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Bought a purebred Smooth collie puppy at 8 weeks old. He arrived as a mentally very unbalanced dog. He never displayed a normal temperament, but we tried, with much patience, many devoted hours, thousands of dollars enlisting three different experienced, certified dog trainer, & behaviorists, & vet. All, & I mean ALL, experts came to the same conclusion. The pup we received was never going to be all right in the head. He displayed fearfulness from the beginning, & never came out of that for 10 months. The fear-based nipping, which progressed into biting, was a huge problem. Everyone put their whole heart into making him into a more confident dog. Not ever going to happen. Impossible to fix a mind that was born not right. We are very experienced dog owners, so this whole experience was very heartbreaking, not to mention cost us a fortune.
DO NOT PURCHASE A DOG FROM THIS BREEDER. THERE ARE [redacted]S ON THE WEB ABOUT THEM TOO. Wish we had paid attention to them before going through this heartbreak.
I am so glad I posted our story about the collie pup we bought from Stirling collies. We too had lost the love of our lives, Charlie our Shetland sheepdog, to cancer. Stirlings knew we had lost our beloved sheltie. The pup we got was never normal from the day he arrived.
No one should go through that. The Stirlings do not care about those poor creatures.
Not going to engage in the denial war. This family has gone thru enough hell with the poor creature. Spend your energies to correct your breeding.
God Bless.
THAT IS A COMPLETE LIE. The issue was never resolved. Also I saw part of my review was REDACTED! Sterling's have been busy trying to hide reviews from the public.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
This breeder is completely shady. Look at all these obviously fake reviews on Glassdoor:
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Stirling-Collies-Reviews-E1879641.htm
There's are companies of thousands of employees that have less reviews than her. Yet somehow she has 15 five star reviews, all in mostly broken English without ANYthing specific to her "business." Yes, sounds legit.
She's trying her best to negate all the negativity about Stirling Collies online. By posting fake reviews, all it does is legitimize the complaints, and make her character look like an unbalance, mentally disturbed fraudster.
I would NOT get a dog from her.
As of today, our Collie/Shepherd, Dylan, is 15 years/9 months old. We adopted Dylan (parents Willow and Mama) in June of 2004. He has been the most wonderful dog we could ever imagine and we're sadly in our last days with him. He was gentle when we became parents and has been protective and loving to our family. He's incredibly smart and for most of his 15 years, he has been very active and extremely healthy.
I do want to say something about the puppy months with Dylan. He was high-spirited and seemed to not understand the pecking order in our home. This was easily solved with some Puppy Kindergarten and neutering. Since then, not a single problem whatsoever, and the issues we had were a nuisance at most, nothing serious at all. We trusted Dylan with our baby and he was incredibly gentle with him even when our son wasn't as gentle in return. I will agree that Collies are sensitive, and when we had a baby who screamed, he howled out of concern and irritation, but if I'm being honest, I wanted to as well! =)
As we're winding down our time with our sweet boy, our first baby as we call him, we decided to look up Stirling Collies again to see if they might have some nephews of our baby that we might be able to adopt one day. Our experience has been THIS POSITIVE that we are seeking out a relative of our boy for our next dog one day.
We have a Shollie from Mrs. Stirling named Nikki Pi from 09/2016 and he is SIMPLY THE MOST INCREDIBLE Dog we've EVER had...and we've had MANY including Long Leg Labs and Border Collies! He's the smartest Dog we've ever had...even more so then our Dear departed Border Collie! These are God's Creatures and I'm sure they're not all perfect as we Humans CERTAINLY are not! We absolutely dread when we have to part with him! THANK YOU Diane Stirling! Greg & Karen Warren
It is No secret in how to make a collie happy. Give them LOTS of room to run and livestock to bark out and/ or herd and you will have a happy collie! Collies were not meant to live in crates and walk in dog parks. They are working dogs and if you cannot provide them a place to work then you should not have a collie. Easy peasy.
