Collie Breeder

I hope it is okay to ask such a thing here. It's hard to find a gathering of so many knowledgeable dog people so I thought I'd take a chance. The breed I'm asking about is not a Molosser Dog. To the admins, if this isn't okay, just please delete the thread.

I am looking for a Collie breeder. Collie as in the old fashioned Lassie type Collie. I'm looking for an actual working Collie. Not a border collie or kelpie. I've been looking for a long while.  I'm told that I could find a worker across the pond to check Ireland, Germany, Spain, etc... I'm not opposed to importing if need be. I've been told a good many of the dogs working farms with livestock haven't had the aloofness bred out of them.

At any rate I thought people using livestock guardians might know someone who haven't ruined their Collies. The one I had was big bodied, very gentle with the little dogs & small animals & would not hesitate to take on a man or two if they threatened what belonged to her. People forget the old Collie was gentle but not without heart.

Any rate if anyone knows a breeder or someone with such a litter I would appreciate knowing. Like most breeds these days, the really goods ones have people who guard them well. I'm not looking for a show dog. I'm looking for a working dog. Thanks in advance.

Thank you Gary.  I will check out those links.

That's how I got my last Collie & my first German Shepherd's Dog. A farmer & his wife had a pair of Collies for their farm. The trouble is finding those litters. The other issue is getting one with good eyes. Collies have lots of eye problems & is the only reason I never had that 1 litter with my female. She wasn't blind but she had problems with her eyes. So I didn't breed her, not wanting to spread the problem even as a carrier. Darned shame because -except for the eyes- she was what a Collie should be all of her 13 years of life.

I've also gotten a very fine pup from a flea market, which goes against the grain of all the politically correct dog people. She was the last pup in the litter & they took her to socialize her. After meeting my husband & seeing that the man & pup were totally besotted with each other, they offered her to him. Best flea market bargain we've ever gotten. 
I appreciate the help. If you find more or run across something, let me know.

Thanks Gary. It's one of the reasons I really like this site. I figured it was the one place a person could talk about such things without setting people into an indignant frenzy. It is sad in the world of dogs that 'champion' in front of the name gleans larger importance than being a good protector of the home, companion for the children, worker in whatever his breed was meant for. The other reason I came here is I thought just maybe this would be a group who understand what I was looking for & why. So I appreciate it.

Thanks & if I find one, I'll be telling the world starting here first. If things keep as they are, I may end up looking for a pair. Crazy how scarce good members of this breed have gotten. 

Gary,
I had no idea the OC was being wrecked as well :(  I know there are people who would fight me like a rabid squirrel but the fact of the matter is the working dog's largest enemy is the show ring. 

I had many such herding dog breeders who sought to prove me wrong & used to bring their champions or titled dogs to have me test them for breed worthiness. Some of these folks have enough grit to understand their dogs 'should' possess the internal grit, the natural born instinct to herd. It doesn't require teaching. I've seen the natural dogs with my own eyes. Dogs brought from the city who have never seen a calf, a sheep, a goat or a duck. You put them in with 'dogwise' stock & hush, just watch. What you see is at first the dog begins to chase. Then mother nature flips the switch & the dog is no longer chasing but beginning to circle, to begin to learn the art of staying out of strike range from the cow's hoof, how if he drives too hard he splits the sheep & for many dogs the first split of the herd & figuring out what to do with 2 herds will create a moment of panic or worry, for some they try to keep them separate other immediately try to reunite them which relaxes the livestock. It's a beautiful thing to watch. I love nothing more than to watch a truly well bred herding dog take their first herd. I get chills thinking about it.
Sadly many of those folks who brought their herding dogs were often devastated or angry at what happened. I had cattle. I did not allow them to start on cattle because I knew my cows. It would be a massacre. I had a 4 month old Belgian Malinois who owned my herd of cattle. She was the real deal had been working my cows, goats & even the horses when needed along side my old German Shepherd's Dog & they could control the roughest livestock.
It has to be really hard to see your breed go this way. I knew the Collie had been damaged but I had no idea they were this bad. I can find some dogs that are gorgeous to the eye but when listening to litter owners from various kennels I'm hearing things like: Collies are yappy, destructive chewers, dogs who don't do so well in training. I discount half because this can be handler problems, poor training because folks don't always have the best education themselves to work with them but I've never met a Collie that was a yapper. When mine or my mother's collies barked you'd better go see & if it was that certain bark you didn't go look, you took, the rifle.
I'm staying tuned.  

