Puppies

Welcome to our most visited page. The one where you find out how to get the puppies!
The most basic answer to this question is simply: "Be an amazing dog owner!"
But, if you're as detail-oriented as a Border and don't do well with generalized statements, then I know that's not going to be specific enough for you, so I'll explain...

(Note: If you're looking for a Main Register puppy, read it all, but also read right to the very, very, very bottom)

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Getting On The List

 

The first thing that everyone should note when they're reading this page is that we do not post our puppies on the website or our socials (Facebook/Instagram/YouTube etc) until they're at least 6 weeks old and they usually all have homes. So any time you see puppies on any of those platforms you can generally assume they already have wonderful families who have met them and all parties have given the final "Yes!" on the match.

Rarely puppies will ever be "ready now/soon" and by the time you see any little faces it will usually be too late to fall instantly in love because they're already promised to another. We do this because we are very passionate about preventing impulse purchasing, and the biggest trigger for that to happen is seeing beautiful little eyes sitting in a gorgeous face on a fluffy puppy that you swear on anything peering into your soul through photos.

Expect to wait patiently for at least a little while--or potentially a long while--for the dog your heart desires.

We want for our families to have: formed a relationship with us, thought it through a dozen times, had time to have doubts (it's totally natural!), planned, researched, questioned everything, and made your choices for all the decisions you will be facing when bringing up your puppy.

High drive and intelligent dogs will often test all of your patience (and sanity), so if the wait to get one is too much to bear then it may not be a good sign for how well you'll cope with other aspects of puppy raising and dog ownership that take a heck of a lot more time than getting the dog in the first place will. Tiek will give our approved families the very best dog we are able to produce, and one that we believe will match their family well, but we do not promise to do it quickly or without asking a bazillion questions first (we love our babies and won't apologise for that)!

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Another factor in our wait times is something that not everyone will know about in any great detail. And that is the reproductive cycle of female dogs. They typically have a heat cycle every 6-7 months. This can be as short as 4 months or as long as 12 months, but generally it's 6-7 months. And kind of like when human women live together, they like to sync up! This means that we might have several litters all born very close together, and then nothing else for a year or more after that because they all had babies at the same time and are then having a lovely rest to recover and enjoy life without mummy duties. It varies substantially.

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Now that the tedious and dreary stuff is done and you know you'll almost certainly have to wait for a bit and won't able able get an instant gratification puppy from Tiek, lets talk about how our process works and what we're doing with those tiny babies in the weeks where they're kept off-grid while we prepare them for their eagerly waiting families.

 

Please make sure your questionnaire is submitted with answers that are as thorough and inclusive as possible (take as long as you need) because it's how we make our initial decisions on who we'd like to contact about which litter/puppy. We will ask about your dog experience and history of past/current pets, knowledge of the breed you're inquiring about, plans for the puppy's care and training, your typical home life and schedule, and goals or aspirations you have for the puppy outside of general companionship. We will ask what gender, appearance, personality, and level of drive you're looking for. And we'll also ask if you have any questions for us that haven't been answered here.
 

Once we receive your--hopefully detailed, long-winded--puppy questionnaire that has all the information about what you're looking for and the home you would offer we will pick out seemingly suitable candidates and give you a call to discuss the things you've noted and answer any questions you have from us.

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How We Raise Our Puppies

 

All Tiek puppies are born and raised inside our home and yard. We do not have our dogs or puppies in a complex of any kind. If we receive a request to "inspect your breeding facilities" the answer will be "No, you may not look in my bedroom." as our whelping boxes are set up at the foot of my bed and stay there for the first 2-3 weeks of the puppies lives until they move into a weaning pen in another room. They stay in the weaning pen overnight and in bad weather, and are taken out to our puppy yard during the day if it's a nice enough day. If you are attending a 6-week-puppy-visit the outdoor puppy yard is visible and available for exploration if you wish, and is also be shown in the background of videos--as is the indoor weaning pen--that are provided to approved families over the course of those first 8-9 weeks.

 

The puppies are weaned onto a mixture of pre-made raw patties, Pro Plan Performance dry food, raw goats milk, fresh meat and bones, fish, and supplemental oils. Full details of what the puppies are used to are given to future families in advance so the same diet can be followed for the first few weeks and any unnecessary tummy upsets can be avoided. Changing water, location, and leaving their litter-mates and mum are all stressful enough without suddenly having a belly full of strange food!

