WHY A RAGTYME BEARDED COLLIE? At Ragtyme we appreciate that it is still quite difficult for the average Beardie buyer to choose a knowledgeable, reputable breeder. What makes us stand out among the choices?
We are concerned about health issues. Sires and dams at Ragtyme are screened for potential genetically-heritable problems including those recommended by CHIC for our breed (hips, thyroid, eyes) but also areas of personal concern many other breeders don’t bother to screen (elbows, cardiac). Puppies receive preventative care and are vet checked before going to new homes.
We care about temperament. Our dogs are dogs anyone would love to live with. The Beardies at Ragtyme are housedogs; we do not have a kennel. We breed dogs with correct temperaments for the breed and although there are acceptable variations in activity level and drive, not every dog makes the cut into our breeding program.
We do much more at Ragtyme than just breeding Bearded Collies. The majority of our passion lies with showing our dogs in conformation and performance. Our dogs have earned many titles and awards over years. Never buy a purebred dog of any breed from a “breeder” that does not show! No exceptions, no excuses!
Each breeding is carefully planned to benefit the future of the breed. Although we do not have a crystal ball, our litters are the result of much planning and forethought based on over 25 years of experience with the breed. Enormous weight is placed on mental and physical soundness and proper type according to the breed standard.
Our Beardies are holistically raised. Only core vaccinations are given and on a very limited schedule. Over-vaccination has been linked to the development of many immune-mediated health issues. We are more than happy to mentor our buyers in this area as it may not sync with all veterinarian recommendations! We feed a combination of homemade/raw/holistic diets.
We raise our puppies in a hands-on fashion; teaching them about the world around them from birth. We start with Early Neurological Stimulation and they receive a variety of daily socialization which changes as they grow. We want our puppies to leave us having experienced not only life as a housedog, but exposure to strangers, noises inside the homes and out, car trips, collars and leads, etc. We invest a tremendous amount of time in our puppies to ensure that they are ready for their new lives as showdogs and companions. And that’s why...
We screen our potential buyers carefully. We try to match the right puppy with the right home based on the information provided to us by you. We are not salespeople; we are Beardie parents and guardians of this breed. We can tell you about the positives and negatives of owning a Beardie and can describe in detail each individual puppy’s personality and temperament at that time.
We remain your breeder for the life of your dog. We are here to answer whatever questions you have, no matter how old your dog is. Our support continues well after you leave with your puppy.
We will take back any dog we’ve bred no matter the age. We want our dogs to have loving homes for their entire lifetime. They deserve nothing less and we feel responsible for ensuring that. Our Beardies are bred to be mentally and physically sound and we back that up by selling with a contract.
Please be sure you find a breeder that you feel comfortable with as a mentor and hopefully even as a friend. Most importantly be sure it’s a breeder who cares passionately about Bearded Collies above all else. You may find a breeder who loves the breed. You may find a breeder whose dogs do a lot of winning. Finding both is rare! Verify sire and dam health clearances for yourself by going to www.offa.org
HOW DO WE DECIDE? Each breeder has a method for screening potential homes even if you are unaware that you are being screened? Here’s a bit of insight into what we do and how we do it.
Every puppy is unique! Their temperaments and personalities are the combined result of genetics and environment. This has been scientifically proven to be the case. This means that you bear at least half of the responsibility for the kind of dog your puppy will grow up to be. Our responsibility is to be certain we’ve matched the right sort of puppy with the right home for him. We look at things like lifestyle, number of family members, activities they like to do with their dog, as well as plans they have for their dog. These are some of the reasons why we do not allow people to choose their own puppy within a litter.
Choosing the sex and color you want will seriously limit your chances of getting a Beardie puppy from a particular litter. Our considerations for a breeding have little to do with color! Breeding top quality dogs is not a “design it yourself” business for potential buyers.
Litters at Ragtyme are planned with the intention of producing one or two puppies with excellence in the hope that they can positively contribute to the breed themselves in the future. In matching puppies with future owners we try to be sensitive to the fact that our buyers would like to know which puppy will be theirs as soon as possible! Although we understand this, and work to accommodate everyone as quickly as possible we cannot make our final decisions about puppies until they are at least 6 weeks of age and usually closer to 8 or even 9 weeks. We may occasionally know that a puppy will be available to a companion home based on excessive white markings. More often we will need to carefully evaluate each puppy for potential show/breeding quality based on temperament, structure and movement, as well as occlusion, the presence of both descended testicles in the case of males, etc.
On occasion we may have an older puppy or adult available. This is usually a puppy we’d held on to at Ragtyme for a future show/breeding dog that sadly didn’t make the cut or a retired showdog that deserves their own family. All of these dogs will be trained, socialized, healthy and well-loved and it is a lucky person who ends up in the right place at the right time to end up finding one! Older puppies or adult dogs will be priced according to the amount of training and additional socialization they’ve had. (In other words, they will be more expensive. This is not the “bargain basement”.)
The majority of our Beardies are sold on a companion contract with a spay/neuter clause. The buyer is agreeing to spay or neuter at the appropriate time and understands that their dog may not be shown in conformation or bred. We use AKC’s limited registration to help ensure this which says that if bred, no progeny will be eligible for AKC registration. Most of our companion puppies could easily earn AKC championships but we prefer that the majority of our dogs simply go to loving forever homes. This contract does not limit participation in anything else with your Beardie. You are welcome to do obedience, rally obedience, herding, agility, flyball, etc. and we will be your biggest cheerleaders! Our companion puppies start at $1800.00 and we do offer rebates for AKC or UKC titles earned. Tremendous care, expertise, time and effort go into the breeding and raising of Ragtyme Bearded Collies, and we would be most grateful if requests were not made for "discounted" pricing. Thank you, in advance, for this respect.
We do not take deposits for puppies. We want our buyers to feel free to walk away from committing to a puppy for any reason before they actually take their Beardie home. We know the right home for the right puppy is right around the corner. We sometimes ship puppies by air, but not every puppy is a good candidate for this. Vince is a commercial airline pilot (no we do not get any discounts on shipping pets) and we still have many concerns about air travel for dogs. Baby puppies often accept flying easier than older puppies or adults do simply because the socialization window is open and they haven’t identified “normal” yet. However, the rough handling and loud scary noises in the presence of strangers without us or the other dogs they’ve known since birth is a frightening, often traumatizing event which can have permanent consequences. If at all possible, please arrange to drive here or fly here and take your puppy home in the cabin with you (a completely different experience for them). Alternatively you *might* be able to persuade me to fly your puppy to you for a fee. All transportation costs including necessary crate, health certificate, kennel overnight for travel to other countries etc. are the sole responsibility of the buyer.
