My Philosophy

My Breeding Philosophy

I only keep and breed Border Collies that I believe are the very best and most complete Border Collies. I've removed many dogs from my breeding program in the quest for the perfect BC. Like you, I know how important it is to find the right dog. The list of attributes a dog must have to be bred by myself are prioritized in order:

Red-Dawn border collie breeder, Alicia's first litter

Health
Temperament
Structure
Herding Ability
Athletic Ability

Red-Dawn breeds to produce quality Border Collies that can work their whole life with their owner. Key word here is WORK. This is a breed bred to herd, not be a pet. These dogs need work or do a dog sport to keep their minds thinking. Border Collies are work-a-holics more so than any other breed of dog on the planet. They are the smartest breed of dog on earth, therefore taking great care in breeding them to retain all their wonderful traits is important to keep the breed's integrity. A working dog has to be healthy or he'll either have a very short career, or worse yet, he ignores the pain and keeps working. Second, these dogs must be stable, affectionate, biddable, non-aggressive to people nor pets, good natured with children and easy to live with. To keep up with the vigor's of working each day the dog must be structurally correct to avoid injury and unnecessary wear on their body. The dog must be able to herd naturally, NOT chase, this is a thinking dog and must be naturally great at herding livestock. The dog must also be athletic in build to be capable of running for long periods of time without exhaustion, jumping and turning quickly to chase livestock or compete in a dog sport.
Red-Dawn border collies at the USDAA 2005 World Championship