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Author: Ron Drozdick (rjdroz@mtaonline.net)
Where do
puppies come from
or
Improving
your chances of finding a good pet
Introduction
When looking for a dog, remember that NO ONE is out there trying to breed YOU an ideal pet. People breed for lots of reasons, but they all have their own agendas. To find an 'ideal' pet YOU have to do some work beyond checking the newspaper adds. You should think about what you want in a pet, which means personality, care required, and life style. What the dog looks like is the item of LEAST importance. You are going to have to live with the dog. This means if you are looking for a pet, that a 'show quality' dog has no special advantage over a 'pet quality' dog, or even a mutt. To increase your chances of finding the right dog, you have to find the right source.
BTW, I do not breed or sell dogs.
These are probably the worst sources. They
are producing dogs for money and have little concern with breeding a good pet.
(If the dog dies after a few years or you feel you have to get rid of him it
may mean more business! Remember planned obsolescence?) To maximize profit, a
breeder must cut corners and concentrate on quantity. In the worst cases, this
means cheap food, poor medical care, no individual puppy care or socialization
(resulting in neurotic pups), minimum exercise, and lack of care in selecting
breeding stock (often resulting in breeding in health problems). (And remember,
AKC registration is done on the honor system. A pedigree from a
for-profit-breeder is to be viewed with suspicion.)
The most obvious cases are the 'puppy mills'
which are the prime pet store suppliers. Also included are the back yard
breeders who breed to pay for dog food. And some so called 'reputable' breeders
who are mass producing for similar reasons. The latter may sell 'show quality'
dogs that are anything but.
This category also often includes people
selling high price 'rare', novelty dogs that are typically crosses (mutts) like
cock-a-poos rather than purebreds, or maybe purebred
dogs that have some appearance factor that would disqualify them from dog show
competition. Like the rare white longhaired dwarf boxer or whatever. The
breeders are often trying to get high prices with no real justification. Yes
they are often registered, but often with some 'Registrations 'R Us' organization. This said, a
cock-a-poo may be the ideal pet for you. But you can
probably find one at a pound somewhere for a lot less money.
TOP
These are inexperienced people breeding because
they like their dog and want a pup, or are just fond of dogs, or just had an
accident. They generally do NO research into the dog's background and spend no
money on any health related testing.
The casual breeders are usually 'better'
choices the $$ breeders, in that they do often care for their dogs, treat them
well, and want the pups to have good homes. Their main purpose in life is not
parting you from your money. Probably bred their dog to a dog that lives a few
blocks away The major problem with these sources is
that they have no idea about the background of the dogs and may be breeding in
health problems. Just because the parents are healthy is NO guarantee that they
don't carry problem genes. At times they intentionally breed in temperament
problems if they are silly enough to think that a very high aggression level is
macho. In general, you will not get better dogs (genetically) than from puppy
mills, but they will frequently be better cared for, healthier, and better
socialized.
Accidental Breeders are very similar, but
usually produce mutts. Nothing wrong with mutts as such.
Just a bit hard to tell how they will come out. MAY have a better chance of
avoiding a genetic health problem then SOME pure bred dogs, especially if the
original breeds do not have a problem in common (if there are any such
combinations). No guarantees though. Since the dogs in question have unknown
backgrounds, and may come from 'puppy mill' lines with a high incidence of say,
hip dysplasia, you may have a GREATER chance of health problems.
These are experienced breeders
whose prime concern is a particular aspect of a breed, neglecting all others.
Their driving force is usually winning.
These dogs were bred for a purpose,
intentionally and carefully. The factors that make a good pet are usually NOT
on their list. They may breed conformation show dogs, and go for the win at the
expense of health, life span, and temperament. They may breed for a function
like hunting, guarding, or herding (or dog fighting). But their requirements
may not include dogs with temperaments to make good pets. They may have lots of
trophies.
The pound and the rescue
society--Where a lot of the above dogs end up.
This is usually a better place to buy a dog.
At least you usually see the dog at an older age, and can evaluate some factors
like temperament/personality. And by buying here, you discourage the above
breeders. Both, but rescue in particular usually evaluate the dogs they get for
suitability as pets doing some of the screening for you.
Yes there are some. No they are not breeding
pets just for your needs. They are breeding for their own needs. These breeders
are, however, concerned about breeding a good all around dog (in their view).
These sources can minimize (but not eliminate) chances for health and
temperament problems while still producing a pure bred dog. The main way they
differ from other breeders is that the dogs health and
happiness come first. How to tell who is? It will come out when you talk to
them.
It's all in the attitude,
you should look for a breeder who cares about his dogs and what happens to his
pups. If he doesn't do you think he cares about YOU and whether you will be
happy with the pup?
The seller who tells you how rare and
valuable his dog is
The seller tells you how much money you can
make breeding it (express or implied)
Beware claims that the dog is 'GUARANTEED
show quality!!'.
Claims that the breed you are looking for is
the perfect breed for you. (And if you inquire about another breed he has
available, how that breed is even better than perfect.)
Anything that sounds like a
hard sell. Remember the last time you bought a car?
The guy (or address or Internet site) just
happens to have a large selection of puppies of various breeds.
The guy who can't show you
at least the mother, and preferably a few other adult dogs of his breeding.
ANYONE who will sell you a
dog sight unseen. (At least without
references.)
ANYONE other than the
original breeder selling pups.
ANYONE selling pups by the
side of the road out of a car. (Or in a back
alley.)
Claims that his dogs have
no health problems.
The breeder who appears to
have the welfare of his dogs as his main concern. This often
manifests as a reluctance to sell you a pup. The breeder may try to steer you
to another breed.
The breeder asks questions designed to find
out if the breed is suitable for you. This should include stuff like why you
want a dog, where the dog is to live, how much training will be done, your past
experience, age of children, how long the dog would be left alone, yard, walks,
other pets, etc.
The breeder who mentions the 'bad' or 'not
for everyone' points of the breed. This includes activity level, grooming,
personality, possible health problems, etc.
The breeder who will pull out a contract that
includes at least some form of the following:
1.) The breeder will take the dog back if a
major health problem develops or you have to get rid of it.
2.) The dog is to be neutered, or at least
not bred without approval.
The breeder will not let the pups go until
they are at least 8 weeks old.
The breeder who has a
waiting list.
The breeder who only has one,
or at most a few breeds.
The breeder enters his dogs in some type of
competition on a regular basis. (As long as winning these competitions is not
his only aim in life.)