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Goals To produce well rounded shelties which includes: |
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¨ Great structure ¨ Sturdy temperament ¨ Ability to participate in performance competition ¨ Suitable for family pets ¨ Winners in the conformation ring. |
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Always consider carefully from whom you purchase your dog. While the initial cost may seem to be your only concern, breeding any two AKC registered Shetland Sheepdogs doesn’t guarantee quality. AKC registration simply means they are purebred, not WELL BRED. Most people say they want “just a pet”. But there is a big difference between a healthy pet and one that will grow into a chronically ill pet with the subsequent, astronomical vet bills. And a big difference between a sheltie that LOOKS and ACTS like a sheltie versus one that is a sheltie on paper only. There is a written, agreed upon “standard” that reputable breeders keep in mind… a goal… a target to shoot for. While there are no perfect dogs out there, those of us who care about the breed, attempt to keep our eye on that standard, and just as important, willing to stand behind what we have produced. We are also willing to spend the money, and yes, pass SOME of that cost on to you (I said we were caring folks, not brain dead) to test breeding stock and hopefully avoid some health issues. We keep the best in order to improve health, structure and temperament with each generation. There are even some of us willing to start over with completely new stock when the dogs produced don’t show the quality desired. But there are plenty of folks out there who are in it JUST for the bucks. And there is nothing wrong in making a good or even obscene profit for quality products of any type, but profit by producing pups without any concern or knowledge of health and genetics issues isn’t what you bargained for. On the flip side, buying a dog just because it’s expensive doesn’t make it healthy or a good specimen either. So read up on the breed of your choice, and shop around. Ask questions. Find a good, healthy, happy dog from a breeder who knows about structure, temperament, conformation, and pedigree. If they don’t know ANYTHING about ANY of these topics, then you are dealing with a person who doesn’t give a hoot about the dogs. Everyone buys a dog with the intent of having them around for quite a while. Don’t you deserve a good one? |
