Written by John Buddie of Tartanside Collies
- Leave the sport no worse than you found it.
- The number of champions finished or ribbons earned is not the true measure of being a successful breeder.
- Some of the breed’s most important and influential dogs do not have the prefix Ch. before their names.
- Look to the grandparents!
- You don’t need to be a “big” kennel to be a great breeder or have a far-reaching impact on the breed.
- You can never outrun a problem – it will always catch up with you. Stand and face it before it overtakes you.
- Learn to see and appreciate quality in all families.
- Selection is what separates great breeders from good ones.
- Study a pedigree for its lessons about consistency, dominance, key/benign individuals.
- Know as many of the individuals in the pedigree as you possibly can through personal contact with them.
- Pictures lie!
- Don’t fault judge at the expense of virtues.
- Never give up virtues when doing a breeding. The breed’s future depends on the preservation of virtues.
- Breeding and culling for health and temperament are the responsibilities of every serious breeder.
- Line breed, but know when it is time for a judicious outcross.
- A breeder is part artist, part scientist.
- Know what you can and can’t live with when it comes to virtues and faults.
- In order to establish a line, have a picture of your perfect collie firmly etched in your mind and follow it to your goals. Pictures – males and females.
- Look to breed type to type when outcrossing.
- Puppy development differs from family to family. Study your family to understand its specific maturation process and pattern.
- Cultivate patience; individual dogs often don’t reach their full potential until they are three years of age.
- In brood bitches, a good doer is just as important as a good dog.
- Most of all, practice courtesy and respect.
