I've got to disagree with the idea that any responsible breeder would ask a lot of questions. Don't automatically assume the breeder just wants your money if no questions are asked. Many questions are answered by your inquire. Choose a breeder that has a reputation of being a good person that breeds healthy and happy dogs and in most cases you will do just fine.

John

Patton,
I must have just lucked out in that the breeder I found online had a ton of questions....about my lifestyle, dog facilites, training experience, etc, etc. I think the concern was that many of her dogs end up participating in competition, and she wasn't going to place a good schutzhund prospect with someone with questionable training philosophies, or inability to handle drive.

But I was very lucky in another respect: our club helper is very knowledgable about the breeding/characters of the dogs in our area, and helped steer me to a litter he felt would fit my requirements. He also agreed to go along to my first look-see of this litter. Since the breeder owns both bitch and sire, she let the helper work both dogs...in fact she was so glad to have a helper come to her facility, she had him work all five gsds in the kennel!

So far this pup is showing all the positive traits of both parents: balanced drives, handler sensitive, and smart, smart, smart!

Kali..You hit the nail on the head. There are many people who claim to be "breeders" when in fact..they are only puppymill producers who contribute to unhealthy, unwanted litters that are kept in unsanitary inhumane conditions. A good breeder cares more about their dogs than the dollars they reap.

I have to agree with Kali a bit that I feel a breeder should want to know all about me and where the pup will live. If I were a breeder I would want to know just because I think if I sold my pup to just anyone and it turned into a monster it could reflect badly on my kennel. Maybe that is naive, I don't know. Obviously though people can lie and you could end up selling to a bad person but at least you made the effort.
I also agree though that often on my first contacts to breeders I did tell a LOT about what I wanted and who I was so maybe they didn't feel they needed to ask questions. But those breeders who weren't forthcoming with information, who gave me the, "sure our dogs would be great whatever you do", were quickly eliminated. Maybe harsh on my part but having been burned by a breeder before who acted that way, I was overly cautious.
Of course I won't know the outcome of this purchase for a while yet since my pup isn't even born. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
Another question,
How do you guys feel about a breeder who doesn't tatoo their pups? The parents are tatooed but the pups aren't.

Sorry, I need to clarify. I did say that I don't think much of any breeder who doesn't ask a lot of questions. :rolleyes: However, I meant to say that a breeder should want a lot of information from their buyers. And, yes, a lot of info can be gained from a buyer's inquiry and, therefore, a breeder would not necessarily need to ask many questions.

The point is simply that a good, reputable breeder is going to want to know all about their puppy buyers and the homes they will provide whether they get that info by asking direct questions or through the course of conversation.

Patton, I think that a breeder who tatoos or microchips their puppies is giving, you - the buyer - a bonus. It is only an advantage to you, the puppy, and the breeder. However, I wouldn't rule out a breeder simply because s/he did not do this. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hi again,

Well, sadly it isn't working out with the breeder I had found.
I have found a breeder who is 2 hours from me. I have visited her kennel. It was very clean even though she has a LOT of dogs. All of the dogs were VERY friendly. I love the dam. The sire I am not so crazy about his looks. I saw one pup from a previous breeding, she was a sweetie at just under a year old.
But I have only been able to find a few of the dogs in the pedigree. There are none of the dogs I am familiar with. I went to TPhundguide to search.
Can anyone guide me in a direction to research more?
I would like to post the name of the breeder to see if anyone has any experience or insight but I don't know how proper that is.

Kandi

Hi Kandi, I know of a breeder that has a litter available that I would LOVE to get a pup from. But, I only train one pup at a time so that is out. Contact me privately if you would like further info.

What breed are you looking for? And what is your location?

I, as a small time breeder, more of a trainer (6 litters in 16 years)....do have many questions for people who want to purchase puppies. BUT...i have found it more important to meet people, and hang out with them, or know someone that knows them directly...before selling a pup to someone. A brief meeting is easy for a person to fake how wonderful they are.... It's a requirement now for me to absolutely know about a person thru someone I trust....OR....have the potential purchaser hang out with our club for a while, before I allow them to purchase a puppy. I have one guy whose been coming out to our club for 6 months, attending all meetings, getting involved with our club, and he's waiting for his puppy from me. His puppy is now 5 weeks old. He's proving himself as interested in the sport and as a good person. You can't fake it for that long. *smile*

Daylynn Kyles
Hawaii

Tom Gaster and I had a debate on another thread. I made a reference of breeders culling puppies to make a point. In no way was I referring to Todd and his kennel. Quite the contrary Todd is very knowledgeable and has an outstanding and reputable kennel. If I would be looking for a GSD tomorrow he would be on my short list.

Originally posted by milt:
Todd Gaster and I had a debate on another thread. I made a reference of breeders culling puppies to make a point. In no way was I referring to Todd and his kennel. Quite the contrary Todd is very knowledgeable and has an outstanding and reputable kennel. If I would be looking for a GSD tomorrow he would be on my short list.