questions when searching for a puppy - Page 1

I have recently contacted a few ads from WDA and AKC web pages and found some interesting but confusing information. I was drawn to an ad about pups offered from a #1 male. All of his stats seem to be credible. The pups were being offered on the higher scale of price and then I asked about the mother. The mother was shown but never titled. How important is this? How important is this in the future accomplishment capability of the pups? Should these pups be offered at a lesser price then lets say, pups from titled parents? Should a reputable breeder or stud owner even be doing this sort of breeding if they believe in the standard? Why would someone breed a VA dog to an untitled female or vise versa? I welcome your guidance.

Oh and sorry that I didn't include this part, but what would you think are good questions to ask when searching for a quality puppy?

Hi Spaetzle, First thing first...are you wanting this pup for show/breeding or just a nice pet? If you are going to do some showing I have been told that your pup will not place as well if both of the parents are not titled...and forget getting VA even if your pup is titled and finished both parents hve to be titled... Now I would want to know if she is going to be titled and they might just be doing a test litter to see if she can even get pregnate and carry a litter to full birth...befor spending all the time and money into training. I would want to see the dog work and see if she is really being trained or if they are just saying that she is being trained...if you know what I mean. I dont' send my dogs off to be trained so it does tak me longer to get my dogs titled...also with the whold finding a helper that can work your dogs "type". some don't like show lines, or they don't like working lines...so this is something that is ongoing for me...anyway.... It is very important to me how the pups are raised. I don't care if they have VA parents if they live in a run out back and don't get earl stimulation. That just makes my job harder. So it would be a deciding factor for me if she was a dog that just lived in the kennel and was a 'money maker'....now if she is a nice bitch...good pedigree...and in training (really) and just having a test litter then I would really consider getting a pup. Price of pups...well this has been discussed many times. I put alot of time,money,love into my pups, we work with them daily...take lots of pictures. socialize them to loud sounds take them on car rides...ect, plus they are handled every day...we do confidence building excercises with them and start teaching them to sit,down,and here by the time the leave here they are already ahead of most pups. So I am going to ask what I feel is fair for my time and knowledge. Here is a tip that I use when I am looking for dogs/puppies. I will ask a question that I know the answer to...this way if they are trying to fill me full of crap I can catch them in the act and then move on to a different breeder. I have really quit asking many questions because I have little faith in most people...expecially when they are trying to sell me something. lol..if I can't go and see the dog myself I want a video sent to me of the dog doing stuff...I also want to see results of temperment testing. That is all I can think of now. Heather

Hi spaetzle, If the female has no title, you got to be careful, and of course, the question to ask is – why isn’t she titled? As Heather said before – you need to be aware that a puppy from untitled female will never get VA – how important is this for you? If it’s not your ultimate goal, there is nothing wrong with it in the USA. The puppies can have AKC pedigree, and they can be titled, shown, and bred – even if the dam is untitled. My opinion is that puppies from untitled female should not be on the higher scale of price – no matter who the sire is. Simply because if you look long enough, you will be able to find puppies from same or even better male AND from a titled female – for the same price or perhaps even lower. If you are ready to pay a higher end price – at least make sure BOTH of the parents are worth it. But, there is another side, of course. Even if the female is titled, it doesn’t guarantee that her bitework is good, and of course, it doesn’t guarantee that the pup’s bitework will be good. With a talented trainer even a female with mediocre temperament can be titled, and there you go. Why would someone breed a VA dog to an untitled female or vise versa? I would breed because I know that the female is good – even if she has no title. It is often difficult to train/title a female in the US without sending her away for training – a thing that not everyone is capable of doing. I think important questions to ask, or the information to look up are: - Hip certificates of parents, grandparents, etc - Does a female have a BH at least????? - What is the puppies’ linebreeding – shouldn’t be too tight - Do puppies come with some kind of papers/registration? What kind? (You never know) - What the temperaments of the parents are like? - Also, the questions that you asked here, on the board – ask the breeder the same questions – will there be an honest answer? (The mother was shown but never titled. How important is this? How important is this in the future accomplishment capability of the pups?)

Spaetzle, The biggest things to ask about are the hips & the temperment. I have a 15 month old GSD. He is my first GSD when I bought him I was new to all of this and the main focus was hips and temperment. His Father is titled and he comes from good lines but the mother is not. Her mother was not titled in Schutzhund either but all the rest of the dogs were, The two that where not have herding titles. But the hips are all very good. His temperment is awesome he has solid nerves and is very friendly but always alert. I have trained with people who have dogs from titled parents and 6 or 7 VA dogs in the first few generations of the pedigree and the dogs are lacking in coat and have some nerve problems. I have seen this in several dogs that I have watched in shows and competitions. So did they really benefit from getting a pup from titled parents? In my opinion NO. If you dont have the solid foundation of a good dog ie..hips/temperment then who cares what the parents did. And remember just because they are titled that does not give any guarantee to anything either.

s. vargas, Extremely well put I thought. VA titling etc of parents no doubt helps to sell pups (and one needs to question too the politics, money and effort behind how some of these titles were obtained!), but in final analysis it must surely be the innate quality of the animal that counts most.