Goshen Golden Aussies
"...you created the perfect dog!" -L.M.
Hello! I'm Bethany, the proud founder of Goshen Golden Aussies, an honored Shadowlands affiliate, located near South Hill, VA.
I fell in love with the idea of Golden Aussies over 3 years ago. We carefully selected our Sona (Australian Shepherd) knowing we were hoping to one day breed her and that she would be our foundation dog who would launch us into breeding 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th generation Golden Aussies. We've endeavoured to start our program with good quality dogs who are both registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC) since it's known as one of the most prestigious registries in North America. All parents have been health tested through Embark to help ensure our lines represent the best of the breed. We LOVE breeding wonderful family dogs for wonderful families!
Since our goal is to produce wonderful family dogs, we’ll be raising our litters with many of the Puppy Culture™ and Empowered Breeder’s protocols to give our puppies a solid foundation. Exposing very young puppies to brief and mildly stressful desensitization protocols stimulates their hormonal, adrenal, and pituitary systems, priming a more balanced response to future stressors. This includes ENS (Early Neurological stimulation), early litter training to help with potty training, introduction to crate training, and exposure to many sounds and new experiences like going for car rides and being well socialized. I've done Puppy Culture with my last two litters and I believe it's really set my pups apart from many. I've recently learned about the Empowered Breeder's Program which has been designed to help produce service and therapy dogs. I believe it will further help our pups go into any situation. Both programs are quite similar, but the Empowered Breeder's Program aligns with my philosophy a little better.
Our puppies are raised in our home amongst the hustle and bustle of a busy family’s life. We also plan on providing them with carefully planned socialization exercises and experiences throughout their first eight weeks, the intended goal to produce healthy, well-balanced puppies for our buyers. Our puppies are indoor litter trained, which most fully master before going to their new homes, making outdoor potty training much easier for their owners. We also introduce our puppies to the crate and car rides in order to provide as smooth a transition to their new homes as possible. We regularly provide updates on the puppies' progress throughout their first eight weeks, giving our buyers insight into the puppies' personalities, as well as a glimpse into how much time and energy we invest in each litter. None of the above is to imply they are perfectly trained/acclimated before going home, but our puppies and their new owners undoubtedly benefit significantly from our carefully planned and dedicated efforts.
Our breeding stock currently includes four dogs: three female and one male. Our starter is a pure-bred Austratian Shepherd named Sona, and two of her daughters from separate litters are pure-bred Golden Aussies. These three are our female breeding stock.
The fourth is our most recent addition, a "black-tri" Golden Aussie from amazing lines in Canada, who will serve as a stud for the majority of future litters.
We have lots of photos of our breeding stock below, so feel free to read more and see some photos of our girls!
Sona is the queen of the program, our very first, and the dog who started our Golden Aussie program. We purchased her because we were looking for a wonderful, family-friendly "blue-merle" Aussie with a clean genetic profile to start our lines, and could not have asked for a better matriach. When she retires from our program, she will be promoted to lap-dog and spend her days watching her great-great-great grandchildren grow up among us.
Oh my beating heart! She stole our affections very early in Sona's first litter, and we just had to keep her. Her body style leans heavily toward Golden Retriever, as does her coat style and severe interest in carrying things around in her mouth proudly. She also has this really sweet tendency to sit cross-legged on the floor as if she's some kind of model. Any crosses between Koey and another Golden Aussie will yield second-generation Golden Aussies. She was "Winter" in our "Famous TV Animals litter.
Sometimes you can just tell a dog is special. Haven played tug-o-war with our hearts when she was a puppy and inspired us to keep her even though we weren't planning on keeping a puppy from her litter. She is of slightly smaller body size, a clean mixing of Golden Retriver/Australian Shepherd body style and coat type, is incredibly submissive and tender, and will bring the most darling of characteristics into our program. Haven is our youngest girl and is also Sona's daughter. She'll be 2 in the new year and we're planning on her having her first litter then! She's a smaller girl at just 52 lbs and is sweet, energetic, smart, and fun. Probably what most immagine a Golden Aussie to be. She has a little more energy than Koey but can easily chill as well. She does like to try to demand a lot of attention and sees all touch as love. Our vet loves her because she even thinks blood draws must be love because they're touching her and sweet talking her. She's willing to do anything if she thinks it will make you happy. She's been Embark tested to show lineage and health.
