OUR Estrela Mountain Dog Puppy foundation
Your dog deserves the best Beginning...
We purposefully breed to the FCI native Portuguese breed standard to preserve functional structure type, predictable temperament, and versatile working dog attributes.
Our Estrela puppy litters are planned from health tested, working parents. We raise our litters with early neurological stimulation, livestock & environmental exposure and early foundational positive reinforcement training methods. We provide a 2 year health guarantee and lifetime support for our puppies. We nurture the instinctive nature of our Estrela Mountain Dog pups to give them critical life skills that will set them up for a lifetime of success. We know that the foundation we lay for your puppy will empower your puppy to be the best it can be.
We'd never say we're the cutest.
But these videos did...
Spring Litter '24
Newborn Babies
@estrelamountaindogs
Puppy curriculum
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BFFS
@estrelamountaindogs
Estrela Pups 5 wks
Best adopting experience ever. They go above & beyond!
- Raheel Gauba
"Best dog breeder experience ever. These people are so kind and professsional! I am in love with the Estrela breed now.
- Amy S.
"Very knowledgeable people+ amazing customer service!"
Tony Santos
"My puppy is the BEST!!! Best personality, best breeder support, and stinking cute Estrelas! I love yall!"
- Kiara W.
"I was worried about buying an Estrela Puppy from a breeder I never met. But OMG these people are great! My vet said my puppy is one of the healthiest pups they ever met.
- Megan Kranzler
"My Estrela Zeke is exactly what I was looking for! He is so handsome!"
- Cydnee Simons
Best puppy experience ever. They go above and beyond
- Raheel Gauba
Best dog breeder experience ever. These people are so kind and professsional! I am in love with the Estrela breed now.
- Amy S.
Very professional people + amazing customer service!"
Tony Santos
"My puppy is the BEST!!! Best personality, best breeder support, and stinking cute Estrelas! I love yall!"
Kiara W.
"I was worried about buying an Estrela Puppy from a breeder I never met. But OMG these people are great! My vet said my puppy is one of the healthiest pups they ever met.
- Megan j.
"My Estrela Zeke is exactly what I was looking for! He is so handsome!"
Cydnee Simons
empowered puppies
Empowered, well-balanced puppies ready to problem solve and defend your future.
We believe in raising quality puppies for working and companion homes. Our dogs are part of our family. They work with us, accompany us and partner with us. They love to do their jobs and give us love. They are exactly what the Estrela Mountain Dog breed should be.
Our puppies are born inside with our attendance and oversight. Puppies are introduced to Early Neurological stimulation to build immunity and increase stress resistance. During weeks 2-6 we focus on Empowered Breeder Curriculum activities along with introduction to livestock, poultry, cats and other humans. We introduce sounds, obstacles, objects and experiences to build confidence. We focus on house- training, gentle crate training, leash introductions and proper pack manners.
The many hats They wear:
Breed Ambassadors
Livestock Guardians Trustworthy
Best Friends
< their life's greatest work
Get Excited!
Finally a dog breeder that cares as much as you do-we know that each puppy deserves to find his best home and each family deserves to meet their best friend.
How do we help? We care about every part of the process: Our Estrela puppy litters are planned from complimentary adults with correct structure and temperament. We carefully evaluate our pups temperaments while they grow, and we have a professional litter evaluator come in to score our puppies. Using this info we can confidently match our pups personalities with the home they belong in! This scientific process sets our pups and their families up for proven success.
We pride ourselves on producing the best Estrela Mountain Dog Puppies here in the United States.
We have carefully researched and imported native Portuguese lines that are a healthy and mentally balanced version of the EMD. Each one of our litters is carefully planned, for years in advance, only using genetics that we know will be an asset to the future of the breed.
As a life long owner of active working dogs, health is a priority for me in every litter that I breed. Our Estrela Mountain Dogs receive all of the recommended health testing (and more) to ensure that we produce the healthiest puppies possible for the families that trust me to raise their new companion. We combine science, natural health care, and diverse diets to start our puppies off right.
