Available Miniature American Shepherds & Australian Shepherds
Deposit List
Rust Belt Farms reserves the right for first pick puppy from any of our litters to further our breeding program, we will not always hold a puppy back for ourselves but since we breed with intention for each litter we do reserve the right. Stud owners may have second pick of the litter depending on the stud contract of each stud owner, they may not take a puppy but it is a possibility.
Our Process:
We raise our puppies with Early Neurological Stimulation which is proven in studies to help puppies grow up to better respond to new stimuli; from there we raise our puppies following the Puppy Culture curriculum for raising puppies to socialization them to new stimuli in the home & world and give them the building blocks to learn and accept training. We begin potty training & kennel training, but at 8 weeks of age it is unrealistic to expect your puppy to be finished with potty training. Puppies are wormed at 2, 4, 6 & 8 weeks of age with Pyrantel and/or Fenbendazole. At their 6 Week Vet check, we run a fecal test to check for internal parasites and each puppy is checked over by a veterinarian and receives their first puppy vaccine at their visit. We run an Embark DNA test on each puppy, we will include a .pdf of your puppy's results which includes both health test results & color/trait results.
Pricing & Deposits:
We ask for a $300 non-refundable deposit that is applied to the purchase price of your puppy, if you would like to place a deposit please email, message or call us for our application. We like to do a phone or video call with our prospective puppy buyers to get to know you. Once the puppies are born, we will upload photos & videos and then like to do a video chat or puppy meet up around 4-5 weeks when they begin to show personalities, we also try to take the puppies to local small-scale socialization opportunities.
Prices are the same for male & female, all colors. Prices range between $2000 - $2500 for limited registration, prices are subject to change and will be updated on the website.
We match puppies to their families. What is our process? Communication and conversation, because we breed for both sport & companionship it is important to us that dogs with attributes that best align to a sport home are matched to a sport home, and the attributes our companion families seek also get matched with those attributes. We do try to offer the choice between at least two puppies as much as possible, and we will discuss their similarities and differences. When looking at our deposit list, please do not take it as an "Order of Pick" because that is not why we publish it; I make it public for the sake of transparency to let folks know I have received their deposit.
International Buyers: If you are from outside the United States and considering getting a puppy from us, we will need to work through the details that are unique to each country. We will not hold a puppy without a non-refundable deposit, full price of the puppy must be paid for by the time the puppy is 8 weeks of age. Transportation & flight & nanny, USDA paperwork, requirements for veterinary work as well as requirements for age of the puppy before importing will all need to be discussed and determined. If you would like us to raise the puppy and take them for veterinary vaccines, there is a boarding fee & you are responsible for cost of the veterinary appointments; boarding fees and reimbursement for veterinary appointments are non-refundable - you are also welcome to use your own quality puppy-raiser, we will need to approve professional puppy-raisers.
Puppy Pick-Up: Puppies may join their families at 8 weeks of age, please plan to pick up your puppy by 10 weeks (unless your puppy is awaiting transportation with a licensed transportation company). We do work with an experienced & licensed ground transportation company that travels the continental United States; I am willing to meet within an hour drive for no-cost. If your puppy needs to stay longer, there will be costs for boarding at $100 per week and additional veterinary appointments for vaccinations to be sure that they stay current.
Deposit list for 2023:
- BH (Performance/Companion)
- RC (Performance)
- XC (Companion)
- C&BH (Companion)
Co-Own Homes: We are looking for potential co-own partner families for our litters. These would be dogs that would live & compete with you and your family, but would be used for breeding with Rust Belt Farms. This is a partnership that is intended to benefit the breed as well as our breeding program, because factually speaking I can not keep every puppy/dog that has merit and quality; I can keep and raise a few myself and I absolutely do, but if the situation is right then I think co-owns can be blessings for everyone. If this is something you are interested in please message us to discuss the specifics. We do offer a few options for co-ownership & partner families to work together, and because of the level of work required for both parties with health testing, breeding, competing, and producing the next generation - we need families that are good at communication & cooperation; its our goal to be equitable and work with our co-own families. We will only consider homes that compete, whether its 4-H, AKC, or non-AKC that is up to you what venue and associations work best for you and you enjoy. You do not have be at the top of the placings or highly competitive, because we understand that some folks enjoy dog sports not to be competitive but to have fun - I am the same way. If you are interested in co-owning, the best thing to do is reach out and talk with us and get to know each other.
