I am afraid your not going to find many people on this board that would agree with your plan of breeding your dog at least once, myself included. I would say 99.9% of the people that frequent this board believe that indiscriminate breeding when there are so many homeless dogs and cats in the world is irresponsible.

Also any reputable breeder would never sell a breeding pup to someone who is not experienced with the breed. Most reputable breeders require a spay/neuter contract to sell pups deemed "pet quality" rather than "show quality". So that leaves you with buying a pup from a backyard breeder (major health concerns) or a puppy mill (major moral and health concerns). And if you think that cute puppy in the pet store or in the ad in the paper is absolutely purebred and healthy, you could be in for a rude awakening. Check out this article on the Humane Society web site: http://www.hsus.org/ace/11797

I am not trying to give you a hard time - I am just trying to educate in the dangers and ramifications of buying a puppy and then breeding it.

That being said, I wonder why you would want a puppy in the first place. If you have an elderly father that needs a companion, a sheltie is a good choice, but I would highly recommend an older dog. Shelties especially as pups are very high energy and need a great deal of exercise. That is why they make such great agility dogs. You could find yourself with a dangerous situation with a puppy underfoot. She could easily trip your father with her puppy exuberance. An older dog on the other hand would be more mellow and gentle. He/she would be happy with less exercise and would be content to lay at your fathers feet being petted for hours on end.

I sincerely hope you think about everything I said and make the right decision.