Q&A

Here are some of NK Ranch's frequently asked questions

What are the steps to purchasing an NK Ranch Aussie?

Start by filling out our Questionnaire. This helps us gain a better understanding of what kind of puppy you are looking for, and if an NK RAnch Aussie is the right fit for your home. Once we have approved your application, we will be in contact with you shortly. The second step would be placing a deposit for your future puppy.

Questionnaire

The Deposit is a $300 non-refundable down payment, which goes toward the purchase price of your puppy.

This will put you on our Deposit list, which reserves your spot in line for a puppy, it does not reserve color/gender/timing preferences. Puppy pick is on a first come, first serve basis.

If timing does not work for you, or you would like to wait for another litter, the $300 deposit is transferrable to the next available litter up to two years. In the case that you have reserved a specific puppy out of a litter at 4 weeks old or later, and decide you no longer want that puppy, the $300 deposit is no longer transferrable.

Payments can be made via Cash, Venmo, or Paypal

We will evaluate each puppies temperament, energy level, and personality. At 5 weeks old, we will match you with which puppy/puppies would fit best with your family and lifestyle.

Puppies will be picked by our deposit list families from their matched choices when the puppies are 5 weeks old.

If you have a color/gender preference and the puppy/puppies we have matched you with for that litter are not that color/gender, you may choose to transfer your deposit to another NK Ranch litter.

Puppies will be available to pick up when they are 9 weeks old.

We are able to hold your puppy for 1 week after the initial pick up date.

If you are not able to pick up your puppy after 1 week from the initial pick up date, You need to make arrangements with us before hand. We are able to hold the puppy up to 3 weeks, however there will be a $10 daily hold fee for the extended time they stay with us, and you will be financially responsible for any vet visits made while they are here with us.

We do not ship our puppies. You will need to either come pick up your puppy in person from our home, or we can bring them to you at the airport for a $200 transportation fee. (This fee includes flight approved carry-on travel carrier, pee pad, food and water dishes, collar, leash, and needed paperwork for flight.)

What kind of care does an Australian Shepherd need?

Australian Shepherds are an active breed that require physical and mental exercise.

1-2 hours of daily exercise is needed to keep the breed healthy. Puppies will need more attention for the first 2 years of their life

Energy levels in Aussies vary from dog to dog. NK Ranch Aussies breed for Medium energy levels in our Aussies.

Aussies are bred to work with a handler, meaning they need human company. Spending with their human/s is part of an Aussies mental health. The more time spent together, the better! They also love having a "job" whether that's fetching slippers, or being a certified service dog, they're happiest when they feel they have a purpose!

These dogs do well in homes and apartments as long as they get the required personal time and exercise needed for the breed. Crating for more than 5 hours during the day can cause pent up energy, and frustration which can lead to destructive tendencies.

See our list of products we like for keeping our dogs mentally stimulated and physically active!

Recommended Products

Australian Shepherds are a double coated breed. This means they have a shorter under coat (like down feathers on a bird) and a longer outer coat. This helps regulate their temperature and works as insulation from the weather. This keeps them warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Do not shave double coated breeds. This causes them to lose their natural way of regulating temperature and has been known to change their coat texture when it does grow back.

Aussie coats shed bi annually, in the spring and fall. They will need to have these coats brushed out during these times (unless you love dog hair as your home decor) otherwise, brush as needed. Usually a good bathing and grooming every month will keep these dogs coats in good health. Nails will need to be trimmed monthly if they do not have a way to naturally wear them down.

Watch for matting behind the ears, around the collar and butt fluff. These can be managed through routine brushing, and trimming.

See our list of grooming products we like! We also have a youtube channel with Aussie grooming tips and tutorials.

Grooming Products

Aussies are one of the most intelligent breeds out there! They can be easily trained and will pick up quickly on what you are asking them to do.

Consistency is key for this breed. Keeping a healthy balance of exercise, mental stimulation, and practicing what you've trained them to do on a consistent basis will keep you and your dog happy!

Aussies can be aloof at first to strangers and new dogs. This can be easily met by positively socializing your puppy at a young age and training them to appropriately navigate and respond to social meetings.

Aussies can be vocal dogs, it's part of the breed. so training them commands such as "speak" and "quiet" are very beneficial! We personally like having our dogs alert us through barking when they see someone approaching our property, or see a threat to our livestock. It helps us feel safe and protected. However, we have a "quiet" command to let them know when it's time to stop alerting.

If an Aussie is excessively barking, it can be an indicator that they are not getting enough of your time, and/or not getting enough exercise.

Nipping can also be associated with Aussies. Depending on the herding drive and lines they come from, can determine how mouthy they are. NK Ranch mainly produces show line litters, meaning they have a much lower herding instinct. The lines we produce are more focused on creating family/companion oriented dogs. We have not had any issues with our show line puppies nipping at the heels or trying to herd children.

We do produce herding line litters for those looking for a family/work oriented dog that better suits a farm lifestyle. These litters still make fantastic family dogs but do have a greater instinct to nip and herd.