Our Process:
We raise our puppies with Early Neurological Stimulation which is proven in studies to help puppies grow up to better respond to new stimuli; from there we raise our puppies following the Puppy Culture curriculum for raising puppies to socialization them to new stimuli in the home & world and give them the building blocks to learn and accept training. We begin potty training & kennel training, but at 8 weeks of age it is unrealistic to expect your puppy to be finished with potty training. Puppies are wormed at 2, 4, 6 & 8 weeks of age with Pyrantel and/or Fenbendazole. At their 6 Week Vet check, we run a fecal test to check for internal parasites and each puppy is checked over by a veterinarian and receives their first puppy vaccine at their visit. We run an Embark DNA test on each puppy, we will include a .pdf of your puppy's results which includes both health test results & color/trait results.
Pricing & Deposits:
We ask for a $300 non-refundable deposit that is applied to the purchase price of your puppy, if you would like to place a deposit please email, message or call us for our application. We like to do a phone or video call with our prospective puppy buyers to get to know you. Once the puppies are born, we will upload photos & videos and then like to do a video chat or puppy meet up around 4-5 weeks when they begin to show personalities, we also try to take the puppies to local small-scale socialization opportunities.
Prices are the same for male & female, all colors. Prices range between $2000 - $2500 for limited registration, prices are subject to change and will be updated on the website.
We match puppies to their families. What is our process? Communication and conversation, because we breed for both sport & companionship it is important to us that dogs with attributes that best align to a sport home are matched to a sport home, and the attributes our companion families seek also get matched with those attributes. We do try to offer the choice between at least two puppies as much as possible, and we will discuss their similarities and differences. When looking at our deposit list, please do not take it as an "Order of Pick" because that is not why we publish it; I make it public for the sake of transparency to let folks know I have received their deposit.
International Buyers: If you are from outside the United States and considering getting a puppy from us, we will need to work through the details that are unique to each country. We will not hold a puppy without a non-refundable deposit, full price of the puppy must be paid for by the time the puppy is 8 weeks of age. Transportation & flight & nanny, USDA paperwork, requirements for veterinary work as well as requirements for age of the puppy before importing will all need to be discussed and determined. If you would like us to raise the puppy and take them for veterinary vaccines, there is a boarding fee & you are responsible for cost of the veterinary appointments; boarding fees and reimbursement for veterinary appointments are non-refundable - you are also welcome to use your own quality puppy-raiser, we will need to approve professional puppy-raisers.
Puppy Pick-Up: Puppies may join their families at 8 weeks of age, please plan to pick up your puppy by 10 weeks (unless your puppy is awaiting transportation with a licensed transportation company). We do work with an experienced & licensed ground transportation company that travels the continental United States; I am willing to meet within an hour drive for no-cost. If your puppy needs to stay longer, there will be costs for boarding at $100 per week and additional veterinary appointments for vaccinations to be sure that they stay current.
Deposit list for 2023:
- BH (Performance/Companion)
- RC (Performance)
- XC (Companion)
- C&BH (Companion)
Co-Own Homes: We are looking for potential co-own partner families for our litters. These would be dogs that would live & compete with you and your family, but would be used for breeding with Rust Belt Farms. This is a partnership that is intended to benefit the breed as well as our breeding program, because factually speaking I can not keep every puppy/dog that has merit and quality; I can keep and raise a few myself and I absolutely do, but if the situation is right then I think co-owns can be blessings for everyone. If this is something you are interested in please message us to discuss the specifics. We do offer a few options for co-ownership & partner families to work together, and because of the level of work required for both parties with health testing, breeding, competing, and producing the next generation - we need families that are good at communication & cooperation; its our goal to be equitable and work with our co-own families. We will only consider homes that compete, whether its 4-H, AKC, or non-AKC that is up to you what venue and associations work best for you and you enjoy. You do not have be at the top of the placings or highly competitive, because we understand that some folks enjoy dog sports not to be competitive but to have fun - I am the same way. If you are interested in co-owning, the best thing to do is reach out and talk with us and get to know each other.
