Buying a dog advice.
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Fools Gold
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:17 am
Buying a dog advice.
I have never had a dog and am thinking of buying one,can anyone advise me on buying a family dog.Im thinking of buying a Springer
I highly recommend that you either go to a reputable breeder or an animal shelter. If they ask a lot of questions, then that's a good sign, because it shows that they care for the dogs. Also, rescue organsiations assess your home and the people in it. If you have young children, I suggest you try to find a docile dog of a decent size (medium preferably). Don't get a puppy unless you can afford the time and fees needed.
If you are going to a breeder, look at the dogs, do they appear happy? Ask a lot of questions too, about the parents and their care. This will also give an indication as to the attitude of the owner, make sure you know the difference between breeders and farmers. Breeders care for the parents and the pups and will only sell the pups to people they're sure that will look after them well. Farmers are just in for the money.
One more thing, make sure you learn about the breed before you take them in. Diferent breeds have different temperaments and needs, Wikipedia is a good start, and they might have links to different sources of information you can use. Just be careful though, Wikipedia is open to public editing.
If you are going to a breeder, look at the dogs, do they appear happy? Ask a lot of questions too, about the parents and their care. This will also give an indication as to the attitude of the owner, make sure you know the difference between breeders and farmers. Breeders care for the parents and the pups and will only sell the pups to people they're sure that will look after them well. Farmers are just in for the money.
One more thing, make sure you learn about the breed before you take them in. Diferent breeds have different temperaments and needs, Wikipedia is a good start, and they might have links to different sources of information you can use. Just be careful though, Wikipedia is open to public editing.
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StaffieMad
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:02 am
- Location: Cheshire, UK
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I totally agree, and research lots of breeds, my uncle has 2 springers and they are mental! and have endless energy (hence thier name) so maybe look at a labrador they are a placid family dog and maybe a staffie! great family dogs (their called the nany dog as they love kids)
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps!
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Springersrule
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 4:56 am
As others have said its imperative you do your homework, make a short list of what you require from a dog, then do some more research on breeds that fit your list.
Springers are my breed, in particular the working strain, they are not in my opinion, a breed for a first time owner, they can be sensitive but at the same time need a firm hand to keep them in check, mental stimulation is as important as physical exercise, they are gundogs and bred to work, with out a job to do they can quickly become bored, develop unwanted behaviours and be destructive, they crave human company and can develop seperation anxiety.
Labradors are not the ideal family pet as many as many wrongly believe, and certainly the younger ones are anything but placid, its true many thousands live a happy and fulfilled life in a family home, but at the same time many thousands end up in rescue every year because the families can't cope with their endless energy.
Like springers, they are bred to work and need careful training and kept occupied.
The show types of the two breeds may be a little more laid back then the working strain, but both strains really are suited to active homes.
Springers are my breed, in particular the working strain, they are not in my opinion, a breed for a first time owner, they can be sensitive but at the same time need a firm hand to keep them in check, mental stimulation is as important as physical exercise, they are gundogs and bred to work, with out a job to do they can quickly become bored, develop unwanted behaviours and be destructive, they crave human company and can develop seperation anxiety.
Labradors are not the ideal family pet as many as many wrongly believe, and certainly the younger ones are anything but placid, its true many thousands live a happy and fulfilled life in a family home, but at the same time many thousands end up in rescue every year because the families can't cope with their endless energy.
Like springers, they are bred to work and need careful training and kept occupied.
The show types of the two breeds may be a little more laid back then the working strain, but both strains really are suited to active homes.
Ditto - reputable breeder or reputable shelter.
Not all breeders are reputable, not all shelters/rescues are either.
What should a reputable breeder do?
Well, they should ask you a million and one questions about you, your life, your family. About your experiences with the breed and your expectations from your family dog.
They should be able to provide proof of all the recommended health tests required for the breed (note most of these will be on parents, not pups).
They should register their pups with the appropriate kennel club, in the uk that is teh Kennel Club (uk), NOTHING ELSE, not Dog Lovers Registration Club, not anything else at all.
