I'm the breeder behind Side Tongue Shepherds located in Poway, CA. We raise quality Australian Shepherds for families and individuals. We focus on genetics, temperament, companionship, and love. We devote our time, energy, and efforts to each litter to ensure our puppies are properly socialized from the moment they are born and prepared to excel in their forever homes.
About Dara
We adore Australian Shepherd. Our dogs have enriched our lives in ways we never imagined, and we are so happy to be able to share the wonderful qualities of the breed with others. Owning an Australian Shepherd is a beautiful experience, and it would be our honor to connect you with the perfect new addition to your family. Our dogs are what transform our house into a family home.
What makes Dara’s program special
We focus on breeding dogs that have enough drive to keep up with our lifestyle, but also have amazing temperaments and can quickly adapt to a calm family setting. Our commitment is to provide you with a professional and friendly puppy-buying experience. It would be our pleasure to introduce you to your next Australian Shepherd puppy!
Dara has been certified by Good Dog's screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices. When you're ready to reach out, feel free to ask any questions about the breed, their program, or specific puppies. You'll also have the chance to share a bit about yourself and what you're looking for in a new companion. Together, you'll choose the puppy that's right for you, stay in touch with regular updates, and plan how to bring your new puppy home.
Puppy prices range from $2,000 - $2,500 and include a non-refundable deposit of $300.
“This price includes AKC registration, deworming, 1st and 2nd round of vaccinations, 1 month insurance through Trupanion, 1 month insurance through AKC and puppy packs! All puppies are the same price regardless of coat color or gender and are sold on a limited registration only. Pups are 2,000 with a 300 deposit towards your final sale. Full Rights +500.”
Dara may provide a written contract or health guarantee when you purchase a puppy. This helps protect both you and your breeder, ensuring that you both have a clear understanding of the terms of your puppy purchase. If Dara offers a contract or guarantee, the details will be personalized by them. If you have any questions or want to know more, don’t hesitate to reach out to Dara directly.
Our puppies are well adjusted to a home environment and are socialized to dogs, cats, and children. We raise our pups using puppy culture and make sure they are exposed to loud noises, different textures and touches. I utilize the following enrichment methods: Body handling protocol, including sitting still for grooming, Recall training, surface and tactile stimulation, Puppy Culture , Name recognition , Potty Training, Sound Stimulation, Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), Crate Training, Puppy Culture, Grooming Desensitization, Household Desensitization, Socialized with Adult Dogs, Socialized with Cats, and Socialized with Children.
All of our puppies are provided 1st and 2nd round of vaccinations and taken to vet before they are sent home for a clean bill of health. Each puppy will be dewormed every two weeks starting at two weeks old. Parents are genetically tested.
We send our puppies home with Vaccinations, Puppy Leash, Puppy Collar, Food Starter Bag, Certificate of Health, Blanket with Mom's Scent, Blanket with Littermates Scent, and AKC Registration.
Dara offers options to help you easily get your new puppy home.
If you’re nearby, you can visit in person to pick up your pup. If you’re far away, you can travel by car or plane.
Work with a trusted transporter to get your puppy comfortably dropped off at a meeting point close to home.
Side Tongue Shepherds meets or exceeds our community standards in these areas:
All breeds
Australian Shepherd
Australian Shepherd
About Apollo
Apollo has this way about him that he always seems to be in deep thought. He’s the only dog I have seen that will look up at the stars or the rain and actually look like he’s contemplating some deep unspoken universal secret. I’m always asking him “what yah thinking about?” And he always gives me this same knowing look, but he’ll never tell lol.
Australian Shepherd
About Roxie
Roxie is a female Australian Shepherd. Carefully selected as a great representative of her breed, Dara decided to make her part of their program. Dara has passed Good Dog’s screening process, which involved a review of their breeding practices, environment, and the mental and physical health of their dogs.
Australian Shepherd
About Sadie
Sadie is the foundation of our program and why I got involved with Australian Shepherds. This happy go lucky girl has won the hearts of everyone she meets, humans and fur friends alike.
Australian Shepherd
Great level
Side Tongue Shepherds reports to performing the health tests below on their breeding dogs. Ask your breeder about the tests performed on the parents of your litter. Learn more about health testing for Australian Shepherds.
Hip Dysplasia
Hip testing reduces the chance of passing down hip dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause hip pain and the eventual loss of the function of the hip joint.
Elbow Dysplasia Finals (OFA, BVA, SV, FCI)
Elbow testing reduces the chance of passing down elbow dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause arthritis in the elbow joint and front leg lameness.
Animal Genetics Panel, Multiple Drug Sensitivity (MDR1)
Genetic testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide variety of hereditary diseases of differing prevalence and severity such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (an eye disease) and Von Willebrand's Disease (a blood disease).