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Permalink Reply by Beth on August 10, 2009 at 9:19pm

Oh, I love talking to breeders!

The basics are health clearances (hips and eyes definitely, and often VwB).

What do they breed for? (show, agility, herding).

How are the pups raised? "In the house" is not enough for me. Our breeder went on at length about how as soon as they've had their shots, she loads the whole litter up in her vehicle (crated) and starts hauling them around with her, to the store, to the petstore. Have they been exposed to kids? Other dogs besides mom? Often times if you just let the breeder talk, you will find out most of these things without asking. It's not enough to be house-raised (though that's a minimum). If you want a confident outgoing pup, it's important that they be exposed to things before they get to you, especially in a breed like the Corgi that is often not placed til 10-12 weeks of age.

If they don't have me on the phone for an hour talking about their dogs, I worry.

What age do they leave? How many sets of shots have they had?

What are the parents like?

Some people ask "why is this a pet quality puppy" but I'm not sure that is always valid. Some of the breeders have a preset number of pups in mind that they will go on with, and they will let other pups go who are show quality, but with pet only contracts, if they have interested parties. Many breeders charge the same for a pup, pet quality or show quality, so once they have picked out the ones they are going on with they may let a show-quality go as a pet. We are looking at an adult female as a possible addition to our household, and the breeder mentioned that she ran on with four out of that litter. Some bitches will have a whole litter of show-quality pups, but that doesn't mean the breeder will go on with all of them. Other times there is something obvious; a mismark or a fluffy, for example.

They should also have lots of questions for you, and very often the good breeders will pick out the puppy for you and not let you have a pick. They are matching a pup with what you tell them about yourself. They see more puppies in two years than most of us see in our lives, and are pretty good at knowing what a pup will grow up to be like.

Red flags, besides the obvious lack of info about clearances and parents and stuff, to me would be a person who does not keep you talking for a long time. One breeder told me that they like to keep prospective buyers on the phone long enough to see if they trip up and let something slip. LOL And I believe it, but most of them just love to talk about their dogs, and I think that is the biggest part of it.

I also look for a breeder who talks about dogs of hers (or his) that are obviously pets as well as show dogs and producers.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on August 10, 2009 at 9:27pm

A couple other things:

There is a good chance you won't get to meet the pups til they've had their first set of shots, to avoid bringing disease.

The breeder's house might be falling down, but her dog areas should be spotless. There might be outside runs if she has quite a few dogs, but there should be obvious inside areas for the dogs as well. When Jack's litter was brought out to meet us, they all went potty right away, which showed that they were already learning to go outside to use the bathroom. And as soon as they went, she ran around cleaning up after them.

The adults should be outgoing and come greet you (this is true of Corgis, which should have a bolder outlook, but of course some other breeds are very reserved so that would not apply), and when the pups come tumbling out they should clearly be comfortable being handled, though they'll probably still be quite bitey.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on August 10, 2009 at 11:19pm

As someone who has purchased and also a small breeder I have to say that there are many things I have learned. I wish that I could have people do an adoption application as I have them do for my rescues along with conversations...and references...now that may sound weird but there are people that call that I am very leary of selling a pup to also. I have slowly gotten back to a couple of them and said that I had sales pending because I didn't feel they were right for any of my pups. That may sound terrible and I think anyone who belongs to My Corgi has to be a good corgi lover but sometimes there are people that I really wonder why they want a dog or if it's an impulse thing and then a few months later it's the pup that suffers...I will match up people and their personalities with a dog or 2 but I really want them to interact and see which one works as I think of my 1st corgi Wynn and I wanted a female but he walked up to me laid his tiny little head on my foot and fell asleep...needless to say I did not get a female and he still hauls my shoes all over... One of my favorite parts of people coming to pick a pup is I have tthe pups all in my back bathroom and we have "the great escape" as I open the door they come running down the hall into the kitchen it's so funny and people love all the excitement of this! I do agree witht all the ?'s you should ask and they should spend time explaining things also I do alot of emailing, sending pics and also on the phone! I personally like updates after they go to their new homes and also am available to answer ?'s.Sorry I got carried away! I think if you care about your pups the potential buyer should be able to see this in many ways!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on August 11, 2009 at 7:08am

As far as who does the picking, I think it depends on both the breeder and the owner. In my case, we were dealing with a woman who has bred Corgis for over 20 years and has several litters a year. Not sure how she keeps up with it all, but she does; I have heard other breeders comment that her dogs have great personalities, and yet I think she easily has 4 or more litters a year. Anyway, my point being that she is to the point that she can usually tell by the puppy what its personality will end up being. She might give you a choice of a couple pups, but she is not afraid to say "I don't think that's the puppy for you" even to experienced owners.

Other breeders. who are also very good, only have a litter or so every few years, and other than picking out who they want to keep, would be more inclined to let a knowledgeable buyer pick her own pup, I would think.

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Permalink Reply by shelby geisler on August 16, 2009 at 1:19pm

Along with with others have stated: Health Issues are my #1 priority.

Testing not only for abilities but medical testing as well and since the new test is out for DM this test also is a prerequisite to me purchasing a pup.

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