Every month I am approached by owners of dogs of my breed who complain about how badly they behaved, how unhealthy they are, how untrainable, and generally speaking my breed and how deeply it bothered them to spend money on this breed. I listen patiently, but time taught me not to defend “good” breeders, nor to explain to angry owners how their own ignorance prompted them to become victims.
There are many myths that abound in the canine world. Unfortunately, each allows unscrupulous breeders to prey on eager potential puppy buyers.
Here are some of the most common myths:
Registered dogs are of good quality. Even puppy mills register their puppies and get the papers.
If the parents have papers, the puppy is good. Wrong. Actually, if the parent documents do not have a blue border, then the puppy’s parent is listed as “Not good enough for breeding.” In many cases, these breeders show the parents’ papers to prospective buyers, but explain that the litter is not registered in an attempt to save money. This is a lie. They did not register the litter because the puppies are not purebred and cannot be registered. It takes less than $ 25.00 to register a puppy.
“It is not necessary to bring breeding cattle to ‘dog shows’, because everything is political.” Sorry, but I hate hearing this from amateur breeders. I have been in the canine world for more than 20 years and I have shown more than 4 breeds. Yes, when it comes to the BIG shows, or Best In Show wins, there is politics involved. But, when it comes to getting the LOWEST prize a dog can get (which is becoming a champion), there is little to stop any breeder from showing and winning, unless they know their dogs are not of good quality. All that the title of champion means is that more than one judge considers the dog to be good enough for breeding.
Poor quality parents = poor quality puppies. Many people believe that they only need two purebred parents to produce good quality puppies. This is not true. Many inherited diseases, such as joint problems, are avoided by good breeders who understand the structure and bloodlines. If the breeder thinks they can breed different body types together and get consistently healthy puppies, they shouldn’t be breeding.
If both parents are champions, the puppies are good. Again, the buyer must be careful. It is relatively easy to turn a good dog into a champion. Unscrupulous amateur breeders know this, so they end up with one or two dogs (not most of them) and then trick new buyers into believing that the ‘championship’ is the pinnacle of a dog’s career, instead of the lowest award you can achieve.
So how can you protect yourself? Here are some helpful tips to help you avoid ending up with a puppy you can’t live with.
Visit at least 10 breeders, before looking at a puppy.
Never let a breeder put a puppy in your hands, or tell you that it will be gone tomorrow if you don’t buy it now. In fact, most good breeders will not allow you to have the puppy after a first visit. Most good puppy owners will not accept money on the first visit.
Never take your children when you look at puppies.
Contact the national breed association and ask questions.
Make sure that the breeder does not systematically use males and females from his own kennel. The males that use the best kennels come from the best winners.
A health guarantee is only valuable if you, the puppy buyer, are willing to go to court. In many cases, they are not worth the paper they are written on. Instead, ask for the names of 5 to 10 people who have had one of these dogs’ puppies for more than a year.
Ask the breeder for veterinary records that show when the breeder had the parents check for hereditary defects.
Don’t buy from breeders who always have puppies. Also, when it comes to kennels, bigger is not better. Big operations, even “show” ones, are business. They are more concerned with income than the relationship between you and your new puppy.
Don’t buy a cheap puppy. Find the average price of a puppy and look for puppies in that price range. It is expensive to ‘properly’ raise a litter of puppies. And it is easy for a good breeder to sell puppies. So if a breeder is selling puppies at a bargain price, then something is wrong.
Beware of breeders who raise your female pet. They rarely have the knowledge to raise a good litter. More importantly, I have met entire networks of people selling puppies, believing they are helping a breeder. Instead, these people are selling puppies for a puppy mill. No one will go to a stinky farm and select their pup from a dozen litters. Nobody is so naive anymore. So the puppy mills have gotten very smart, even buying ‘display tapes’, to look more legit.
If you can avoid these mistakes, you will reduce the risk of buying a poor quality puppy.
There is some information that I can give you. All the respected and concerned breeders I have met have three things in common.
1. They love to talk about their race.
2. They are in no rush to sell a puppy.
3. They only breed 1 to 5 litters a year.