Mini Aussie · Miniature American Shepherd · Australian Shepherd · Portugal
Family breeding of Australian Shepherds and Mini Aussies in Portugal. Very few litters per year, genetic excellence, and puppies prepared for real life — from day one.
The Mini Aussie is one of the most intelligent and emotionally connected breeds in existence. It observes everything, learns in seconds, reads your emotions like a mirror — and loves with an intensity that surprises even experienced owners.
Well guided from an early age, it becomes an extraordinary life companion: balanced, joyful, adaptable and deeply loyal to its family.
I breed both. I live with both every single day. Here is the complete comparison, by someone who lives with both every day — size, energy, space, temperament and health.
The big one. The impressive one.
The compact one. The versatile one.
I am not a puppy factory. I have few litters per year — on purpose. Every puppy gets my full attention from birth. And every family is chosen as much as it chooses us.
Next litter to be confirmed. Waiting list open — get in touch to reserve your place.
Reserve my place →Planned litters. Breeding dogs selected from the best international bloodlines, fully health tested.
Reserve my place →No litter available right now? Join the waiting list and you will be the first to know.
Join the list →Our dogs live with us. They sleep in the house, know my four children, and are part of our daily routine. A Guardas do Berço puppy is born inside a real family, not a kennel.
My priority is not producing — it's breeding well. Every litter receives all my attention, all my time, all my dedication.
Every puppy leaves here used to sounds, children, vacuum cleaners, cars, strangers, vets, rain and silence. They don't leave to discover the world — they leave ready for it.
Our dogs come from the world's best lines, chosen one by one over years of searching. All fully health tested.
I attend every birth, every week of development, every step of Puppy Culture. I don't delegate. The litter is my responsibility from the first day to the last.
I don't sell the first available puppy to the first person who asks. My puppy will spend 12–15 years in your home. That decision deserves care.
"Having a Guardas do Berço dog is not owning a dog. It's having a companion prepared for life."Vanessa Gomes
A dog that adores children, calms anxious hearts and adapts to your life — that's not luck. It's the result of years of genetic selection with one single goal: temperament.
I spent years searching for the right bloodlines, never settling for almost — and today our dogs are champions and multi-champions around the world. But titles, for me, are a consequence: what I always look for is balance, sensitivity and the gift of family life. That's why a Guardas do Berço is unlike any other puppy you'll find.
"The sweetness you see in my dogs was chosen, generation after generation. That is my real work."Vanessa GomesMeet our dogs →
My grandmother bred several breeds throughout her life, and I grew up watching, learning, understanding that dogs communicate in ways most people never learn to read.
My training in Switzerland gave me a deeper, more respectful way of reading our dogs. The dogs of this kennel come from the world's finest bloodlines, chosen one by one with the highest standards.
"I'm a mother of four. My dogs grow up with my children — and my children grow up with the dogs. That's what a Guardas do Berço puppy carries with it when it arrives at your door."Read my full story →
★★★★★ 5.0 on Google · Guardas do Berço
"Vanessa isn't just a breeder — she lives and breathes dogs. Our Mini Aussie arrived home already socialized, calm and confident. We never thought it was possible."
"Buying a dog from Vanessa is a completely different experience. She knows every puppy's temperament and matches the right family. We felt it from the first contact."
"Vanessa's support doesn't end at delivery. She was always available to answer questions and guide us. You feel she genuinely cares about the dog's wellbeing."
If you've read this far, you probably already know which group you belong to. Places are very limited — and they fill up fast.
Everything I've learned in years of breeding, in one simple, practical PDF. Leave your email and get it now — and follow the dogs' daily life on Instagram.
