Hi,

I hope I am posting to the correct thread. If not, I apologize and please let me know if I should post somewhere else.

I am trying to get a second dog. I have read up on it a lot so they will be seperated when necessary and no my main reason is not for a playmate for my first dog...but more a dog for my other child as the first dog is my other child's dog. Since the first dog is so attached to my daughter, my other daughter wants their own dog.

With that said. My first dog is a shitzu/poodle. Very good dog. Quiet and playful and listens. I want to get the same breed, is this suggested? And if he's a male then I want to confirm that another male is fine or female although female is perferred?

I keep getting mixed answers that purebreeds have more health problems and then others say mixed dogs do. Isn't it kind of a hit or miss?

I also found this puppy yesterday but it was 4 months old, had never had a haircut, never had its nails clipped and was smelly. The seller said they just haven't had time to advertise it. They breed parti poodles and have the mom of this dog but not the dad. Not more information given. They said they give a 1 year guarantee but thsi dog didn't seem like it was taken good care of. Do I stay clear or do I rescue?

Thanks for any advice.

Oh and is buying from a breeder really much much safer?

Hi Lovella,

Geez you've got a few questions here haven't ya..? Well let's see, what can I contribute?.. it is safer to buy from a breeder, provided you do your homework. One of the reasons for the notion that pure dogs have more health problems is because of bad breeding practices (i.e. in-breeding to produce quantity rather than quality). Check up on the breeder and don't be afraid to ask questions. If the breeder seems shady (won't answer/avoids questions, etc) and the hair on the back of your neck is standing up then maybe trust your instincts. With mixed dogs from a rescue it is always a gamble because you really have no history. Even if you can go back one generation it still won't give you an idea for the genetic history of the dog you are considering.

Me personally, any breeder that told me "I don't have time to take care of the dogs I breed" would not be getting my business! If they don't take care of the dog that has been bred then did they really care to make sure the breeding that produced said dog was of the best quality possible? I doubt it.

As far as introducing two new dogs there is quite a bit of info on here and the main Leerburg site for you to absorb. It is my understanding that it is better to mix genders rather than double up on them. But as I said, it is my "understanding"...

The breed doesn't matter as much as the individual dog. Sometimes 2 males will get along and sometimes 2 females will get along, but if a fight were to happen, 2 females will fight to the death, 2 males will fight till one of them submits. The best bet is 1 male and 1 female if you are having 2 dogs in the house. I don't know any of the breed traits of the breeds you mentioned, some breeds may have more dominant tendencies that can create conflict between 2 dominant males for example.

Pure bred dogs having more health problems is crap. It depends on the reputation of the breeder as well as the individual breed of dog. Mutt's are of unknown lineage so you never have any idea what health problems may lurk there.

Breeders who are reputable and skilled in breeding are generally a safer bet in the sense that they know what they are breeding for, the traits and the temprement etc. But some breeders breed for one trait and take no consideration for other important traits. For example they may breed to produce a beautiful structurally correct dog, but will breed 2 dogs that are both terrified of thunder to produce a pretty dog. So now you have to deal with a dog that freaks out n sits in a corner shaking everytime there's a thunderstorm.

Odds are you will find a dog that will suit your needs at a shelter, just do your research on what you want and what will fit in your family.

Thank you so much for the replies.

Are there any general questions I should ask breeders? About them, their dogs, the dog for sale or the parents?

When i talk to them I'm not sure what I should ask and what I should expect as answers?

Like I've read about papers. What are papers exactly and should they provide me with this to be considered good breeders?

Should they own both parents? etc.

