Happy Acre Kennel

25/06/2023

Happy Acre Sara bonding with owner Carolyn Hamm’s sheep.

25/06/2023

Happy Acre Sara and Owner Carolyn Hamm are an amazing dynamic duo. We are always thrilled to see what they are accomplishing together.

Carolynn has entered and passed levels of puppy training class, won ribbons in barn hunt, earned titles in trailing and locating, urban locating, best of breed. Judges and instructors enjoy Sara for spirited attitude and Charisma.

Just this weekend she came home with lots of ribbons from barn hunt!

Not only does she excel at performance and homestead dog related skills, she is forming a wonderful bond with Carolynn’s sheep. I don’t think there is anything these two can’t accomplish together!! We always wonder what they will do next.

Way to represent the breed in a big way here in the United States Carolyn and Sara!!

30/05/2023

After along day of fencing, we finished just as the sun was going down. Checked the electric fence. No power. No problem, we will check it tomorrow, the dogs will keep the goats in anyway.

15/05/2023

This breed really is understood on a farm. My Male “Miho” Mike in Croatian is not only a great family protector and companion, but he is the farm foreman. If he spent the night inside he waits at my feet in the morning anticipating chore time. A constant loyal farm hand. He keeps livestock where they are supposed to be. No geese on the sidewalk, no chickens on the porch! Today after being gone for hours we found the gate to the buck pen was wide open. Two buck goats, a wether, and a pony all standing in their pen. Only because we have the place entrusted to Croatian Sheepdog. The best homestead dog!

11/05/2023

04/03/2023

From Garoleen Wilson, owner of “Bobbi” now curly Sue.

“Curly Sue is handling the show environment with confidence. I am so pleased with her attitude.”

And we are so pleased as well that Garoleen is getting her puppy out for the world to see!

20/02/2023

We always love getting pictures and updates on puppies that flew our coop.

Here is Carolyn Hamm’s pup Sara. Isn’t she growing up a beauty?!

20/02/2023

Smart Girl!

20/02/2023

Curly Sue at rat practice

20/02/2023

I want to address a common misconception, misguided, or maybe misunderstood idea about shepherd breeds. It’s the idea the dogs need wide open space to run. I’m not necessarily disagreeing with that. My point is that people have continued to misunderstand the needs of working dog breeds. It would be a shame to get this breed started off on that foot. Many people have had the idea they are going to get a Shepherd breed of dog and have a really smart dog, highly trainable, who does a lot of tricks. The problem with this idea is it ignores a fundamental need of a working dog. These dogs need a job that has human interaction. Give them ample room to run and only tell them to sit and do tricks and your going to have a dog with issues. You can either work or play with these dogs. They certainly need good excersize, but that is not enough. They need to spend time with the owner doing something fulfilling to them. With my dog it can be as easy as not being left at home and riding into town and going into the local farm store with me.
Anyone interested in a Croatian Sheepdog must understand they are an active dog. That doesn’t mean they spend time alone running a big pin. It means they do activities with you. They are not suitable for an apartment that they stay in all day until you come home from work. But they are suitable to stay at home with your wife and kids in the house. My male can get after livestock and herd just like any herding dog. But he can also just hang out on the couch. The problem is many people saw the Shepherd type dogs as a novelty. Make no mistake the Croatian Shepherd is no novelty, it is your best friend.

07/02/2023

Our dogs are our personal companions first. We health test beyond breed club recommendations & post publically on OFA.org

25/01/2023

Mr. Bentley went to the vet to get his health certificate to travel. Besides Curly Sue, Bentley will be traveling the least distance to Colorado.

Mr. Bentley is always a hit at the vets office because he’s so sweet and cuddly and has the BEST puppy dog eyes.

We are thrilled with the home Mr. Bentley is going to but gosh we will miss this sweet boy.

21/01/2023

Bentley available

19/01/2023

Isabel the last female of the litter. She has a very dainty face with a tail that curls tightly over her back. Isabel absolutely loves and adores children. She loves to play with and follow our children around the farm and favors them in the family. She certainly responds extremely well to children. She is the most independent puppy of the litter when it comes to adults. She has been pretty confident around livestock. This is her with the family during movie night and has proven to be very adaptable. She may be the most difficult puppy to say good bye to especially for our children. She is a great mix of laid back and companionable with high energy and interest in livestock.

