IMA Australian Shepherds

05/14/2020

So proud of my last two litters. These two 2019 boys & two 2020 boys will be in my heart forever. Imprinting the 2020 boys while on my annual fishing trip had me a little nervous. As, I thought our 225 hp V-Max motor might be asking too much. But, they had no problem with it. 💕

05/07/2020

Sassy & Rusty are producing some gorgeous pups. These boys are 7 mos. old. This is usually the age when an Aussie starts looking lankey & out of proportion. I refer to it as:
"The ugly Teenager stage." Seems as though they passed it by

05/05/2020

It's hard to believe, I have been breeding Australian Shepherds for forty years now. Like most reputable breeders, I made the decisions to adhere to the breed standard, have each pair health tested prior to breeding, & socialize. But what REALLY sets Me & the puppies apart, is My decision to (@ birth) begin IMPRINTING the puppies. Imprinting allows my puppies to be independent & extremely confident. As a rule, this results in easy transition to their new home, & a very happy, carefree adult without anxiety, motion sickness, fear of loud noises, etc., etc. Usually @ age 4 to 6 weeks of age, each litter's imprinting will STEP UP to a 4 to 10 day trip involving long drive, staying with me in a hotel room, elevator rides, etc.
It was no different for these two this trip (@ 6 weeks old). Except for exchanging the elevator ride to a boat ride. I would say the boat ride was the true test of the imprinting's worth. I must admit, even though they had been gradually conditioned to various stimuli, stepping up to a boat ride had me a little nervous & anticipating the puppies being fearful or possibly even panicked. 😬
WELL, I was SOooo proud !!! The pups didn't even flinch when the loud
225 horsepower motor started up . Nor, when our boat went airborne in the main channel several times due to the VERY crowded Lake. They even fell asleep between my feet, resting their heads on my tackle bag. They loved the water & followed the 2 big dogs right on in deep enough to swim. I have taken previous litters to rodeos, mounted shooting events, fireworks displays, county fairs, etc. But, I think these pictures are my favorite. They walked off in their life jackets like they'd had them on a hundred times before.

11/26/2019

This past weekend, went to Oklahoma City to meet a wonderful couple from Colorado & deliver their puppy. I decided to take four littermates along for the ride. It was a 7 + hours drive time. But, after adding 3 puppy potty breaks to the regular type stops, it was a total of 12 hours on the road.
I have always made road trips a part of imprinting my puppy litters. But, this was the first time I stayed in a hotel with a pup (much less FIVE pups 😲).
I couldn't have been any prouder !!! 😃🤗
The only noise they made, while I was driving, was a bark or two to let us know it was time for a potty break. Two days of driving, NOT one went in their crate & NOT one got car sick. Furthermore, they did fantastic both nights in the hotel. I train my litters to potty in shavings. The past few years, I've used a 48"x48"x4" stainless steel tray & pine shavings to housebreak puppies. Just before this trip, I discovered they make a 24"x24"x4" & thought it would be perfect for road trips. So, I bought one. It was in fact perfect ! As, it fit perfectly under the vanity counter next to the toilet. They used it & never once pooped in the floor. I had 2 cat litter scoops & simply shook off the shavings before flushing it down the toilet. Also, They were actually pretty quiet both nights until about 5:15 am & 6:30 am. Then, I simply tossed 5 chew bones in the foyer / bathroom area I had blocked off from the carpeted area. It worked like a charm. They all chewed & gnawed til about 7:30 am. By then, we could take them out in the daylight to potty & play. Later in the day we took them to Bass Pro. They seem to enjoy riding in the shopping carts. As, they never tried to climb out. One even took a fairly long nap. They got tons of attention !!!

03/07/2016