How and from which kennel should I choose a puppy?

First of all, we should have an idea of what kind of dog we want. What gender, what color, for what purpose (hobby, sport, exhibition, breeding, therapy, etc.). After that, it is worth looking at the Hungarian breeders to see who deals with such a color, e.g. what we desire. Let's see which kennel/kennels' dogs you like, which breeder you like. The choice is absolutely subjective. Let's inquire, tell the breeder what kind of dog we want. If we have chosen the breeder and we want the dog for a specific purpose (exhibition, breeding, sport), we must ask the breeder for his opinion on whether he considers the dog suitable for the given purpose. It is best if we can visit one or two exhibitions, where you can see both the dogs and the breeders in person. It is better to visit larger CACIB exhibitions or club events, as breeders and keepers of the breed appear there in greater numbers. (List of exhibitions aMEOES, that isAAPKK, and theHCSCclub page.)

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How much does a collie puppy cost?

There can be quite a big difference between the prices of the puppies, but there is an average minimum. If someone sells a puppy for HUF 40,000-60,000, it is most likely a breeder. If you don't give the dog a pedigree, it's pretty sure it is. However, it cannot be emphasized enough that the pedigree is not necessary because you absolutely want to exhibit or breed the dog, but simply because it proves the dog's origin. A dog can only be considered purebred if it has a pedigree, without a pedigree it can only be a collie type dog. There have already been a thousand and one articles on the topic of breeders vs breeders, so I won't go into detail about this, but I am asking everyone in tears: DO NOT BUY DOGS FROM BREEDERS!  Let's not support them! Don't buy a dog from them out of mere pity, because we can make our own lives more difficult with a possible bad choice. So the specific numbers: today the price of a puppy in Hungary is approx. Between HUF 250 - 400 thousand is realistic. Most often, a breeder asks HUF 270 - 350 thousand for a puppy. Of course, the price can depend on many things. If e.g. a mating is very valuable, unique, outstanding, and the breeder can ask for much more for a puppy of outstanding quality. You can also raise the price if you want a puppy of a rarer color or sex. They can wait up to 2-3 years for a Blue Merle female puppy, and there are many buyers for such a puppy. But if e.g. the dog has a defect (e.g. a bite defect) that excludes it from breeding, but does not cause problems in its everyday life, this can reduce the price. Many times the Hungarian prices are asked for a dog abroad. On average, a foreign puppy ranges between 1,200-2,000 Euros, but prices of 4,500 Euros have also happened. Of course, this applies to Europe, the price of an American or Australian puppy, including travel, can easily reach 1-2 million forints. If we cannot allocate so much money for a dog, but we insist on the breed, then we should visit breed rescuers (British Shepherd SOS- British Shepherd Dog Breed Rescue Association).

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Why so many?

Those who do not deal with dogs on a daily basis and really just want a family pet, -   with whom you can go for long walks, with whom the children can play ball, or who signals when guests are coming - often do not understand how a dog can cost 300,000 in forints. What does it cost? Several descriptions dissect the topic, most often including the purchase price of the bitch and daily feeding and vaccinations. Let's ignore these for now, because you have to buy the dog, feed it, and vaccinate it even if you just want a companion by your side and don't want to breed it. Although it is a fact that breeders often buy dogs from abroad, where the price (especially with a longer journey) can be much higher. As a result, the breeder will have extra expenses for a breeding dog: feeding, veterinary costs, screenings, exhibition costs, administration costs.

In order for the dog to be in good shape, high-quality food (plus food supplements) is needed, which can be more expensive than the food in everyday use. It is very important for a breeding dog to be in extremely good shape. Be strong, healthy, so that, for example, a bitch is not excessively worn by pregnancy and lactation. Therefore, the dog requires extra care.

