The Dog Breeder
How to get the most from your dog breeder:
When buying a pure-bred dog, simply getting your new friend from a breeder isn’t enough. Buying a healthy, happy pure-bred dog is complicated. There are a lot of steps that you should take to ensure that the breeder you’re buying your new-found friend from is a caring professional, one who has the proper knowledge of your dog’s breed and knows what the proper steps are to ensure health and good temperament in your potential pup. There are some key steps to take that ensure you are properly informed before visiting a potential breeder, and once you’re there, these steps will also allow you to get the most you can from your dog’s breeder.
First and foremost is to educate yourself on your breed of dog extensively prior to making the purchase. This helps you to know the general temperate of your potential dog, as well as how qualified your breeder truly is. In addition to knowing important characteristics expected of your breed of dog, a professional, qualified breeder will also be able to provide you with individual personality traits of each puppy he or she has for sale.
Considering the behavior of your dog is of high importance when making the choice between the puppies for sale. While many breeders may be able to predict the temperate their puppies will practice by observing the dog’s parents, a good breeder also knows what to expect from their particular breed of dog because they have knowledge of the breed’s history. Well, just as in life, it is always best to know as much as you can before making a purchase, especially when this purchase is to be your loyal and loving companion for years. You should also educate yourself before-hand so that you can ask informed questions and dig a little deeper into your potential dog’s personality.
A good breeder will be able to tell you each dog’s strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes and what changes to expect as he or she gets older. Your breeder should know whether or not each dog will get along with children, strangers and other animals. Knowing this information is key in making this important decision. By asking questions like, “Is the dog needy or independent? A good watch dog? Easy to groom?" you will be able to get vital information from your breeder provided he or she is a professional and not a "backyard breeder."
Much of this information can be attained prior to your visit. It is a good idea to arm yourself with breed conformation information before you choose a type of dog and visit a breeder. Characteristics such as shape, size and structure are common ways to describe any standard type of breed. This is a good way to predetermine whether or not a breed of dog is appropriate for your household and habits. Asking additional questions of the breeder will help to determine which puppy will make an ideal fit.
Gathering information before visiting a breeder helps to ensure that you do not waste time on basic information concerning your breed of choice. It also helps to determine if you will be buying a dog from a qualified breeder by supplying you with important questions to determine the breeder’s knowledge of the breed and level of proper care. Most importantly, it allows you to ask the important, specific questions that help you to get the most out of your breeder. After-all, you are spending a good deal of money and choosing a long-term companion. It’s only right that you and the breeder take the time to make sure this is a perfect fit for both you and your new-found friend.