He came all the way from Calgary, Canada and adds amazing things to our pups! He's loving and a general goofball. He has so many silly antics which keep us laughing. He's eager to please, probably between Koey and Haven on the energy level, but he's still young so he'll probably become even calmer as he ages a little more. He's also low-shedding for this mix! He has less undercoat and he's more of an Aussie shed vs. Golden shed. Now don't get me wrong... this mix does shed, but we are working towards lessening it rather than keeping the high, constant shed of some Golden Retrievers. He has been Embark tested to show lineage and health.
Koey has successfully produced her second litter! Calgary is the sire, and this is their first paring together! The due date is one day after "Bastille Day", so the litter theme is "Les Miserables", with all your favorite characters from the musical film and even one or two from the classic work. Photos on facebook!
Photos of our past litters.
We absolutely love receiving photos and
updates from
previous litters. We truly love all of our puppies and it is delightful to see their progress as they
grow and hear from their new families about how their expierence has been, both with finding a new
companion through us, and with raising our puppies. Check out these reviews from those who received
puppies from us in the past!
"Working with Bethany to get our puppy, Kylo, was an excellent experience. One of my primary concerns was matching with a puppy that would adjust well to living with our cat. Bethany helped us pick a pup with a laid back demeanor and little chase drive. It was very easy to teach Kylo to leave our cat to herself and now they get along well together. Kylo is a sweet pup who is easy to train and plays well with other dogs. I also think that Bethany’s early training with the puppies made our lives so much easier. Kylo quickly adjusted to living in a busy city and it was easy to start training him since he already knew the clicker." -C.B.
"I have to say I had a great experience dealing with you, and would recommend you to others. You communicated regularly, readily available , easy to reach, responded quickly and took time to answer questions. Your care and concern for the dogs really came through in all your communications and photos, and was a big factor in providing confidence and trust required for a breeder. I appreciated Your chronicling of the pregnancy, birth and first weeks. Sharing those moments really showed your care, concern and love for the animals, and provided confidence of your intentions as a breeder. I was also very thankful for extra communications you sent providing information about puppy behavior, training and handling. It really is a testament to your commitment to raising well adjusted dogs." -J.S.
"This was my first time adopting a puppy and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Bethany was extremely informative and willing to introduce me to the pups through zoom and in-person, not to mention answering all of my questions. Benny was well-mannered when I brought him home thanks to her Puppy Culture training, waiting patiently for food from the start which I can tell has stuck with him. Would highly recommend if you want a beautiful, loyal, healthy, smart-yet-quirky, social, athletic companion with a fun personality." -B.D.
"We were so happy to find Spencer and Bethany who were planning their first litter with their female Australian Shepherd. We didn't care which one, last of the pick was fine with us. However, they wanted to match personality with future home expectations, so they recommended a specific pup. We went with their choice. So glad we did! The preparation of puppy behavior was incredible. Just a couple training days and we are a pack! We wouldn't trade Sammy for a million bucks." -W.C.
"I have to tell you, you have created the best dog ever! We moved, yesterday..and..today..our pup was amazing! He watched everything going on, he danced and played and stayed out of the movers way. He loves his new home. He now walks almost exclusively off leed, or drags his leash behind him. He listens to commands better than any dog I have ever had, and I have had many wonderful dogs. He loves everyone and every animal... You bred the perfect dog...at nine months old! Amazing, just amazing. Thank you!" - L.M.
We live just outside of South Hill, VA in Mecklenburg County, just a short drive to the NC state border. It's a little over an hour or so to Richmond Airport and Raleigh-Durham airport.
