Your discussion with the breeder?
What are some questions you should ask a breeder before you take home one of their puppies? What sorts of answers should they give? Is there anything you wish you'd asked your breeder? As a breeder is there something you think prospective corgi owners should always ask?
Let's talk about the discussion you have had with your breeder before you brought home your dog!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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I know that I wished I had asked more before bringing our Buffy home. She died at the age of 6 after several years of very painful genetic problems. So number one would be "What kind of testing do you do to determine if you are breeding healthy bloodlines?" Also, "What kind of socialization do you do with your puppies?" There are other good questions to ask so maybe others will share their questions with you.
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Permalink Reply by Atlas & Trinity on
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Check out Ian Dunbar's Before you get your puppy there's a free copy of it on dogstardaily.com. He has questions you can ask a breeder. It helped me pick out the Breeder for my corgi
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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on
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1. Why do you breed your dogs? For show or sport prospects is one of the most legitimate answers you can receive. What's best is an answer showing attentiveness towards the overall health and quality of the breed. Answers along the lines of, “she needed to be a mother”, “to experience the miracle of life”, “they have the sweetest personalities”, “I wanted another [insert parent dog’s name here],” or any candy-coated BS answer is not what you want to hear.2. Do you show or do sports with your dogs? Though dog showing is thought to be frivolous by many, it's an invaluable place to evaluate breeding stock when the dog is judged correctly. If the breeder in question shows his or her dogs, ask them what they value in the ring. You are seeking a show breeder who breeds for excellence in construction and physical soundness. Someone who breeds for coat, a pretty face, or appearance in general may be breeding beautiful dogs, but the overall health of the dog and the quality of the breed suffers. Physically demanding sports such as agility, sledding, or weight-pulling also demand a physically sound dog. You will want to discuss what traits the breeder breeds for in finding a prospect for any sports, and ask how successful the dogs are in the field. A poorly constructed dog is not going to do well and will suffer from injuries early in life as a result of the sport. Many sports failures may indicate the breeder is not quite sure what he or she is doing. Discuss the temperament bred for in the ring or on the field and determine if it's right for you and if it fits the breed.3. How many times are your dogs bred? More than two is questionable, and any more than three is absolutely intolerable without proper reasoning behind the breedings. Unless the bitch is producing excellent puppies, there is usually little reason to breed beyond two or three times. For further discussion on this topic, please see "Overbreeding". You may want to ask “What age do you stop breeding?” as a follow up just for information’s sake. Age seven is generally the latest a bitch should be bred.4. How many breeding pairs do you have? Breeding pairs are usually a large red flag because they mean the bitches are being bred more than two or three times—to the same dog, no less. Unless the pair produces astounding puppies every pregnancy, there is no excuse for this. An outside stud should be sought to bring in new genes and improve a breeder's lines, and the stud is not found without many hours of research. There are few cases where breeding pairs are acceptable and used by ethical breeders. Beware any number greater than zero.5. Do you do health testing on your animals? If no, walk away! Part of being a reputable breeder is attending to the genetic health of the breed. Breeding without first testing for genetic disease and basic physical soundness is the Number One way to breed irresponsibly. Hip testing through OFA or PennHip, eye testing through CERF, and any genetic tests common to the breed are a must. The breeder must be able to provide copies of the certificates and test results.6. What are common ailments in the breed? Any breeder will be able to tell you this information and should be offered in conjunction with the answer to the above question. In addition to this, you will want to ask the breeder about incidences of such ailments in her breeding stock and previous litters. Ask about ailments that cannot be genetically tested for, also, such as arthritis, cancers, or skeletal problems. Again, the breeder should willingly and easily provide this information.7. Do your dogs have health guarantees? The presence of a health guarantee could be very important in a few circumstances. This is more of a way to protect you, the buyer, than it is to determine the responsibility level of the breeder in question. The presence of a guarantee is usually a good sign, but some “breeders” have these also. A health guarantee on the order of two years is required. Health guarantees of one month, or even several months, are laughable and may as well not exist.
8. If for any reason I can no longer take care of the dog anymore, would you take it back? All responsible breeders sell their dogs with a contract mandating a small number of things. This absolutely must be included in contract that you, the consumer, are required to sign upon purchasing the dog. If not, this person is not a responsible breeder and contributes to the shelter dog situation. You should not buy from them.
9. Would you require me to spay/neuter my pet? This is typically required in the aforementioned contract. If it is not, that is probably a bad sign, as the breeder is not attentive to the overpopulation problem. If it is, great! The breeder in no way contributes to dog overpopulation by selling dogs that can be irresponsibly bred. If you take issue with somebody requiring your animal to be altered, discuss the issue with the breeder and make your intentions clear. They may be willing to let a dog go with you still, if they judge you to be an outstanding home in all other regards.10. Can you describe a day in the life of your dogs? Ask related questions about the location of where the dogs eat/sleep/live or anything else as they arise if the information is not volunteered. You are looking for dogs that are living happy, healthy lives!
11. How long have your dogs lived and what have they died of? A good breeder will be able to tell you not only information about their own dogs, but about other dogs in their lines. You should be able to have a good idea of the longevity of your animal and what diseases to look for later in life.
