



Border Collie
German Shepherd
Sunflower
2 days old · Male
Forget Me Not
2 days old · Male
Hydrangea
2 days old · Female
Blue Bell
2 days old · Male
Hibiscus
2 days old · Male
Monstera
2 days old · Female
Daemon
3 days old · Male
Rhaenyra
3 days old · Female
I'm Atticus J., the breeder behind Von Guadachi German Shepherds & Audacity Border Collies located in Santa Cruz, CA. We are a dedicated preservation breeder of quality working line German Shepherds and Working Line Border Collies. We do performance sports, schutzhund, dock diving, agility, Barnhunt, herding, and more! Our dogs are health tested, titled, family members.
What makes your program special?
What are the different breed coat types in your program?
What are the different breed coat colors in your program?
Where do your breeding dogs live?
These dogs are already reserved or have gone home.
Caraxes
Male
Drogon
Male
Seasmoke
Female
Matterhorn - Pink girl
Female
Diablo - White boy
Male
Half Dome - Yellow boy
Male
Fuji - Green boy
Male
K2 - Sand girl
Female
Denali - Red girl
Female
Winx
Female
Secretariat
Female
Zenyatta
Female
Man o' War
Male
Citation
Male
Loki - Green boy
Male
Odin - Blue boy
Male
Draugr - Red collar
Male
Garmr - Purple boy
Male
Bragi - White collar
Male
Kraken - Yellow boy
Male
Thor - Brown boy
Male
Baldur - Orange collar
Male
Mimir - Pink girl
Female
Fury (Suprise) - White collar female (Girl 4)
Female
Envy - Lime green collar female (Girl 1)
Female
Angst - Purple collar male (Boy 4)
Male
Passion - Pink collar male (Boy 3)
Male
Nostalgia - Dark blue collar female (Girl 2)
Female
Trust - Grey collar female (Girl 5)
Female
Joy - Orange collar female (Girl 3)
Female
Irked - Yellow collar male (Boy 2)
Male
Rage - Red collar male (Boy 1)
Male
Eon - Boy 1
Male
Euphoria - Girl 3
Female
Eden - Girl 5 (Tula)
Female
Enchilada - Girl 4
Female
Everest - Girl 2
Female
Egg - Girl 1
Female
Atticus has been certified by Good Dog’s screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices. When you’re ready, reach out to ask about the puppies or anything else on your mind. You’ll get to know each other through messaging, phone, or video and pay securely, all on Good Dog.
Atticus partners with buyers to find the best match as the puppies develop and their personalities take shape. Typically, matches are finalized when the puppies reach about 7 weeks old.
“All of my puppy placements are made at 7 weeks old after several types of temperament tests to look at things live drive levels, confidence and recovery ability, natural off switches, work drive, and more. I also speak with prospective owners about their wants / needs of said puppy! ”

“All of our puppies are ABCA/AKC registered (Full or Limited) with a health guarantee, and out of fully health tested and titled parents. Our deposit amount is $650.00, and it is deducted from the full purchase price of the puppy to reserve your spot in the litter. Our deposits are non-refundable unless at breeder discretion.”
Atticus may provide a written contract or health guarantee when you purchase a puppy. This helps protect both you and your breeder, ensuring that you both have a clear understanding of the terms of your puppy purchase. If Atticus offers a contract or guarantee, the details will be personalized by them. If you have any questions or want to know more, don't hesitate to reach out to Atticus directly.
When you pay and communicate on Good Dog, you’re covered by Payment Protection.
You can drive or fly to pick up your puppy from Atticus.
Meet in Santa Cruz, CA
5707 miles away
·
Meet at Fresno Yosemite Airport
5661 miles away
·
Meet in San Francisco, CA
5675 miles away
·
Club memberships
Atticus is a member of German Shepherd Dog Club of America, Wild West Dog Sports , DVG , and United Schutzhund Clubs of America.
Certifications & recognitions
Puppy Culture Breeder, Associate Dog Trainer.
Atticus has been a member of Good Dog for about 4 years
Atticus was screened for responsible practices and has been a member since 2022.
Atticus’s links

Von Guadachi German Shepherds & Audacity Border Collies meets or exceeds our community standards in these areas:

Atticus J.
Chevy welcomed 6 puppies dual sired by Ash & Cazoom. 💙💙


Cazoom and Chevy's litter

Atticus J.
Brie welcomed 11 puppies by Finch overnight! 6 girls, 5 boys. 🐶🩷🥹


Finch and Brie's litter

Atticus J.
The pups have been enjoying their upgrade!


