Why choose us?
We have dedicated our life to our dogs and breeding. We can honestly say there isn’t one aspect of our life that we haven’t tweaked to make it fit around our passion.
It can be hard scrolling through adverts and websites to find the right breeder for you, so we always encourage people to reach out and contact us so we can have a FaceTime or phone call and give you the opportunity to get to know us and see our passion, dedication and knowledge for yourself.
Below we hope to outline how we are different and why we are so proud of what we do.
“We are absolutely delighted with our beautiful and wonderfully friendly puppy from Alex and Mick. My husband and I are both vets and it was really important to us to find breeders who really do the right thing and who raise happy healthy puppies in the best possible circumstances. Alex and Mick clearly care so much for their dogs and puppies and this is a loving family home where every possible action is taken to ensure that the animals are very well taken care of. I really respect their approach and their passion for being good and responsible dog breeders is evident in every interaction we have had.”
“Thought I’d share a quick update about Kuro. She’s firmly part of the family and loves going everywhere with us. In terms of her temperament she loves people, especially children and is still calm for her age (a lot of people comment on this and also can’t believe she’s our first dog as she’s so well behaved). She’s doing well at her training classes (just passed silver) and enjoys doing the mini agility course there. She’s even won over my Mum who has been scared of dogs her whole lifetime - she’s happy for Kuro to come in her house and will pet her and hold her lead. Thank you very much - you really did pick the perfect puppy for our family! ”
Health Testing
We DNA test every dog for health conditions that may affect the breed and this is done at a huge expense, but we think it is absolutely necessary and completely worth it. This has resulted in us selling puppies to extremely satisfied vets and other knowledgeable professionals. The individual dogs and breeds have different requirements and we are always happy to discuss them in more detail. We work very closely with the partner at our vet practice to make sure every decision we make is the right one.
Lifetime Support
Every single puppy we sell comes with us available for the rest of their life. We sell all our puppies with a contract that states they can never be resold or rehomed and must be returned to us. This is because we don’t let go of responsibility when you leave with a puppy, we take responsibility for their entire lives. Especially when it is a families first dog, we know how stressful it can be. We have often had messages late at night for advice about crying or housetraining and we are always happy to assist. We regularly have owners call or message with questions or needing advice years down the line and we love staying in touch. We do sometimes have to refer them onto a vet or trainer, as we are limited being at the other end of the phone, but we are always there to help and support as we understand it is a huge commitment and responsibility buying a new dog.
Breeding & Temperament
All of our dogs have been meticulously chosen due to their health test results and temperament. They are all bred from Kennel Club registered parents and have impressive pedigrees - but it goes much further than that. Unlike most breeders we don’t just breed for how the dog looks or how many champions there are in the pedigree. We feel this is very narrow minded and short sighted. Our dogs may not win Crufts but we think they have the most amazing temperaments and we know we have done our utmost to breed a solid, healthy family pet.
Socialising
We take socialising very seriously. The puppies first two months set it up for the rest of their life. If a puppy is raised by a mother that is scared and wary of humans and other dogs, it is inevitable that the puppies will pick up and copy this behaviour. The puppies are all born and raised in the house, it can be a lot of work but the benefits are worth it. Once old enough, the puppies get to spend time with our other dogs learning vital skills as well as with any guests or visitors to our home. We both spend hours with them every day and make sure they have met our nieces and nephews, friends and as many family members as possible. We place importance on the little things such as ensuring they hear the hoover, the tv, kids playing (or fighting), getting used to all the smells and sounds of a busy household. If they weren’t in the centre of our home all this would be missed and we feel it has a lasting and powerful impact.
Adult Wellbeing
All of our adult dogs are happy, loved and properly looked after, because this isn’t a job for us, this our lifestyle our dogs are at the centre of it. We have 2.5 acres of land and the dogs get to live a full and enriching life as a pack. They swim in the river, jump over ditches and generally cause havoc, but it’s what we feel all dogs should be doing. With Alex being a groomer they are always groomed properly and kept in great condition. Our vet is only 10 minutes down the road and we work very closely with them to make sure the dogs are all in good health and happy. We have a very strict policy - if one of the dogs isn’t right, they go straight to vets irrelevant of the cost or inconvenience.
Training
Training is Mick’s passion and because of this all the adults are trained to a degree, with some fully trained as gundogs. We don’t actually take them shooting but we find the mental stimulation is very beneficial and keeps them sharp and happy. We also always make a start to housetraining while the puppies are with us. They have their own section of the garden which our ‘puppy room’ opens directly onto. They absolutely don’t leave housetrained, but the feedback we’ve received from new owners suggests that the head start we give them makes it much easier and quicker. Mick has been known to teach a few puppies some basic commands such as sit/stay and in/out, especially if we have one or two with us for longer than the rest of the litter.
Breeding License
We are licensed by our local council and have been for 4 years. This is something we know lots of breeders avoid, but legally anyone that is breeding dogs should be licensed. It is by no means an easy process. It is very expensive, time consuming and stressful but something very important to us. Not only does it assure us that we are doing the best we can for both the puppies and the adults, it gives new owners the confidence that we do everything the right way and to the highest possible standards.
Transparency
We are transparent about every step of the process and we are honest with every single person we speak to. This has caused us awkward moments in the past, as if we don’t think someone is the right fit for one of our puppies we will tell them and advise accordingly. This is needed for us to be confident letting the puppies go off into the world but also builds trust - something which is needed when making such a big decision.