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Val & Friends
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Once you've decided on what breed
of dog you prefer, only half of your homework is done. Now it's time to get
down to business. Choosing a breeder is the most important aspect of choosing
a new puppy.
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| It does no good to choose your puppy based on pictures and standards
you've seen described in books, if you choose a breeder who does not breed
TO that standard. A good
breeder won't try to sell you a puppy. You can be assured that you will NOT
find a responsible breeder selling puppies to pet stores/shops, pet brokers,
or offering their puppies for sale at yard sales, flea markets and swap meets.
And, they would never think of offering anyone a puppy younger than 8-10
weeks of age.
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A good breeder will be willing to
answer any questions you have about the breed, or individual puppies.
They
will have pictures or videos of the puppies to share with you. Many will
have a website you can visit to "get to know" them and their
dogs.
A good breeder is
concerned with the genetic problems in their chosen breed.
They should have screened their
breeding stock for as many of the hereditary genetic problems as
possible, and be willing to discuss each of those problems with you.
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'Sam' - Owczarzak |
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They may send home a video, booklet, or other information about your
new puppy including a pedigree that will show several generations of
the puppy's ancestors.
Because this breeder wants to make
sure the puppies that are being bred conform to the AKC standard,
they will
have competed in dog shows.
Therefore many
of the dogs listed on the pedigree will have the coveted CH (for
"champion") in front of their name, or initials after the
names to show which dogs have competed in performance events.
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'Teddie' - Walker
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If you
are offered a pedigree that does not have many champions listed in a 3
generation pedigree, ask why. And don't accept the answer that
"it costs too much to show dogs," "I don't know how to
show," "show people are snooty," etc. These are common
answers from people who are only interested in making money from their
dogs, and don't want to invest the years of hard work (mental and
physical), time and money necessary to really be a dog professional! |
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