The first step to bringing a Cottage Farm Australian Shepherd into your home is to fill our our application. You can begin the process by filling out our waitlist application form via the link above.

Before accepting a deposit, we require a phone call to learn more about you,. Here we will go over more details with you, find out what you are looking for exactly and then you can decide if we are a good fit for you as a breeder and you are a good fit for one of our puppies. Please understand that litter size and colors are hard to predict. We will only place our puppies with qualified Aussie owners. Australian Shepherds are not for everyone.

Aussies require more activity and attention than your typical house dog. They need an active lifestyle and hours of your attention every day. Raising a happy, healthy and well behaved Aussie is a big commitment and should be taken seriously. Dogs that end up in pounds, shelters, & rescue are there because of irresponsible breeding and pet ownership. We want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Please only consider buying an Aussie if you plan to make the dog an active family-member in your daily life. We pride ourselves on finding loving homes for our dogs, we have many repeat buyers coming back for their next Aussie from us. Please feel free to ask us any question about the breed if you are new to Aussie ownership.

If we decide to move forward you may place a $200 deposit to reserve your place in line on our waitlist. Please note, we do cap the amount of people on our reservation list. Deposits are Non-Refundable, but can be rolled over to another puppy if available, or another litter in the future. We will NOT hold a puppy without a deposit. When placing a deposit to pick a puppy from a upcoming litter, your name will be placed on our reservation list in the order it was received. Deposits can be sent by mail or sent by PayPal or Venmo.

Once you receive a call from us letting you know a litter has been born you will be notified of the date for in-person puppy picking and what picking order you have. Picking order is based on when you have placed your deposit. 

​Beginning at birth until they go home, we will share videos and pictures via text/group text so families can see the puppies interact, play, and grow. 

On puppy picking day, each family will have the chance to meet both mom and dad in person as well as spend time and interact with all of the puppies from the litter in order to select which puppy they would like.

In-person puppy picking day also gives families an opportunity to meet our adult dogs, other families from the litter, and have any questions answered before the puppy's go home day. Please note that we have many families who live at a distance, while we strongly encourage a visit to meet the puppies in person, we realize this is not feasible for everyone, in that case we are happy to set up FaceTime calls for you to meet and interact with the puppies virtually and make your selection. 

After having met the pups, families will then have 48 hours to make their official selection.  If you are still undecided at that point, the next person(s) on the waitlist will be offered a chance to select.  Once you officially select your new furry family member, an additional $500 deposit will be required to reserve the specific pup, with the remaining balance due at pick up.

The day has FINALLY arrived! It is time to pick up your new puppy!

Options for picking up your puppy:

• Our clients come from around the country.  However, being breeders based out of both Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and  Tekonsha, Michigan, you can pick up your puppy in-person at either of our locations.
• You can fly in to Pittsburgh International or Detroit airports and we will meet you curbside and puppy will fly in cabin home with you. (*ask for more details, no fee)
  We will drive up to two hours (to a predetermined location) to meet you for a pick up to drive them home. (no fee)
• We do have inflight puppy nannies that will fly with your puppy in cabin to your airport. (additional fee, ask us for more details)
• Cottage Farm Aussies offers a Travel Puppy Companion service to hand-deliver all of our Australian Shepherd puppies for sale to their forever families. The most comforting part of our Air Delivery option is that the puppy never leaves the site of their Personal Puppy Attendant – from our house to our client’s arms.  For clients living further than a car ride away, puppies are flown in first-class style to their final destination. We are blessed to have friends and family members who are absolute dog lovers through and through!  Once we announce a shipping need, our Travel Puppy Companions jump all over the opportunity to be the designated puppy chauffeur! Our mutual goal is to make sure that our pups receive VIP treatment on every step of their journey home.

We do our best to make the transition smooth and most comfortable for the puppy when they come to you. Please know that we take pride in being a support to our CF Aussies families, this is just one of the many things that sets us apart from other breeders.  We encourage you to stay in touch and want you to know that you are free to call us anytime if you have questions. We are available as a resource and want to assist you as you as you welcome this brand new family member and every step along the way.

One very important step we highly recommend is investing in some quality training and puppy obedience classes. Early training means a great, obedient companion for many years to come! It is easier to shape a dog from the start instead of trying to fix problem behaviors later on. It will also help create an incredible bond between you and your new pup and build their confidence.

 We truly appreciate the great homes and families that make one of our Cottage Farm Aussies puppies a family member! We stand behind the health of every puppy we place. We love your puppy and have done our best to give them a great start both
physically and socially, and trust that you will continue to love, raise, and train them the best you can. That said, we can not stress enough, should there ever be a point that you can no longer properly care for or keep your Cottage Farm Aussie, please know that we will ALWAYS take a dog back. As responsible breeders, the last thing we want is for one of our dogs to end up in a shelter and will always help find a safe, secure and loving home, no matter the situation.

We would love for you to come join us, to be part of our Cottage Farm Aussies family and friends! We are doing what we love and we take great pride in producing Australian Shepherds that will become a part of your life and your family.