It must have been destiny that lead us to this remarkable breed, the Australian Shepherd….

Before our families moved to Alaska, both Todd and I spent our earliest childhood years out West in America, original home of the Aussie.  My mom had an Aussie in her childhood home and I grew up with stories of this dog.  Todd and I knew the breed without knowing its name - we thought of it as a type of working collie we sometimes saw on farms.  This was the type of dog we wanted for ourselves when we started our own sheep farm in the north of Finland.  Our search took us to the Aussie, which we instantly recognized from our childhood.

We brought Dakota over to Finland from Blueskies Kennel as a young puppy in 1994.  He was the first male Aussie in the country, with only 1 female there before him.  Already at  6 months of age, he gladly came to help us with the sheep, which ranged openly in the summers.  He loved the work and we loved him.  It was the beginning of our love affair with the Aussie. We raised our first aussie litter in 1995.

Then, in the spring of 2006 I had the opportunity to visit relatives in Oregon which I had not seen in decades. Between family picnics and happy reminiscing, boxes of old photographs were brought out. Imagine my surprise to see photo after photo of my ancestors working sheep and cattle on their eastern Oregon ranches with Australian Shepherds! (old time family photos) This breed has been in my family for over a century! Some of my relatives are still using the working aussie on their ranches today. No wonder we find ourselves with this breed!

Over the years we have learned some things about the breed, but Aussies are full of surprises, so we are always learning plenty more!   Life is never dull with an Aussie in the family!

Raising puppies

The breeding of dogs is not something we take lightly.  We do not raise many puppies, at the most one to two litters a year. Puppies are raised in the house with us so we can get to know them well before they leave us for their future families. We do our best to match up the “perfect” puppy to the “perfect” home.

We do not absolutely require our homes to show their puppies or to otherwise compete with them, but we are careful to place them in homes who understand that the temperament of an aussie is not for everyone. Homes must be willing to work with the dog, to develop its potential and to provide sufficient mental challenges and activities. An aussie, although it may love to hang-out on the sofa, is NOT a couch pototo!

We carefully consider each mating.  We are breeding for all-around versatile Aussies, ones that will enrich the lives of the people they touch.  We want them to be healthy, to have herding instinct, to be beautiful, to have great temperaments......  In short, we want them to go out into the world and make it a better place for them having lived.

has the following goals when breeding a litter of puppies:

1. Healthy, physically and mentally.  Parents have hips and elbows checked with at least Good or better.  Eyes checked annually, full dentition.  We will not knowingly breed a dog with a serious genetic disease among its near relatives.

2. Excellent temperaments - Although it is quite normal for aussiess to be initially reserved with strangers, we prefer to breed for a more open and outgoing type. Properly socialized, they make excellent members of families who lead active lives.

3. Good structure - medium build, as in the breed standard.  We place a lot of emphasis on correct movement, as an aussie that can move well is structurally correct and can GO all day.

4. Intelligent - biddable - eager to please, with some basic herdinng instinct.

Home

Gerry and Todd Nolen
  Ysteby, 9146 Olderdalen
       Norway

 ph.+47-777-16116    mobile +47-40-289252

noleng@online.no