First Sheltie Puppy Breeder Question

My breeder did not test for thyroid... she said a similar thing yours did, that she has not had any issues with it so it did not seem necessary. I think she is a very reliable breeder and well-respected.

I did not dig up vWD tests in my Sheltie research so did not ask. Some interesting things to learn in this thread.
 
Thanks again for all the help everyone.

I ended up going with the breeder I have been referring too. She is very knowledgeable about shelties and has basically devoted her life to raising them and pets in general. I felt much more comfortable once I met her and saw her home.

The vWD issue was mostly a misunderstanding. The father had been tested "Clear" so vWD will not be an issue for the pups because they are on a spay/neuter contract. From the research I have done and what the breeder told me, as long as one of the parents is "Clear" the pups can only either be "Clear" or "Carriers" but not "Affected", so as long as the pups are not going to be bred, it's not necessary to test the Dam.

I ended up picking up my new boy this weekend from this breeder. He's a beautiful 9wk old named Oliver and the breeder did an EXCELLENT job raising him. He's completely crate trained, sleeps perfectly through the night, a dream to take on car rides, very social with other people and dogs he doesn't think are scary, and even knows what potty means when I take him out!

We're starting puppy classes today so hopefully he'll keep the progress going!
 
Speaking as someone with a dog from a great lineage, I would like to see thyroid added to the list.

From what I understand from my vet, the symptoms to thyroid problems can lie dormant for many years, however, it is possible to capture early warning signs of a propensity towards the illness. I'm not sure how early that can be done, however.

I also believe that thyroid is somewhat heriditary, so at a minimum you'd want to know about testing in parents and grandparents, if possible.

And as someone stated earlier, I would want to know more about their overall breeding program. What are their goals? If it's to breed cute pups, then I would run and run fast. But if they are breeding to attain excellence in standards, titling their pups and weeding out the non-contenders as companion pups, then no problem. Bacca's brothers and sisters are all reaching their Championships (and some might have gotten already, I don't remember). Bacca did not make the cull because he was cyptoid.

I would also look at how many pups they have in their breeding program. There is a limit to what is manageable and still raise social companion pups. And ask how new litters are socialized. I loved that Bacca's litter was raised in the breeder's own bedroom.
 
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