Breeding Philosophy

As a small scale, ethical breeder, I breed primarily for myself with the betterment and conservation of the breed in mind. My breedings have a purpose: correcting a fault, adding virtues, cementing desirable traits. These breedings take time, and are often planned months if not years in advance. I carefully select stud dogs from well known, proven and health tested lines. My dogs are also fully health tested before they are bred.

I do not place puppies at the buyer’s request, but try to match needs and personality to available homes. I may not get the dog you need in my next litter. Please understand that I prefer withholding a sale rather than place a puppy in an ill-fitting home. My duty is to the dogs I produce, not my waiting list.

My puppies are all the same price, no matter the color, sex or coat variety. They are raised in a home environment with puppy culture, early scent introduction and early neurological stimulation.

If I do not have what you are looking for, I am happy to assist you in your search for a reputably bred collie.

Unless discussed prior to signing the contract, all companion puppies will be sold on limited registration. This allows the owner to participate in any AKC sport apart from conformation. The dog may not be bred, and it’s offspring will not be registerable.

I may occasionally place dogs as show prospects if they have the necessary virtues to excel in the show ring.

Collies require a gentle hand, therefore I strongly advise against aversive training methods and recommend a LIMA (least aversive, minimally invasive) philosophy of dog training.

I have been asked multiple times about the availability of service dog prospects. The answer is, unfortunately, not a short one. While collies are often considered part of the “fab four”, the fact is they are not ideal SD prospects, especially compared to breeds like Labradors or Goldens. Collies are soft and feed on the emotions of their handler. Especially for a young puppy, this can be very overwhelming. They can be opinionated and vocal, and a lot of collies wash due to reactivity intrinsic to herding breeds (movement, prey/herding drive). They are thinner and lithe, which means they can be unsuited to heavy mobility work. While some individuals excel at these “less usual” tasks, they are generally the exception and not the norm.

My philosophy is to place service dog prospects on a strict case-by-case basis. I strongly recommend working with a training program familiar with collies, and can wholeheartedly recommend Canine Defined. I understand that this may be a steep expense, but it is much safer than risking the dog washing due to improper training. I tend to recommend adults for psychiatric SDs, as they are better equipped mentally to assist their handlers. While I do not currently have any adults available, I can help you search for the right dog. Retired show dogs can occasionally fit this role very well.