High Altitude Collies

Our breeding program combines bloodlines from several well known Collie pedigrees from well documented, health tested lines.  Each of our breeding dogs is fully health tested using cutting edge full panel genetic tests, veterinarian ophthalmologist exams and more.  Each dog we breed is temperament tested to verify they have the beloved Collie temperament.  And all of our breeding dogs have, or are working towards, AKC titles in sport or show.

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High Altitude Collies works closely with our veterinary team to insure our dogs receive the best care.  We greatly value the knowledge and input from our specialist vets, both reproductive and ophthalmology.  Our wonderful general practice vet is very close by and ready to help at a moments notice and loves to see our puppies for their well-puppy checks at 7 weeks old!  All our dogs are kept current on a vaccinations, de-worming and preventative treatment program.  Cleanliness and bio-security are top priorities for healthy dogs and puppies in our home!

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Our dogs all live in our family home with elementary aged kids, and sleep in our bedroom at night!  Each dog gets personalized care and individual attention and affection.  They receive all the love and daily attention they deserve.  We feed a high quality diet that supports our dogs nutritional needs, as well as plenty of yummy treats and chews.  Our pregnant girls have a tailored supplement program to help enhance their, and their puppies health and development.  Our dogs all have their favorite toys, beds and places to relax!  They have very large fenced yards to play in, and shade from our beautiful mature lodge pole pine trees to lay under while they survey the views.  All of our Collies love the snow, and are happy to play as long as they can be outdoors, even in the winter! 

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Each breeding is carefully chosen after many hours of research into bloodlines and health testing results (learn more about genetic health testing in Collies) to produce healthy, well built puppies with excellent temperament.  We take great care in each and every litter we produce, and treasure all of the updates we get about our puppies, long into adulthood.  Just as we take great care matching the right dogs for breeding, we also take great care to match the right puppy to the right home.  All of our puppies are AKC registered, micro-chipped, and sold on a contract to safeguard them for life.  Each Collie we raise has a home here for life, no matter what.  None of our dogs will ever end up unwanted or without a home.  We offer life long support to each and every buyer, and back our Collies for life!

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All of our puppies are born in our bedroom room, just steps away from our bed, in a safe, warm and comfortable whelping box.  Each birth is special and carefully watched over for the health of mother and babies.  Each puppy is assigned an identification collar by color so they can be tracked extensively to ensure their growth and health.  Puppies are kept warm and safe with their mother in the whelping box and monitored around the clock.  During this time puppies are weighed frequently to ensure they are nursing and growing well.  They are loved and touched often with mom keeping close watch over them.  Many hours and sleepless nights are spent watching over the whelping box, it is a special time for all of us!

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On day 4 we begin Early Neurological Stimulation, also called the BioSensor program.  This program has been proven to improve a puppies resistance to stress and improve how they handle stress for the rest of their life.  It involves a few short exercises, done daily, to start strengthening their neurological system.  It only takes a few minutes per puppy and they tolerate it very well.  The program ends on day 16 and soon the puppies are ready to move from the whelping box to the Puppy Pen!

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The Puppy Pen changes and expands as the puppies develop and grow.  We start our AviDog and Puppy Culture protocols at 3 weeks old.  As the puppies brains develop and their bodies grow, we add age appropriate stimulation in the form of noises, textures, toys, experiences, and many more.  This allows us to enrich the puppies lives as soon as their brains and bodies are ready for it! 

 

Part of our program includes litter training our puppies, beginning at 3 weeks old.  The puppies pick up on it very well, and this greatly helps house training.  We also start crate training at around 6 weeks old, it is a slow and gradual transition from open crates with multiple puppies coming and going as they please, to staying in their individual crates for short periods of time.  Crate training is important for the safety of mischievous puppies long after they go home, and it helps with house training.  

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We expose puppies to a wide variety of toys, smells, textures, objects, noises, people, experiences, and more for vital Early Socialization.   It is so much fun to come up with new and fun things for the puppies; watch them enjoy, play and interact with what we have come up with! When you introduce as many different things to a puppy as you can when the brain is still developing, it gives them a strong foundation for the future, to be a dog who is happy and confident.  This important period in a dog's life continues to 16 weeks old, giving new owners the opportunity to expose their puppy to anything their lifestyle will bring them.

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We believe strongly in early socialization and have seen how it positively impacts a puppy for life!  After all, we are not just raising puppies, we are raising dogs!

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At 7 weeks of age we utilize the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test as part of our temperament evaluation.  This allows us to carefully match the right puppy to the right home, setting everyone up for life long success!

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High Altitude Collies is always happy to talk more about any of these subjects, and more if you are interested!  Please send us an email:  highaltitudecollies@gmail.com

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