Aussies love having a job! Whether its fetching the morning paper for you or keeping your sheep in a line, they love having a purpose. Getting your dog in a sport can also be a great activity to do together. Look in your community for canine clubs or classes that offer agility, dock diving, show, rally, barn hunt, fast cat classes and more! We've had multiple NK Ranch Aussies go on to become certified therapy/service dogs.

Our Puppies go through a "Super Puppy" Program while they're here with us that jump starts their neurological growth, mental wellness, and how to navigate the world around them in a positive manner. We also work on basic skills that help them transition easier to your home, such as crate training, potty/litter training, and leash training. Our puppies also grow up around children and a variety of different animals. This gives our puppies an advantage in life by setting positive foundations for them before they go to their new homes.

Training

Making sure your Aussie has a balanced diet that is right for them has many benefits!

Talk to your vet about recommended brands, but also don't be afraid to do your own research. One of the best things to get educated on is how to read a dog food label, and which recipe will work best for your dog. Look at individual recepies in a brand rather than going by the brand itself. Not all recepies are created equal.

For us at NK Ranch, we always look for a whole protein as the first ingredient on the label (chicken, fish, lamb, etc.) We typically will buy dog food with fish as the main protein, as the omega 3's help keep our Aussies coats healthy and shiny. We also shy away from "fillers" in dog food such as corn or wheat.

Most dog food bags will let you know how much to feed your dog based off of weight. Puppy foods will generally have a richer diet to supplement a puppies growth, as compared to Adult food so amounts can change based off of age. You may also need to adjust the amount depending on your dogs activity level.

Supplements can be helpful if you are looking for an added boost in certain aspects of your dog, like an extra healthy, shiny coat, or joint support for dogs who are active in working livestock or sport. See a list of nutritional products we like using here at NK Ranch.

NK Ranch's Breeding Program

My husband and I were Veterinary Assistants for a few years before having kids. It was amazing the difference we saw in the quality of life between the animals that were thoughtfully and well bred vs. those who were not. It was like night and day between the two and it really piqued our interest in how lineage, and genetics can both preserve and improve the overall health, and wellness of the breed. We also learned how temperament, and energy levels can be bred into lines, to create the amazing qualities you look for in certain breeds.

We have LOVED how versatile the Australian Shepherd is. We love the history, the intelligence, and overall athleticism, health, and temperaments of the Aussie. They fit a variety of lifestyles both family and work oriented. They are beautiful and unique, and they've really just filled our hearts and lives with so much joy.

To sum it all up, we breed to preserve and improve this amazing breed so we can all enjoy the Australian Shepherd for generations to come!

We dock tails on all of our puppies. We do not offer full tails on our dogs. We do this because it is the AKC breed standard for Australian Shepherds to have docked tails, and some of our puppies go on to working homes where tails can become an occupational hazard.

We dock tails at 1-3 days old when their bones have not yet calcified (similar to our fingernails). There is a short window before they start to calcify, so tails need to be docked right around when they are born. If we gave the option to full tails, the person would have to choose the puppy purely based off of color/gender and not based off temperament compatibility. As our breeding program is based around matching our puppy families with temperament first, this is not possible to do at such a young age, so we choose to dock all of our puppies whether they are going to a pet home or working home.

First and foremost we look for dogs with genetically healthy lines who have a paper trail of breed specific health testing. We look for dogs who come from responsible breeders with similar goals in preserving and improving the breed. We also look for dogs who come from good, even temperaments that would fit well in a family oriented lifestyle.

Once we've found a potential dog/puppy we'd like to breed, we evaluate their temperaments, have them health tested and cleared for Hip Dysplasia, and eye cataracts (two of the main breed specific issues.) as well as genetic panels done to ensure we are breeding the healthiest dogs possible mentally and physically.

We choose our dogs with the future generations of dogs and families in mind so we can give them the best chance possible at a happy, healthy life!

We are a small breeding program, so right now we will have around two to three litters a year. We will always put our dogs health first before anything, so the amount of litters all depend on that. We breed our females starting at 2 years old or older until they are around 5-6 years old which is the acceptable and healthy breeding ages for Aussies. Sometimes we will breed back to back, sometimes we will skip a heat cycle. It all depends on the health of our dogs. (If you are interested in learning more about heat cycles and breeding I've linked a few sources below.)

This means that we will not have puppies available all the time, and waiting for a puppy from us should be expected.

All of our dogs will go home on a Companion dog (Spay/Neuter) contract. We do not sell breeding rights. If there is a breeding prospect dog available, they will be on a co-own individual contract.

Health Guarantees- All of our dogs will go home with their first round of puppy vaccines, and a clean bill of health from a Veterinarian. If any of our puppies develop a fatal genetic defect within the first two years of its life, we offer a replacement puppy at no charge.

Life Guarantee- We will AlWAYS, always, always be here for the entire life span of our dogs. We will take our dogs back if you are no longer able to care for them, no matter the circumstance. We do not want any of our puppies to go to shelters.