I would hope that people can see through the muck here. Stirling Collies is not a responsible breeder. They have so many puppies through their own site, and the others that are connected to them, many people will be happy with their dogs. What you don't see is the backside of a breeder like this. The dead, deformed and blind/deaf puppies. You have no idea how many never reach the 'sale floor'. The fact that she calls her clients adopters is wrong. They are buyers and Stirling and her ilk are sellers. They hide behind their Christianity. They do not take dogs back. Many of their dogs end up in shelters or rescues.
If you're trying to find more about buying a dog from Stirling or any of her connected breeders (they are listed on her website), and came across this review, reading this thread should cause you to pause. Anyone can write a good or bad review. It's the nature of the anonymous internet, after all. This line of collies is so massive it's hard to not get a collie from Minnesota that doesn't have some of her line in them. That speaks a lot to how much breeding is going on. I'm serious. My own collie is probably related and has several behavior issues. He's two and I've had him for six months, adopted through rescue. I have been learning a lot about this breeder over the past six months. It will be a grand day when she finally retires from breeding.
You don't know me and should stop your lies. I don't know what you mean by hiding behind being a christian - such a sad statement... I love the Lord and I am proud to be a Christian! I will pray for you!
So true. This woman hands over her unwanted dogs to a rescue. We rescued one of her smooths she had with Angelheart Collies. We've been working with our girl for a year and a half and she's just never going to be right. She jumps up out of nowhere and runs to a different room. She attacks our other two collies for absolutely no reason. She stalks them around the house. We have to keep her separate from other dogs because she is unpredictable. She's terrified to go for walks. She's terrified of other people. We've had her enrolled in classes since we adopted her and nothing is helping. This woman needs to stop breeding. Seriously. Enough is enough.
Dear Disappointed, I have known Diane for 15 years and she got me signed up as a sales person for her Life Abundance pet food in which me and my church has received some money from each month. This has bailed me out of some tight spots when I was homeless and having to live with one friend or another til my section 8 came through. Then my old senior dog passed away and she happened to have a pup that was a rare white smooth, that looked like my old Cody and ironically enough was related to him. So I was pleased to receive the pretty puppy. He's hyper, hard to handle and can be destructive. He dose have a herding instinct, is loving, and very smart. He's almost show able as he's bred to standard. My only complaint is his constant barking. I'm hoping that when he grows up he will mellow out. I use to teach school. I hate to give up on any kid. Some kids have a rough start but turn into wonderful adults. So there is still hope for Cody Jr if he calms down with age and holds his tail down in the show ring.
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I am heartbroken as I write this review. Received my beautiful Shollie in Oct. Everything seemed Ok until my daughter took away one of his toys. Without warning he bit her. Unfortunately this wasn't a one-time occurrence . It just got worse. We couldn't get anything from him without fear of getting bit. When I called Stirling Collies to find out what to do, I was told to get a trainer. I also realized after talking to Diane, where he had learned this behavior. Puppies learn this from very young, and I was told on the phone that serious fights break out over treats and toys. These puppies aren't being properly socialized before they are sold. Not enough human interaction. We now have to find a home for him without small children. We are heartbroken and feel no reimbursement or help was even offered. Never again, and this after a lot of expense to fly him to our home. I wish I would have looked up all of these reviews first, instead of just on their website.
I do not understand the negative attacking comments. Diane accepts all collies back and will exchange them if something is wrong. So there is some crazy making vendetta going on here where this person is trying to destroy her. Dogs like people are not stuffed toys they are individuals. It seems it would have been better to take advantage of the offer than try to destroy her reputation. Dogs are not the only creatures that can be emotionally unstable.