Arrax and Whiskey's litter

Atticus J.
We are so excited to welcome the Finch x Brie puppies next month! 🩷🙌


Finch and Brie's litter

Atticus J.
Updated 2.5 week photos of the Dragons litter! 💙🩷🐾🐉


Arrax and Whiskey's litter

Atticus J.
The dragons are growing so fast! Everyone got their nails trimmed this week. ❤️❤️


Arrax and Whiskey's litter

Atticus J.
Finch x Brie was confirmed VIA ultrasound this week and is due mid October. 🫶


Finch and Brie's litter

Atticus J.
An update from the whelping box - everyone is doing fabulous! 🐶🩷💙


Arrax and Whiskey's litter

Atticus J.
We welcomed the Arrax x Whiskey puppies yesterday, 9/10! 4 girls 2 boys.


Arrax and Whiskey's litter

Atticus J.
The puppies had their first DHPP vaccine today and all of them passed their vet exams! Healthy healthy babies. No murmurs, 2 testicles for the boys, and no hernias! K2, Fuji and Half Dome are still looking for their forever people. 💜


Ukon and Whiskey's litter

All breeds

Border Collie

German Shepherd

Border Collie
About Brie
I love love this sweet girl! She is truly so sweet inside and out. She has spectacular work ethic just like all of her half siblings that we own and train. She has upper medium food drive and medium toy drive. She is soft to handler, but very smart and has nice retention when being taught new skills. Social with people of all ages, and great with dogs of all sizes. She has a natural off switch, settles in the house with no issues and she is clean/quiet in the crate as well. I am focusing on herding, agility and rally with her. She is very thoughtful of her body and has excellent awareness in agility and herding. OFA Patellas: Normal OFA Shoulders: Normal OFA Hips: Good (Prelim & Final) OFA Elbows: Normal (Prelim & Final) OFA Spine: Normal Pennhip: R 0.45 L 0.56 Optimal selection DNA: Full Panel Clear BAER Hearing: Normal / Bilateral Brie is the mother to our Targaryen litter.(Finch x Brie)
Excellent health testing

Border Collie
About Finch
Finch is the sire to our D1 (Finch x Lil), E1 (Finch x Lil 2.0), Race horses (Finch x Snap), and Targaryen (Finch x Brie) litters. Finch is a dog that almost anyone could call an asset to their program. As an individual, he is a hard worker, biddable, with high toy drive, high work drive, medium food drive, and an excellent off switch. He has a nice loose and open movement on stock, and works sheep well. He is a nice mix of upright movement and lower movement, with more eye depending on what is needed, and has nice control over his stock. He stays well connected with his handler while working, without taking his eye off his sheep. In agility, he has a clean jumping style and is skilled in keeping bars up. He has tight turns, he runs fast, and he stays connected with his handler even through difficult courses. We dabble in a few other sports as well! His current personal best in dock diving in 20’11 At our first disc competition, he took second in novice toss and fetch. He earned his Starter Gamblers title with a third place, and that same day took fourth in Jumpers and second in Snooker. He’s a dog who truly wants to work, but doesn’t need to in order to be a good companion. Finch has traveled across several states with me, stayed in hotels, and spent weeks in a row competing and working, and also taken weeks off to enjoy being a house dog. He is velcro and a “sleep in bed on top of you” dog, but is also happy to sleep in a crate or a different part of the room. He is a quiet and polite traveler loose in the car or in a travel crate. He is social with people and loves everybody he’s ever met, and will work for anyone who asks. He can be passed off to anyone and will give them his all! He is social to neutral with dogs. Also loves cats and very small animal safe! He’s not a super soft dog but not a hard dog either. He’s lower to medium intensity and could create pets or competition dogs depending on who he was bred with. Finch’s pedigree is also exceptional. Both of his parents are working ranch dogs on sheep and cattle. He is the half brother to “Molly,” trained by Caliber Stock Dogs, who sold for $15K at auction in 2022. His last five generations include Imp. Nap, the 2009 USBCHA National Champion owned and trialed by Alasdair Macrae, Karen Thompson’s Imported male Jimmy who was the Welsh National Champion 2013, International Driving Champion 2013, All Wales Reserve Nursery Champion 2011, European Nursery Champion 2011, Defaidity Champion 2013, World Trial Qualifier Champion 2013, Welsh National Team member 2014, World Trial Finalist 2014, International Supreme Finalist 2014, as well as Spot the Scottish National Champion 2004 and International Driving Champion 2004, and Roy the World Trial Champion 2008, Welsh National Champion 2006, and International Sup Champion 2007, and countless well respected and trialed stocks dogs. Hips: OFA Good Elbows: OFA Normal Shoulders: OFA Normal Patellas: OFA Normal BAER Normal (Bilateral/Full Hearing) Optimal selection dna: TNS Carrier (Non-affected)
Excellent health testing

