I wish more people who love their animals would have some love for the homeless animals by not breeding and adopting instead. The only real key to fighting this socially is spreading the knowledge around in a non-attacking manner. I just hope that slowly through efforts from people like us, that uninformed people will help take a stand against over population by altering their animals and adopting
What should i ask a breeder when i go meet him or her.do they come to my home and bring the dogs,or do we go to there home.
how do i know there good?should i ask to see the animals mother and father?
Tags: Animals
You should travel to the breeder’s home. You should be able to meet and pet the mother dog. The father, in all honesty, won’t likely be on the property, if this is a responsible breeder. Most often, responsible breeders use a male from another kennel for breeding purposes.
The breeder should be able to produce pics of the male, though.
They should have the pedigrees of both dogs, along with the certificates for all the health checks, OFA, CERF, etc. AKC paperwork should be on hand, as well.
The kennel/home should be clean, the pups happy and obviously healthy looking. The pups shouldn’t be shy, but should happily approach you.
The breeder should not allow the pups to go to your home before 8 weeks of age, although you might visit earlier.
The breeder should be a member of their national breed club, a member of a local kennel club, some sort of organization that shows that the breeder is a ‘dog’ person, not just someone who has a female dog they let get pregnant…someone who has done the homework and testing and is breeding quality pups.
The breeder should ask YOU dozens of questions…who’s your vet/is your yard fenced/have you had dogs before/what happened to them/is everyone in the family happy about this dog/do you have a training program/etc.
You, as a prospective puppy buyer, need to research the breed you are specifically interested in. Learn the genetic problems, ask the breeder about them.
Ask the breeder the flaws in the parents. Any responsible breeder will recognize that their female’s ears are a tad too short/tail too long/straight in the front end/something. No dog is perfect. The breeder should recognize their female’s weaknesses, and will tell you the male they bred to is strong where the female is weak, thus the pups should be great!
If a breeder fluffs off OFA/CERF or any other recommended national testing for your specific breed with an, “Oh, my vet says they’re fine.”…don’t get a pup from that person. The pups might be healthy…but there is a strong chance they won’t be.
Any responsible breeder will also have you sign a contract regarding the care of the pup. The contract will include returning the pup to the breeder if you can’t keep it, for whatever reason. It will also include health guarantees.
You should always go to a breeders land or home. This way, you can look around the whelping or kennel areas to see how the pups or the dogs were raised and lived. If you go to a true breeders home, they will usually ask you exactly what you are looking for in teh dog. If you want a family dog or companion. If you want a protection dog or a show dog. Are you interested in a strong willed dog or a pack member dog. Upon giving your description, they will usually suggest one or two dogs specifically for you but will inform you of other options if you are willing to bend your wishes. At this time, you should request to see the dogs ONE AT A TIME. Any dog can be courageous when in a pack but it is when they are left alone with you that you see the true innate character. Here, one at a time, you can see if the dog is shy or bashfull or eager and happy and playfull. What you want is up to you. Asking to see the parents is a very big plus. You can see if there are any visual problems that may have been genetically passed on to the offspring. Be aware though, not all breeders have both the mother and father of the dogs. Sometimes, studs are brought in from other homes or kennels or they might have artificially inseminated the bitch. When you ask about he parents, see the breeders reaction. If they turn happy or eager you know they were happy with the breeding and with teh combination of mother and father. If they don’t, you might want to ask more detailed information such as working background, show backgrounds, conformation, titles, etc.. After deciding which dog you are interested in, next comes the talk about papers. Paperwork is important for many reasons but most of all, because with a registration, you can prove the dog is yours if for what ever reason there is ever a dispute. You will want to ask what kennel club the dogs are registered with as well as request a pedigree on teh dog where you can see at least three generations (parent/grandparent/great grandparents). You do this to see if any linebreedign was done as well as to see the background of the dog. After and only after looking at the pedigree and looking at the dog do I discuss prices for the dogs. Depending on the age, breed, pedigree of the dog, prices can be a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars. From here, the one thing you WANT to leave with is, obviously the dog, but also the registration paperwork that needs to be sent in to transfer ownership of the dog. Kind of like when you sell or buy a used car, you transfer the pink slip to someone else by signing it over… same concept. Afterwords, enjoy your new family member.
You should go to the breeder’s home. If they do not allow you to go there, it is usually because they have something to hide. You should ask for a vet refernece, references from past buyers. You need to know what shots have been given and when, when the next one is due. What the pup is eating. You should be allowed to see the parents. Ask questions about the particular breed, to see if they are knowledgeable about the breed. Ask if they give a guarantee on the pups and exactly what the guarantee covers.