I bought our beloved Duke (German and Collie Mix) from Diane, he was the greatest dog I've ever owned, no social issues, he was a sweet giant with the most beautiful heart, however when he passed away I decided to get another puppy from Diane but the puppy developed eyesight and behavioral issues due to blindness. I called Diane and she was very supportive and offered to replace, buy the dog back or refund the money if I wanted to keep him, but decided to keep the dog and deal with him. Apollo just passed away from kidneys complication a few months ago.
I too have gotten a few Collies from Diane. First off, I grew up with the breed, still love the breed dearly! I have NEVER had a problem with any of my animals, pups, or older. Diane is very caring, does what is possible to see that the animals go to a good home. Stirling's are not a puppy mill or backyard breeders. A lot f time, care, and money goes into breeding and raising quality animals! Diane breeds to avoid the health issues that you would get from a mill or backyard breeder.
I got a wonderful puppy from Diane, but unfortunately lost him to accident. Now waiting for my second one. But WOW I cant believe some of the crazy comments...How can you blame Diane for puppy unstableness, come on people. sometimes "things" happen in a developing brain...humans, horses, dogs, cats...but the best is the person who wrote that their dog hallucinated...really... how do you know? then dog was diagnosed as canine schizo...too funny. Also the words "bred Wrong" what is that supposed to mean? I have toured the Stirling facility and like I said I am waiting for my puppy. Loved my Griz
C Demaray
I purchased an 8 week old collie puppy (Allie) from Diane Stirling, owner of Stirling Collies, two and a half years ago. Allie is the most beautiful. most well behaved, most loving dog I have ever had, and I am almost 70 years old and have had a dog all my life including several other collies. Everywhere we go people comment on how pretty she is and ask to pet her. Our veterinarian told me that of all his collie patients she is the most perfect example of what a collie should be both in looks and temperament. I drove all the way from South Texas to Minnesota to get this dog and I would not hesitate to drive twice that far to buy another dog from Diane Stirling!
Here are 2 of Cynthia's reviews on places that she has brought her dog "Salt" to. Salt is the collie from Stirling Collies that she claimed was mentally unbalanced from when he was shipped to her as a puppy. These 2 reviews Cynthia made herself, certainly don't match what she claims. I don't know "what happened" to her dog, Salt, but I wish she hadn't neutered him at such a young age (this can cause many health problems). I also don't know what vaccinations, or heartworm prevention, pesticides, etc. she might have given him during her caring for him? One dosage of Frontline can actually cause aggression in a dog, I was told by an Animal Control Board Vet for MN, and collies are more sensitive to many products already - yikes! Lymes disease is also a huge problem with pets and any pet should be checked out when families notice personality changes. You should not just blame a puppy's personality on a breeding lineage (at this point you are bashing many different breeding lines and many different kennels). We are so saddened that Cynthia had problems with her dog, Salt. Collies are a very sensitive breed, and require love, attention, and proper training, and according to Cynthia she received excellent care at a boarding facility in her review in July 2014, and excellent training for Salt, in her review in January 2014, according to her own reviews - she is mentioning how smart Salt is and all the commands he knows, etc., - she even mentions that Salt loved the boarding facility and wanted to stay there instead of going home with her! I don't know what Cynthia's problem is, but she continues to BASH me on the internet for the past 3 years, even under different names, which is so sad. All of our contracts state that if the family is unable to keep their dog, that we are supposed to be given first option to take it back before it is sent to any shelter. We don't authorize or suggest euthanizing. I am saddened about Salt's life. Other breeders be aware: I wish I had checked the family out better before allowing Cynthia to adopt one of our puppies.
Here are Cynthia's own reviews - see below:
Kennel Club Of LAX
Pet Boarding/Pet Sitting, Pet Groomers
5325 W 102nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90045
7/2/2014
LAX Kennel Club, was an amazing place for my 10 month-old Smooth Collie, Salt! I needed a place where he could run his butt off & play with other dogs for 5 hours @ day, for about a week. Salt was afraid at first, but after the 2nd day, he remembered, & was so excited to go in! Third day of pick-up, he greeted me, then turned around & wanted to go BACK, where his buddies were! LOL! The staff was super professional, friendly & very responsible. I could not have asked for a better place for my boy to go. It was way better than playing at the local dog-park, which was always scary, & stressful.