Litter Plans for 2024
These are our intended plans for 2023 for our litters and are subject to change at anytime. When it comes to breeding dogs the saying "Man plans, God laughs" is quite applicable; there are so many variables that can affect breeding dogs and result in a change of plans. If its an AI breeding - overnight shipping might get lost or arrive too late, the semen might arrive and be infertile, the female might run an unusual cycle and force a change of plans; inclement weather and major holidays might mean that plans are forced to change because the Reproductive Veterinary office is closed or travel would be too dangerous.
With that being said - the breeding plans that are always the most likely are the ones where I either own the stud OR he lives very close. However, I also like to do litters with stud outside of my local area as well, its certainly more work but I do my best to bring the plan together. I do also tend to make a Plan B, and Plan C....but first I work very hard to be successful with Plan A; my back-up Plans are always well thought out and researched too.
With that being said - the breeding plans that are always the most likely are the ones where I either own the stud OR he lives very close. However, I also like to do litters with stud outside of my local area as well, its certainly more work but I do my best to bring the plan together. I do also tend to make a Plan B, and Plan C....but first I work very hard to be successful with Plan A; my back-up Plans are always well thought out and researched too.
Dany x Arson - Planned Summertime 2024
Dany x "Arson" Zero G's Jam-min' Accelerant - Summer/Fall 2024
The plan is for this to be Dany's last litter before being spayed. Dany produces her gentle, loving, easy-going temperament, Dany is high-drive but also has just as good of an off switch and likes sleeping on the couch while my kids play or watching Netflix. Dany is a ham and loves to play for the crowd, when they cheer for her at disc she tries harder and loves the attention from people when we are competing. We are planning this breeding with Arson from Zero Gravity in Canada, we had attempted AI for this breeding in June 2023 but unfortunately it was not successful - so we are looking at travel plans for getting Dany to Arson for a romantic vacation. Arson is a very well known sport stud for producing flyball, disc, and agility dogs all across the United States, Canada, and Europe; Arson himself competes in disc, flyball and agility. Arson's sire is Edge from Ankle Bitin' Aussies, one of the first Minis to champion in herding.
Tails & dewclaws will be left natural.
**This litter has a HIGH level of interest, we have received quite a few applications & inquiries, we will accept deposits when the puppies are born. Because of the high-cost of this breeding, puppies will be $2500**
The plan is for this to be Dany's last litter before being spayed. Dany produces her gentle, loving, easy-going temperament, Dany is high-drive but also has just as good of an off switch and likes sleeping on the couch while my kids play or watching Netflix. Dany is a ham and loves to play for the crowd, when they cheer for her at disc she tries harder and loves the attention from people when we are competing. We are planning this breeding with Arson from Zero Gravity in Canada, we had attempted AI for this breeding in June 2023 but unfortunately it was not successful - so we are looking at travel plans for getting Dany to Arson for a romantic vacation. Arson is a very well known sport stud for producing flyball, disc, and agility dogs all across the United States, Canada, and Europe; Arson himself competes in disc, flyball and agility. Arson's sire is Edge from Ankle Bitin' Aussies, one of the first Minis to champion in herding.
Tails & dewclaws will be left natural.
**This litter has a HIGH level of interest, we have received quite a few applications & inquiries, we will accept deposits when the puppies are born. Because of the high-cost of this breeding, puppies will be $2500**
Macha x Crush - Puppies are due the end of August 2024
Macha has been bred to an amazing up and coming sport stud for her next litter; he is actively competing and excelling in sports currently. I would expect this litter to have smart minds, quick learning, and find their joy in all types of sports from a young age. This is a powerhouse litter with some of the best sport lines in multiple dog sports; they have multiple family members rocking the podium in disc, agility, and flyball. All puppies will keep their natural tails and dew claws, Macha is a carrier for PRA and the sire for MDR1+; Macha can only produce black puppies so expected colors are Black Tri and Blue Merle.
There will be a deposit list for this litter and we will be accepting deposits once we do an X-Ray before the puppies are born. If you would like to get onto the deposit list, please send us a message or an email so that we can add you onto the waiting list. We are very excited for this cross!
