> Things
to know before dealing with a breeder
How
to find a Responsible Breeder
Responsible
Breeders answer all buyers' questions honestly, keep the puppies
they cannot place in good homes, sufficiently allow bitches to
recover between breedings, will take back any puppy under any
circumstances, and frequently follow up on the puppy's new home.
They breed dogs because they respect and admire their particular
breed and want to contribute and improve the breed's standards. A
responsible breeder will provide a written guarantee showing their
pups to be free of genetic diseases common in their breed, their
responsibility to replace their puppies if in fact something is
wrong with them.
Responsible
Breeders evaluate and test their puppies as pet quality (which are
sold on a spay/neutered contract), breeding quality and show
quality. Pet quality puppies are not deficient but may have some
irregularities for size, coat type, color, bone structure, etc.
There
are many sources available to locate a responsible breeder. Area
club kennels are great resources for local and nation-wide
breeders (please click here
to see our list of "Breed Clubs of America"). Local
obedience and training schools are good sources of information.
Good leads can come from vets, boarding kennels and grooming
operators.
Once
you have a few promising leads you need to have several questions
on hand in interviewing the prospective breeder.
1.
Ask to see the Sire and Dam of the litter along with their
pedigrees.
2.
Make sure
the puppy you want is health tested and comes with a written
guarantee. (click
here to see the different types of testing)
3.
Ask for names of previous puppy buyers for reference.
4.
Some breeders are available to provide a video tapes of their dogs
and the current litter. Ask and see if you can get a copy of the
tape, this way you could at least have a little idea of what
kind of dogs they have and how/where they take care of them.
During
the interview process with the breeder be prepared to be asked
some questions. A responsible breeder would want to know what kind
of home and environment his/her puppy are being welcomed into.
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