 

We are passionate believers in the benefits of raising litters in alignment with the Puppy Culture program, and follow the protocols and recommendations as closely as we can while still catering to each puppy and litter as individuals. We begin socialising the puppies with trusted friends from as early as the first week of life (with safety precautions of course). They begin heading out for car rides at around 2 weeks old, are experiencing the outside work with our other pets by 3 weeks. They see and hear lawn mowers, whipper snippers, pressure cleaners and sprinklers. They get sniffed and licked and tiptoed around by our adult dogs. Rubbed on and purred to by our cat (until she gets sick of them and walks off without warning). We start providing a lot of novel items, textures and smells in this time, too, and this continues right through to when they leave. So if you see a random bag of apples, a piece of shag carpet, a tree branch, or pile of crumpled tarp in the photos... well... now you know why! Unshakable puppies are puppies that think everything they ever see is normal and nothing to be scared of.

By 4 weeks old they're getting their professional photo portfolio started and fortnightly trips to the photographer become part of the schedule. The puppies also make trips to a number of friends houses from this time to experience the different smells, sounds, sights and textures there too. While we do our best to show them everything and add to their experiences we have to take them out and about in the big world beyond our house, and we certainly aren't afraid of that.

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We start working on formal training sessions with the puppies at around the 4 week mark, and they tend to last about 2-4 minutes--some of which we film for future families. In these sessions we teach the puppies how to respond to a training marking, the value of giving attention, and how to mand (ask for things) by sitting. By putting this knowledge in their rapidly forming brains at this age we aim to redirect as much of their natural impulse to be distracted by everything as we can, and instead teach them that maintaining focus on their owner is a much more rewarding thing to do. We also work at teaching the puppies that while jumping up to try and get directly at the thing they want (toy, food, human cuddles) seems like the fastest way to get it, it actually comes to them a whole lot faster if they plant their bums on the ground and 'ask' nicely. We have found that laying this foundation of manners and focus greatly improves the relationship the puppies have with their new families as a nice puppy that doesn't frustrate the living daylights out of you or claw at your leg is a puppy you want to spend more time with!

Match Making

 

By 5 to 6 weeks old we have a reasonably good ideal of what the puppies personalities are like. We have taken them out enough and spent enough time training them to know who's the rocket scientist, and who'd rather be playing soccer, and who thinks a walk around the block followed by a 12 hour nap is a brilliant idea. We also get a pretty decent look at their physical structure and it becomes easier to assess which puppies could make great show or sport prospects.

 

At this stage, any puppies who we are pretty sure will be going to homes primarily as companions for amazing families (which is most of our puppies) will begin to get matched to those on our waitlist--the part pretty much everyone is on the edge of their seat waiting for. Photos and messages asking "What do you think of this one? We think s/he'd be perfect for you!" with an indepth description of their personality and temperament are sent, and the answers typically follow soon after. If it's a positive reply then a day to meet up for cuddles and a final decision are organized (or a video call if interstate). If it's a no, then we discuss future plans and the wait continues.

 

In litters where we are planning to keep a puppy or two, the wait for all puppies to be met and matched can get stretched out a bit to 7 weeks or more. We know this can be super frustrating (and we don't delay choices on any we know are either the wrong gender or not suitable for the criteria we're looking for), but a key part of breeding the best dogs we can is making sure we are keeping the puppies that are most likely to make the best puppies in future. Without this crucial choice we can't continue to provide puppies to anyone at all, so we always make sure we get it right!

 

Once a puppy is matched to their future family and everyone is happy with the choice we send out puppy contracts and make homecoming arrangements. Full payment of the purchase price of the puppy and any shipping required is to be made via electronic funds transfer no less than 3 days prior to the puppy leaving. Cash upon pick up is also fine for those retrieving their puppies in person. We do not do payment arrangements as on average it will only be 14 days or less from when you are matched to a puppy and the date they can go home.

Puppy Price:

 

Border Collie Puppies - $2000

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Deposits will be required once families are approved and the litter your future puppy is in turns 4 weeks old.
 

Updated 1st January 2024

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All puppies are registered with the ANKC through Dogs NSW on Limit Register with no approval provided to show the dog in conformation or breed from them granted with this registration. Limit Register puppies can still compete in all dog sports like obedience, rally-o, agility, flyball, dock dogs, trick competitions, scent work, lure coursing, and anything else your heart desires. Not only can they compete in dog sports, but we encourage it! 

 

Every Tiek puppy has our unconditional love throughout their lives and we are always close at hand to answer any questions you might have and assist as possible.

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The very, very, very bottom...

For crazy people who like showing and breeding dogs, and not having any time, money, or sanity.

 

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