THANK YOU STAFF AT LAX KENNEL CLUB!
The Educated Dog Learning Center
Pet Training
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
1/21/2014
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you go with Betsy, to train both you & your dog. I spent a lot of time searching & studying which trainer to hire for my new Smooth Collie puppy. Wanted to make the dollar investment worth it, & get my pup & me off to a good start.
Salt, my pup, is a very intelligent boy, & needs lots to keep his mind learning good behaviors. Betsy was & still is everything you would want a trainer to be. She is calm & confident, & your pup will sense that right away.
We have just finished our first 6 sessions, & I have a great pup who walks, by my side, sits, comes, stays, leaves-it, drop-it, touch, & plays with other puppies really well. He even rings the bell I have on the back door to tell me when he wants to go out to potty! Yea!
We have chosen to continue training with Betsy, so Salt can be a Therapy dog when he gets older. Now is the time to train.
Thank You Betsy!
Yes, There was a lot of money spent trying to make Salt normal. He never was. I still recommend the trainer we hired & the day-care we used. They were & still are amazing.. We actually sent Salt to LAX kennel Club for a few hours a day to make sure we could, in good conscience hand him over to the Collie Rescue. We are honest people. We go the extra mile.
It sickens me that you spent so much time & effort to cover your breeder name to continue your business. WOW.
All that was asked of you, was to not breed Salt's parents again, so other innocent being would not have to bear the consequences.
You go to great lengths to discredit the information we shared with you about Salt. Wow, again. Good luck with your dog business.
Our beloved Gypsy of 7 years passed away. I searched high and low for 2 years to find another rough female tri-color collie puppy, that I could afford. I found Stirling Collies online. After numerous emails and phone conversations, I visited their home and purchased our new Gypsy 2 from Diane. I have been thoroughly satisfied with the entire transaction from day one. The Stirlings are extremely loving and caring breeders. Our new Gypsy 2 is one of the smartest dogs I have ever owned and trained. I'm over sixty and have always had dogs as companions. Gypsy 2 has saved my wife from rattlesnake bites on more than one occasion since she is so attentive and protective. I find myself having to agree with the above comments by RavenX. If you don't know the collie breed and are not willing to put in the time and love for training in the beginning, don't blame the breeder. I dare to say that practically every complaint is the fault of the owners, if the real truth were to come out. I have now had Gypsy 2 for over nine years and she is still the sweetheart she was from the day I picked her up. Don't dare bash the Stirlings for something that is beyond their control. Take advantage of their offer to take the dog back at any time, and do all collies a favor, don't own one, you don't deserve such a sweet loving breed. By the way, my next collie will be from Diane Stirling without hesitation.
Conrad Cutchin Hot Springs, SD proud owner of a Stirling Collie.
Reading these comments about Ms. Stirling and Stirling Collies is making me feel sad and dishearten. She is such a sweet and honest business women who cares a lot about dogs and her customers. A year ago, we bought a collie from Ms. Stirling. I am a proud owner of a collie and very grateful towards Ms. Stirling for a wonderful pet.
My daughter loves her pet. Seeing both of them happy and playful makes my long stressful day easy as a piece of cake. Whenever I need any help with our pet, Diane is always right there to support us.
I highly recommend Ms. Stirling & Stirling Collies.
I think you are the first who is facing this type of problem with Stirling. I am also purchased a puppy from Stirling and there is no problem like this. My puppy is always be healthy and energetic. My children are also feeling happy and playing the game with the cute puppy.
Well, Collies are expensive dogs and demand a lot attentions. I bought a Collies from Diane a year ago. I am very happy with Diane and her services for Collies.
