NOVICES
INTERVIEWING BREEDERS
by Jill
Swedlow
(First published in Great Dane Reporter
Magazine)
Much has been written about the relationship
between breeders and those who purchase their puppies. However, precious little
has appeared that assists the puppy buyer in knowing when he’s found the right
breeder. I’d hate to tell you how many times I’ve been approached by newcomers
to our breed who have sad stories to tell. People who have purchased puppies
from breeders whom they thought could be trusted and ended up with a puppy with
serious health or temperament problems. Now these things can and do occur in
the best of breedings. But the main complaint is that
the breeder who was so helpful before they purchased
the puppy, has either become unavailable or is blaming the owner for the
problem now that the check has cleared!
So,
for all of the novice people, hoping to buy a healthy puppy with a great
temperament from a breeder who will guarantee their puppy and be there as a
mentor, here are some of the things you must know and questions you must ask.
First
of all, just because a breeder owns, breeds and heavily advertises winning
dogs, don’t assume that these are necessarily good dogs. Don’t assume that
these people’s dogs must have the best quality, health and temperament. On the
other hand, don’t assume that they don’t either. The key will be in the
questions you ask and the observations you make.
When
you first meet a breeder as a prospective puppy buyer, you should expect the
breeder to question you heavily about such matters as how you plan to house the
puppy, if you have a fenced yard, if you can afford a bloat surgery etceteras.
If he doesn’t, look elsewhere. But in turn, you are not out of line to question
the breeder.
1. The
first thing I’d want to know about is what, if any, health screening tests have
been performed on the parents of the litter. If you are told, ‘Oh, I
don’t need to health check, my dogs don’t have any problems’, RUN don’t walk to
the nearest exit. I know this sounds ludicrous but
trust me when I tell you that there are still a LOT of very well known breeders
out there who don’t even bother to do a hip x-ray on their breeding stock
because they don’t have any problems! They use all kinds of excuses such as
‘I’d know by the movement if my dog had hip dysplasia’.
This is simply not so! I’ve known 3 dogs personally who all were well known for
their superior movement but could not pass their OFA evaluation. If you don’t
x-ray, you don’t know, period! And what about the films that
get sent to OFA and come back dysplastic the first
time and normal the second? What about it? It happens. Mistakes can be
made in all phases of endeavor. But hip x-ray is
still the best defense we have and whether or not the
films are actually sent to OFA, there should at least be a note verifying the
evaluation by a board certified radiologist.
By
now you’ve probably figured out that I consider hip evaluation a mandatory test
to be done prior to breeding. If a breeder doesn’t do this, go far away. The
other test I feel is mandatory is thyroid testing. Besides certifying hips, OFA
now certifies thyroid and has a protocol in place for doing this procedure. At
the very least a screening thyroid should be done. Thyroid is a difficult
function to test for and results should be sent to the labs that are properly
set up for this. I believe that OFA has only a couple labs from which they’ll
accept results.
It is
important to test for thyroid function because not only is it too often found
abnormal in Great Danes, the hormones from this organ control all of the
endocrine system, thus affecting everything from skin condition to reproduction
to autoimmune problems.
At a
minimum, a breeder should test for normal hips and thyroid. But there are other
problems that are beginning to affect our breed too. von
Willibrands disease (vWD)
is a blood disorder that greatly increases clotting time. Doberman Pinchers
have a lot of it. It has also been diagnosed in Great Danes. It’s a simple
blood test and easy to screen. Many breeders are also testing for elbow dysplasia, cardiac soundness and juvenile cataracts. I
personally test for all except for elbow dysplasia.
(Guess I need to find out if you can ‘see’ it if they have it, huh?)
Occasionally a Dane will be diagnosed with juvenile cataracts. Although in many
breeds this is a serious health problem, often causing blindness, the question
in Danes remains, ‘do they live long enough to ever be bothered by it even if
they have cataracts?’ In any case, because it does occur in Danes, the only way
we’ll control it is to screen for it. Forewarned is forearmed (to be trite).
Although
cardiomyopathy is a problem in the breed, it’s a
difficult condition to evaluate. Obviously if they are actually suffering from
it, the test will show it. However, when I had one of my bitches checked, I was
told that although she was healthy at the moment, she could show cardiomyopathy when tested in 6 more months! What I find
really odd is that OFA will certify the heart with a one time test! Oh, well,
we do the best we can I suppose.
2. So
assuming that the breeder has at least done hip and thyroid screening, the next
question is to ask for documentation. Anyone can say that their dogs have
been screened. I know this probably really sounds harsh, but if a breeder is
honest, they should have no problem with showing you the documents. If they hem and haw, beware.
3. And
this brings us to a really touchy question. They say they do the
screening, they show you the documentation, can they prove that this
documentation does, indeed reflect the results for that particular dog? In
other words, does the dog have any kind of permanent identification? I must
admit that I have only one dog that could fill all the above criteria. Until
recently, it never occurred to me that someone might test a healthy ringer to
substitute for the dog that had previously failed the testing. In talking to
the veterinarians who have done these screening tests, I’ve asked them how they
verify that this is the actual dog it is purported to be. They’ve all told me
that there is no way they can unless the dog is identified with either a tattoo
or a microchip. Due to a personal experience with this kind of fakery, I plan
to microchip and tattoo every future puppy I produce at cropping time. Every
test I’ve performed on Skylark shows here microchip number on the
documentation. I make the vets check her chip before the test.