Currently the waiting list has five pups reserved - we are going to pause it at this number, and may open it later if there are more than five puppies or their are changes.
We would ideally like to find a co-own/breeder home that is willing to keep a sport male intact; please contact us if you are open to this.
There will be a deposit list for this litter and we will be accepting deposits once we do an X-Ray before the puppies are born. If you would like to get onto the deposit list, please send us a message or an email so that we can add you onto the waiting list. We are very excited for this cross!
Currently the waiting list has five pups reserved - we are going to pause it at this number, and may open it later if there are more than five puppies or their are changes.
We would ideally like to find a co-own/breeder home that is willing to keep a sport male intact; please contact us if you are open to this.
Sorry x ??? - Summer 2024
Sorry is our girl that we purchased from Tresrullah Miniature American Shepherds and Australian Shepherds in Ontario Canada, she is a wonderfully sweet dog and easy to live with; Sorry has phenomenal conformation and took Best of Winners and Best of Opposite over other fantastic Minis with 20 dogs entered; at MASCUSA Nationals Sorry placed 3rd in Open Blue Merle Bitches as well. Sorry has decent athleticism, and likes to do the Aussie jump & spin mid air, she has a lot of food drive, has not yet displayed toy drive and handles high stress environments smoothly. I would say that Sorry is low-medium drive and energy, but she has excellent focus; granted I did purchase her as an adult and did not raise her as a puppy to see what she was like as a youngster. Sorry is gentle, affectionate, and just a wonderful dog to live with - she is the type of Mini that everyone adores and gravitates towards because she is cute and good natured.
Sorry's litter is a good option for versatility/conformation and companion families.
Sorry's litter is a good option for versatility/conformation and companion families.
Peach x ??? - Winter 2024/2025
Peach will be bred on her next heat cycle which could be anytime in late fall/winter in 2024, after she passes her OFA examinations. Maddie and I are considering possible options for versatility and performance while maintaining the wonderful type and size that Peach has too. This will be a co-breeding with Trilo Miniature American Shepherds.
A waiting list has begun for Peach's litter, it does have a few names on it.
A waiting list has begun for Peach's litter, it does have a few names on it.
Available Older Puppies & Adults
Orion - Australian Shepherd
He is an incredibly sweet and quick to learn puppy, he will melt your heart with how charming he is, he has a silly personality, food motivated and loves to play. Orion will likely end up near the size of his parents who are both 21" tall at the shoulder and 45-55lbs.
Orion's pedigree is a cross of HS Dan the Man, Certik-Bertik, Rising Sun Misko and combines Vest & Hanging Tree Australian Shepherd working/performance lines. Orion is from Nova & Kosmo's November 2023 litter, which is also Nova's only litter.
I am not in a rush to find him a home, he is a very sweet and clever dog that I thoroughly enjoy spending time with - but I am open to placing him if the situation looks like it will be a good match. If he was to join a home, I would like to see him join a home that is either a farm that he can help with livestock, a sport home, or a home that does things together outside. He is only available to a home that will keep him intact as a co-own for at least three years or to another breeder.
Orion has his full natural tail & dew claws, he is clear by parentage for the Embark DNA panel, he does have the Kbr gene for brindle which you can see in his tan points, this a common trait from his sire's side.
Please contact us to discuss Orion's price.
Orion's pedigree is a cross of HS Dan the Man, Certik-Bertik, Rising Sun Misko and combines Vest & Hanging Tree Australian Shepherd working/performance lines. Orion is from Nova & Kosmo's November 2023 litter, which is also Nova's only litter.
I am not in a rush to find him a home, he is a very sweet and clever dog that I thoroughly enjoy spending time with - but I am open to placing him if the situation looks like it will be a good match. If he was to join a home, I would like to see him join a home that is either a farm that he can help with livestock, a sport home, or a home that does things together outside. He is only available to a home that will keep him intact as a co-own for at least three years or to another breeder.
Orion has his full natural tail & dew claws, he is clear by parentage for the Embark DNA panel, he does have the Kbr gene for brindle which you can see in his tan points, this a common trait from his sire's side.
Please contact us to discuss Orion's price.