I want to share a small story "Once my collies was not feeling well. I was worried and at the same time had to rush to work. Gave a call to Diane for a help. What next? She personally came to take care of my pet. She has a magic touch and no one knows Collies better than Diane. She not only rescued my day but also my pet"
Thank you, Diane
Cheers...
After reading these comments out here, I kind of feel sorry for Diane Stirling & her brand Stirling Collies. My question is have you really been cheated by Ms. Stirling. I have never seen honest business women like her. She is the best breeder.
I bought two puppies from her till now. Not only that, she helps me out with my pets a lot. All I can say is she provides the best service for my sweet puppies. Ms. Stirling & Stirling Collies ROCKS !
I have a collie from stirling and we love him dearly. I would have to agree that he is definitely unbalanced somewhere in there. No amount of training has ever been able to correct his quirks he had from day 1.
I will not bash the stirlings, but he too has and always had a fear or lack or recognition or people, good agression from day 1, as well as an aversion to vehicles. He has obsessions with things that have never been able to be broken by any dog trainer or method of training(not a lack of training from the start). We still love him dearly and he is part of our family no matter what. We wpuldny "throw away" a special needs child and the same goes for our dog.
Also never got akc registration info.
Strange comment - I never sold a collie puppy to any Mandy Moyer or Moyer for that matter. If you purchased a puppy from me, just email me for any akc registration info. I should have it, IF you exist.
My Stirling Collie was fine, she's now 11 and a sweetheart. I'm sorry but I think some are complaining for the sake of complaining and don't have any legit reasons.
Uh I got a puppy now full grown from them and she had no problems and is a sweetheart. So I call bs on alot of complaints.
Our family purchased 3 collies from Stirling Collies over the past 17 years. Each dog had it's own personality, but all of them represented the sweet collie that I've known and loved since I was a small child. I would NOT hesitate getting another to join our crew of 3! They are healthy, loving and important members of our family. These people seem to have nothing better to do then to slam others, yet I've seen some references to their dogs in other areas of the internet where they are saying their dogs are wonderful, well socialized at the doggie daycare they go to and well trained. I guess I would tell anyone before getting a puppy from any breeder, to check out each facility and "see" for yourself. Don't listen to the garbage that is on the internet. People shouldn't accept everything they read as truth. These poor reviews are really from one family, which is sick that they continue to slander the Stirling family. Stirling Collies has excellent dogs!
We purchased a pure breed collie from Stirling Collies earlier this year (2015). We went to visit the facility, the Sir & Dam, Rick & Diane. We found no issues with them or their dogs. We purchased a female that was 12 weeks old and has been very sweet and hasn't shown any signs of mental or medical issues. We have two little girls and our new addition to the family is a perfect fit. She is protective of every family member, extremely social with all dogs and strangers. Our Vet has consistently reiterated that our collie is the perfect specimen of the collie bread, and continuously compliments her looks and personality. This is my third collie, first from Stirling Collies.
Diane cares deeply for her dogs. In the event that we would like to add another member the family, I would not hesitate getting another puppy from Stirling Collies.
In response to Scrubjay1: you mentioned Sterling Kennels, but the topic at hand is Stirling Collies (notice the different spellings). Two different companies. Easy mistake to make!
On another note, if I were a betting woman, I'd say that username Pippes is probably Stirling. That last sentence made me laugh: "again that food is really good."
I have a rough collie we got from stifling 6 years ago.He has been a fantastic dog, super smart sweet, excellent on a leash.We visited Stirling as I would never buy a puppy without seeing were it came from.If you were having such problems I certainly think Diane would have taken the dog back.She really did seem to care about her dogs to me.The food they sale is excellent.We used to have German sheper ds and that breeder also have a very specific diet he wanted you to follow so I don't think that is very odd for breeders to want their dogs feed at a certain level of quality.again that food is really good.
