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What To Look For In A Breeder by Lisa
Ford There are many things to consider before purchasing a puppy of
any breed from a breeder. One of the most important aspects is your
gut feeling. Do you feel comfortable with this person? When you call
this person, do they act happy to help you, or do you get the
feeling that they find you to be a waste of their time? If you were
to announce that you wouldn't be getting a puppy for quite some
time, do you think that they would tell you to call them back when
you were ready (and otherwise leave them alone!)? Are they courteous
and honest and do they seem excited about their breed and the
direction that their kennel is going? Do they slander other
breeders? If you stated to them that you were thinking of getting a
puppy from another breeder (a competitor) would they tell you that
breeder's dogs are of poor quality, or that the breeder is ignorant?
Do you think that they are trustworthy? Do you feel that were you to
call them in two years with a problem regarding the dog that you
purchased from them, that they would still want to be involved with
you and your pet? As far as kennels go, bigger is not always better,
and small does not mean that more attention is given to the animals
and details. The next thing to research is their breeding stock.
After all, these are the parents and relatives of your puppy, and
your puppy is only going to be as good as its genetic potential
allows it to be. Do their dogs look like Filas? Read the standard of
the breed and critique their animals. Remember, no dog is perfect,
and every one of them has its flaws, but there should be only a
minor fault or two. Ask them why they chose to breed that female to
that male. If they say it was because he was correct where she was
weak and vise-versa, they are on the right track. They should
readily admit each animal's faults along with its spectacular
points. If they claim that he was the only male available or they
are both really kick-ass dogs, go somewhere else! Ask about the
animals temperament. Can they be walked in a downtown atmosphere and
behave? Are they protective? What do they do when put into different
situations? Ask the breeder if they are willing to send you copies
of Championship titles, Temperament Test titles, and/or hip/elbow
evaluations, or do they make excuses about not having titles and
health certifications on their breeding stock? A dog with titles is
not necessarily a good representative of its breed, but at least it
shows an interest from the breeder to prove his/her dog and invest
some money in their breeding program. (Each championship title can
cost as little as $100 up to many hundreds of dollars, depending
upon the distance traveled, accommodations, airfare, car rental,
etc. A temperament test title will cost approximately $35, and hip
evaluations can cost as little as $170 on up, so don't take them
lightly. They show a true interest and an investment from the
breeder.) Not to mention if the dog has a Championship title, at
least a few judges thought that it was quality enough to represent
the breed as a champion. With this in mind, you can see why some
breeders charge over $1,000 for their puppies. While a high price is
definitely NOT correlated with quality, some breeders have invested
so much money in their breeding program to be assured that the
parents of your pup are worth being bred, that they are justified to
ask for some reimbursement. Most breeders will never make back the
money that they have invested in their breeding stock. Keep in mind
that the breeder had to purchase that original female, raise her up
with quality food and care until she was two years of age, have her
hips and elbows x-rayed (possibly have her spayed and get another
female to try over again if her joints were not sound), enter her in
shows and pay for her titles, pay for the stud fee and associated
travel expenses to have her bred, feed her and her litter (which can
easily add up to $5 a day), pay for any veterinary bills that she or
her puppies incurred, etc. It is not uncommon for a breeder to raise
up two or three females before one is considered a 'keeper' in terms
of breeding. The next issue that should be discussed is whether or
not this puppy comes with a guarantee. A responsible breeder will
offer you a written, signed guarantee which will state that the
puppy is free of communicable disease at the time of sale, and that
it will remain healthy for a defined amount of time. If you are
lucky, this contract will also guarantee that the dog will be free
from crippling hip dysplasia (HD) for a certain amount of time. Be
critical about this part. Does the contract only cover dogs that
have to be euthanized due to HD, or does it cover a dog that can not
pass OFA, PennHIP, or another hip registration organization with
average or better scores? At what age does this guarantee end? 6
months? One year? Three years? Or for the entire life of the dog?
Don't be embarrassed to ask questions. If the breeder gives you a
difficult time, go some where else. It's that simple. YOU are
spending YOUR hard-earned money for a quality companion, and you
deserve to have each and every question answered in depth. It is
true that the guarantee is only as good as the people who sign it,
and it will very likely cost you more to go to court to uphold a
contract of this sort than it would to give up. A responsible
breeder signs a guarantee because they want their buyers to feel
comfortable with the arrangements of the purchase, they want them to
have it in writing so that they can look at it if a question arises,
and they will stand behind it largely because their reputation as a
caring, ethical breeder is important to them. If a breeder does not
offer a written guarantee, go somewhere else. They owe it to you as
the purchaser of one of their pups to have something written down
for your protection. Last, but not least, why does he/she breed
dogs? Do they do it for the fun of it, for the betterment of the
breed, or to make some money? A good answer would obviously be that
they do it as a hobby where they strive to produce the best Fila the
world has ever seen and that they increase their chances by
utilizing only the best, most sound dogs to accomplish their goals.
They will not be interested in making money and they may well joke
about wanting to break even some day! They will be excited about the
dogs that they are breeding and the young upcoming stars that are
about to hit the showring. They will only breed their females after
they have reached two years of age so as not to effect her growth
and development. They will only breed her once a year at most, and
only for two or three litters. Then they will spay her and keep her
as a pet or find her a loving home where she can live out the rest
of her life as a spoiled-rotten house dog. They will not inbreed
their dogs (father to daughter, mother to son, brother to sister),
because to do so can be disastrous, and takes more knowledge than
most breeders have. They will admit that they learn something new
every day from their dogs, and you should get the feeling that the
dogs are a huge part of the breeder's life, not just an animal that
lives in the garage or out in the yard with a doghouse. The most
important thing that you, as a prospective puppy buyer can do to
assure that you get a quality dog, is RESEARCH, RESEARCH, and do
MORE RESEARCH!!!! Call everybody that you can find who breeds these
dogs, ask for references, and call the references. Quiz those people
on what they think of their breeder, whether or not they have ever
had any problems with their pup from that kennel, and how did the
breeder deal with them. Ask them if that breeder does anything
special or anything that really bothered them. Do they check up on
their placed pups, do they spend time after the sale is over for
consultation, or did they drop the ball? Remember, the worst that
will happen, is that some stranger will think that you are annoying!
WHO CARES ? ! ? If you did everything in your abilities to get a
good dog that you are proud of and confident in its health and
well-being, then you accomplished your goals! Good luck!
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