I am moving back to Ireland in February from USA & i will be purchasing a BC. I am willing to go to Wales or anywhere in Ireland to purchase a dog. I need to know if anyone knows breeders in these areas. I am looking for a male, classic black & white ? Any help would be appreciated. PLease email me at    eyemafox@hotmail.com       Thankyou

I would wait until you come back, as you should have no trouble finding one as they are pretty common :D

If you are interested in a Kennel Club registred one then contaqct the breed clubs which are listed at the bottom of the kennel club breed standard page.

If you want one registered with the ISDS then contact them.  Wtih both the above sources you should expect them to be Hip Scored and Eye tested (and with ISDS DNA tested for CEA).

You can pick up unregistered farm dogs quite cheaply but are unlikely to have had parents screened for Hereditary health problems and may even not be purebred.

Sorry  not sure what you mean but in both KC and ISDS BC's sire and dam should be  DNA tested for CEA,as well as the other tests mentioned. Also alot of breeders are now DNA testing for CL

What I meant is that DNA testing is not a requirement for our KC to accept registration whereas with ISDS it is.

Take a drive to Powys (Brecon National park) there are signs outside all the farms "Sheepdog pups for sale!" You can have as many sheepdogs as you want and most are registered,but beware of problems.Welsh hill farmers are not known for sentimentalisim or over kindness to their animals.

Are you saying

> You can have as many sheepdogs as you want and most are registered,but beware of problems.Welsh hill farmers are not known for sentimentalisim or over kindness to their animals <

that Welsh hill farmer who are members of the ISDS breed & treat their dogs in contravantion of the ISDS rules(which include expulsion if found guilty of animal cruelty & therefore the inability to register dogs with the ISDS). One of my dogs was bred by a welsh hill farmer & was ISDS registered She only lived until she 17 & the only health prob she had was a pyro aged 11 !

Clear eye sight tests are required by the ISDS but not DNA tests yet they are still optional. Membership of the ISDS of the owners of the stud & dam is compulsory too

Wires crossed somewhere then :D  Is it perhaps being proposed that the parents have to be DNA tested MM?

They are accepting clear  DNA tests in lieu of the eye test for CEA & this will mean that CEA sufferers/carriers can be bred from to DNA clears & the puppies registered. The dogs will still need eye tests for PRA though & they don't accept them under the age of two

From the ISDS site

Are you saying it is OK to breed from Carrier and Affected dogs?

Definitely yes, but only under controlled conditions. Following discussion with the experts in genetics, it was recognised that controlled breeding from CEA Carrier and Affected dogs could be of benefit to the genetic strength of the breed while ultimately permitting eradication of the atypical CEA gene. Most all animal geneticists will point out that it is very bad for a breed's health to 'ban' a single gene characteristic as this can easily lead to unforeseen consequences.

Why the insistence on pup testing before registration?

Once breeding takes place between known DNA status parents then the progeny have to be registered according to new rules; the reason for this is because they may have an unknown DNA CEA status. Even in situations where the DNA CEA status of progeny can be predicted, we require that the pups still be micro-chipped, and DNA tested if they are carriers, before registration. This is to ensure the integrity of declared pup status.

Why do you still require ophthalmic examination if a DNA test has been done?

The veterinary examination is looking for conditions other than CEA. For example PRA in older dogs, and various other conditions that your vet might talk to you about.

It's all on the ISDS site