Hey gary, i know a few aboriginal CO breeders if you are interested :) 

I have found a Collie. The puppy should arrive with in the next week or two. It will take some time to reveal if I got myself another great one. Stay tuned

So far I'm really enjoying the pup. She's a sweet little thing. Smart. She's easy to work with. She's got a lot more zip than my last Collie. She's got a hard side which I think if I foster it will mean she'll protect herself & her tiny Chihuahua charges & us to boot. My old Collie was like that she was just more intense even at 7 weeks of age. Just last night she showed me she has very strong interested in retrieving, tirelessly for an hour & a half. I don't mean a game of fetch. I mean place the item in my hand, sit on command, I send the item off & she trots to it, brings it straight back (nothing distracts this pup from her task) & places it back in my hand. I was dumbfounded as I haven't seen a pup so intent on retrieving. She's got strong herding instincts, if you don't believe me ask the 2 Chihuahuas who get really irritated at being herded. She also seems to be figuring out when she's got her blood up & is 'too much' for being in the house so she will ask to stay outside during those times. I hear her ripping & snorting around outside. She's got a decent nose but I think will improve with some work.
Overall I'm pleased with her. I hope she continues & I'll be putting her through military obstacle work when she's ready. I think she'll take to it like a duck to water. She won't be as hard as a malinois so I'll have to go easy & help her find her way to it. So far so good. 

I had trouble getting photos on here so let me try this way.

She's kind of gangly now & it will get worse before it gets better. She's getting leggy at this stage :)

 http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u149/peeperpuppy/Portrait%2016Dec2015_zps8ckzj4af.jpg

 http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u149/peeperpuppy/cool%20lighting_zpspdo0pj4x.jpg

Well the collie is 6 months old.  I have had my moments where I have wondered if she would pan out.  My old Collie was a serious dog even as a pup.  This girl has moments of being goofy however is an excellent watch dog.  Anything that doesn't belong & she raises the roof.  She's good at alerting on birds of prey.  She's starting to sort out "killer" rabbits as being not such a threat & has summoned us to dispatch rogue dogs & coyote from the perimeter of our yard. Yesterday & today she has shown me she will take on humans.  Oh she's not as strong as a Malinowski but the amount of snapping teeth & growling as she tried to drive them away from our yard wasn't impressive for a 6 month old Collie pup.  Pretty decent. I hope this is just the beginning 

Well the collie is 6 months old.  I have had my moments where I have wondered if she would pan out.  My old Collie was a serious dog even as a pup.  This girl has moments of being goofy however is an excellent watch dog.  Anything that doesn't belong & she raises the roof.  She's good at alerting on birds of prey.  She's starting to sort out "killer" rabbits as being not such a threat & has summoned us to dispatch rogue dogs & coyote from the perimeter of our yard. Yesterday & today she has shown me she will take on humans.  Oh she's not as strong as a Malinowski but the amount of snapping teeth & growling as she tried to drive them away from our yard wasn't impressive for a 6 month old Collie pup.  Pretty decent. I hope this is just the beginning 

Well the collie is 6 months old.  I have had my moments where I have wondered if she would pan out.  My old Collie was a serious dog even as a pup.  This girl has moments of being goofy however is an excellent watch dog.  Anything that doesn't belong & she raises the roof.  She's good at alerting on birds of prey.  She's starting to sort out "killer" rabbits as being not such a threat & has summoned us to dispatch rogue dogs & coyote from the perimeter of our yard. Yesterday & today she has shown me she will take on humans.  Oh she's not as strong as a Malinowski but the amount of snapping teeth & growling as she tried to drive them away from our yard wasn't impressive for a 6 month old Collie pup.  Pretty decent. I hope this is just the beginning