Somthing else you might do if your worried about disreputable breeders is to talk to your local Humane Society or SPCA. A lot of times they can tell you if there have been any complaints about that breeder. The breed clubs are excellent sources for information. They tend to only post links to breeders they consider good.

As far as the pet/show thing goes. If the breeder you're looking at has their contract on-line, you might look it over. A lot of them offer limited registration (which means you can't show for comformation) for a pet and joint registration (which means they own part of the dog with you, along with some other restrictions that vary from breeder to breeder) for show dogs. I went through this a little bit ago when I was looking for my Standard Poodle, so I can understand your frustration with some websites.

Aussies are awesome dogs. Just be prepared for lots of energy.

Laters,
Patch