Why should they do that? Well, whilst KC registration doesnt guarantee you that much, and not all breeders who reg with the KC breed good pups, you can pretty much bet your LIFE that someone who DOESNT reg with the KC has a fairly dodgy reason for that.
Some of those reasons are:
Pups are not actually pure bred
***** has been bred repeatedly every season and the KC wotn reg this litter
Parents are not registered
***** bred too young
You should NOT expect to be able to find a breeder and pick up a puppy next week. Expect the process to take months or YEARS, to find the right breeder and the right pup. Very good breeders breed to improve the breed, so they breed for themselves firstly and this usually means they do NOT have a litter even every year.
Does your breeder show? If not, why not. They may say they are not interested, if they say this, walk away.
If they are not interested in showing then how do they know their ***** or dog is an asset to the breed - they will struggle to compare their own stock wtih other peoples if they dont show.
Likewise though do not be swayed by a long list of champions or champion lines - firstly you want a pup who is of good temperament and conformationally correct and hopefully free of inherited problems. Ask to see prospective pedigrees of planned litters - if the same dogs crop up over and over and over again in a pedigree then its highly possible those dogs have been over bred and problems can stem from this. The good news is you should be able to look up those dogs and find out more about them.
Sometimes the above is relatively unavoidable as some breeds have a very small gene pool in some countries, springers should NOT be one of these (but say Pyrenean Sheepdogs may well be, in the UK as there are not many of them around).
Ask the breeders you contact lots of questions, about the sire adn the dam, about their health, their temperaments, their conformation. Ask the breeders how they bring up pups, is it indoors or outdoors, do they socialise pups to household noises, kids, cats, adult dogs, do they do recall training and toilet training wtih their pups?
Ask your breeder what paperwork you will have to sign, if they say none, walk away.
You should be given a pedigree, KC papers, transfer of ownership papers. You SHOULD be given a contract to sign stating that the breeding of your pup and registering of any litters with teh KC are prohibited by the breeder eitehr for life or until certain criteria are met (this usually entails the ***** or dog doing well in teh show ring and having sound temperament and conformation - this is to prevent new owners breeding pups for the wrong reasons or out of or by an unsuitable dog)
Will your breeder insist that if you can no longer, for whatever reason, keep yoru dog, you return him or her to them alone? Will they offer back up in the early days and stay in contact with you to make sure you have no problems?
IF you contact a breeder who does get funny about these questions, if they are not interested in you or what you want from a dog, if they are not insisting that you visit them BEFORE the pups are born, then several times after BEFORE you pay for and pick up your pup then the chances are they are NOT a good breeder and are not interested in the pup having a happy home for life and you having a happy, healthy well balanced dog.
Walk away!
Rescues.
There are breed rescues - they should:
Quiz you about your home life and what you want from a dog, ask you your experiences with the breed or similar type dogs.
Expect you to allow them to check your home to make sure it is suitable and safe for a dog.
Expect ALL your family to be willig and able to put in the work necessary to keep a dog happy and healthy.
They should then try to match you up with a suitable dog that hopefully they already have in a foster home (sometimes the dog will still be in its own home). They SHOULD assess dogs fully before rehoming them, so that they can match you up wtih a dog that suits your needs and life.
They should NOT pass on papers, nor should they allow you to breed from a rescue dog. If your dog is neutered and you wish to show they MAY allow the papers to be released but not transfer ownership to your name.
They should make you sign a contract stating that you are not permitted to sell or rehome the dog to anyone else but that it must be returned to them, adn they should be willing to take the dog back if needs be.
Again, if these things are not happening, then they may well not be a reputable rescue.
Em
Not all breeders are reputable, not all shelters/rescues are either.
What should a reputable breeder do?
Well, they should ask you a million and one questions about you, your life, your family. About your experiences with the breed and your expectations from your family dog.
They should be able to provide proof of all the recommended health tests required for the breed (note most of these will be on parents, not pups).
They should register their pups with the appropriate kennel club, in the uk that is teh Kennel Club (uk), NOTHING ELSE, not Dog Lovers Registration Club, not anything else at all.
