show puppy - Page 2

Krieghauser, unfortunately, it is not so cheap as you think to fly to Germany. $500? The airline for that price would be something like Iceland Air or KLM. Please check - they either don't take dogs at all or have long stops somewhere. Just yesterday, my co-worker was trying to get a flight for March (not high-season), it was around $650 to $700 (remember: plus tax). Another co-worker booked for summer already: $1200. In Germany, you would need to rent a car. Haven't done that for a while, I am lucky I can use my mother's car. Co-worker checked: It is about 200 Euros (approx. $250) for just a few days. Drive to the breeder? Let us not talk about the high gas prices in Germany, about 3 to 4 times as much as here (depending there in the U.S. you are). Hotelroom? Around 100 Euros ($125) a night. How many nights did you want to stay to get a cheaper ticket? But maybe you are lucky and you have somebody to stay with? So, besides the travel expenses, do you think that you will get your show puppy for 700 Euros ($875)? No, if the breeder is willing to part with the puppy (he does not have space, no clubmembers or friends who would take it?), it is going to be a very very expensive venture without guarantees. You either need to trust somebody in Germany to find a puppy for you (breeder, broker, friend) or you check with the breeders in your own country what puppies they have. Chris

Chris, You make a good point, however, if you are after a "TOP" show line dog, then you pay TOP prices to find one, normally. Seriously, I paid $3850 for a dog from a breeder in the US, and got in return, an unregistered pup (with a contract for limited registration which will never be lifted) from a breeder who apparently thinks it's okay to do this to MANY people. SO, I would say, I would have been better off to fly to Germany, pay for a rental car and hotels, etc. than to do what I did. Just an observation and my opinion. Do your homework before you buy ANYTHING from ANYONE.

I absolutely agree with you. And you had a bad experience but that does not mean that you would not get a top puppy here in the U.S. There are plenty well-known breeders here with a good trackrecord. But I can assure you that a trip to Germany for a top puppy is doomed, unless you have excellent contacts beforehand. And why a puppy? If you want to excel at shows, spend a couple thousand more and buy a young dog with good hips and elbows, perfect teeth and great temperament, and you know what you have. In the end, it will be more economical than going through one puppy after the other. If you just love raising puppies and feel good about the rewards, partner with a good serious breeder within driving distance from you. That way, after you establish a rapport with that person you can be sure you will get the best the breeder has to offer, because you will co-own it. You would be part of that breeder's team. That is the way it is doen in Germany all the time. JMO, Chris

Tom. Dog1 and a few others posts above have given you very good advise in their replies to you. Sounds as if you could be from the UK as you stated a puppy would cost you £1,000 and a very low pick at that. My advice to you is that no breeder can guarantee you a show puppy at the age of 8 weeks! The most that can be said of a puppy of that age, is that puppy has show potential, and then it doesnt mean it will turn out to be a good dog. The person who is charging you a thousand pounds for 7th pick to last pick is 'off his head'... They have 'seen you coming' my friend, and obviously think you have 'mug' written on your forehead!! I would suggest you should keep well away from this person(s) whoever they are. Go to a few dog shows, and local dog clubs and meet some breeders. Set yourself a time scale of say six months to do this in and dont rush into anything or you may regret it in future. There are reputable breeders with well bred dogs and successful show lines out there that would be willing to offer you opposite picks to what they are keeping for themselves, and at half the price.... Believe me!!! Regards Sting