German Shepherd
About Whiskey
Meet Whiskey! My best fluffy girl. I would describe Whiskey as an easygoing girl with a lot of very fun and valuable traits. She has a great off switch and excellent adaptability. The day after she came into our home off transport she jumped up on the bed, slept, played with our dogs and was great with our cats. She is quiet and clean in her crate. Whiskey is very social with dogs of all ages and sizes, and she is social with people. She is very confident environmentally and is not phased by loud noises (Fireworks, loud cars, machines, ect) and doesn’t care about new and slick surfaces. She is very biddable and loves to work! Overall medium work drive, high food drive and upper medium-high toy/ball drive. Her obedience naturally has flow, energy and she brings out her fancy feet. She travels nicely and pretty much just sleeps. No anxiety. In protection she is super fast and sporty. She has a nice strike and grips are hard, but her grip can shift, so gripping and possession both need improvement. She has consistent barking in the blind. We currently compete in Barnhunt, IGP, Dock diving, FCAT, Rally, and some fun AKC sports. SV HD Normal (A1) SV ED Normal OCD 0 LUW 0 ZW 78 DM/MDR1/ Scott’s Syndrome clear Optimal Selection DNA Full Panel Clear
Great health testing

Border Collie
About Aslan
Ash is my main man. He is environmentally stable in all aspects and incredibly solid. He takes everything in stride - whether it be slick flooring, loud noises (fireworks, loud cars, gunshots motorcycles, ect) a new environment, new humans or dogs, or pretty much anything that comes to mind. He has no issues with adaptability or confidence. He is dog social with all ages, breeds, and sizes, as well as human social with adults and children. He truly is a social butterfly. He smiles at you with pure love. 🥰 He is intelligent, biddable, and very forgiving. I really enjoy his work ethic. He is progressing well in dock diving, disc, herding, barnhunt, rally, and agility. He is quiet and clean in the kennel, but he is entirely a house dog. He’s rarely ever crated and comes with us everywhere. He is a frequent demonstration dog for our training business. He travels with no issues and is almost always sleeping. He has upper-medium toy drive & high food drive. On stock he is a bit loose eyed and upright, but he knows how to apply pressure. He is soft mouthed and gives little to no bite. He is keen and he is currently trialing and we are working on achieving some more titles. He has been on sheep, goose, ducks, and goats. Ash is such a good all around family dog, and a good sport/working dog. I feel like he is a lot what the border collie breed should be. We currently compete in a variety of sports and herding. Optimal selection DNA - Full panel clear BAER Bilateral Normal (Full Hearing) OFA Hips: Good OFA Elbows: Normal OFA Shoulders: Normal OFA Patellas: Normal
Great health testing