We really wish it were easier to provide a simple answer to this question. It's not as easy as just displaying a price-tag, because it tells you nothing about the actual value of the puppy. Our program is the result of countless hours of research, dialogue, practice, testing, working through curriculums, experimentation, tears, and prayers, and we can't provide a dollar amount without you first understanding exactly what you're getting when you get a Goshen Golden Aussie. To learn more about our program and our prices, feel free to send us an email telling us a little about yourself and we'd be thrilled to talk you through the process!
Simple answer? YES. Complicated answer? Yes-ish. There are options available for both ground and air transport of puppies, but the terms vary significantly (especially via airline). If you live outside of VA and are interested in a flight nanny to bring you your puppy, send us an email and we will provide contact details for groups we've looked into with very reasonable prices. On occasion, my husband has agreed to drive puppies to their new owners, assuming the trip there and back can be accomplished within a day.
Simple answer? Maybe. Complicated answer? Probably not. We cannot assume any liability for incidents related to the mountain of red-tape that usually accompanies attempts to ship dogs internationally, and we must leave the full responsibility to the buyer to thoroughly research and make sure they understand any and all laws pertaining to international animal cargo. That with those peculiar airline requirements mentioned above usually renders it too difficult and/or too expensive to transport animals this way. But technically...yes. It can happen.
This is probably the single most common question we get, and I can understand why. So often you have a vision for the animal companion you want to bring into your home and the general pattern is to go looking for a way to fulfill that vision. That's precisely what we did when we started breeding. We looked for a very particular manner, temperament, color, and even size, but mostly because we anticipated breeding and wanted to start our program off with the best possible ancestry. So when you come to Goshen to consider getting a puppy, it makes perfect sense to come with expectations and desires. Unfortunately, genetics tend to have their own way no matter what I want. I wish there was a way to get everyone the puppy of their dreams, but it has been our experience that the careful breeding and upbringing we provide for our puppies will more than satisfy all of your desires for a puppy, even if the precise body style or color can't be. We have had litters with only two merles and the rest black puppies, and we have had litters with two tris, one black, and the rest all merles. That's why we put all of our attention into breeding wonderful temperament, sweet disposition, intelligence, and a family-oriented focus into our puppies, because we actually had the most control over things like that without crossing an ethical line. If you join a list to receive a puppy, everyone's selection is limited to what that specific litter ended up as, and selection is in the order in which folks joined the list. If you'd like to know more about this, I'm happy to discuss through email.
The smallest our lines have produced is probably Haven, who is currently 45 pounds. The largest we've seen is upwards of 60 pounds, so the weights and sizes fluctuate inside that range. When Calgary is ready to stud, we will probably see a significant increase in dog weight because we anticipate him being a big boy. Haven might help balance out that size increase significantly.
Significantly so, but not as much as Golden Retrievers. Sona molts twice a year, so for two weeks, we are in hairmageddon with her, but in-between moltings, she barely sheds at all. That's typical for many Australian Shepherds. Golden Retirevers, however, are like the snow in Canada. There ain't no way you're getting rid of it. This mix results in a blending of those two coat types, and individual puppies might lean more towards one type or the other. It's almost impossible to tell which type they will lean towards until after they have gone home, but we are getting better over time at noticing it. Either way, warm up your vacuum, because it's gonna do some work.
Generally speaking, we've seen families that live in apartments have wonderful success with Golden Aussies. As a breed, they do well in an apartment as long as they get some attention from the family. Just be warned that indications from the dog that they need outside relief should be heeded immediately, because it can take a while to get them downstairs and outside, depending on what floor your apartment is on. Particular success or difficulty in apartment living would come down to the unique characteristics of each puppy. If you live in an apartment and are interested in putting a deposit down on a puppy, let us know and we can work with you to find the puppy who would have the most success in your living situation.
Information is pushed regularly through our facebook page, as well as here on this website, but if you want insider news, we do have things like waiting lists for individual planned litters. Send us an email if you want to stay in touch and we'll talk through options.
*Please read through our Q&A for answers to some very common questions before sending us an email.