Choosing a breeder - HELP!

[SheltieLuver]

Good luck on finding a perfect puppy. I'm not familiar with any breeders in Utah, but I wouldn't doubt there's one hiding there somewhere. Shows are an awesome place to find a breeder and a new friend.

 

[Kelly]

It's because you're new - after a certain number of posts your posts will no longer require approval and will be posted immediately. We get quite a bit of spam coming through so have to do this.

And also because a lot of new members don't thoroughly read the rules or check the FAQ forum before posting. So sometimes they inadvertently break one and moderation allows us to send a private message. You will be up to speed in no-time!

 

[Mitchy]

Jealous!! I've only been down there one time, to watch a huge weekend-long agility match about 10 years ago. A lot of nutty dogs in one place, but tons of fun!

If you are not in a hurry to get a pup, they will have another one next year on the first weekend of May

 

[Foxy]

I think I'm in the same boat as AngelaW in terms of:

I also have no interest in someone breeding manic, psychotic Shelties. All the Shelties we raised when I was little were sane, mentally balanced, friendly dogs, but it seems like Shelties now have a reputation for being yapping, fearful nutjobs. Breeding basketcases because they look nice or can be debarked later is also a big red check mark for me.

This is something that has made me very cautious to choose a sheltie as my next dog. From what I understand now (thanks to this forum!) some bloodlines are better than others, and like you I have no idea where to start or what to look for.
I'm going to follow this thread and take some of the advice posted here.

And the problem I'm running into while looking up Sheltie breeders is that I am NOT in the know in this breed! I'm seeing some scary-looking dogs popping up on breeder sites that even I can spot the faults on... Some breeders are listing websites on servers I know have been dead and gone for about a decade.

This kind of thing is true for many different breeds out there. Especially the breeder websites that look like they're from 1995 (or actually are ). I imagine it's because a lot of established breeder are from an older generation and/or lack of time and/or lack of interest in an online presence.
I found my last dog (non-sheltie) breeder in a listing at a dog show... I think I got lucky though because I didn't know much about dogs back then.