h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've been looking for a good breeder of border collies. I though my experience in this area to date might be informative to some.

I (my own standard) define a good breeder as one who does no line breeding or inbreeding, socializes their pups from the beginning, has OFA and CERF sires and dams to breed, has a lifetime return policy (to me it says they care about their progeny), and preserves instinct.

I have spoken with about 18 breeders across the country, and maybe 4 fit the above qualifications, certainly no more than 5 (no, I won't release names, because I am taking these people at their word, and do not want to be put in the position of "endorsing" someone and being blamed should anything go awry). Almost all others have some line breeding, and some of them are inbreeding. I visited with my vet here (with Houston being so close to Texas A&M, we have great vets in plenty) to talk about the genetics of line breeding. How much is allowable? He stated quite firmly that line breeding was not necessary for an established breed, and that genetically related disorders and health problems WILL show up unless the line breeding is beyond the 5th generation. I have run into breeders who don't even know if there is line breeding in their sire or dam, because "I've never looked at the pedigree
that closely."

Very few breeders will have the puppies checked for CEA before selling them, and only one or two with whom I have spoken will guarantee the hips of the puppy (i.e., accept the return of the puppy and its selling price if the puppy fails its OFA test).

Contrary to popular belief, all BC breeders I have encountered breed for looks or looks preferences (ear-type, coat-type, color: this is human nature, IMHO), but none of the good breeders appear to do it at the sacrifice of ability and temperament.

In short, it is hard to find a good breeder (per my definition above) of BCs, and the fact that I have seen so much line breeding and inbreeding (even among seemingly reputable kennels and ranchers) tells me our beloved breed is in danger of going the way of Golden Retrievers and Cocker Spaniels.

Latest research on genetics emphasizes diversity in the gene-pool, and no matter who is praticing line-breeding/inbreeding (working dog people or show dog people), it is threatening to the life of the breed. Breeding for a small set of characteristics (whether ability or looks) is genetically dangerous, and ALL such practices should be ceased. There is NOTHING that line-breeding/inbreeding accomplishes that outcrossing cannot, but outcrossing does require more work to find a suitable dog.

This is one man's experience, i.e., I'm only a blind man examining the part of the elephant before which I have been placed.