Hopefully
the day will soon come when the AKC will require permanent identification PRIOR
to registration. This will keep a whole lot of people a whole lot more honest!
I’m certainly not trying to imply that those who fake test results are in the
majority. Far from it, but it does happen and it’s important to know this.
4. This
brings us up to temperament. Basically our breed truly deserves its
nick name of ‘gentle giant’. Breeders have wrought miracles in temperament
improvement from the first Danes imported from
You
need to ask if a breeder will guarantee the temperament. You need to see the
dam (away from her puppies, please) and the sire. You need to see them under
circumstances other than being strung up in the show ring or ring side. Believe
me, the handlers know well how to hide temperament
problems.
However,
there’s a catch to this one. Temperament is not only a product of genetics, it is also heavily influenced by environment. An
aggressive dog can be made more so by a timid owner who has no idea how to cope
with his pushiness. A submissive dog could be turned into a fear biter by an
abusive owner. Conversely the aggressive dog can become a reliable family
companion and guard in the right hands as can the shy dog be brought to it’s
best by a competent owner.
Because
once the dog leaves the breeders, control is relinquished,
I DO NOT guarantee temperament in writing. For instance, if I thought that the
problem had been caused or aggravated by the way the dog was treated, there is
no way I’d place another dog with that person. Instead I would refund half the
money and send them on their way. In one circumstance when we had a temperament
problem in a dog that I knew had been properly raised and nurtured, I replaced the
dog from a puppy from another (unrelated) litter. I make it clear in my
contract that I have the final say so in these cases. As a new buyer, you will
need to go on your instinct here. If the breeder strikes you as being truly
concerned with good temperament, then you’re probably safe with them. Just
don’t fault them if they fail to unconditionally guarantee this trait.
A
good breeder knows the potential temperament of her puppies. Rely on her to
help you pick the best temperament for you situation. A family with small
children will be best off with a puppy who is submissive enough to take
direction willingly, but who is outgoing enough to romp and play happily with
the kids. A dominant personality may best suit a single person or a family of
adults only. A family that has the ability to properly train the dog and not
the other way around!
5. Ok,
you’ve got the big stuff out of the way. The other questions are often dependent
on exactly what ‘quality’ of puppy you want. If you’re going to show, you want
to be reasonably assured that you’re getting a puppy of show quality. Ask the
breeder about their recent success in the ring. Hopefully you’re familiar with
relatives of the litter and they’re of good quality. Ask how many of the
puppies are already reserved. This is important if you’re serious about a good
show prospect. If most are taken, perhaps you should consider waiting for
another litter, where you could perhaps get first or second choice puppy.
Another
advantage to waiting for another litter is you have more time to become
acquainted with the breeder. None of us want to take a chance on having our
best show prospects go to someone who wants a ‘show’ puppy but has no intention
of showing. Many people think that a ‘pet’ puppy is inferior. Not true. But
don’t be surprised if you have to prove your sincerity to the breeder.
6. Obviously
you want to see a dog set up that is kept clean and that doesn’t stink.
Although puppies tend to mess up as quickly as we clean up, there’s no excuse
for a house that reeks of urine and feces. Pups
should be clean, active and healthy looking. They should also readily approach
you with interest and curiosity. If they hang back or slink away, this is not a
good litter. Or it hasn’t been properly socialized. In any case, you’re wise
not to buy one.
7. Ask
if the breeder has a written contract. Read it thoroughly before you sign.
Your puppy should come to you with the ‘blue slip’ which is actually the AKC
registration application. Additionally the breeder should provide you with a
4-5 generation pedigree, a list of what the puppy has been eating plus a small
supply of same to last a couple days. You should also receive a record of any
vaccines and wormings the puppy has had to date and
what is due next.
8. The
breeder should extend a minimum 48 hour health guarantee and take the puppy
back if it should be found ill by a vet. Additionally a breeder should be
willing to take the dog back at any age if you cannot keep it any longer. These
innocent babies didn’t ask to be born. The breeder is entirely responsible for
its existence and well being. A breeder who isn’t willing to shoulder this
responsibility shouldn’t breed.
9. The
breeder should actively encourage you to ask questions, call at any hour with
any size problem, and take an on going interest in the puppy once he’s living
in your home. Most breeders will. Armed with the right
questions, it’s much easier to find the right breeder.
And
to my fellow breeders out there, who are wondering; ‘well, what about us, what
about the times we’ve sold pups to people who seemed great who turned out
terrible?' Yes, of course this works both ways but so often it really is the
new person who gets turned off to our breed. Without the constant infusion of
new blood into this sport, we cannot survive in the future. Let’s help each and
every sincere novice who comes wandering through our door excited by their love
of Great Danes and full of the questions we’ve heard a million times!
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Copyright
2002, Jill Swedlow. Sunnyside Danes. All
rights reserved. Jill is a breeder,
exhibitor and licensed AKC judge in the