Serious Breeders - Page 2

Ragnarok, glad you could work out that double negative ! Swarn, a serious and competitive Show breeder (which Xeph is) would usually want 'more' bitches in any litter, to give greater options; 7:2 was a bit unbalanced, and a lot of males never end up doing anything with their genes anyway, whereas if you have greater pick of females you have some scope for keeping your lines going in a demonstrable way, and can still sell those you don't want to run on yourself. Sex preference among the puppy-buying public can vary from time to time, it swings males / females. If you have an even numbered litter in gender distribution, it often works out better in relation to demand at the time. Any or all of these reasons may have applied in Xeph making that decision.

I'm just teasing her a bit...

I don't expect to achieve a fraction of what Xeph did, even if I get into dog breeding/showing full-time.

Just trying to break the myth that serious breeders always breed to improve upon the existing, because then there would have been superdogs all around by now.

As mentioned, health testing first. I want to see OFA or SV hips and elbows. I look for a breeder who trains and titles their dogs. Look for someone who wants to discuss their dogs, their breeding program, why they chose those lines, what they are hoping to produce. Look for a breeder who asks you questions. Who wants to know your experience and what you are looking for. This shows they care where their puppies go and will try to match the right dog for you. Choose someone you like.

FTR, while I did like what I got in both litters, the stud dog used has become known for producing better dogs than bitches (which isn't a bad thing right now, for the lines I am primarily involved in) and in both my litters, the dogs were better than the bitches, generally speaking. The best thing I've bred to date, though, is indeed one of the two girls from the first litter.

Now imagine the reverse situation. How do serious breeders tell which pet person or family they want to sell a dog to. What I mean is knowingly selling a dog they know can achieve rating and titles and placing it as a pet.

i don't really consider myself a serious breeder, although I am serious about my dogs, and where they go.
it is a no brainer that any pup that has the potential to do something good with in their life, is going to go to the person or people that will ultimately allow that dog to shine as a German Shepherd, not to say that a persons pet is any less valuable to them.
It would be doing a great disservice t any dog that has the drives and the temperament to excel either as Police k9 or at the least, a sport dog, who can enjoy his life more in the proper placement.
We all want the very best for the dogs we breed.
I give my dogs that go into police training for free to NYS Police. If it was about the money, I would make more money selling them as a pet.
Two days ago, I had a couple come to see a pup that i still have because I trusted , not one, but two different people who were interested and assured me, even with no deposit, they were wanting this pup, guaranteed they would not back out, yup, both backed out, so now i have an 11 week old pup, who i don t like having them that long, my pups are usually all in their respective places by 8-9 weeks old.
anyway, this pup wanted nothing to do with this couple, and i wouldn t send him.
They got a little mad, but oh well. there is no way I am going to send a pup, that I have raised and loved since birth, off with people he did not want to go with.
I was quite surprised he acted like that toward them because he thinks he is the boss. he not shy or skiddish about anything.
i made that mistake once , i forced a pup to go with this woman who the pup clearly did not like. i felt bad for the woman and told myself, he'll come around.
yeah, he came back around to me about 4 weeks later a total skeleton with diarrhea blasting out, she never took the poor pup to the vet,
i instantly gave him subQ fluids and brought him back to health after months of worry if he would survive her negligent care, i said never again.
i listen to what they have to say.
there is so much more to picking the right people. People worry about the breeders, well, that a two way super highway there.

Agree with Kitkat. There is nothing wrong with placing a 'potentially good' puppy in a home even where he will be 'just' a pet, if that is going to be a home where it will still be understood, well treated, loved and happy. And sometimes you just have to listen to what even a young pup's body language is telling you, about whether that is going to happen !

There were occasions when my mentor would have preferred her pups to go to somebody who would take them on further in competition and/or work at something useful; but you cannot always rely on the demand being there at the right time, and she has had to sell ostensibly as a 'pet' instead. However, she would always try to enthuse the buyer about Showing or doing some work/training once they'd taken the puppy. To that end she took quite a few buyers to Shows with her over the years, and some of them DID get the 'bug', so they went on to do more with their 'pet'. Good and serious breeders stay in touch with their buyers. [They do MORE than just complete honest commercial transactions.] Good, serious breeders actively WANT their pups out there winning things, it is good advertising for their lines (as well as giving the dogs and their owners more interesting lives). Serious breeders are not usually afraid of competition !

well i must be a serious breeder than Hund, lol because i am not afraid of competition, in fact i have put at least three local breeders out of business.
They had no business being in business anyway.
Their breeding dogs were just that, dogs for breeding. No life at all outside of kennels and crates. I have had more than one person tell me about two of the breeders, or shall I say GREEDERS, that they produced several dysplastic dogs over the years, and never would make good on any of them and just kept breeding same dogs over and over again.
in fact the one woman is who I bought one of my first dysplastic German Shepherd from. crippled before a year old. And this woman tried and tried to get a pup from me out of my Bullinger boy. i was like, hell no.
she would tell me , you know how i care for my dogs joni, (exactly).
she tried different names and different people coming for one. you could tell by what was asked what they were up to.
i also offer incentives to do something with your dog that you get from me, any title of any kind, i will give someone their next dog/pup for free. I also knock off hundreds for repeat customers, and i do have a great deal of return buyers, for themselves, family, friends.
I call it the family discount. i have alot of people come visit with their dogs, and i also will watch any of the dogs i bred, for free, anytime, and of course, I will always take one back if need be.
there is no excuse for any of my dogs to ever wind up in pound or rescue for being unwanted.
they are always welcome to come back home.
I truly enjoy the dogs and puppies. we getting ready to go digging plants and humus into the woods (me and dogs) These cooler days are perfect for that!

Their breeding dogs were just that, dogs for breeding. No life at all outside of kennels and crates.

I have found many a sporting home, where the dogs have no life at all, other than the brief time spent in the field.  Once off the field, they go into their crate.  And back home, they are continuously crated, other than the brief potty time.  I contrast that with many a "pet home", where the dog is an integral part of that family's life, and participate in everything. 

If there's a pup of mine, I certainly would not want the above "sport home".  I would prefer the aforesaid "pet home".

Me too, aaykay!