Windmill Australian Shepherds

Windmill Australian Shepherds is a highly accomplished breeding and training kennel specializing in Australian Shepherds for stockdog, agility, obedience, and conformation sports. The trainer, Gina Larson, has been involved with Australian Shepherds since 1965 and has been breeding and training since 1978. She is ASCA and AKC registered, with a Hall of Fame kennel status and DNA-certified breeding program. Her dogs are bred for mental stability, structural soundness, and athleticism, with all breeding stock undergoing extensive genetic testing for MDR1, HSF4, DM, and PRA. Puppies are raised using Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and the Puppy Culture protocol to ensure they are well-socialized and prepared for advanced training. Training focuses on competition-level performance in agility, obedience, and herding, with an emphasis on health, longevity, and temperament. While the website highlights breeding and competition achievements, it does not explicitly describe direct training services for public clients, though the trainer’s expertise is deeply rooted in training dogs to high-level titles.

The kennel provides puppies to owners seeking dogs with proven working ability and competitive potential, and many of their dogs have earned titles such as ADCH, ATCH, and CH in ASCA and AKC events. The trainer mentors others and has held leadership roles in ASCA committees, indicating a strong commitment to the breed’s development.

The website does not list direct training services for non-breed clients, nor does it describe group classes, private lessons, or board-and-train programs offered to the general public. Therefore, while the trainer has extensive expertise, the business appears primarily focused on breeding and producing competition-ready dogs rather than offering training services to dog owners outside their breeding program.

Accomplishments

Windmill Australian Shepherds is a Hall of Fame ASCA kennel (#49) and DNA-certified. Dogs from the kennel have earned multiple ASCA National Specialty placements, including top-10 finishes in agility finals, Best of Breed, and High Scoring awards in obedience, stock, and agility. Multiple dogs have earned titles including ADCH, ATCH, CH, and HOF status. The breeder has served as 1st Vice President of ASCA, chaired DNA and legislative committees, and is a lifetime member of PASA and ASC of MT. All breeding dogs are OFA hip/elbow cleared, MDR1/HSF4/DM/PRA tested, and DNA profiled.