19/01/2023

Bentley enjoyed several romps in the snow today.

19/01/2023

Anna is zonked out, Michael is on his way and Miho is just enjoying the pets. He’s such a great family dog. You can always find him where Michael is.

18/01/2023

Mr. Bentley is a growing boy! 12 weeks old.

He is an absolute love. Bentley is still looking for the right home.

Have you been following our page and found yourself captivated with this breed? Maybe this pup is for you. Message us!

Personality wise Bentley is very sweet and loves to be with people. He is not as independent as some of his litter mates. He He will make a true friend and companion. He’s sharp, athletic and quick to learn.

He has:
—-> His 2nd Round of Vaccinations
—-> Rabies Vaccination
—-> Micro Chip
—-> UKC Registered
—-> Shows good herding instinct
—-> Loves Kids
—->Been Exposed to a large range of animals including cows, goats, poultry and more.
—->Behaved in the bath!
—->Happy, healthy, well adjusted and socialized.

18/01/2023

Snow day make for wild days!

17/01/2023

More pictures of Sara. Gosh she’s cute! Thanks for the pictures Carolyn Hamm!

17/01/2023

Sara the aspiring sheep herder looking on at her home in Washington.

We sure love getting pictures of the puppies in their new homes! Thankyou, Carolyn Hamm for sharing this beautiful photo with us!

15/01/2023

Curly Sue the aspiring farm hand doing chores with Joe and Garoleen. We are excited to see her grow in the herding area!

Thankyou Garoleen Wilson for the pictures of Curly Sue.

14/01/2023

Today we say goodbye to our Tempest girl and wish her all the happiness in her new home. She’s got a long couple days of travel ahead of her. We’ve been loving on her all morning, saying our goodbyes.

These dogs are so black you can’t even see her in the kennel! 🙃 Mugil Malai

09/01/2023

Little Bear winding down for a movie with the family.

06/01/2023

Thankyou Garoleen Wilson for the picture of your pup! She is a beauty!

05/01/2023

***** LAST FEMALE AVAILABLE!*****

Meet Isabel, aka little firecracker. She is the smallest of the litter, more delicate in build than her siblings. Do not let that fool you- this little girl is audacious. 💥 Bold. 🌟 Adventurous. 🌏 She does wind down nicely and does enjoy a good snuggle on the bed.

As she grows, we notice that she is very independent. More independent than her litter mates. This is a good thing in a Croatian Shepherd. Independence allows them to make decisions when working, and guarding your homestead from predators or varmints. We are excited about this particular trait with Isabel.
This trait can also be challenging- you will need to earn this dogs love and respect, to ensure good behavior. When you do she will go to the ends of the earth for you, and probably you alone. Her sire, Miho, is this way so she comes by it honestly!

She is sharp and quick to respond, always ready for action. For this reason I believe she would make an excellent sporting companion- agility, frisbee, etc.
She has a white strip on her chest that will likely disappear and has a full tail that she holds tightly over back. She has a desirable build and would be competitive in the show ring, should you decide to show her.

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Please understand that just because she is the last female to go does not make her the least desirable. We put great amounts of efforts into matching pups with prospective owners. This pup is still looking for the perfect match.

Isabel is available. For more info on this pup, message us.

04/01/2023

To further my post about knowing your dogs base instincts let me describe a situation when it can be of value. My dog (male) and I love to wrestle and rough house. We growl and pile. And personally I believe that’s healthy. But I always make sure that it ends with me above him. This doesn’t need to be anything threatening or aggressive, it’s strictly playful and usually ends with a good belly scratch. See dominance can and should be calm and assertive. That doesn’t mean the dog will not exaggerate. And that doesn’t mean I don’t growl back. He still growls and bares his teeth and we romp around. Dogs have a language, in part yes it’s smell, but a large part is body language. It’s important to recognize some of this body language. He’s able to be a dog and interact with me in his dog nature, but the relationship remains that I’m the master, I’m dominant in the relationship. THis helps with other situations that require respect for space.
In the animal world in specific with pack or herd animals it is natural for them to continually challenge your space. Many of us can see it clearly with horses for example when they step into your space to get you to move. With all animals personal space is important. And it’s a space and boundary that will need to be established. It’s important if you don’t want your dog to run over your grandma or to draw blood from your neighbors hand. Whether it happens in play or not.