12. Are your dogs registered with the AKC? The AKC is the only reputable dog registry in America. Other dog registries, like the ACA, are used to register just any dog and are widely regarded as puppy mill registries. All dogs in the puppies' lines must be AKC registered. Pet dogs are almost always sold on limited registration by reputable breeders--puppies bred by a dog on limited registration are not registrable by the AKC. That is to say, if you or another purchaser of a puppy had a litter prior to your dog being altered, none of those puppies would be able to be registered by the AKC. Someone selling a pet dog on a full registration is almost guaranteed to be an irreputable breeder. Someone selling puppies without the ability to be AKC registered at all is certainly an irreputable breeder. Just because the puppies can be registered, however, does not mean that they are reputably bred. Similarly, a dog touted as having "champion lines" is probably not reputably bred.
The bare minimum a breeder can do to be responsible is health test, provide a high quality of life, and demand the dog be returned at any point through a contract. If you can find a breeder who does these three things, you have found someone worth talking to. The other points addressed define a truly remarkable, reputable breeder, rather than a simply responsible one. Ideally, the breeder you want to support is someone who favorably answers all 12 of the above questions. Generally, a breeder who fits the three main criteria also fit a majority of the other 9 points.
The dialog between you and the breeder in question should not stop once you determine their status as reputable or not. The following short list has been provided to facilitate further conversation.
1. Tell them your situation (first dog ever, first dog living alone, want an adult, looking for a puppy) and ask if they have any dogs now or will have any in the future to suit you.2. Can you recommend any other breeders I can be put in contact with? This question should be asked if the breeders do not have what you are looking for at this time.3. What vaccination schedule do you follow and why?4. What food do you feed and why?5. Have any of your dogs gone on to earn titles in sports?6. Do you recommend any training techniques?7. Any other questions that you, the new owner, may have about the breed, the breeder, dogs in general, or the breeder’s dogs.It’s highly recommended that you visit the site and meet the mother before committing to purchasing a dog from that person. If that is impossible, prepare yourself to have the willpower to say no if something doesn’t feel right when you go to pick your puppy up. You may be able to find information about their kennel on the internet, too, and see what other owners have to say about that breeder. Finally, you should avoid your puppy being shipped at all costs, as a breeder willing to ship is usually a "breeder" to be untrusted, if only because you cannot see the site and living conditions of the dogs.
If the breeder you are interviewing does not pan out, don't panic. Return to your breed's national or regional club website, search the breeder directory, and choose the next one on the list. Remember, not every breeder in the club will be reputable, but almost every available reputable breeder will be listed in the club--if not nationally, then locally. Never rush into getting a dog. The decision to get a dog from a reputable source is a great one worthy of great patience. Not only will you be purchasing a top-quality dog, you'll be gaining a resource for life: your breeder, who will be there to support you through every bump in the road if you so require it. Good luck in your search, be patient, and you will be able to enjoy a quality dog for many years to come.
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Maybe so, but it's easy to lie and fake it, and a lot of people do just that. It's better if your regular, inexperienced puppy buyer avoids shipping, imo.
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Permalink Reply by Stacy M on
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I agree. I want to see where the puppy spent it's first couple months of life, meet it's mama, shake hands with the breeder... etc. I also want them to want to meet me and Les in person. I believe that this is really important! I want to be confident when I take home a puppy that it came from someplace that really cared about his/her well being and next home!
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Permalink Reply by Priscilla, CARLY, and Frankie on
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I will say "Again" my Frankie was shipped all the way from Ohio to Corpus Christi Tx, and yes i wondered when i first started looking on line and talking and became friends on facebook , if this was the right thing to do. I had the numbers of breeder in Tex. in my hand but i after i made my decision and was accepted as a buyer, paid the $300.00 for shipping and handling plus the cost of the dog, i knew in my heart he was for me, she was the breeder i knew was going to be honest with me. We didnt meet in person but i knew enough after doing my research this breeder was what i wanted..I promise you i did not make a mistake , this experience has been awesome, i would do it again in minute... Every nickle i had to spend...just saying ..but what ever works for you..
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I can agree with that, but saying any breeder that ships is not to be trusted is a little much, IMO.
Maybe I see it more because cardigans aren't as common, but it is a very common occurrence for a breeder to ship a puppy. Certainly nothing that would raise a red flag, unless they ONLY wanted to ship, and would not allow you to come visit their home.
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Yeah, I have heard that it's pretty common for cardis to be shipped. I just personally want to meet in person. ^_^
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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I agree with Jane. I personally did not ship puppies, but that was my personal choice and I never felt it was a yardstick with which to judge a breeder. More important is whether a breeder will take back a dog of his or her breeding, if the new owner no longer wanted or could keep the dog (which does not mean they refund the purchase price!!!) IMO a breeder who cares about the dogs will always take a dog back, for any reason and, if they cannot do this, they should not be breeding. Such a breeder will be very careful to seek good permanent homes.....
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Permalink Reply by Joelle Soupe on
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Agreed! Most puppy shippers are the ones you find on websites with mass advertisements. In my opinion, the best breeders operate out of their own farms (at least for corgis) and ONLY breed corgis, because they love the breed.
Breeders who breed show dogs are also better because show dogs are held to a standard, and therefore breeders work hard to keep hip dysplasia, eye problems, other health problems, out.
If you are serious about adding a corgi to your family, you will be willing to drive any distance to get the right one!
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