Breed dogs for cattle dogs and stock dogs? Advertise here
Buyers and trainers use this page to find breeders whose lines do this work. List your kennel free, tick the industries your dogs work in, and advertise litters and stud dogs from proven working lines.
No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.
- Free basic profile: your breeder or company name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries.
- Litters and stud dogs advertised in their own sections, never mixed with puppies for sale.
- Premium showcase for your services and prices, previous customers, awards, video, gallery and health certificates, with your phone and email shown to buyers.
- Sponsored articles about your breed or industry, written and published by our team.
- Featured placement at the top of this page, labelled as sponsored.
Is it free to advertise here?
Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.
Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?
In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.
Is my listing already here?
We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.
About cattle dogs and stock dogs
Cattle are heavier than sheep, slower to move and far more likely to stand their ground, so a dog for working cattle needs more force and more nerve than most sheepdogs. If you are looking for a cattle dog in the UK, researching Australian Cattle Dog breeders or wondering whether a kelpie in the UK is a practical choice, this page explains who breeds stock dogs here and what to ask. Canine Breeder is a directory: we do not train or sell dogs, and no listing guarantees that a dog will work.
What this work involves
A stock dog moves suckler cows and youngstock between fields, brings them into handling yards, pushes them up races and holds them while gates are shut. On mixed farms the same dog often works sheep as well.
Cattle dogs tend to work closer than sheepdogs and use more force. Heeling types nip at the hocks and drop low to avoid a kick; strong-eyed collies rely on presence and, when a cow turns to face them, the confidence not to back off. The job carries real risk to the dog. Cows with calves can be aggressive towards dogs, so a good stock dog needs sense as well as courage, and handlers bring young dogs on gradually with quiet cattle.
Who trains and supplies these dogs in the UK
Stock dogs are bred privately by farmers and working-dog enthusiasts and trained by the people who buy them. No UK body certifies cattle dogs as trained, and we know of no registry kept specifically for them.
The International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS) registers working sheepdogs and Border Collies in its Stud Book. Its trials are run on sheep, but many ISDS-registered collies also move cattle on mixed farms, and handlers wanting a cattle dog look for lines with a reputation for that work.
The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) registers the Australian Cattle Dog and the Lancashire Heeler, both in its Pastoral group. RKC registration records pedigree, not working ability, and numbers are small: the RKC registered 45 Australian Cattle Dogs and 92 Lancashire Heelers in 2025.
The Australian Kelpie is not recognised by the RKC, so kelpie pups in Britain have no RKC pedigree. Ask breeders what records they keep and how the parents’ working ability has been proven.
Breeds and lines
- Border Collie: many farm collies work both sheep and cattle. For cattle, handlers tend to favour stronger, bolder dogs from lines with a reputation for cattle work.
- Australian Cattle Dog: developed in Australia as a heeler that crouches low and nips at cattle’s heels to drive them on. Tireless, hardy and intelligent; used on some British farms, and also kept as a sports and companion dog.
- Australian Kelpie: an Australian working breed used on sheep and cattle, found on some UK farms but not recognised by the RKC.
- Lancashire Heeler: a small British heeler once used to drive cattle to the markets around Ormskirk in Lancashire. It is on the RKC’s vulnerable native breeds list, with 92 registrations in 2025, and few work cattle today.
What to ask a breeder
- What stock do the parents work, and can I see them move cattle?
- How do the parents handle cows with calves, and do they grip? When, and how hard?
- Which health tests have the parents had? For Australian Cattle Dogs, ask about hip and elbow scores, eye examinations, BAER hearing tests and the prcd-PRA DNA test; for Lancashire Heelers, eye examinations and DNA tests for primary lens luxation (PLL) and collie eye anomaly (CEA).
- Is the pup registered with the ISDS, the RKC, or neither?
- Are you selling a pup, a started dog or a dog already working, and what exactly has it done?
- How many litters do you breed a year, and do you hold a council breeding licence if you need one?
Frequently asked questions
Can a Border Collie work cattle?
Yes. Many British farm collies work cattle as well as sheep. Cattle suit stronger, more confident dogs, so ask breeders whether their lines are used on cattle and watch the parents work.
Is an Australian Cattle Dog a good farm dog in the UK?
It can be, in experienced hands. The breed was developed for cattle and has plenty of drive and toughness. It needs firm, consistent training and a job to do, and many kept in Britain are companions rather than farm dogs.
Is the kelpie recognised in the UK?
The Australian Kelpie is not on the Royal Kennel Club’s breed list, so there is no RKC registration or breed standard for it here. That does not make kelpies unsuitable, but it means you rely on the breeder’s own records and on seeing the parents work.
Do you breed collies, heelers or cattle dogs whose parents work stock? List your kennel on Canine Breeder and tell buyers what your dogs work, which registries you use and which health tests you do.