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To find good dogs of any breed, start on the web again.
Go to www.akc.org then click on
Breeds or on Clubs. If you go to Breeds, that will bring up an alphabetical
listing. Go to your breed, then search for the name of the national breed
club. If you go to Clubs, you'll get all kinds of clubs, those devoted to
various performance competitions and different breeds. Choose breed clubs.
That will bring you to an alphabetical list, so scroll to the one(s) in
which you're most interested. The name of this organization varies in
different breeds, but it'll be there. Once at the website of the national
breed club, you'll be out of the AKC site and won't get me again.
In addition I suggest you look at "A Puppy Buyer's Guide to the
Internet: Online Resources to Find and Raise a Healthy Purebred Dog,"
which can be accessed at http://www.akcchf.org.
Read everything on the national breed club websites, especially the material
related to hereditary diseases and difficulties of your breed. Even if you
have had lots of experience with your breed, read
the stuff on genetic diseases. The field is moving fast, and some breed
clubs are right up to date on that. Read what sorts of homes are right for
your breed and decide if yours fits the bill. If not, you may be
well-advised to find another breed. If you need ideas, email me again and we
can chat about it. Once you've read everything about your chosen breed on
their website, and you definitely do want
a dog of that breed, you need to move on, but where you go depends upon your
particular circumstances.
If you have children less than 6 yrs old, or if young kids visit often, a
puppy is not a good idea. If the dog is to be a companion for an older
person who is not very active, or if you just don't want to cope with a
totally manic teenager with teeth, click on Rescue. That will take you to
organizations that place adult dogs. Don't worry about bonding with an adult
dog; that's very easy and happens within weeks. With an adult dog, what you
see is what you get, so you don't need to worry about what the temperament
of the animal will be. Be prepared to discuss your circumstances in detail
with the rescue organization's representative, and they probably will make a
home visit, to ensure that you have appropriate facilities and know how to
take care of the dog. Often they will assess the temperaments of the dogs in
their care and will recommend one that fits your exact specifications.
Sometimes these dogs have been surrendered to shelters, or have been victims
of abuse, but more often these are animals that simply fell on hard times.
Their owners died or had to move to a place that didn't permit dogs.
Sometimes they look like your breed, but they may not be purebred. Rescue
can tell you - and should be up front about it. On the other hand if you
definitely want a puppy, click on Breeders at the breed club website. Click
on states within 300-400 mi of where you live and prepare a list of phone
numbers and email addresses. Using what you have learned about genetic
diseases from the website, ask about whether the relatives of your
puppy-to-be have been tested for these diseases and what the results of the
tests were. You should be especially interested in the test results for both
the mother and father of your puppy and all four of its grandparents. Be
prepared to answer a lot of personal questions, for placing a puppy is a lot
like putting up a kid for adoption. A good breeder will want to be sure that
yours is an appropriate home for her little darlings. (Most of the people
"in dogs" are female; it's a fact of life.) You will want to meet
as many of the close
relatives of your puppy as possible - BEFORE you decide whether you want the
pup. So ask to come visit the kennel where the mom lives, and inquire where
dad lives. (Dog moms and dads usually don't live in the same place.) Phone
dad's people and ask to visit him, too. Pay a lot of attention to how these
adult dogs relate to you and your family, for their behavior will be the
best predictor of the behavior of your puppy when it grows up. If you are
uncomfortable with any of
the puppies' close relatives, say thank you and go elsewhere. Make it clear
why you want the dog: for a family pet and companion, as a show dog, for
training in hunting, obedience, agility, any combination of these, or
whatever. If the breeder doesn't have dogs that fit your needs, she should
say so and recommend another kennel.
When you've found parents you like a lot, ask when they're going to be bred.
You may have to be on a waiting list for a while, so be prepared to make a
deposit on a puppy that you may not see for years. The breeder will be your
friend and mentor for the life of your dog, and the initial price of the
puppy is a tiny fraction of its lifetime cost. Don't haggle, and don't
dissemble. A good breeder should be willing to take the dog back and return
your money within the first year or so. After that, she should be willing to
take the dog back if at any time you can no longer keep it, for any reason -
but you won't get your money back. If you ever have any problems with the
dog, call your breeder. If you need advice with your dog, call your breeder.
If you want to know how to train the dog, call your
breeder. This is going to be a long-term relationship; start it right.
Beware the breeder who says that those genetic tests are just a scam, that
dogs who will be pets don't need all that, that show dogs don't make good
pets, that hunting dogs shouldn't be kept in the house, that obedience
training ruins a dog. Also flee from any breeder who wants you to take a
puppy less than 7 weeks old. If the breeder wants to hang onto the puppies
until they're more than 10-12 weeks old, ask why. If there's an older pup
there that was returned, inquire about why. (Such dogs are often the
equivalent of rescues and make fine pets, but if it was returned because of
a temperament problem, ask more questions.)
Dody Dunning
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Certified
Professional Member