Border Collie
About Cazoom
Cazoom is a perfect example of what i feel a purpose bred border collie should be like. At home he is so easy going. He has a natural off switch, he is entirely non destructive, and he’s just easy to have around. He’s fantastic with our cats, and he is also quiet and clean in the crate. In work he truly gives it his all! In agility he is forward, powerful, and med arousal. He has the ability to think through high pressure situations and keep a clear head. He is very athletic with a flowy jumping style. He has a nice balance of independent thinking on larger courses, but he is still handler in tune and he is always looking to do the right thing. Zoom is very social with people of all ages, and every dog he’s ever met. He is our go-to demo dog with our training business aside from his half brother, Ash. He’s a kind soul, and so easy for anyone to handle. He will work for anyone who has him, and he doesn’t care if it’s food, a toy, or love, he will give you everything he’s got. He has high toy drive, upper medium food drive, high pack drive, and low prey drive. Zoom does a variety of sports - agility, dock diving, rally, tricks, and more! He is also an animal actor. Optimal Selection DNA Full Panel Clear OFA Hips: Excellent OFA Elbows: Normal OFA Shoulders: Normal OFA Patellas: Normal OFA Spine: Normal BAER Bilateral Normal (Full Hearing)
Great health testing

Border Collie
About Chevy
Chevy is honestly just a good girl. In herding she is keen, has a nice steady eye, works naturally wide, and she only appropriately grips. Medium prey drive. Shes respectful to her stock and a calm, easy to work dog. She has not worked ducks yet but I’ve had her on sheep and goats. Chevy is very social with people of all ages and other dogs, Good in the house, non destructive. Clean and quiet when they are crated (which is rarely). Environmentally she is solid, not sound sensitive, and unbothered by slick or changing surfaces. She has medium food drive and lower-medium toy drive. She loves to train! Chevy is what I consider soft to the handler. She travels well in the car (loose or in the crate), and she experiences no car sickness or anxiety. Shes outgoing and happy go lucky in public / stimulating environments, and non reactive. OFA Hips Good OFA Elbows Normal Optimal selection DNA: EOAD & CEA carrier (Non affected)
Great health testing

German Shepherd
About Arrax
Fury Antares Slovakia • Arrax OB1 OB2 FITB DJ ATT BCAT DS Embark DNA: DM Carrier / MDR1 Clear / Scotts syndrome clear / CT carrier, otherwise clear SV HD A1 SV ED Normal SV OCD 0 LUW 0 Arrax was imported from Slovakia at 5 1/2 months old. Arrax is such a fun boy. He is goofy as heck in our daily life - he is social with every dog he’s every met (he has a golden retriever temperament), and neutral/social to people. He is good with kids as well. He is clean in the crate, but he does have FOMO when other dogs are being worked. Otherwise, he’s non destructive and polite. He is great in the house as well, and good with our cats, with no excessive prey drive. He loves to cuddle with his people. He is environmentally stable, and extremely adaptable to new environments. He walked out of the airport tugging around his leash and super excited to meet everyone. He has continued to show that utter stability as he’s matured. He has no issues on new surfaces, in new environments, or with new people/dogs. He is not sound sensitive either. In work - he is a very serious dog. He has rhythmic barking, deep gripping, and he is showing nice fighting drive. His obedience is very correct and energetic, he has tons of work ethic and loves to please his person. He is super easy to take places, and loves to hike, go to the beach, ect. He’s very smart and easy to teach things to.. I really enjoy this dog.
Great health testing

Border Collie
About Cruise
Cruise is a son of Hardrock Neal and CF Tia. He is a bigger boned male with a lovely overall temperament. Friendly and social to people, good with other dogs in the home (though can be intolerant with other intact males, especially if a female is coming in to season, and will correct other dogs for rude behavior), easy to live with, and fun to train. He is low arousal, with high food drive. He will play with toys in the yard all day long. He truly loves to work and train and loves all people, including kids. Not sound sensitive and no issues environmentally. OFA Hips: Good OFA Elbows: Normal Optimal Selection DNA Full Panel Clear Rough coated, blue merle Carries 2 copies of dominant black
Great health testing