Breeders don't go to the vet as often as most dog owners. In addition to vaccinations, screening tests, reproductive biology tests, pregnancy tests, and other extras can also take place. The price of a single screening test can be as much as tens of thousands of forints. Although the cost of dog shows is not a necessity, it is closely related to breeding. The exhibition is actually a self-check for the breeder, what he sees well, what he does well and what he should pay attention to (that is, regarding the condition and appearance of his dogs). In addition, it is important in many other ways. Another thing that a breeder spends a lot on is administration. It is often said that a pedigree is only a few thousand forints, that should not make the price more expensive. A breeder, on the other hand, does not only have to pay for that one piece of specific pedigree, but also pays an annual membership fee, breeding inspection costs, gets a litter name, registers a microchip, and the list goes on and on. All these services have to be paid for, and not once, but regularly.These are the general costs of a breeder. And to this comes the extra direct cost of bringing a litter and raising the puppies. The cost of coverage (which can be many hundreds of thousands of forints including travel in the case of a foreign coverage), the cost of extra feeding of the bitch, the purchase of the appropriate supplies to ensure that both the mother dog and the puppies receive the best care. And these must be paid to the breeder even if only one or two puppies are born in the litter. For one litter, only the direct costs can reach hundreds of thousands of forints. The realistic price for a collie puppy in Hungary today would actually be at least HUF 400-450 thousand, but the Hungarian market would not support this. Thus, the breeders mostly sell the puppies below the European average price.

A breeder vomits fitfully on all of these. You don't pay for administration, you don't go to exhibitions or breeding inspections, you don't spend on extra medical expenses (many times they don't even have the basic vaccinations), and the dog gets to eat what it gets, if it's pregnant or not. This careless attitude and non-compliance with the rules is also shown when raising the kid. The price of which will be paid by the buyer much later. How a puppy is cared for in its first few weeks has an impact on its entire life. Bad nutrition, inadequate care and maintenance can cause psychological damage to a puppy.

The Kennel Club (MEOES) and breed care clubs (AAPKKandHCSC) follow and supervise the entire breeding process. In contrast to a propagator, every step of a real breeder is checked multiple times. These numerous procedures serve the interests of both the dogs and the breed.

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Who is the collie for? What is its nature?

Dogs, like people, can be very different from individual to individual. The general descriptions of the breed are not valid for all individuals. For example, not all collies are fond of children, and not all collies hate swimming and water. Basically a laid back breed. They adapt quite well to the owner's habitus, way of life, and nature. The collie can be active and passive in the right proportion. The main thing is the owner, as they are very human-centric dogs. If the owner wants to go for a walk, he is happy to go with him, but if he wants to lounge in front of the TV, he lies down quietly next to scratch himself or simply hides a bit. However, you have to take it out and move it. They suffer the worst from permanent confinement and loneliness. In addition, they are quite a sensitive breed, they can be easily offended. After a little care, however, they quickly dissolve. Their sensitive personality, outstanding intelligence and majestic appearance make them such an aristocratic dog. A collie is for a person who is at least moderately active, treats the dog gently, pays attention to its soul, and does not have any problems with the maintenance of its coat. The dog's fur falls out, but it is easy to clean, because e.g. it does not dig into materials like a short, strong hair. This breed prefers to be kept indoors and outdoors. He demands the garden, but also the apartment, precisely because of the proximity of the farmer. Only and exclusively kept in the garden, without the owner, it gets very lonely (even if there are several dogs). In an apartment, however, it can be maintained well with regular walks.

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How should I feed it? What makes your fur beautiful?

What influences the collie's coat quality and coat condition: genetics, nutrition, grooming. We cannot change the dog's genetic characteristics, but everything else is up to us. We can feed them with high-quality dry food (super premium food), canned food with a high (at least 80-90%) meat content, or even with the BARF method (raw feeding). The main thing is the quality and the easily digestible, high nutrient content. We definitely avoid cheap discount foods and feeding with household detergent! Breeders usually also give food supplements to dogs in order to achieve the most beautiful, shiny coat. Regarding feeding, we definitely ask for the opinion of the breeder from whom we buy the dog! Let's ask what he feeds the puppy, what kind of food he recommends in the future. The same applies to nutritional supplements. The most commonly used food supplement is salmon oil, which can be given to the dog as a treatment. Natural salmon oil is good for the heart, immune system, skin and hair, among other things.

The collie puppy needs to be used to it from an early agefor combing, thefor cosmetics. Comb regularly, a few minutes a day is enough to get used to it. We also ask the breeder for advice on cosmetics and the necessary accessories, or visit the cosmetics store (ZANNI), where we can count on very willing and professional help. If we don't want to or can't do the grooming ourselves, find a good dog beautician. The same applies to dog cosmetic products as to feeding. The secret of beautiful hair; the good quality cosmetic product. High-quality food, a little salmon oil, a really good shampoo, and a little hair conditioner, and the dog will shine and shine. The skin will be elastic and well hydrated, and the fur will be beautiful, strong and shiny. We prefer to entrust the maintenance of the dog's ears, claws and teeth to a professional beautician and/or veterinarian.

