Welcome to Honeycreek Standard AKC Australian Shepherds

Looking for your new Puppy, Buyer Etiquette:

Please take a moment and read the following before you start calling around for a puppy:

There seems to be a lot of confusion about the proper way to go about looking and asking for a puppy. So, puppy buyers take a moment and read the following it just may help you in finding and talking to a reputable breeder.

First plan on your purchase of a puppy if possible. Unless you have lost a dog recently the likely hood of you waking up one day and saying you desire a puppy that day and finding one is going to be very rare. Most reputable breeders have a waiting list and unless someone has backed out (will get to that later in this note) of a deal the likely hood of you finding a puppy on that short of a notice is unlikely at best.

Stop looking for a puppy look for a reputable breeder. Find a breeder you feel shares your interest and then wait for a puppy from them. There are many people claiming to be a breeder or hobby breeders and most maybe as they say. But if you can make a personal connection with a breeder and feel you know them then the likeliness of sharing a common goal is much better. Many breeders are in it for the dollar, finding one do it to maintain breed standards and because they love the breed is what you are really looking for.

A true breeder will be more than happy to tell you about the breed, the problems of the breed, the characteristics of the breed. In short they may sound like they are talking you out of buying the breed but this is not true. They love the breed well enough to make sure you love them to with all of their downsides as well as the upsides to them. You know by their talk they are not in it for the money but for the breed. Anyone breeding dogs for the love of the breed will tell you there is very little profit in doing so but there is a whole lot of fun in playing with the puppies.

So the wait begins, expect to wait for your puppy as it is very unusual to find a puppy on short notice, four to six months is normal. I have had prospects for our puppies wait for over a year just to get a chance at finding their new friend, not unusual at all. While your waiting if you have not done so visit the breeder if they allow it (if they do not then question them as to why). We have people come to our farm to see the adults we have all the time, helps them to get acquainted with us and the breed if they are new to Aussies. Your initial e-mail should contain information about you, the surroundings the dog will have, kids or no kids, your desires in a puppy. The same questions go for your phone call if calling and not emailing block out some quiet time for the first phone call. When you call clearly say what it is your looking for in a dog.

When I get a call or email and the first thing that is asked is either how much for your puppy or is the eyes blue I delete the email or tell the person I have no puppies left. You ask yourself why? Because those first 2 questions tell me they are not interested in the breed but rather being able to say look what I got for next to nothing. Whether they are my adult dogs or my puppies I love them all and my first concern is not your happiness but the dogs well being. Show me your ready to Love and Care for the dog and we will be more than happy to fill your need if we can.

The ideal first contact e-mail usually goes something like:

“Hi, my name is X and I am writing to inquire about your dogs. I have been doing a lot of research on breed and I think they are the right one for me because of these four reasons. I know puppies are a huge commitment, and I am planning to accommodate that in various ways. I am approaching you in particular because of your interest in whatever, which is something I feel is very important and plan to encourage in these three ways.”

Negotiating the price, again bad idea. Most reputable breeders have their price down to the bare minimum they can set it at and by you trying to bargain a lower price with them there is a very good chance you will either not get a email reply or be hung up on. Again at least for us our main concern is not your happiness though we hope you will be but the puppies well being at that moment and for the future. Any breeder not thinking that way is for the dollar only and not thinking of the puppies safety.

Do not get upset if you are told no. Not every person is the right match for every breed. That is just fact. There sometimes is just not a good fit for a puppy in every ones life style, please do not lie through your teeth to get approved for one it is not good for you or the puppy in the end. We have devoted our life to keeping our dogs happy and safe. We do not expect you to have anywhere close to the obsession we have, so that means there will be some dogs that are just plain wrong for you. If a breeder says no, ask why. If the answers make sense, do not keep calling people until you finally get one who will sell you a puppy of that breed. Go back to the drawing board and be very humble and honest with yourself about what kind of dog really would be right for you and your family. Be more worried if the breeder your talking to does not ask you questions about your lifestyle or does not seem to care at all. That points again to a breeder only concerned with the dollar and not the puppy in question.