Why should they do that? Well, whilst KC registration doesnt guarantee you that much, and not all breeders who reg with the KC breed good pups, you can pretty much bet your LIFE that someone who DOESNT reg with the KC has a fairly dodgy reason for that.
Some of those reasons are:
Pups are not actually pure bred
***** has been bred repeatedly every season and the KC wotn reg this litter
Parents are not registered
***** bred too young
You should NOT expect to be able to find a breeder and pick up a puppy next week. Expect the process to take months or YEARS, to find the right breeder and the right pup. Very good breeders breed to improve the breed, so they breed for themselves firstly and this usually means they do NOT have a litter even every year.
Does your breeder show? If not, why not. They may say they are not interested, if they say this, walk away.
If they are not interested in showing then how do they know their ***** or dog is an asset to the breed - they will struggle to compare their own stock wtih other peoples if they dont show.
Likewise though do not be swayed by a long list of champions or champion lines - firstly you want a pup who is of good temperament and conformationally correct and hopefully free of inherited problems. Ask to see prospective pedigrees of planned litters - if the same dogs crop up over and over and over again in a pedigree then its highly possible those dogs have been over bred and problems can stem from this. The good news is you should be able to look up those dogs and find out more about them.
Sometimes the above is relatively unavoidable as some breeds have a very small gene pool in some countries, springers should NOT be one of these (but say Pyrenean Sheepdogs may well be, in the UK as there are not many of them around).
Ask the breeders you contact lots of questions, about the sire adn the dam, about their health, their temperaments, their conformation. Ask the breeders how they bring up pups, is it indoors or outdoors, do they socialise pups to household noises, kids, cats, adult dogs, do they do recall training and toilet training wtih their pups?
Ask your breeder what paperwork you will have to sign, if they say none, walk away.
You should be given a pedigree, KC papers, transfer of ownership papers. You SHOULD be given a contract to sign stating that the breeding of your pup and registering of any litters with teh KC are prohibited by the breeder eitehr for life or until certain criteria are met (this usually entails the ***** or dog doing well in teh show ring and having sound temperament and conformation - this is to prevent new owners breeding pups for the wrong reasons or out of or by an unsuitable dog)
Will your breeder insist that if you can no longer, for whatever reason, keep yoru dog, you return him or her to them alone? Will they offer back up in the early days and stay in contact with you to make sure you have no problems?
IF you contact a breeder who does get funny about these questions, if they are not interested in you or what you want from a dog, if they are not insisting that you visit them BEFORE the pups are born, then several times after BEFORE you pay for and pick up your pup then the chances are they are NOT a good breeder and are not interested in the pup having a happy home for life and you having a happy, healthy well balanced dog.
Walk away!
Rescues.
There are breed rescues - they should:
Quiz you about your home life and what you want from a dog, ask you your experiences with the breed or similar type dogs.
Expect you to allow them to check your home to make sure it is suitable and safe for a dog.
Expect ALL your family to be willig and able to put in the work necessary to keep a dog happy and healthy.
They should then try to match you up with a suitable dog that hopefully they already have in a foster home (sometimes the dog will still be in its own home). They SHOULD assess dogs fully before rehoming them, so that they can match you up wtih a dog that suits your needs and life.
They should NOT pass on papers, nor should they allow you to breed from a rescue dog. If your dog is neutered and you wish to show they MAY allow the papers to be released but not transfer ownership to your name.
They should make you sign a contract stating that you are not permitted to sell or rehome the dog to anyone else but that it must be returned to them, adn they should be willing to take the dog back if needs be.
Again, if these things are not happening, then they may well not be a reputable rescue.
Em
Actually, purebred labs are mad. I have a friend who worked in a kennel and she told me that every time purebred labs are insane while the cross-bred ones are docile.StaffieMad wrote:I totally agree, and research lots of breeds, my uncle has 2 springers and they are mental! and have endless energy (hence thier name) so maybe look at a labrador they are a placid family dog and maybe a staffie! great family dogs (their called the nany dog as they love kids)
Hope this helps!
If you go to the Dogs Trust Website, look into the 'Poppy pops a question' section, the articles there are very useful.