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How much should a collie be combed?

This is perhaps the most common "man on the street" question. Almost every time you go for a walk, it is said between two "downs". The collie's fur is basically coarse, so it does not require daily brushing. Softer hair areas (e.g. behind the ears) need to be combed more often because they easily felt, but most of the body should be thoroughly brushed once a month and bathed twice a year. Of course, if the dog is stuck in mud or thistles, it must be quickly unearthed and cleaned. When molting (usually once a year), you need to comb more often and remove dead hair. The moulting period may vary depending on the weather and the place of residence. While dogs kept in the garden usually start shedding when the warm weather arrives, dogs kept in the apartment typically start shedding during the winter heating season. If someone really doesn't know how or wants to bother with hair, it's worth contacting a beautician.

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Should the collie be clipped?

It is FORBIDDEN to cut the collie! Thinning the hair here and there (e.g. ears), cutting it straight and to shape (e.g. paws, hock) is allowed, and even strongly recommended. But shaving the entire fur can only be justified in serious medical cases. The collie's coat is double for a reason! It has a bottom and a top layer. The combination of the two layers protects the dog from the weather, but also from possible injuries. Without fur, the collie is defenseless. So just because we think the dog is hot in the summer, it is strictly FORBIDDEN to cut it! The fur coat also protects from the heat and when it is very hot, it simply removes the excess hair. Well-picked shed hair, a thorough bath and grooming are much more comfortable and safer for the dog than clipping.

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What is a dog show? What is a breeding review?

The dog show is often referred to as a simple beauty contest, but it is much more than that. What actually happens at an exhibition is that an expert judge gives his opinion on each dog (individual evaluation - what are its strengths or possible faults), and can sometimes also give advice on the breeding of the given dog (e.g. what to pay attention to when choosing a mate). Each dog is thoroughly examined while standing and moving, then the dogs present are compared (compared) and ranked. A show judgment is about the dog's general abilities and its current condition. The evaluation reports on how the dog looked that day, how it behaved, how well it showed itself, how well it was able to perform. (The exhibition judge is not necessarily a breeder or keeper of the breed. He can judge any breed, so-called all-rounder judge.)

A breeding survey, on the other hand, is much more complex. Although the person presenting the dog (handler) has the same job as at an exhibition, in fact the dog must be shown standing and moving in the same way, the result of the breeding inspection is much more important. It is there that they decide whether a dog can be bred or not (or even recommend that it be bred). At a breed inspection, several (2-3 or even 4) judges judge at the same time, all of them are specialists and breeders of the breed, know them very well and know exactly what the expectations are. The dogs are analyzed much more thoroughly than at a show. In addition, unlike at exhibitions, the dog's pedigree is thoroughly reviewed, as here not only the appearance is examined, but also the genetic background. They can even request the results of the dog's health screenings. At the breeding inspection, the dogs are not compared with each other, they are not ranked and they do not only look at the dog's condition that day, but also the future possibilities as a breeding dog. Judges can also advise the owner on breeding plans.

Both at the dog show and at the breeding inspection, the smallest details of the dog's size, structure, appearance, general condition, movement, and behavior are examined. In addition to these, signs of possible hereditary diseases are monitored during the breeding inspection.

The dog show is optional. The breeder decides how much he goes to exhibitions, whether he wants to take the dog or not. But the breeding inspection is mandatory for all dogs that you want to breed with in Hungary today.

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What are breed clubs?

Most of the breed clubs belong to the kennel club of the given country. The pyramid is structured like this: Great Britain, as the mother country, gives the breed standard, which is accepted and extended to its member countries by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale, one of the world's largest canine organizations), as a result of which the Hungarian Kennel Club (MEOESZ - Magyar Ebtenyésztók Federation of National Associations) as well, as we are also an FCI member country. Breed clubs, which are sub-organizations of the MEOESZ, are entrusted with the care of a specific breed. In Hungary, there are currently two breed clubs where the long-haired collie stock is taken care of and breeding is supervised, these are the AAPKK (English and Australian Shepherd Dog Club Association) and the HCSC (Hungarian Collie Sheltie Corgi Breeders Association) Club. Breed care clubs organize, for example, club exhibitions, breeding inspections, or draw up and enforce breeding regulations for their members.