Our Breeding Policies

Breeding Legislation in England, Wales and Scotland

A licence issued by the local council is required by law for anyone breeding more than four litters a year or breeding, rearing and selling dogs in the course of busness.

As Licensed Breeders; we are checked twice yearly by the local council's Animal Welfare Inspector to ensure that stringent standards are met and maintained.
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"Fine dogs of whatever breed are things of beauty.

The consistent production of them through the intelligent employment of the laws of heredity to perpetuate the desirable in the ancestral germ plasma's and to eliminate the undesirable is artistry of a high order.

And it is as an art, with a full awareness of it as such, and only so, that the breeding of dogs should be seriously undertaken"

- Kyle Onstott -

 

 

This is what we strive to achieve with our "ASTRA" Border Collies.

 

From before I can remember I have been involved in breeding animals; my Mum bred race horses successfully, my Dad was the first importer of Brahman cattle into Southern Africa, developing the herd to 1000 head and becoming the leading breeder, authority and International Judge, we also used labradors and standard poodles to retrieve wild duck and pigeon,  these dogs were also pets and used for breeding replacement working dogs.

 

Since 1987, my whole life has revolved around my Border Collies (and sheep). By the year 2000 I had a well developed plan of where and what qualities I wanted to have, retain or develop etc. into my working Border Collies in the years to come, developing a Strain of Border Collies that are recognisable as "ASTRA"'s.

 

To achieve this;

  • I retain a certain percentage of pups bred,
  • I train Border Collies to be useful sheepdogs,
  • I use the dogs for real jobs,
  • I follow closely as much as possible all the pups I have bred and have extensive plans to further this follow up work even more closely in the near future.
  • we do not purposely inbreed but if an accident happens we take full advantage of what God give to us, the good and the bad to make future informed decisions, read here for more details of inbreeding vs linebreeding.

 

I am constantly researching to seek out new Stud dogs and females with complimentray bloodlines, with the specific traits that I consider to be useful in the development of "The ASTRA SHEEPDOG" a strain of working and herding Border Collie with great character and temperament, trainability, structure, agility and stamina.

 

I shall diligently strive to keep the lines free of current problems like Hip Displasia, Epilepsy, CEA, PRA, CL, TNS, Blindness and deafness.

 

I shall continue to research, record and remove from the program, puppies afflicted with overshot jaws, crypt and monorchidism, fertility problems, bad mothering ability, sound sensitive, aggressiveness, nervousness.

 

But without your help! Astra Owners New and Old, we will not achieve our aim.

 

Please keep in touch with us thoughout your dogs life and if you should feel brave enough to breed with them we NEED you to continue to send us information on their progeny and their owners so they too can join in our research.

 

NEW RESEARCH: we are currently in correspondance with Canine Behavioral Genetics Project University of California, San Francisco

 

We require ALL owners of Border Collies with the prefix of ASTRA to contact us so that we can arrange a day or days to draw blood from your dogs so that we can help Melanie to attain her goals, and perhaps some of mine as well. :)