Parrott Farms provided by Bravenet.com

Herding links and Trailriding

Herding on the Web
http://www.herdingontheweb.com Good introduction page for people curious about the activity. It offers training tips, a discussion group, and many many other resources. Maintained by Linda Rorem Herding http://www.dogpatch.org/herding.html A general site offering information on various organizations that support herding trials with links to other resources including the one below. Maintained by Mary Jo Sminkey.

Herding, from the Collie Club of America http://members.aol.com/ccawwwsite/cca/herding.html A simple introduction to herding with a description of herding programs by a variety of organizations. A great place to quickly get an overview on different types of herding.

Littlehats.net, Sheepdogging for Newbies http://www.littlehats.net/core.html The destination of choice for the person new to herding. The goal of this site is to keep the beginning herder in mind. Nova Scotia German Shepherd Dog Club: Herding http://www.nsgsdc.com/herding.shtml An easy to understand description of the different styles of herding.

Herding Articles http://members.cox.net/gsdherd/articleindex.htm Although there is a strong focus toward the German Shepherd Dog there are many articles here of general interest in herding. Getting Started in herding http://bccc.pair.com/getstart.htm

Saddlein' Up with your Aussie?

Aussies love to ride anything!

And go Everywhere with you!

Don't leave him home!

Whether he is traveling in your car or on the trail it is always a good idea to pack a cannine first aid kit and to familiarize yourself with basic cannine first aid. I have been very forunate to enjoy many hours of travel and trailriding the beautiful Western Ky region. with my Aussies. Here are some helpful safety tips that will help you and your Aussie enjoy many happy trails together.

First remember your Aussie needs to be socialized to your livestock, you want to expose your pup in a healthy and safe enviroment, always keeping his health and experience a positive one. Expose your pup in steps a little at a time, start with going along at feeding time. He may feel more comfortable in the your rig at first to learn new smells, sounds and a higher more "birds eye view" of the horse. When he feels comfortable with this step move quickly to allow him on the ground and try to be as natural as possible, Aussies are smart and they will sense your apprehension for their safety in a negative way. Allow him to explore and learn without behaving negatively toward your horse, basic commands and bonding with your pup is necessary to achieve this and all steps. Good sense horsemanship is always encouraged before you attempt to expose your puppy and will ensure postive outcome for you and your animals. Please know your horse/horses well and be familiar with their temperment toward other animals and dogs. You would never want to put a young, unexperienced pup with a fractured or suspecious horse who could react to an unexperience pups curiosity, barks growles or advances. Aussies are sensitive, if ever they get hurt during these first few exposures, it could ruin or seriously damage your pups future interest, desire and natural instincts to trailride or herd with you. Do not allow your Aussie pup to harrass the horse either, you want your Aussie to "go get her" but not to harrass her once she has been caught. Feeding working, grooming and saddleing your horse are wonderful steps in allowing your pup to become familiar with your horse, tack and exactly what you are doing with your horse. Depending on the pups progress, begin exposure as soon as possible and as early as 6 weeks old. Always teach your pup to stay close to you and your horse when riding, never allowing him between you/your horse and vehicles, he must learn to stay on the non-traffic side of you and your horse. There is equipment you can purchase to restrain your dog while riding your horse with quick release features, however I have never found them necessary. Once you and your pup are at a level of allowing your Aussie to go with you, you should be able to stop your horse, call your dog to the correct side of you, praise him and comand "stay" and continue your ride, repeat as often as necesary. When approched by barking aggressive dogs while riding, the best action is NO action, simply ignore the other animal and continue uninterupted, this will encourage your Aussie to be confident when he knows you and your horse are and will encourage him to act the same. Another good idea, is too put a small sturdy bell on your horse and your dogs neck, this will ensure other people and animals can hear you and your animals coming and arrival, this also helps in case your pup wanders away from you. In just a few lessons, he will quickly understand what you want him to do and enjoy his trailriding time with you.

We wish

Many.....

Welcome...

Parrott Farms

Artie Parrott and Stacy Webb (owner/managers)

1341 Grapevine Rd

Crofton, Ky 42217

270-424-2159

Tobaccogrwr@aol.com

Parrotsgrl@aol.com

Vintage Tobacco Lables

Where are we located?

For specific directions and map from your location to ours

please visit the following link.

Map to 1341 Grapevine Rd Crofton, KY 42217-9615

They won't come, they won't sit and they won't stay, but if there is anything better than an Aussie pup...we haven't found it yet!

New Puppy

Frequently Asked Questions:

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Parrott Farms wants your relationship with your puppy to be successful and can offer many tips based on years of experience.

Parrott Farms Aussie's all leave with their first set of shots, tails and dews are done by the vet when they are three days old. Puppys tail and dew removal wounds are perfectly healed when your new pup goes home with you. ASCA and NSDR registration of your Aussie requires the tail to be docked, as is characteristic of a working dog breed. Natural bobtails do occure in the breed, however not very often. A few days supply of his food and treats will be sent home with him/her, health/shot records, pedigree charts (dam&sir), proper paperwork and instructions for registration of your new puppy.

What is a Merle?