In our program we wait until 6-8 weeks to conduct temperament testing. We know that waiting this long might seem inconvenient, but your puppy's gifts, traits and character doesn't always show up accurately at a younger age.
Our puppies are evaluated by us, and an independent, professional litter evaluator using the Volhard PAT testing and the Empowered Breeder's Curriculum. We test all of our puppies in social and livestock interactions to determine where they will be happiest as working dogs.
We take our breed health and the future health of our puppies very seriously. All of our puppies come with a bill of health from our veterinarian, their first 5-way vaccine, and an up to date deworming protocol.
We guarantee in our sale agreement that our puppies are free from life-threatening congenital or hereditary defects.
It's no secret that the LGD and stock learning curve can be intense when training up a new puppy. I get you. Each dog and situation can vary a bit.
We practice balanced, native LGD practices and will support you to do the same. We believe the LGD works as a partner with the shepherd, to support and guard his flock with intelligent defense.
In the unlikely event that you would no longer be able to care for or provide a home for one of our dogs, we want them back!
We care and love each of our dogs and puppies as much as you do. And we refuse to see them end up in situations that they never deserve. All of our dogs, will always have a home with us, if they need it!
We will continue to offer breed and training support throughout the lifetime of our dogs. We help admin several Estrela Mountain Dog Support and Training groups with other experienced, breed experts that can fill in if we are ever unable to.
We want you to have an amazing life with your new best friend, and are here for you through all of it!
What is Included
with our
Vet health certificate and records, first 5-way vaccine etc.
Parental pedigree and/or AKC FSS certificate
Genetic Health Guarantee and Signed Puppy Contract
Puppies
30 days of health insurance to activate on Gotcha Day
Training guides and LGD guides and support.
Lifetime support for puppy and breed information
Ideal Homes For Our Puppies:
Small farms and homesteads,
family companions,
home guardians
ethical trainers
NOT Suitable For Our Puppies:
Hands off trainers,
Apartment pets,
Non-secure fencing,
Bite prospects,
BYB situations
Our dogs require a purpose, and we are dedicated to finding them homes where they are cared for and fulfilled. This could be as a herd guardian with a hands- on gentle shepherd, a family companion home with secure fence and space, as a therapy prospect etc. Many situations can provide a life-long purpose for a Serra da Estrela to watch over and protect the people it loves. We will not be placing any dogs in unsecure or exploitive environments. We want them to be cared for, respected and most of all Loved appropriately.
If you're a great Fit, we Can't wait to hear from you!
the Portuguese LGD Breeds
Guardian dogs created by and for shepherds who give a damn.
We've redefined the Guardian Dog Breed Experience. And not only what the relationship with its owners can be, but how it can look, what it can do, and how it can partner with you. Throw out everything you know about LGD breeds: the Serra da Estrela is completely able to bond with both its owners and its Livestock and provide a formidable defense against predators without becoming a toxic aggressive liability. This breed was created over the last 4000 years by and for people who give a damn. ( No hands off methods need apply. )
The Portuguese culture is home to more recognized LGD breeds then ANY other country. Native methods are still practiced there today...and they are very unlike the methods used as best practice in the current LGD culture of the United States. We focus on nurturing the nature of our dogs. And we do not practice hands off methods. Learn more here.
Get to Know You
Puppy Application
Ready?
LET'S DO THIS
We Can't wait to "meet" you!
We match all of our puppies to the best homes for them individually through our Puppy Application. There are no right and wrong answers, and we value your time.
*Filling out an Application will subscribe you to our email list. You may unsubscribe at any time. A questionnaire does not guarantee a waitlist spot or a puppy. This is only finalized after we review, contact you, and you pay a non-refundable waitlist deposit as outlined on our Puppy Policies Page.
First Name
Email Address
