Our Breeding Practices

Fifteen Acre Farms Australian Shepherds is located 30 minutes north of Tulsa, OK. For available puppies click on "Tandy's Puppies". Email fifteenacrefarms@aol.com or call 918-706-1931. We currently have puppies in 23 states & Canada. 

We strive to raise quality Australian Shepherds that are happy & healthy & meet or improve breed standards. We begin with our breeding practices choosing a good cross between male and female & breed strictly merle to tri to avoid the lethal white gene that can cause blindness and deafness in Australian Shepherd puppies. Our sire, Ely, is 21" tall and our females are 18-20" tall. We breed for correct bite, color, temperament, clear eyes, good earset, obedience, companionship, & reproduction ability. Our dogs also use their natural herding abilities to work livestock, as do their offspring when given the opportunity.

When choosing a male or female for our breeding program, my decision to purchase is never based on how many champions are on their pedigree & what their ancestors did or did not have the opportunity to accomplish based on the home they were placed in. My dogs are chosen for their talents & abilities, confirmation, health, temperament, etc. I don't think a prospect should be overlooked because his/her ancestors were not given the opportunity to develop their show or working potential & earn a title. It doesn't make a prospect any less of a dog because titles are not present on their pedigree.

We spend ALOT of time with our puppies to help them develop their social skills. We are there when they are born, helping out if necessary, & making sure everything goes well with the birthing process. We band their tails at about 24 hours of age. We check on them every 1-2 hours, even at night, for the first few weeks, especially in extreme temperatures. All puppies are kept inside on a heating pad and/or under heatlamps in winter and are placed on cool wet towels and under fans in summer.

In addition to mama's milk, they are supplemented with bottle feeding to make sure every puppy is fed appropriately. Then they are started on canned purina or pedigree and jersey cows milk, also in addition to mama's milk, at 2-1/2 to 3 weeks of age 3-4 times daily and offered dry dog food at 3-4 weeks. By 6 weeks they are weaned from mama and eating dry dog food well. Buyer's are not obligated to take a puppy at 6 weeks of age. We will hold them a few weeks longer with a payment of half the asking price & balance due at pick-up. All puppies are played with regularly and given appropriate room to excercise at all times.

We also begin a strict deworming schedule at 2 weeks of age & vaccinations at 5-1/2 to 6 weeks of age to be continued by the buyer.

We strive for cleanliness in our kennel with rigorous cleaning schedules with bleach and water. We also take necessary precautions for bird and mice control.

If you are considering buying a puppy to later use for breeding, please keep in mind your little bundles of joy will need constant care 24 hours a day 7 days a week with appropriate pens/housing, excercise, feeding, attention, vaccinations, vet checks, etc. until they are all placed in appropriate homes. Breeding & raising puppies requires a strict commitment for several weeks or months per litter. If you do not plan to use your puppy for breeding, it is recommended to spay or neuter at around 6 months of age per your vet's recommendation to avoid unwanted puppies in the future. Accidental breeding resulting in mixed breeds are often hard to place and can end up homeless & abandoned.

It is pertinent that you have your new puppy registered even if you never intend to use him/her for breeding. If, at any time, the buyer were to become incapacitated, or no longer able to care for the puppy, he/she will be much easier to place in a home with registration paperwork.

Responsible breeders never turn their backs on the dogs they have bred. Ensuring each puppy's quality of life is their main concern, from the moment they decide to breed to the day the puppy dies - ideally of old age, after a long, happy, fulfilling life. If you are unwilling or unable to make this committment, then don't breed your dog.