There are 4 colors in the Aussies, blue merle, black, red merle and red. (All 4 colors) Each of these can have copper and white trim. The basic colors are body colors of black and red. The merle gene added to create the distinct color of the Aussies. Breeding a merle to merle will produce puppies that are double merle. The homozygous merle as a result of this cross will have various degrees of deafness and blindness from slight to severe. There also may be possible reproduction problems. Only the experienced breeder should attempt to breed merle to merle. If you decide to pursue this breeding, be aware of the problems and what steps need to be taken to insure you do not sell a defective puppy. These types of puppies are culled at birth, with no harm resulting to the dam or anyone else. The average in a breeding of a merle to merle cross will result in one defective puppy to three normal puppies. In other words, 25% of the litter could be defective. The defective pup (homozygous merle) in a litter of a merle to merle cross will be primarily a white puppy with little or no solid or merle markings. Click below on the following two links for these examples: Incorrect White Merle Puppy: Front View White Merle Side View White Merle When making a decision to breed your Australian Shepherd consider these facts that will positively effect the future of the breed not only now but for years to come.

Diet
For the first few weeks of their lives, puppies feed on their mother's milk, which is very rich. It’s higher in calories, protein, fat and calcium than cow's milk or goat's milk. At around 3-4 weeks of age, puppies can lap or nibble moist food from a bowl. You should supplement the puppies’ diet with a milk until he is about 12 weeks old. Unlike humans, puppies don’t need their own bowls, so you can feed them together from one or two shallow dishes. In competing for the food, they may actually get more interested in eating. But always make sure they get enough food. Once weaned, your puppy will continue to grow very quickly, and will need about two to three times the energy intake (calories) of an adult dog of the same weight. These diets have more calories than adult foods to meet your young dog’s needs for maturation, but fewer calories than puppy foods to reduce the risk of joint or hip problems later on in overweight dogs.

You may feel you’re being mean, but please be careful not to overfeed your puppy. No puppies should be fat! Slim puppies will grow to a normal adult size. Although fat puppies are more likely to have weight problems as an adult, and this is bad news; it also means your dog may be more likely to develop joint and leg problems. Some puppies are particularly sensitive to changes in their diet, so make any such changes gradually, and resist the impulse to feed table scraps.

Puppies should be fed 4 times a day until they’re 4 months old, 3 times a day until they’re 6 months old, and then at least twice a day after that. Puppies should have clean fresh water available to drink at all times. As the puppy gets older, you may find that giving him milk to drink causes diarrhea. Puppies and worms are like "peas and carrot's", we worm them once before they leave, however he will need follow up treatments, to insure he is fully dewormed insuring proper health of your pup.

Visit your vet

Make an appointment with your veterinarian to give the puppy a complete checkup within 72 hours of your purchase. If you don't have a vet yet, ask the us to recommend a local vet we work with or your local kennel club for a recommendation. Although the puppy has been health-checked by the breeder and a limited vet exam, this is additional security against health defects or problems that weren't apparent the first time. If your vet offers microchip ID implants, this an excellent time to get one! The vet will recommend a vaccination and worming schedule that best fits your puppy.

Recommended Puppy Vaccination Schedule

6 - 8 Weeks , 10-12 Weeks, 15-16 Weeks
Comprehensive Exam
DHLP-Parvo-Corona - "The Puppy Shot" Duramune Max 5 -CVK
Fecal Exam
Heartworm Preventative
Deworming - Drontal Heartworm preventative should be started at 6 weeks of age. The cost of preventative varies according to the type of preventative used and the weight of the dog. Dosage will need to be adjusted as the weight of the puppy increases. Deworming should be performed every visit or the client may elect to purchase deworming medication and administer according to directions. Deworming - Nemex II

20 Weeks
Physical Exam
DHLP-Parvo-Corona - "The Puppy Shot" Duramune Max 5 -CVK
Fecal Exam
Heartworm Preventative

Outside dogs and dogs exposed to tick infested areas should be vaccinated against Lyme's Disease. Two vaccinations are recommended initially and then annually. LymeVax By Fort Dodge

Tips on Training and Socializing

Providing enough socialization. Standoffish by nature, Australian Shepherds need extensive exposure to people and to unusual sights and sounds. Otherwise their natural caution can become suspicion or shyness, which are difficult to live with and can even lead to biting.

Training and Housebreaking

First, be consistent with your puppy. Your puppy is like a sponge, waiting to soak up all you teach him, both good and bad. Be firm, be steady, and make sure you show your puppy what you want. Praise, praise, praise when any good behavior is displayed. When your puppy is naughty, direct the behavior towards good behavior so you can praise. It is so much easier to encourage good behavior in the beginning, than it is to undo bad behavior habits. Make sure your puppy understands what you want. Be a loving teacher.

Work out a schedule for you and the puppy. Housetraining is much easier when the puppy's meals, exercise and playtimes are on a regular schedule throughout the day. Many people like to bring their puppies home on a weekend in order to devote extra time to settling in and housebreaking those first few days.

Start out with the right attitude. The first weeks of your new puppy's life with you will be busy and demanding. There may be times when you wonder if getting a puppy was such a good idea. Things will go better if you have patience and keep your sense of humor. Remember that puppyhood only happens once. The extra effort you put into it now will pay off in the future.Puppy training and socialization should be fun for both owner and dog. Puppies can be taught to sit, lie down, and come for rewards. Even eight-week-old puppies can sit for their dinner or treats and lie down to be groomed.

Puppies that resist can be taught with persistence and consistency on the part of all family members. It does no good if Mom requires puppy to sit before meals if Dad doesn't follow through or if Susie slips Fluffy a bit of bacon from her breakfast plate.

Physical handling is seldom necessary when teaching puppies to sit or lie down if you use a treat and a gentle voice. Actually, you can teach him to sit without touching him or giving a command; just show him a treat or lure him to his dinner spot and hold the food above his head so he has to look up to see it. If he parks his rear in order to look up, tell him "Good boy!, Good sit!" .

Simple excercises like these on a daily basis will insure your puppy and you have a wonderful life together. Good Luck and please let us have an update of your puppies progress and pictures as often as you can.