04/01/2023

Just to set some ground rules, to maintain this page properly. It is our kennel page, and a platform for my wife and I to talk about our dogs, how we handle them, and communicate with people who have dogs from our kennel. It is not an open group for people to discuss opinions or training techniques. That’s not the purpose of this page. It’s also not a page for anyone to disagree with us. There’s nothing wrong with that, but again this is not a page designed or intended for that sort of thing. It’s inappropriate and out of place because it crosses a boundary of personal space. There are plenty of places for that in social media groups. We would appreciate comments to be respectful and appropriate. There is no reason that people cannot disagree with us, but again it takes this page out of context as this page is not the place to do it. For that reason I will answere appropriate questions but any questions or comments that do not line up with the purpose of this page will be deleted.

Thank you for following our kennel and being interested in Croatian Sheepdogs. We hope to be a positive influence on the breed and the relationships folks have with their dogs, thank you.

03/01/2023

*******EDIT : This Pup is no longer Available.******

Tempest is 10 weeks old. A couple different placements fell through for this pup, so she is available again.

Tempest is the most high power pup of the littler. Extra energetic, extra fearless, extra intelligent… she’s just a lot of extra!

She is incredibly friendly- loves everyone she meets. She’s always the first to try new things. She will likely make an excellent herding dog and is pretty enough to be competitive in the ring and in dog sports.

If we had to choose a pup from the litter with the most potential, it would be her.

If you are interested in her, please message us for more info!

03/01/2023

Like all dogs the Croatian Sheepdog is a dog.
I’d Ike to set out key points to remember when interacting with. Croatian Sheepdog. These points become very important in a very excited, powered experience that puts a dog full of adrenaline. At these times a lot of training and constant reinforcement becomes at risk because the dog reverts back to its base behaviors as a dog. That’s why I believe that it’s very important for training to reflect, to a degree the base behavioral instincts of a dog.
1: mothers often correct puppies by growling them down, teeth and all like an angry wolf. Standing over them.
2: what appears as a serious dog fight is often just a simple pecking order challenge.
3 yelping is a sign of submission
4 rolling onto the back is a sign of submission
5 standing up, holding an arm, or leg,or anything else is a sign of dominance

I have personally scene very dominated submissive dogs become dominant by just holding them up above other dogs. Keep in mind the way you hold a dog in the air sends its own messages to the dog. Never end play without being in a dominant position.
It’s important to be dominant in the relationship of a dog as it will not only affect your ability to communicate to your dog at their base instincts, but it will affect all of the relationships that your dog has. Always keep in mind the deepest secrets of your dog, their base desires, instincts and characteristics, which fluctuate and are unique to each dog. But no dog is not a dog, no matter how humanlike they may seem.

29/12/2022

These two. ❤

27/12/2022

Bentley is still in search of the perfect home for him. I’ll be honest I thought this pup would be the first one spoken for. Most that meet him are drawn to him. It leads me to think the right person just hasn’t seen him yet!

We call him Bentley because he has a little crook in his tail (presumed to have happened at birth) that becomes less noticeable as he grows. We find this little quirk to be endearing.

This puppy has so much character. He has an incredibly sweet disposition and is also so goofy and happy go lucky. When Bentley is in the room there is always lots of laughs and adoring stares.

He has a lot of energy and intelligence like both of his parents, which gives us good reason to suspect he’d make an excellent farm hand with the livestock, rats and general guarding. No doubt he’d be a great sports dog as well.

He has, from very beginning, been very curious. One of the first to venture out to new things. A favorite of our girls. If we could have kept two, Bentley would be our next pick.

Perhaps what we love most about Bentley is how he likes to stare into your eyes. Especially since his eyes are so loving. You can see him doing that in one of the pictures below with Michael. ❤ His eyes will melt your heart.

He will make someone an incredibly close companion and true friend.

27/12/2022

Well, this little girl is going to live among the Brat Terriers.
She comes home next week. We haven’t decided on a name yet. The grandkids call her Bobbi.

