So you are thinking of buying a puppy:
Whether you are brand new in purchasing your first pup or someone that has purchased a puppy do you research. For it is the knowledge of the breeder that you are truly investing in. All puppies are not created equal so do your homework first and ask lots of questions. A dedicated breeder should be more than happy to answer all of your questions and hopefully educate you more on the breed and your options. You can not put nose, intelligence, balance, natural ability,conformation, health, biddability and heart into a pup, that is the job of a knowledgeable breeder. Make a list of questions before you call around. Some of the questions you might consider asking would be.
Whether you are brand new in purchasing your first pup or someone that has purchased a puppy do you research. For it is the knowledge of the breeder that you are truly investing in. All puppies are not created equal so do your homework first and ask lots of questions. A dedicated breeder should be more than happy to answer all of your questions and hopefully educate you more on the breed and your options. You can not put nose, intelligence, balance, natural ability,conformation, health, biddability and heart into a pup, that is the job of a knowledgeable breeder. Make a list of questions before you call around. Some of the questions you might consider asking would be.
- How long have you been in the breed
- Do you hunt, field trial, or test
- Do you train your own dogs
- Have you had any litters in the past and if so would you provide refrences
- Are the hips certified on both the sire and the dam. What certification agency was used? What were they rated
- How many gerneations back have the hips been certified
- Any other health checks been done on the breeding pair
- Has the breeding pair been checked for brucellois; Every dog owner planning a litter needs to make sure their dogs, and any dogs they are planning to use in a breeding program, do not have brucellosis. • Breeding kennels should be on a brucellosis surveillance program to help assure they are not selling brucellosis infected puppies, or infected adult dogs to the public. • Anyone purchasing a puppy from a breeder should ask to see negative test results from the dogs that produced the litter of puppies.
- Do you belong to any of the testing clubs,(NAVHDA,NADKC).
- Why did you put this pairing of dogs together? What were you trying to put into or take out of this litter.
- Do you offer an health guarantee
- What is your goal as a breeder
- Can I see either of the parents in the field?
- Is it possible to see any pups from your previous litters in the field
- Do not assume that just because you are purchasing one of the hunting breeds that the breeder hunts! Make sure you ask that question. There are testing dogs and hunting dogs so ask....
