About

Meet the Breeder

My name is Kayen. In late 2016, I was introduced to the breed. I was also exposed to the world of dog sports and wanted to get involved. I got my first border collie in early 2017 and the rest is history. Over three and a half years I spent my time training and competing in a variety of dog sports. In 2019, I stepped foot into the conformation ring for the very first time and caught the show bug. Conformation is where my heart is at and where a lot of my focus with my dogs is. I believe in a versatile, well-rounded dog, so all of my dogs also enjoy training for and competing in performance events and herding! I bred my first litter in the fall of 2019 and I am very proud of the versatile dogs they've become. I am a dog trainer, having apprenticed under several dog trainers as well as a very skilled behaviorist. I have taken classes through CATCH's online dog training program. I occasionally work as a professional handler's assistant at dog shows. I am currently working on a degree in Business and finance. I am active a member of the Border Collie Society of America, and serve on the judges education committee. I am also a member of the Kentuckiana Tartan Border Collie Club.

About the Program

As a preservation breeder, I strive to produce well-rounded, versatile dogs that can excel in any given venue, whether it be working stock, competing in sports, or showing in the conformation breed ring. I also aim to produce dogs that make great, active companions, that are easy to live with and happy to settle at home.

All of my breeding dogs are health tested. I DNA test for the specific genetic diseases known to affect border collies, as well as score hips, elbows, and eyes through OFA. Epilepsy is a devastating disease that is heavily rampant in the breed and I strive to breed away from it as best as possible. There is no genetic test, so utilizing pedigree research and making informed breeding decisions is the way this is done.

My puppies come well-socialized, using both my own puppy raising protocols and those pulled from puppy culture. They are BAER tested and started on vaccinations prior to coming home. All of my puppies come with limited AKC registration. I offer an extensive health guarantee and back my puppies for life. In event that an owner can no longer keep their Skyline dog, I will happily take said dog back at any point in it's life, regardless of health or temperament.

I have always had a love for the smooth coat variety of this breed. They are accepted in the AKC breed standard- the standard specifically states that neither coat type should be preferred over the other and they are allowed to be shown in conformation. However, there are a few obstacles that prevent people from actively showing them, and therefore, they are not seen in the ring very often. I'm hoping to boost their popularity in the ring by creating a consistent, competitive line of smooth coats for the ring. It is also my goal to help educate judges and teach them that the smooth is a correct variety of the breed. This is a work in progress as no consistent show type exists in the smooth coat variety. Therefore you may see some varying type in my dogs for the first few generations as I move towards the vision I have for the smooth. The show type will be easy to obtain, but the challenge will be to get that type and keep it consistently over generations. This is the main focus of my program- breeding type into the smooths, and therefore I will often have puppies of both coat variety available. The BCSA has recently approved to divide the open class by smooth and rough coat, which is a huge victory and step in the right direction. We have since witnessed prestigious wins awarded to several smooth coats and the movement has picked up quite a bit of momentum. In August of 2023, Moxie (GrandAm People are People) became the first group placing red smooth coat in the history of the breed.

As versatility and working ability are important aspects of the breed, my dogs also enjoy training for a wide variety of sports as well as herding. We compete in these sports to some level, with the main focus aside from conformation being agility. We also train for and compete in herding, lure coursing, rally, dock diving, barn hunt, and disc to varying degrees.

I only breed when I am ready to add to my own personal dogs. That means I may breed a litter or two one year, and then have nothing the following year.