overall health, temperament, structure, and movement can be clearly evaluated. Puppies do not leave for their new homes until after 8-10 weeks. We do ask that each puppy buyer complete a comprehensive wish list which includes comments from all adult family members; we always enjoy children’s wishes, too. We refer to your wish list and converse often when selecting the best pup for your home.

Puppy Questionnaire - If you are interested in purchasing a Western Hills puppy, we ask you to complete our questionnaire or send us an e-mail. PLEASE NOTE: In order to be considered for a puppy, please fill out the entire questionnaire. If you choose to send us an e-mail, please give us some information about yourself, your experience with Aussies and your expectations for the puppy.