You are welcome to email me for details of any litters I may have planned

My  pups will be reared in the house, up until around 5 weeks of age, when weather permitting, they will be moved to a large outside run and kennel during the day, to give them more room to play, and allow them to get plenty of fresh air, and hopefully sunshine, which I believe is important in rearing healthy pups. If the weather is not suitable for them to play outside, they are moved into a large play area in my conservatory to give them room to play and access to fresh air and sunshine without the rain !

When my pups leave me, they will be micro chipped, and kennel club registered. The day that they are collected  I now  transfer the the chip and registration into the new owners name, so you just have to wait for the new registration documents from the kennel club and chip data base to be sent to you direct. The pup will be insured for 4 weeks from the day it leaves, and you will be supplied with a 3 kilo bag of the puppy food it has been reared on, details on worming and rearing, a toy it is familiar with, and a copy of my puppy sale agreement. I am happy to offer any help or advice that I can, throughout the dogs life. Please read my puppy sale agreement and my puppy notes that are linked below, you are welcome to print off a copy for your own reference.

A dog is a long term commitment, and can be expensive. Border collies normally live for 12 – 16 years, are you ready to commit to a dog for that length of time?

Apart from the obvious initial cost of the pup, there are a lot of other expenses to consider. Vets fee’s are very expensive, can you afford occasional vets fee’s or dog insurance ?  Do you like a lot of holidays ? What will happen to the dog when you go away ? Do you have family or friends who will be willing to look after it, or are you prepared to pay boarding kennel fee’s ?

Young pups need a lot of attention and time spent on them if they are going to grow up into obedient well adjusted adults, you can not leave a young pup to its own devices while you go out to work, will there be someone at home most of the time, to house train and look after the pup ?

Are you a keen gardener ? Most pups are, and will turn your well manicured lawn into something resembling a war zone in an amazingly short space of time.  They will also delight in digging up your prize plants and bringing them into the house for you, and fish ponds make wonderful swimming pools ! If you value your garden it might pay you to consider fencing off a dog free area.

To a puppy there is absolutely no difference in the large dog chew you provided, your priceless antique or your Gucci handbag, they are all equally chewable !

If you would like to be added to my contact list, to be kept informed of when I next have a litter please send me an email, going onto my puppy list does not commit you in any way to having one of my pups, nor does it guarantee that I will have a puppy that will be suitable for you, it is just the first step and I will notify you when I know that I have a litter on the way.

The same email will be sent to all contacts on my list, and it is then up to you to let me know if you are still interested in a puppy and wish to take things further.

Please tell me a little about the kind of home you could offer one of my pups, your experience with owning a dog in the past and the type of thing you would like to do with your puppy, i.e. Breed show, obedience, agility, h.w.t.m, or as a companion. This will help me to assess your suitability as an owner of one of my pups and help me to advise you as to which of my pups would best suit your requirements.

 Please note, I WILL NOT sell to third parties. I WILL NOT sell to dealers
 and I only sell to the UK unless the future owner is known to me and has had a dialogue with me for at least 2 years, or can provide a reference from someone that I already know and trust.

 Please be aware that I am not able to keep a puppy without a £100 deposit being paid, unfortunately I have been let down in the past by people saying they definitely want a specific pup, than changing their minds and not bothering to tell me. In the mean time I have turned away excellent perspective homes for the pup. This deposit is fully refundable if I am not able to supply the pup of your choice for any reason, however it is not refundable for any other reason, so please be sure that you, and any family members, are positive and happy with your decision.

If you are thinking of obtaining a border collie, particularly if it is your first, please read these notes, it may help you to decide if a border collie really is the best breed for you.

Border collies are highly intelligent, very active and highly motivated dogs. They are not, couch potatoes.
If you want a dog that is going to be left alone for long periods of time, and expect to be able to return home and find your house intact, and as you left it, then a border collie is probably not for you.

Do Border collies make good companions?

Yes, in most cases, so long as you have the time to devote to training, exercising, playing, and generally spending quality time with them.
A border collie will be quite happy to help around the house, following the boss around, accompanying you on trips out, helping in the garden, though not always digging in quite the spot you may have had in mind, so long as they have your company for most of the time, and you are able to provide adequate entertainment in a safe environment for periods when they must be left, they can make wonderful companions.

Are they good with children?

More to the point are your children good with dogs? Most border collies get on well with children, providing that the children understand that they are not just animated toys, that they need some place of their own, where they can go and rest or chew a bone, if not in the mood for play, and that they need to be treated with respect, they get hot, tired, and fed up at times the same as we do, and the children should be taught that if the dog wants to be left alone, then it should be left alone and not plagued.
My own children, now both in their early 30's grew up with an assortment of borders, and they were never growled at, nipped or herded by any of my dogs.

Are they easy to train?

Border collies are very smart. If you do not train them they will soon train you. If you have not owned or trained a dog before, I would suggest that you spend some time with your pup at a local training club. There are also plenty of good books on training, get them from the library and read them before you get your pup. Always be consistent, think from the beginning exactly what you consider to be acceptable behavior, or non-acceptable behavior and stick to it.
Don't allow a pup to do anything you would not like it to do as an adult.
It is funny to see a pup hanging on to your foot as you walk or dragging at the hem of your skirt, it is not so funny if it is still doing it as an adult, and learned behavior is often hard to change. The simple answer is not to let the behavior start in the first place. It is not reasonable to allow the dog to do something as a pup, and then expect it to change its behavior as an adult, If pup starts to do something you don't approve of, do not smack it or shout, it will not understand and will only become confused, and possibly even stop trusting you, just say gently and firmly, no, and offer some alternative, such as a toy that is acceptable. Chasing lights or shadows is also amusing to watch in a puppy, but can be pretty irritating in an adult, and soon becomes compulsive behavior if encouraged

Do they need much grooming?

A good brush and combing once a week is normally plenty, with maybe a bit more attention when molting to get rid of the dead coat. If you do not bother to groom at all you will find knots develop behind the ears, and the feathering on the back legs will become clogged and matted. It is better to spend 20 minutes once a week than a couple of hours every few months.
If grooming is carried out from an early age, even before the proper adult coat develops, they become used to it and will lie on a bench or table and often fall asleep while you work on them. If you do not feel able to cope with the grooming yourself, consider booking the dog into a grooming parlour every couple of months for a bath and groom.

Are they good with other animals?

If they are brought up with other animals, there is usually no problem, my pups are introduced to my cats at an early age, the cat soon shows the pup that they do not take kindly to being grabbed and chased and the pups grow up to respect the cats. You must remember though that they are herding dogs, bred for generations to herd other animals, and the herding instinct can kick in at any time. If you are walking where there is livestock, it is important to make sure your dog will come back to you the minute you call it, EVERY time, without hesitation. A lesson that should be taught very early on in the training program . A farmer has the right to shoot any dog that he suspects may be worrying his stock, and while you think Fido is only playing, the farmer will probably see things very differently.

Do they have to work stock?

No, but it is basic instinct to want to. This can be channeled into other forms of activity. Where I live we have free roaming sheep, my pups are taught to ignore the sheep, if we are out and they start to show interest in the sheep I distract them with a toy and a game, giving praise for their attention.
Unless you are in a position to work your dogs on sheep on a regular basis, I feel it is unfair to even get them started, and can cause frustration that can lead to all sorts of problems. It is better not to start at all unless you are in a position to do the job properly.
There are plenty of other activities their energy can be channeled into, like Agility, obedience, Fly ball, working trials, etc.