This litter of Croatian Sheepdog puppies is believed to be the first born in the US. The parents were imported by our Son In Law and became the foundation for Happy Acre Kennel
Croatian Sheepdogs are an ancient herding breed with a curly, weather resistant black coat.
This breed is UKC recognized so this girl will be riding along to the shows.
If anyone is interested in an active, trainable medium sized pet or sport dog there are still a couple puppies available.
****EDIT TO ADD*****
One of the best parts of having so many dog friends online is I learn from them! Croatian Sheepdogs can be registered with the Foundation Stock Service through AKC as well as UKC!
More dog show options available!

21/12/2022

Michael calls this picture “The 4 Croats”.

Grom is now with his family in New York! If there was a picture worth a thousand words, this would be it.

Sime and his family have a great love of their Croatian heritage just as Michael does. Grom is not just a random puppy to them, he is a meaningful part of their heritage that runs through their blood. The Croatian Sheepdog is a Croat’s best friend, loyal companion and helper in life.

What a wonderful family for this little Croatian Sheepdog to go to. We’ve no doubt Grom’s bond with this family will be incredible.

We are going to miss that happy little Grom around here, but are so thrilled he’s with his new family for Christmas.

21/12/2022

Grom is currently in layover in Chicago on the way to New York. This trip is wearing him out!! He didn’t make a peep on the plane. Sweet boy. ❤

21/12/2022

That look he gives when he knows he is in your spot but has ZERO plans of moving.

18/12/2022

Sara has arrived In Washington, her new home!

Sara will be a homestead dog, sheep herder and beloved companion. We couldn’t have asked for a better home for this sweet girl.

We can’t wait to see where Carolyn and Sara will go together!

17/12/2022

Miss Sara is waiting to board the plane in Dallas to fly to her new home in Washington. She is calmly watching the people go by with great interest.

After a 5 hour drive to Denver we stopped at a friends house for lunch. She was totally unaffected by the drive. She dove right in to her new surroundings, greeted new people and romped around like she owned the place.

We are proud of Sara! And we will miss this puppy so. 😫

17/12/2022

One of the reasons I love the Croatian Sheepdog so much is because I love history. We are all part of history. This breed is so unique as a working breed because of the lifestyles and culture that it was serving. It goes back to a time when Croats kept livestock in town during the night, a time when the stock was driven out into the surrounding hills during the day. When these dogs worked multiple species. Lining them up down the trail and running back and forth keeping them out of crop fields. A dog that drove pigs, cattle, sheep, and goats. The Croats developed a dog that was very alert, and intelligent. A dog that can solve problems around a homestead. A dog so energetic they will leap over stock to change sides of the line, run up and down fast enough to control the entire line. A dog with a good nose. And a dog that still does well with a family. This breed is an amazing part of history. And a testament to the strength of the Croatian people.

17/12/2022

Our first puppy leaves. This home will serve the breed well.

Garoleen, who is a reputable breeder of American Hairless Terriers, has been instrumental in helping us navigate what it takes for these dogs to get registered in FSS, UKC and AKC. Not only has she shown us the way in that, she plans to show her new puppy and help this breed burst onto the scene in the United States.

If you are wondering which puppy this is, it’s “Bobbi” whose new name is Curly Sue. We are sure that her and Curly Sue will go far together!

16/12/2022

It’s been awhile since we’ve posted pictures of Tempest.

She is 1 of the 3 pups still available.

There is so much to say about this pup!

-Biggest puppy of the litter.
-First in the litter to reach milestones.
-Most outgoing of the litter.
-Very dominant. The “boss”. Bossy as can be!
- Bold, strong, confident, incredibly intelligent, absolutely fearless.
-This pup has more energy than the rest of the litter combined. I’m not even kidding. That’s one reason we don’t have many great pictures of her or video. She is wild!
-Very friendly. Loves everyone.

This puppy is extreme in any quality she has.

This pup will only be let go to an experienced handler. I’ve no doubt that the right person could reach the stars with this incredible dog- sports, herding, protection, the show ring (she’s beautiful). This dog will be a dynamite and will be capable of it ALL with someone that is ready to put in the time.

Stay tuned in the next few days for some good pictures of this girl.