Our story began many years ago…
Thirty years ago, Molly came into my family’s life… She was a German Shepherd that was skin and bones… The amount of neglect she received still haunts me… My mom quickly started to generously work her up by giving her nutritious meals and tender, loving care. Over just a few days, Molly started to gain some much needed weight… and also trust in us. About this time, and much to our suprise, Molly gave birth to 8 healthy puppies…
As a child, my family became an active volunteer for our local Humane Society. Molly was one of the many dogs that our family homed. It was during this time in my life that I learned the real value of caring-well for animals: feeding, bathing, training, medical trips, safe home placements, love, attention, care, etc. While I saw many dogs that lacked health and trust from abuse and neglect, I also saw dogs that slowly, over time, learned to bond and attach and grow in a multitude of ways while now living in a loving, compassionate home. Many lessons came over those years of watching my parents, and other adults in my life, really love on and care for the animals we brought into our home. One of those many lessons was how puppies became great dogs by being raised in a safe, supportive, loving, and nurturing home. Much like kids, puppies that are well-cared for and showered with love and attention THRIVE. Supported puppies proved to become more tolerant dogs later on, that also learned quickly and adapted more easily to the world around them. Unfortunately for many dogs, the opposite also proved to be true.
Fast forward several years, found me married and raising a large family on a 15-acre hobby farm. Although, I work/worked a couple of days a week as a Registered Nurse outside of our home, much of my time is/was also spent in our home and on our farm with our children, while my husband works/worked as a Special Education teacher. A few years back, we realized the importance of having a dog to help us keep our chickens and farm safe from outside predators. And so we started to the search to find a solid family dogs that would also like a job to do. Australian Shepherds quickly made their way to the top of that list.
Our first Australian Shepherd came from a less than desirable home. Her breeder tried to send her home at 5 weeks of age. I finally convinced them to keep her longer and picked her up at around 8 weeks. When I picked her up, she was loaded with fleas, and it was obvious for many reasons that she had lacked much socialization. And so a new line of work began…
I embarked upon a journey that would take me down many days of training, socializing, self-educating, etc. While this was a long and sometimes frustrating journey, the lessons I gained from this experience became hugely valuable in learning how to PREVENT some of what I had to mull through each day with her. Overtime, with much TLC, she became a very loving, SMART, and loyal part of our family and farm. It became a joy to watch her make connections and learn all that she was responsible for on a daily basis. And what was more exciting is that she thoroughly enjoyed and got VERY good at what she did.
Over the next few years, our family’s love of the Australian Shepherd breed grew by leaps and bounds. We studied more about genetics and training and became passionate about the idea of being able to share this special breed with others. We also became passionate about doing it well, so that others could be miles ahead of where we were when we were introduced to this amazing breed. And so Woodland Aussies & Doodles was born.
Two things that Justin and I are passionate about: children and Aussies/Aussiedoodles. We have a HUGE heart for both. When you come to our home, you have the opportunity to meet both. Justin and I have 6 biological children and 4 adopted children. We enjoy and cherish our time together as a family, and combined we enjoy and cherish our time together with our dogs. They live in our home with us and have free-run to a fenced-in 2.5 acres of back yard that adjoins to our back door. The puppies are born and raised in our home, and we often sleep on the floor next to them for the first few weeks after they are born.
In addition to being raised with our family, our puppies receive bio-sensor therapy from day-3 to day-16 with lots of touch and love sprinkled throughout each day, as well. Bio-sensor therapy is a simple and quick desensitization technique that was developed by the military to increase the health and adjustability of animals. Studies have proven that this method increases the cardiovascular and immune systems of the dog. It has also proven to create a smarter, more tolerant and well-adjusted animal later in life. Since we want to do the very best by our puppies and set them up as best as possible for their future home, it made perfect sense for us to incorporate this method into our breeding program.
In addition to raising our dogs and puppies in our home and implementing bio-sensor therapy, we also expose them to frequent baths, nail trimmings, blow dryers, car rides, water play (in warmer weather), snow play (in colder weather), vet checks, potty training, crate training, beginning agility, socialization with kids, other dogs, and cats, and anything else we think they may be exposed to in their future homes. We also start teaching them commands, such as: “go potty”, “here”, and “sit”. And because Aussies and Aussiedoodles are so smart, we often get feedback that much of what we have taught them and exposed them to has “stuck”.
Breeding and raising Australian Shepherds and Aussiedoodles wasn’t something we originally planned to do, but it is something that our entire family has come to thoroughly enjoy. The kids not only enjoy playing with and loving up on our dogs and puppies, but they have also learned a lot about training, caring for, and breeding Aussies, too.
Our Aussies & Doodles are a big part of our every day. And while our dogs consume a HUGE part of our lives, they’re members of our family that we love to work with and spend time with, too. Because of this, it was natural for us to want to share this breed with others. And so we did. And we do.
An added layer of joy comes from meeting new people and sharing our puppies with other families that ultimately become a part of our Woodland Aussie & Doodle Family. Australian Shepherds are brains and beauty all wrapped up into one amazing package. Aussiedoodles are a smart, and yet a more relaxed breed, that combines the great qualities of Aussies with hypoallergenic and gentle spirit of our Poodles. Hearing and seeing the testimonials from our puppy buyers on how our puppies have spread happiness to each one of them is likely one of THE best parts of our job. In a world full of negatives, it’s awesome to see how Woodland Aussie & Doodle pups bring bright spots to each of their lives. And so we’ve concluded that our Australian Shepherds and Aussiedoodles are just too much joy to not share with others. And so we do, and we hope you enjoy and appreciate each one of our puppies that may enter your home and family, as well. Thank you for being a loving part of our Woodland Aussie & Doodle Family.
Woodland Aussies and Doodles… from our family to yours.
Woodland Aussies & Doodles 