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DarnFar Border Collie Pups

  
 
Our Dogs Our Breeding Standards Planned Litters
     
 
Breeding Philosophy
 
     
  Whether you are seeking a promising Agility, Obedience, Search & Rescue partner or a highly-prized  companion with which you share your recreation time, it's our opinion that a Border Collie should be bred to meet the herding-working standard for the breed.  There is no room to compromise in this regard.  A Border Collie is a herding dog, first and foremost.  We believe that dogs bred with high quality herding-work as the primary goal will make superior competitors in most any other performance event.  Dogs bred without serious consideration of their herding ability may not always make the best performance dogs, as they may lack the incredible work ethic for which Border Collies are known.   Even more importantly, dogs bred to "ideals" other than the herding working standard can result in a general "dumbing down" of the breed, which is a very sad situation.  Frankly put, if you want a black and white Golden Retriever, you should get a Golden Retriever.   
     
 
What Defines a Border Collie?
 
     
 
 
 Proper Temperament:   Good working Border Collies are not hyper nor fanatical
Willingness to Work with a Handler:   A well bred BC wants to please but can work autonomously, too
Character:   Border Collies should have calm confidence
Intelligence: Excellence in this trait sets the breed apart from all the others
Physical Soundness:   Reliable bodies are critical to perform herding work
Endurance:   A properly bred Border Collie should be able to work all day long
Agility:   Speed, ability to turn on a dime and stop instantly are critical
Herding Prowess:   The true defining feature of a BC, no other breed does it better
Stock Sense:   The ability to learn about livestock and make good judgments
Work Ethic:   Most humans are humbled by this breed's dedication to it's task

 

  
 
Our Commitment to the Breed:
 
     
  We are dedicated to the maintenance of the Border Collie as a working breed.  We believe that anyone who will love, properly care for, adequately train and adore a Border Collie should be able to take advantage of the breed's incredible work ethic and relish in the joy the dog will bring to one's life.  However, we never place an 8 week old puppy with "breeding rights".  All pups are sold on a limited registration.    
     
 
Pups with Working Parents:
 
     
  A DarnFar bred Border Collie will have working parents that we believe will have a positive impact on the breed as the world's premier herding dog.  We treat each puppy as if it is the one, special pup we choose for our very own.  We strive to provide early socialization and familiarization to a varieties of environmental experiences.  Our puppies are well socialized, healthy and gregarious and promise to be your friend and companion for life.  Since we often only breed because we want a puppy from a specific cross for ourselves, the wait for one of our special puppies may be long.  We happen to believe it is worth the wait.  
     
 
Are you right for a DarnFar Pup?:
 
     
  Who are our preferred puppy buyers?  We will consider placing a puppy with anyone who has a good understanding of the breed, has knowledge of and is tolerant of the odd quirks that Border Collies are known to have, can provide a loving, safe, secure home and who can offer a Border Collie the type of mental and physical stimulation that one requires to remain healthy (both emotionally and physically).  Border Collies require leadership, not just activity.  If you struggle recognizing this concept, it is probably not the breed for you.  We appreciate hearing from folks who have done their homework, have conducted thorough research and who have confidence that a Border Collie is the right dog for them.  Performance type homes (like folks who are interested in Agility, Obedience, Hobby Herding, Search & Rescue) are often well suited for Border Collies.  However, we have found that our puppy placement process also results in great matches with folks who simply want a superior companion and are dedicated to the needs of such a highly intelligent and physically active breed.  We are well equipped to hold puppies until we find the right home for them.  We are insulted when someone expects that we will lower our placement standards if we "have any left-over puppies".  There is no such thing, in our minds.   
     
 
What is a Border Collie?
 
     
  A well trained Border Collie does not have to be an overly active dog, especially indoors.  People often comment about how calm my dogs are.  I know that they could also be spastic and neurotic if I were to allow them to become that way.  It's very much about providing clear boundaries and limits for their behavior, especially when they are young.  Then, they can and do develop into very relaxed, happy companions.  Of course, they are best served with some sort of job, which can be any number of activities that challenges their minds, first, as well as their bodies.  
     
  As herding dogs, Border Collies can begin to displace their herding instinct onto "non-herdable" entities, including small children, cats, other dogs, automobiles, bikes, toys and balls, even insects or shadows.  So, it's very important to nip that potential behavior in the bud as soon as it begins to happen.  A good correction (not a "redirect") for any "eyeing" or "crouching" behavior may be necessary at some point in the pup's life.  It may seem to be very comical and entertaining, but it can and most often it does turn into highly unwanted, often dangerous behavior.  Correcting displaced "herding" behavior will not hamper the dog's ability to work real livestock, if one were to entertain that diversion.  The dogs can make a distinction between between livestock and non-livestock if the human helps them make the distinction.  
     
  If you are the sort of person who believes you have the right and the responsibility to impose your will upon a dog, then you'll probably be fine with a Border Collie.  However, if you prefer to believe that dogs should be allowed to have free-will and develop into the "person" they are destined to become (without your establishing expectations for behavior through sound training), you will be better off with a breed that will not find it quite insulting to exist with a weak leader.  The working Border Collie is a breed that needs leadership, but it is also a breed that aches to please.  So, you don't have to hit the dog over the head with a 2x4 to get your point across.  But, you will be expected (from the dog's perspective), to establish and reinforce rules so as to take away from the dog the need to set the rules, herself.  Otherwise, she may take matters into her own hands, and the resulting behaviors are most always destructive or unwelcome.  
     
 
 

8 day old pups

    
 
 
   
 
 

Titles that DarnFar Border Collie Puppy Owners Have Earned

  
 

This is not a complete list - if you have a DarnFar Puppy and want to be added to the list, send me an email

  
 
Dog's Name Titles Sport Venue Organization
Sprite CL3-R, CL4-H, CL4-S, CL4-F Agility CPE
Kolt  CL3-R, CL3-H, CL3-S, CL3-F Agility CPE
Sprite O-NCC O-NJC  S-NAC  S-TN-O  O-WV-N S-HP-N TG-N Agility NADAC
Kolt  NCC O-TG-N  NAC. O-TN-N  WV-N  Agility NADAC
DarnFar Black Pearl RN, RA, BA Rally Obedience / Obedience AKC
DarnFar Black Pearl RL1, RL2 Rally Obedience    APDT
Dakota
 Therapy Dog Therapy Dog Work Delta Society & TDI
DarnFar Dax CGC, RN Rally Obedience AKC
DarnFar Keen CGC Obedience AKC
Oliver Twist III AAD Agility USDAA
DarnFar's Scotty My Lad CGC, CD, GN, CDX Obedience AKC
DarnFars Footprints on the Moon NA NAJ Agility AKC
Oliver Twist III MX MXJ Agility AKC
DarnFar's Scotty My Lad NAP Agility AKC
DarnFar's Sophia Lauren NAP Agility AKC
IMA Spit Fire STARTERS RELAY SR Agility USDAA CH. Program
IMA Spit Fire STARTERS GAMBLER SG Agility USDAA
DarnFar Keen RN Rally AKC
       

 

  
     
     
 
Pertinent Articles:
 
 
Choosing The Right Breed The "Quirky" Border Collie Puppy FAQs
 
 
  Puppy Temperament Testing  
 
 
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