Am I asking too many questions? - Page 2

"Is someone thinks you being a tire kicker is a bad thing, then perhaps there is something wrong with their tires : )" Exactly my thoughts. I recently inquired about a malinois bitch (obviously not from this site) and they got irritated with me for asking questions and asking for pedigree and other things. They would not answer at the phone number provided, so I went to email (while requesting they call me). My conclusions were they just wanted a quick sale and sold her while I was still pulling teeth to get a picture of the dog. Like everyone else said, it's your money and you have every right to ask away. The seller should be asking you lots of questions too, if they were truly concerned about finding the right home for the dog instead your cash.

never be afraid to ask too many questions! I would never buy a dog without seeing multiple photos, pedigree and title/health certificates and then I would go see the dog in person for myself and all it's paperwork in person before purchasing it (unless I was purchasing a dog from someone whom I had purchased from before and I trusted) if a seller is offended by the questions then they are hiding something, don't buy from them. As for emails vs. phone calls....I personally prefer email because I have hearing impairement and communicating on the phone is often difficult for me because I can't always understand what the other person is saying, however I do understand that most sellers prefer to communicate by phone rather than email because it usually is quicker (unless playing phone-tag) I personally stick to email and only call when I have decided that I want to make a purchase and need to see the dog and the seller in person first.

We asked soooo many questions about the last puppy we bought. Wonderful people answered every one completely, more pictures were not a problem. A nine hour time difference was interesting but not a deal breaker. If a seller is not willing to answer questions, go elsewhere. Yes, you may miss one due to somebody being willing to buy first but in the long run you will come out ahead.

I really appreciate all the comments. Guess I'll just keep asking questions and hope for the best. I am very happy with the pup I ended up with. She's the exact color and coat I wanted, but more important, her personality is exactly what I was looking for as well. A few times in the past I have purchased based strictly on looks and ended up with the puppy from hell :-D

There's a fine line between someone that's perceived as a tire kicker and serious buyer. Here's a few suggestions if you are interested in a dog or searching for a dog. These are some of my recommendations, I'm sure others can add to the list. If a dog is for sale. It's for sale. The first qualified person with the money gets the dog. If it's a good deal. It will not last long. If it's a marginal deal or a bad deal you have lots of time to ask questions. Prepare a list of questions. Notice the word 'a'. This means one list with everything you ever wanted to know about any dog you would ever consider. Ask as many as you want. But ask them once. Do not ask them one at a time. You are a tire kicker if you ask if a dog likes cats and then ask if it is good in the house, and then is it good with my grandchildren and then ask what does it eat, and then ask if had had good puppies before, and then ask what is it's ZW. Know what you want, why you want it, and what you are willing to pay for it. Have the money in hand and be prepared to send something when the agreement is reached. Decide on the terms of purchase and don't change them once an agreement has been reached. If you did not specify shipping to the airport, vet check, bescheinigung, warranty or pick puppy from last litter,,,,Don't expect to get it for free after the deal has been reached. Check the person's reputation you are dealing with. This is probably not the first dog they have sold or imported. Check the results of their previous sales or imports. If you want a VA contender and they have never owned or supplied a VA contender. Chances are you will not be the first. Have the dog checked before it's shipped. Once it arrives,,,,guess what? It's your dog. Have the dog's work checked, take an x ray to uncover skelital problems, do a test for organ function, count it's teeth, check it's sperm, look at the paperwork to see if the person you are sending the money to is the owner. Are there co owners of record? Check that too. Does it have the hip rating advertised, DNA results, schutzhund scores, show results. Make sure you check everything in a timely manner and do the best to keep the "Crappy dog I bought" posts off this website.

Even if the seller/breeder has a good reputation (depends on whom you ask), I would never consider buying a puppy or adult dog without first SEEING the dog personally. Otherwise, the pup you buy may be from a litter with SEVERAL "pick puppies"! Buying an older pup or young adult is suggested and may elimate many of your long-term concerns regarding health and maturation. If possible, buy directly from a breeder and not through a broker (who may easily double the price you would otherwise pay). You may also wish to personally assess the following: (1) the dog's temperament/drives/bitework--are there any signs that excess compulsion was used during early training; (2) the living conditions where the dog is housed; (3) the quality of its siblings; (4) what the parents are like--if on the premises or readily available for inspection; (5) if color and pigment are a concern to you, is the dog really black and red or have his photos been digitally "enhanced"; (6) attempt to purchase a dog that is old enough for preliminary xrays of hips AND elbows--if not, accompany the dog and his seller to a qualified veterinarian for xrays; (7) have a complete veterinary physical exam--including an assortment of lab tests--WAIT for the results of the lab work. The above precautions may take longer and cost a bit more--but may save you many future heartache. I know that, When the American breeder of my first titled male purchased his dam (as an 8-month-old pup) directly from Kirschental, she took all of the precautionary measures I've outlined above. Finally, if you live in the USA, don't hesitate to buy from a reputable American breeder--one who may breed on a small scale--not necessarily from a big name breeder who derives much of his/her livelihood from breeding and selling dogs. Louise

>> if color and pigment are a concern to you, is the dog really black and red or have his photos been digitally "enhanced"<< Is this a common practice? I've seen a few photos where the reds looked way too red and wondered if the photo had been doctored.

That seems all nice and dandy Louise, but not everyone can spend the time or the dime to see a dog in person. Whether that be in Germany or the US - other side, up or down the country is enough to be out of reach for most people. If someone has the chance to see the dog in question in person then these suggestions are certainly worth while. Keep in mind that one persons/breeders pick could be another persons not worth mentioning, and visa versa. If a pup or a dog is older, it is not always possible to see siblings. GSDs come in more colours than black and red, red is not even a recognized GSD colour... tan is where the SV scale stops. People need to stop worrying about colour and start to look at pigment. Few breeders or sellers will have problems with providing lab tests, if the person interested in the dog is paying for them. From experience - most are not. If a dog is healthy chances of hidden "defects" are rare. We hardly ever hear of the great experiences. Considering the number of dogs exported every year, the good experiences must somehow prevail, otherwise GSD folk seems to be made up of real suckers for punishment. The fact that there is good domestic breeding stock, made up of previous imports shows that most of the imports are indeed satisfactory. Yet the odd single bad experience is hyped up and then automatically seems to turn all German breeders/sellers into abusive testicle frying reject floggers. I beg to differ. Not everyone wants to buy the next VA dog, they are rather happy with just getting a dog that is a good fit for them, and shouldn't that be first priority for all purchases? The original poster did get a dog she is happy with without seeing it in person first. So it is possible to get what you were told and hoping for.

I prefer that potential buyers keep in ergular contact with me and ask as many questions as they like, because I care whre my pups end up. Especially if the sale is arranged via the internet or email. Through the question/answer process one can more or less determine which pup would suit which buyer's life-style and try to please. I had one bad experience with the sale of an adult dog to a "very serious" buyer which I ended up having to buy back because he was mistreating her. Since then, I don't re-home any dog unless I have built up some sort of relationship with the buyer.