Working sheepdogs for sale - Victoria, Australia
Sheepdog pups for sale
Carefully bred for 30 years, aiming to breed high-quality, all-round working sheepdog pups for paddock and yard, sheep, goats and cattle.
Contrary to common practice, Campaspe pups are NOT sold at weaning age.
Rather, all Campaspe pups are reared until approximately 4-5 months old before being sold. At that age, they are keen to work and showing interest on sheep (see the many videos of Campaspe pups when first introduced to sheep on this website, or the example below). This means you have a vastly better chance of getting a good quality pup. On the other hand, buying an 8 week old pup is a HUGE gamble, and often leads to disappointment. However, once pups have starting “working”, many of the instincts related to working livestock are showing, they can be much more accurately evaluated.
This is something I have done for every litter I have breed for last 30 years, except the very first litter. I kept one pup from that first litter, and it turned out only average. However, one I sold turned into an exceptional sheepdog (Murphy’s Law). And, try as I might, I couldn’t buy the good pup back! I learnt my lesson, and ever since I have reared all pups until they can be more accurately assessed.
This provides two enormous benefits:
- Firstly, the best pups can be identified and retained for breeding. This translates into the quality of the Campaspe Working Dogs improving at a much faster rate, and to a much higher level, than if I was just guessing and only keeping one pup for further evaluation.
- And secondly, the right pup can be matched to the right buyer. This will depend on the work they have for the pup, and also on the buyer’s individual preferences. For example, some people might prefer a dog with a bit more eye, or a bit less, or a quieter worker, or a more forceful worker, and so on. And although I don’t breed different lines for different purposes (I only aim to breed high-quality all-round dogs capable of any job), there are always individual variations between litters and between pups.
So all Campaspe sheepdog pups are sold at 4-5 months of age once they are keen and showing interest. They will have been taught to lead and tie up, and been given a free rein on sheep to encourage keenness and for evaluation. They have no other training.
If you are interested in purchasing a Campaspe Working Dog pup, contact Tully on 0417 386 346, or alternatively use the contact form email. If you are on the subscription email list, I will sometimes put out an email regarding pups for sale (if they haven’t already been spoken for).
Started sheepdog pups/dogs for sale
Started sheepdog pups and dogs of various ages and at various stages of training are often available for sale.
Quite often now when rearing a litter of pups and evaluating them on sheep, I will struggle to make up my mind as to which pup to retain for breeding. In a litter, there might be a number with similar very high levels of natural ability. In that case, I often retain two or three for further evaluation as they start their training. Then I will sell these other started pups at various stages as their evaluation progresses. I also have some dogs I have retained for breeding, but have then retained a pup from them that is superior, in which case I will sell on the older dog and keep the younger. I aim to always keep the genetics improving with every generation, and always hope for something superior to its parents in every litter. So these started dogs often come up for sale.
I will generally advertise these when I have one for sale via email to those on the subscription list, or when people contact me looking for started dogs will sell them directly. Contact us for availability
Fully trained sheep and cattle dogs for sale
Fully trained sheepdogs are occasionally available for sale. Inquire for availability.
I will generally advertise these when I have one for sale via email to those on the subscription list, or when people contact me looking for fully trained dogs will sell them directly. Contact us for availability
