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Permalink Reply by Charlie on January 24, 2008 at 2:34pm

The very top, most reputable breeders usually only have two-three litters a year (unless they have quite a few dogs they are showing). There is almost always a waiting list with the best breeders, so if you aren't on the list, then you get no puppy from that kennel. These breeders have earned a reputation for quality dogs, and they have the experience to match a puppy's personality with the new owner's personality and lifestyle. I would trust them to choose.

Charlie did not come from a top breeder. I went to the breeder's home and was able to chose between four puppies. I stayed a little over an hour, played with all the puppies, watched the parents (Charlie's sire and dam) for any sign of poor temperament, and asked the breeder tons of questions. I was extraordinarilty impressed by the temperament of the breeder's adult Corgis plus her years of raising Corgis, so I did decide to buy from her. It was nice to have a choice, but the responsibility for matching the puppy to my lifestyle was all "on me".

Some breeders may have a waiting list, but they are not necessarily a good breeder...just a good marketing/advertising person. I would not trust someone to pick a puppy for me if they are not highly involved and experienced in showing (and hopefully winning championships) with their own dogs.

You can somewhat shape the dog's personality by bonding (establishing trust) and training (establishing respect). You cannot shape a dog's temperament (aggressiveness or shyness). Puppy mill, (pet store, and quite a few internet-sourced) dogs are the most likely to have a poor temperament, be harder to train, and become "problem" adults. (In addition to having higher than average health problems.) The main point is just to make absolutely sure you know where the dog came from, and preferably, spend time and pick the puppy up at the breeder's home/kennel so you can see the living conditions and temperament of their dogs and puppies.

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Permalink Reply by Carmen on January 24, 2008 at 4:32pm

We bought our dogs without meeting them first. Both of our breeders watched the puppies very carefully and then matched the personality of the dog to us. We also toured the facilities and looked at the mom before deciding to buy the puppy.

When we went to get Trunks, we spent the night and let the dogs play before taking them home. We knew that Pandora accepted him when she knocked him over and licked his head! It was a wonderful way to get a dog and very relaxing.

Both of our dogs came with a 10 day period to settle into our home and determine if they fit in before the sale was final.

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Permalink Reply by Cindi on January 24, 2008 at 5:54pm

Reputable breeders who have an excellent reputation will take "orders" for puppies. We talked about getting a Cardi. There's one AKC reputable breeder in Alabama and they have one litter per year. Anyone interested must meet with the breeders, put in an application, give excellent references, and then be put on a waiting list. Considering the HUGE amount of backyard breeders here, waiting for a quality puppy is a small price to pay. Of our fur-family, both Dundee and Maddie came from these quantity over quality breeders. And it's obvious in they way they appear and act. But both are sweethearts and we love them dearly. We purposely adopted them because of their upbringing.

So, it's not horribly unusual to wait list an excellent breeder. The pups are excellent quality in appearance and temperament, as well as come with guarantees from the breeder.

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Permalink Reply by Sam on January 24, 2008 at 6:25pm

I ndeed a waiting list for a reputable breeder is not uncommon. What is not acceptable is one that wants a deposit for a pup that has not yet been born. Reputable breeders usually do not follow this practice. Those that are breeding quality dogs are breeding for themselves first. They wish to see the pups that are born, what qualities they have, which they wish to run on and then which will be pets. I certainly would be happy for a reputable breeder to help in my selections. Typically they will show you all of the pups and then will show you which pups may be available after their selections. They will encourage you to look at the pup that would be most suitable for the dynamics of your family.
When looking at internet sites that ask for deposits on pups that are not born yet and give you the ability to pick your own pup I sense that most of these folks are breeding merely for the profit. I know of several that breed far too many dogs, breed them too young, do no health testings and are only concerned with the amounts they can produce. This would be a place to avoid at all costs. While many show lovely pictures on the internet site the reality is much different. Many of these dogs never see the inside of someones home, never share time as a companion. Their sole purpose in life is to produce pups. If you venture on a site that has many litters available let this be a big red flag to you. Many reputable breeders do not offer their pups until they are at least ten weeks of age so they can make the most appropriate selections.

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Permalink Reply by Avyon on January 24, 2008 at 7:41pm

Its interesting to read, I didn't know a lot of good breeders have wait lists. For me personally its something to look into now and read up on hehe.

I just never thought of pre-ordering a pup until I noticed so many "its coming!" posts :) Which again, isn't a bad thing just something new for me.

I personally feel that the breeder that we got Roxi from was wonderful so if I can I will do my best to get our next pup from her.

This has also made me curious as to if there's a site somewhere that has a list of bad breeders. Though I'm sure the site owner could easily be sued so I doubt it.

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Permalink Reply by Lynn on January 24, 2008 at 8:34pm

I wholly agree with Sam. I am getting my puppy on Sunday, and I did not meet the litter until a couple weeks ago when they were 8 weeks old, after the breeder had evaluated the litter for show quality. I did not put a deposit down until I met them at 8 weeks, and I had selected one of the 2 available girl pups. My little girl is mismarked (too much white on her left ear).

I first met the breeder back in May, and the pups were not born until late November, so I was on the waiting list the whole time. For my breeder there was no order to the waiting list, it was merely a list of people who were interested in getting a pup. The priority of the list came from matching up a puppy's personality with someone who could provide a good home for that particular pup.

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Permalink Reply by Patti on January 24, 2008 at 8:58pm

Our first cardigan corgi came from a wonderful breeder that we found thru the AKC who we had to interview with several times. At first, I was a bit put off by the process, all the questions and such but I soon realized she was selecting from her litter the right dog for my family. We saw adorable photos (which in reality do nothing to help you live with a dog) and visited several times (which helps your heart want one more) and read all the literature that the breeder required (which prepared us the most - health issues, puppy issues, spay/neuter/bloodline issues, etc) - in the end, when we finally picked up Kai - he was perfect - a perfect fit for our already pet friendly family. When we were ready to expand our family after the death of another dog, our breeder did not have any litters planned, and told us that there were just a few other FL cardigan breeders available (I did not and do not believe in shipping). When we found this breeder, she promised us a dog, sent us pic's, scheduled visits, and then when we were on our way - the dog was gone. After much "discussion" she "found" us another puppy at another FL breeder, the same old thing, I contacted our original breeder for references and they were not that bad for the latest breeder - well when we got there - we saw Luna with the black ring around her eye and reason went out the window. Luna has been a challenge, but we have accepted it. My original breeder has been there for me every step of the way, thru Kai's injury, thru question's about Luna (even tho she did not breed her) - my best recommendation is to find a breeder you trust, that checks you out, that you can build a relationship with (you will have questions about your dog at 9 at night and the vet will not answer the phone), and when you decide to expand your very own corgi convention - you will know where to go with confidence.

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