Thanks for any help!

try googling "what to ask a breeder." there are many, many great articles on this online, and the list of what to ask and what to be aware of is long.

and papers are not a guarantee of a good breeder. any backyard breeder or pet shop can provide papers. they mean nothing, really, except that the pup is purebred. plenty of crappy purebred pups out there, you want better than that.

a good breeder is going to ask YOU a lot of questions. if they don't give you the third degree about you and your family and your living conditions, they are not a good breeder. a good breeder wants to be as certain as possible that any pup they produce is going to the best possible home.

good breeders only infrequently own both parents. the sire may live all the way across the country. they should be able to tell you why they chose that particular sire for this particular bitch, what it was they were trying to achieve to improve the breed.

always ask if they are keeping a pup for themselves. if they bred just to sell the pups, and not improve their own stock, it's a big red flag.

ask what health tests they do. the benefits of a purebred dog from a good breeder is it will very likely (though not guaranteed) be a healthier, longer lived dog. and the way breeders accomplish this is they do health testing. if the breeder doesn't do any health testing, and can't or won't tell you what the health issues of the breed are, steer clear.

if they say they do health testing, get copies of the actual health documentation. lots of breeders say they test, but then fail to tell you that the dogs didn't pass the tests!

ask what they feed. if they feed commercial dry kibble, be wary. these are not healthy diets for dogs, and the pups will reflect that.

there's lots more. do the google search and i'm sure you'll find lots of good articles.

a dog who is part X and part Y is not a 'breed' of dog - it is a mixed breed or mutt. Nothing wrong with these dogs - but I wouldn't encourage people to breed them by buying them JMO.
There is nothing wrong with breed X or breed Y that makes people have to breed them together - check out this link

There are hundreds of "real" breeds out there. Find one you like (not just by looks) and find a breeder who cares about more than $$$$. If you would like another mixed breed - find a rescue

To find a good breeder - research the breed you are looking at. Find out what health related issues the breed as and make sure the breeder is testing their dogs. If the dogs are working dogs of any sort - find a breeder who works their dogs to make sure they are breed worthy.

"most" breeders do not own the sire (father) of the litter - but there are exceptions. Papers are pedigrees of both the mother and father, registration papers to the AKC.

hth

I agree that someone who doesn't have time to care for their puppies hasn't made the time to do any of the other important things either. Four months old? The other question regarding papers: most of the time this refers to registration papers. You said this was a parti poodle? Am I correct in assuming this is a poodle crossed with something else? If so, this would make it a crossbreed like your other guy, not a purebred and so registration papers would not apply. You can reasonably expect health records, vaccination history and worming schedule though. I would be very leary of a breeder who would not provide these. Sounds like this breeder might be a little sketchy, anyway IMHO. A well-bred purebred dog from a responsible breeder is MUCH less risky, although there is never a 100% garuntee. It just stacks the odds in your favor to start with a known entity. A purebred dog from a breeder should absolutely come with papers. The litter is registered, and then when you buy your dog the breeder helps you do the paperwork to register that individual pup in your name. All that being said, a carefully chosen rescue dog can make a really awesome pet. Some of my dogs over the years have been rescues, and I haven't been sorry yet.

Well aren't most rescue dogs ones that come from owners who didn't take good care of the dog or are tired of caring for a dog?
So if I were to rescue this dog it'd almost be the same?

I know it's not but I would love to get a rescue dog but there are not many small ones out there and that are good with kids anywyas.

Thank you again for the replies...they were wonderful.

 Quote: Lovella Lagdaan

I keep getting mixed answers that purebreeds have more health problems and then others say mixed dogs do. Isn't it kind of a hit or miss?

The only reason IMHO that pure breds seem to have more health issues is becuase people don;t usually have so many tests done on mixed breeds and there is no repository for those records such as OFA. This is a common source of the misconception and steroetype that mutts or mixed breeds are healthier.

With that being said - I prefer a purebred becuase I can go back and do some research and have a reasonable expectation of what I might be able to expect healthwise.
Good luck in your search.

 Quote: Lovella Lagdaan

Well aren't most rescue dogs ones that come from owners who didn't take good care of the dog or are tired of caring for a dog?
So if I were to rescue this dog it'd almost be the same?

NO! Absolutely not! When you buy a dog from a back-yard breeder or pet store you are making room for another one. You are contributing to the over population of unwanted dogs in North America. When you rescue a dog from the SPCA or resuce organization they are noot looking for another to fill it's spot.

Back-yard breeders are a bigger problem than puppy mills!