Do not call us and ask us to put a puppy on hold without you first coming out to visit, not going to happen. Though it may come down to you getting the puppy you saw a picture of I cannot tell you how many times someone has picked a puppy from a picture, came out and changed their mind once here in the middle of a mess of puppies all licking and tugging at them. Rule of thumb, the puppy WILL pick you not you picking the puppy. Never works out that way. Understand that we think that you will fall in love with all of our puppies as we are with them. We post pictures, are writing up instructions, managing the website, researching pedigrees, getting the paperwork together all so we can hand off this supreme glorious creature of wonderfulness with the absolute maximum chance that it will lead a fabulous life with you. We do this for the love of the breed, because we desire you to love the breed and we hope for nothing but smiles from you and your new friend.

Remember this as soon as your name is on one of our lists, we are turning away puppy buyers. If we have sent ten people elsewhere because we saved a puppy for you and then suddenly you say “I got a puppy from someone else,” it really toasts our bread and we do remember you will not ever be put on our list again. So just BE HONEST. If someone came to us and said “I am on a list with So and So, but they are pretty sure they will not have a puppy for me, and I would love to be considered for one of your dogs. I will let you know just as soon as I know,” we are fine with that. I understand how this goes. It is not a disaster for me to have a puppy left over at eight weeks because you ended up getting that So and So puppy it is just frustrating as I now have to re list a puppy I had already said was sold and more than likely had other prospects desiring them.

This is one that really gets to us. The person that has not been out to our house yet and has picked a puppy form the website or ad. Understand this you will not be picking a puppy rather the puppy will be picking you. Think about this a minute. If you come out and are in the middle of 1-8 or more puppies how are you going to pick just one? But if you come out and a puppy or two come to you licking you, tugging at your pants or whatever why would you choose to pick the one over in the corner? We have seen this to many times as well as experience it for ourselves. The puppy and/or dog will pick you, it has a feeling for you, they have already started to bond with you and it is real. Dogs are no different than people in that respect, you pick your life's partner in hopes you think, feel and act somewhat a like as well as having that feeling of comfort and safety with the person of your life's choice. No different for a dog, they sense and feel just as you would, trust in that sense and you will not go wrong.

Again I do not mean to offend here but understand this my responsibility is not to make you happy. That dear friend is why I am writing this now this is bare bones honesty. Our responsibility is to the breed first. I have to be extremely careful who I place with them so that they can make breeding decisions with the very best genetic material I can give them. Our second responsibility is to the puppy. I will place each puppy where I feel that it has the best chance of success and the optimal environment to thrive this is the reason for questions to make sure a puppy is going to the best home possible. Life changes we understand but we have to try to make sure all is as it has been told to us so we can feel as confident as possible we have made the right choice for our puppies.

Please do not ask us for a blue merle female with blue eyes. You will not like our response as this shows us you are interested in a designer pet and not a loving friend for life. If color and markings are your primary concern rather than temperament, energy level and an overall perfect fit for your family please help yourself to a seller who just wants your money, has no care for the puppy nor has any concern for the next 12-15 years of your life with the dog. It would be a mistake to place a high energy, alpha puppy in with a family of quiet, inexperienced dog owners based on your choice of color and markings. This is a sure fire recipe for disaster. Every puppy born here is like a child to us. We take personal responsibility for their (and your) future happiness it is our number 1 priority not colors. A mistake in placement could have long term repercussions for the puppy in terms of us taking the puppy back, retraining it and finding the proper home for the puppy/dog if indeed it can be rehabilitated.

If any of the above statements have offended you it was not our intent we where just being honest about our feelings towards non-reputable breeders and those that desire not a friend for life but a designer dog at a cheap price. We love all of our Aussies whether they are our adults or are the puppies they have produced. If we could no puppy would ever leave this farm but that is not practical. Please call us with any questions or email us any time, we love to talk about Aussies or about the breed in general. Come visit us if you desire just give us a call so we can sit up a time generally either evenings or weekends.

Thanks for reading this, “If it is not a Aussie it is just a dog.........”