I have been around Collies my whole life and have rescued and rehabilitated one who was abused. There is a huge difference between being sensitive and being mentally unbalanced. Our dog would jump up, like something touched him and run out of a room and not come back in for hours, he would walk into the kitchen while I was cooking and growl at me and act like he did not recognize me...it would take me about 10 minutes to calm him down before he would realize who I was, these are just a couple of examples. I took him to 3 different trainers and they definitely said it was a breeding problem and not behavioral as well as did our veterinarian. I am very experienced with dogs and have had people pay me to train their dogs( I am not certified so I don't advertise but have been approached by people who have seen my dogs and been referred to others.) including dogs with sensitivity issues and behavioral problems. I do not take lightly having a dog euthanized and it was one of the most heart wrenching things our family has ever gone through.
I am not claiming that all of Stirling Collies dogs are mentally unbalanced but just sharing what I experienced with a collie from this breeder. Perhaps it is time for them to take a close look at their stock. Before purchasing I did find one negative review about an unstable puppy from them but I assumed just like you that perhaps the people created the issues. I wish I would have taken the complaint more seriously.
I do not own a Sterling Collie but I have worked with to Collies from Sterling Kennels. Both were very fine examples of a collie, both physically and mentally. They had excellent temperaments. I myself, would not think twice, to purchase a Sterling Collie for myself.
One thing that people should understand about Collie and any other dog breed that is bred from Collies. They are very sensitive dogs and require special handling, compared to other dog breeds. Some individuals, are more sensitive then others. If you approach or handle them wrong, with out understanding the nature of these dogs, you will create problems and have a dog that does not trust you. So, I have to wonder, if the people, who have experienced problems, with their Collies, have created those problems themselves, through mishandling. Collies are sensitive and soft and some are easily excited and shy. If you. Understand the breed and know how to proceed from the start, you can easily work through the challenges. Collies are very smart and if their training is geared properly, to their sensitive nature, you will be able to raise a happy dog and companion, that you can take any place. It takes patience. If you start off wrong, you will ruin the dog.
You are a good friend of the Sterllings. You had no idea of what you were talking about. Do not assume other people are uneducated, & do not know about dogs.
You are wondering if people who have experienced problems with their collies, have created those problems? Really? You have no personal knowledge of the pup in question. Salt. I am sure there are some good mentally stable dogs produced by your friends, however, there have been SEVERAL who were bred WRONG.
I purchased an awesome collie from Diann Stirling some years back. She is very sweet, friendly, well socaialized collie and Diann sent me alot of information about collies and their care. Terrific collie from a knowledgeable breeder.
Hello Cynthia,
I am so sorry about your collie not working out with your family. I have not heard any updates in over a year about your dog. I was surprised to see your story that you made on the complaints board, especially after all the nice emails that you sent me about how great "Salt" was doing. Your email seemed to change after he was neutered, when his behavior changed.
I do not appreciate your comment about us. We do CARE about all of our collies and any "poor creature" that you are referring about. As you know, I have a contract that each of my families agrees to sign when an adoption takes place, and it states that for any reason, any/all of our puppies/adults are to be given back to us, if you do not want your dog anymore, for any reason, at any age, if you do not want to take the time to find a new family on your own. I'm not sure what happened with your dog, Salt, but again - I'm very sorry that your dog isn't what you wanted. Please stop slandering my name with these lies - I do care about all of our dogs and puppies that are placed with each family!
UPDATE on Salt: Puppy you sold us. We still donate to the Collie Rescue for the care of Salt. He is 3 1/2 yrs. They had brought in two rehabilitation professional to help with Salt. Fast forward. He has bitten both foster parents, who are very dog savvy. They chose to keep him, as they know he would be put-down with anyone else. The professionals they brought in both said the breeding for Salt should never have happened. The dog was born unbalanced, never had a chance. That means the two dogs you bred to
produce Salt, should not be bred then, nor now, or ever again. Remember, no one asked you for a refund nor another pup. It was reported to you to plea to your human decency to stop the breeding of his parents. No one was after you. Just wanted you to be aware, accept the truth, & evidence & never breed again. Responsible...
