HOHAMBULLS
11-04-2005, 02:24 PM
10 Questions to Ask a Breeder
Do you show your dogs? What clubs and activities do you participate in with your dogs? The more clubs and activities a breeder participates in, the more he or she is involved with the breed.
How many titled dogs have you bred? A significant number of conformation, obedience and performance titles indicate a good breeding program.
What kind of genetic health testing do you do on your dogs?
Do you provide a health guarantee on your dogs?
Are you available for future consultation regarding this dog? Good breeders are always there to help with problems and concerns.
If something unforeseen happens, would you take the dog back?
How many years have you been breeding dogs? The longer a breeder has been breeding, the more he or she will know and understand the breed.
How many litters have you bred? Responsible breeders do not breed excessively, yet have had enough breeding experience to know what they are doing. Use your judgment to decide if the breeder seems to be churning out more puppies than his or her time and accommodations can handle. Keep in mind that puppies need to be carefully socialized during the first nine weeks of their lives and shouldn’t spend most of their time in a kennel.
What requirements do you have that prospective puppy buyers must meet? Responsible breeders have a solid idea of what kind of home they want their puppies to go to.
Do you require that puppies sold as pets be neutered? Responsible breeders require that dogs purchased as pets be altered.
Breeder RED FLAGS
A wise puppy buyer always researches the breeder he or she will be purchasing a puppy from. Check with the Better Business Bureau for complaints, too. If you encounter any of the following warning signs when checking out a breeder, run, don’t walk, in the opposite direction.
The breeder’s facilities are dirty or in ill repair.
The breeder’s dogs seem unhealthy or poorly socialized.
The breeder is reluctant to show you the accommodations he or she has for the dogs.
The breeder emphasizes the aggressiveness of his or her dogs.
The breeder does not ask you screening questions about the kind of home you will provide.
Signs of a Healthy Puppy
All puppies are adorably cute, but not all are healthy. To determine whether the pups you are considering are healthy, look for these signs.
Coat is clean and not sparse or patchy.
Eyes and nose are clear of discharge.
Ears are free of any dark, waxy build-up.
Gums are pink, not pale
Legs are straight.
No potbelly.
Clean rectal area
Do-It-Yourself Temperament Test
Puppies come in a wide assortment of temperaments to suit just about everyone. If you are looking for a dog that is easily trainable and a general good companion to your family, you most likely want a dog with a medium temperament,
Temperament testing can help you determine the type of disposition your potential puppy possesses. A pup with a medium temperament will have the following reactions to these various tests, best conducted when the pup is 7 weeks old.
Step 1: to test a pup’s social attraction to humans and its confidence or shyness in approaching them, coax it toward you by kneeling down and clapping your hands gently. A puppy with a medium temperament comes readily, tail up or down.
Step 2: To test a pup’s eagerness to follow, walk away from it while it is watching you. The pup should follow you readily, tail up.
Step 3: To see how a pup handles restraint, kneel down and roll the pup gently on its back. Using a light but firm touch, hold it in this position with one hand for 30 seconds. The pup should settle down after some initial struggle first and offer some steady eye contact.
Step 4: To evaluate a pup’s level of social dominance, stand up, then crouch down beside the pup and stroke it from head to back. A pup with a medium temperament, neither too dominant nor too submissive, should cuddle up to you and lick your face, or squirm and lick your hands.
Step 5: An additional test of a pup’s dominance level is to bend over, cradle the pup under its belly with your fingers interlaced and palms up, and elevate it just off the ground. Hold it there for 30 seconds. The pup should not struggle and should be relaxed, or it should struggle and then settle down.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5da09b3127cce9408f6e8972b00000016108JbMmblw5o
I hope this can be of some help to anyone looking for a new puppy.
Do you show your dogs? What clubs and activities do you participate in with your dogs? The more clubs and activities a breeder participates in, the more he or she is involved with the breed.
How many titled dogs have you bred? A significant number of conformation, obedience and performance titles indicate a good breeding program.
What kind of genetic health testing do you do on your dogs?
Do you provide a health guarantee on your dogs?
Are you available for future consultation regarding this dog? Good breeders are always there to help with problems and concerns.
If something unforeseen happens, would you take the dog back?
How many years have you been breeding dogs? The longer a breeder has been breeding, the more he or she will know and understand the breed.
How many litters have you bred? Responsible breeders do not breed excessively, yet have had enough breeding experience to know what they are doing. Use your judgment to decide if the breeder seems to be churning out more puppies than his or her time and accommodations can handle. Keep in mind that puppies need to be carefully socialized during the first nine weeks of their lives and shouldn’t spend most of their time in a kennel.
What requirements do you have that prospective puppy buyers must meet? Responsible breeders have a solid idea of what kind of home they want their puppies to go to.
Do you require that puppies sold as pets be neutered? Responsible breeders require that dogs purchased as pets be altered.
Breeder RED FLAGS
A wise puppy buyer always researches the breeder he or she will be purchasing a puppy from. Check with the Better Business Bureau for complaints, too. If you encounter any of the following warning signs when checking out a breeder, run, don’t walk, in the opposite direction.
The breeder’s facilities are dirty or in ill repair.
The breeder’s dogs seem unhealthy or poorly socialized.
The breeder is reluctant to show you the accommodations he or she has for the dogs.
The breeder emphasizes the aggressiveness of his or her dogs.
The breeder does not ask you screening questions about the kind of home you will provide.
Signs of a Healthy Puppy
All puppies are adorably cute, but not all are healthy. To determine whether the pups you are considering are healthy, look for these signs.
Coat is clean and not sparse or patchy.
Eyes and nose are clear of discharge.
Ears are free of any dark, waxy build-up.
Gums are pink, not pale
Legs are straight.
No potbelly.
Clean rectal area
Do-It-Yourself Temperament Test
Puppies come in a wide assortment of temperaments to suit just about everyone. If you are looking for a dog that is easily trainable and a general good companion to your family, you most likely want a dog with a medium temperament,
Temperament testing can help you determine the type of disposition your potential puppy possesses. A pup with a medium temperament will have the following reactions to these various tests, best conducted when the pup is 7 weeks old.
Step 1: to test a pup’s social attraction to humans and its confidence or shyness in approaching them, coax it toward you by kneeling down and clapping your hands gently. A puppy with a medium temperament comes readily, tail up or down.
Step 2: To test a pup’s eagerness to follow, walk away from it while it is watching you. The pup should follow you readily, tail up.
Step 3: To see how a pup handles restraint, kneel down and roll the pup gently on its back. Using a light but firm touch, hold it in this position with one hand for 30 seconds. The pup should settle down after some initial struggle first and offer some steady eye contact.
Step 4: To evaluate a pup’s level of social dominance, stand up, then crouch down beside the pup and stroke it from head to back. A pup with a medium temperament, neither too dominant nor too submissive, should cuddle up to you and lick your face, or squirm and lick your hands.
Step 5: An additional test of a pup’s dominance level is to bend over, cradle the pup under its belly with your fingers interlaced and palms up, and elevate it just off the ground. Hold it there for 30 seconds. The pup should not struggle and should be relaxed, or it should struggle and then settle down.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5da09b3127cce9408f6e8972b00000016108JbMmblw5o
I hope this can be of some help to anyone looking for a new puppy.