Border Collie

German Shepherd
Excellent level
Von Guadachi German Shepherds & Audacity Border Collies reports to performing the health tests below on their breeding dogs. Ask your breeder about the tests performed on the parents of your litter. Learn more about health testing for Border Collies.
Hip Dysplasia (rDVM, not registered), Hip Dysplasia
Hip testing reduces the chance of passing down hip dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause hip pain and the eventual loss of the function of the hip joint.
Elbow Dysplasia (rDVM, not registered)
Elbow testing reduces the chance of passing down elbow dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause arthritis in the elbow joint and front leg lameness.
Eye Certification (CAER, registered with OFA)
Eye testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide range of hereditary eye illnesses including retinal dysplasia, lens luxation, and glaucoma, which can cause impared vision or blindness.
Patellar Luxation
Knee testing reduces the chance of passing down Patellar Luxation, which results in the kneecap becoming displaced or dislocated and can cause mild to severe joint pain.
Shoulder Osteochondrosis, Congenital Deafness (BAER, registered with OFA)
A breeder may perform additional tests on their dogs that do not fall into these general categories. These tests may be more uncommon or very specific to a particular breed.
DNA Disease Panel
Genetic testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide variety of hereditary diseases of differing prevalence and severity such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (an eye disease) and Von Willebrand's Disease (a blood disease).
Hear what other owners say about working with Atticus to bring home their puppies.

Aiden H.
Verified owner · Sept. 2026
Atticus is super knowledgeable about the breed and very helpful whenever I have any questions and is super helpful with training advice as well picking him up was easy and she helped make the transition to our home even better

Christina B.
Verified owner · Sept. 2026
I had always had rescue dogs, so deciding to purchase a purpose-bred puppy was a really big decision for me. I knew I wanted a second dog, and after a lot of research I narrowed it down to a sport dog, then specifically a Border Collie, and finally a female smooth-coated, working-line Border Collie puppy. I wanted a female because I already had a male dog, and I wanted a puppy because I also have cats. I was trying to give everyone the best possible chance of becoming a happy household. I also wanted a breeder within driving distance of home so I could be involved in the process. Finding the right breeder was probably the part that made me the most nervous. I had always adopted rescues and had never purchased a purpose-bred dog. I really did not want to support an unethical breeder or a backyard breeder. I started with the AKC puppy search, but most of what I found was geared toward the show-dog type of Border Collie rather than the working-line dog I was looking for. Eventually I found Good Dog and, honestly, I wasn’t initially convinced that the site did everything it claimed. But it seemed like a reasonable place to start looking, and that’s where I found Audacity’s Border Collies. From the beginning, the breeders were wonderful. They were incredibly transparent and communicative throughout the entire process. I have pictures of my puppy from before she was even born and essentially daily pictures until the day she came home with me. They provided lineage records for both parents as well as health-testing information, and they put an incredible amount of thought into raising their puppies. One thing I particularly appreciated was that they did temperament testing on the puppies and then used those results, along with what they had learned about our preferences and household, to choose our puppy for us. I had told them I wanted a female smooth coat and explained what I was hoping to do with my future dog, and they made the actual match. Looking back, I am incredibly grateful that they knew their puppies well enough to make that decision rather than simply having me choose based on appearance. The puppies were exposed to safe adult dogs, cats, people, car travel, indoor and outdoor environments, grass, and all kinds of normal household experiences. They started potty training, had veterinary checks, hearing tested, and received so much thoughtful early socialization and preparation. It was obvious that they weren’t simply raising puppies until they were old enough to go home—they were actively preparing them for life. They also registered the litter with both AKC and ABCA, which was important to me because I specifically wanted a working-line Border Collie. And the support didn’t end when the puppies went home. They are still in communication with all of us owners, and we still have a group chat. I have never felt like the transaction ended when I picked up my puppy. They genuinely care about the dogs they produce and the people they go to. Today I have the most awesome girl, Lobukhali. She participates in several sports, including agility, Treibball, Barn Hunt, and dock diving. She is confident, driven, toy-motivated, enthusiastic, and has a fantastic off-switch. One of my favorite examples of her temperament is at dock diving. She can go completely full-out when it is her turn, then as soon as her turn is over, she goes back to her crate and happily naps until it is time to go again. That ability to switch between intense work and complete relaxation is exactly the kind of dog I hoped for. She also has a wonderful temperament at home. She gets along beautifully with my other dog and is gentle with our cats. She is an absolute joy to live with, and I genuinely could not have asked for a better match. I am thankful every day to Audacity’s Border Collies for trusting me with one of their puppies. Making the decision to purchase a purpose-bred dog was a huge step for me, and I am so grateful that I found breeders who put so much care into their dogs, their puppies, and the families they go to. I would absolutely make the same decision again.
Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.
Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.
Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.
Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.
Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.
Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.
Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.
Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.