I don't know why you continue to lie about Stirlingcollies. You called me the day your puppy arrived about 5 YEARS AGO, while your husband was screaming in the background that he was going to kill the puppy if you didn't get rid of it, or send it back! You had NOT told him that you were getting a puppy, and he was VERY upset about having another dog in the home, especially with your violent little dog you had. You stated that he wanted to send Salt to the pound to have it put to sleep if I couldn't take it back that day, returning it by shipping - remember? Why do you continue to slander me wrongfully? It is funny that you praised Salt at 10 months of age in a review of a trainer and then again in another review of a daycare on what a smart, sweet dog Salt was. I will continue to pray for you and your family.
WOWOWOW! YOU just made up that whole "Husband screaming in the background". My husband does not scream, plus he was in Arizona! You are just trying to cover your [censored]!
Thank you so much for sharing your stories!
I was considering getting a hhollie to replace the sheltie shepherd that passed away last year. (After 16 healthy/happy years!) I was surprised at the price of $700-$800 for a hybrid anything. (I have never purchased a dog in my life. The sheltie shepherd was free.) The pressure on their site to order food and supplements from them also seemed a bit weird.
Anyways, based on a gut feeling, I began to do more research, and I am glad I did!
The search continues.
We too purchased a puppy from Stirling Collies about 4 years ago. He was absolutely beautiful rough coat...but absolutely crazy. I am a very experienced dog owner and it broke my heart that we could not help him. He was terrified so much of the time. We could not take him on walks...anytime something freaked him out...which was just about everything. He would turn and attack me or our other dog. When talking to Diane Stirling she would tell me that collies are sensitive and that I didn't know how to deal with his collie personality. Really? Considering I have trained 2 other collies in my life and have known several from the time I was a child. We tried a few different trainers, which all concluded this wasn't a breed problem but a breeding problem. He would hallucinate and sometimes act as if he didn't even recognize us. We would frequently close all the curtains, because of his hyper vigilance and play classical music to drown out any noises from outside. Our vet even had us try different anti anxiety medicines for him which was of no help. He was eventually diagnosed with Canine Schizophrenia. This was so heartbreaking for us because when he had his good days we could see glimpses of the sweet, gentle soul that was trapped in a tortured mind. He eventually progressed to the point where he was, as our veterinarian put it "A bite waiting to happen." ...he then also mentioned how unfair it was for our dog to live terrified all the time. So we made the gut and heart wrenching decision to euthanize him. Please do not buy a puppy from this breeder.
I have had a very similar experience with Stirling Collies. We got a Collie/Shepherd mix from them a couple years ago, and from the beginning she was very fearful, which quickly turned into aggression. When we got her, she also had an infection on her foot that caused all the fur to fall out. I've never met a puppy that behaved the way she did (at 8 weeks old!)- whenever someone would reach out to pet her, she would turn around and snarl/snap at them. Resource guarding was a huge issue (we've since worked past that). It got to the point where I was almost scared of her because if you even walked past her the wrong way or moved too quickly, she would attack you. We realized this is definitely not just 'puppy biting'. We still can't have guests over to the house because she will go after them, and we have to be super-vigilant when taking her for walks, making sure no one approaches her. We, too, spent hundreds on training classes, in-home behaviorists, countless hours trying to socialize her more, making a little progress here and there, but it has been heartbreaking not being able to do 'normal' dog stuff with her. She finally enjoys being pet by my husband and me, but it took about a year & a half for her to fully come around. Early on, I contacted the breeder regarding the issues we were having with her, and basically got the response that sometimes dogs are just mentally ill & she wouldn't be able to take her back because she was too aggressive, but she could give us a new puppy. No thank you.