As a "Reputable Breeder" what are?

Question

Your requirements before placing a pup? Many come on here asking this advice. If we want them to purchase a pup properly shouldnt we help them determine " Who is and Who isnt" reputable. And do you think they would listen if we spell it out?

Wow you guys are great. I hope those who are considering a new pup will take your advice and buy from others like you. Thanks

Answer 1

I have an application that people fill out that gives me a good idea of who they are and what they are looking for. Some of my questions are 'trick' to get people to open up and tell the truth of their intentions. For example one of the multiple choice questions is "Are you planning to breed this dog?" Followed by are you looking for a Show dog? MANY people will mark they are looking for a dog to breed and have no interest in showing and only want a 'pet'. Not going there!
I ask for a list of currently owned pets where upon I have had people list 20 and 30.. NOT going there! My pups are more of a main attraction.. not a side dish or part of a circus act. When someone says they have 20 dogs.. I think 'collector'.
I ask if the pup live in or out or 50/50. I get many who will state the dog is going to live outside. NOT one of mine!
I ask how much breed research they have done and to explain a little on how and where they did this research. I ask them if they are aware that we raise our dogs holistically and if they are willing to take our advice on vaccines and diet.
I ask them if they rent or own, if they have a fenced in yard, how many hours a day will the pup be alone, if they are going to crate train and much more.. Once I get the application then I call and discuss because a few times I have caught people off gaurd and there are major discrepencies of what their application said and what they are telling me now.
I ask for references and vet numbers if they have current pets. I spend hours on the phone discussing everything they need to know and get a feel for a good home through several e-mails and phone communication.
I make sure they understand the provisions of a spay/neuter contract and limited registration and make sure they know that my contract states the dog can not be registered with any other registry with out my permission. Canadian Kennel Club and UKC is all I will allow.

Answer 2

I am not a breeder, but I'm currently on a waiting list for a BC breeding planned for this spring.

This breeder has a questionnaire that you need to fill out for initially applying to get on the waiting list. Here are some things asked on the app...

Are you a member of any local dog clubs and if so, list them. Will this be your first BC? How did you decide this breed was right for you? What other breeds have you considered? Do you have a fenced yard or kennel run? Will the dog live mostly indoors or out? How long during the average day will the dog be home alone? Do you crate train? Do you have pets now or in the past and give info on each. How many children live in your home or will regularly come into contact with the dog? Who will be the primary caretaker? What are your plans for the pup (i.e. pet/companion, performance, conformation). How do you plan to properly exercise the pup if it is only to be a companion dog? Have you shown in any venues and if so what ones? Vet contact info required. Obedience trainer contact info required (all pups are required to go thru obedience training). Do you intend to breed this pup? If so, are you willing to do all health checks (OFA, etc...). You must list 3 references.

This breeder highly prefers the pups go to performance/show homes, but will give the proper companion home the chance if they are an active family. The breeder wants to ensure proper obedience training is pursued with the pup as well. This is just the initial questions asked just to be considered for getting on the waiting list. After that, there are more to come, but this gives the breeder a good idea what your plans are and what you education level is on the breed.

Answer 3

You have a lot of great answers.

I have a 4 step process for potential puppy buyers:

1) Questionnaire- like Freedom I give a puppy buyer every chance to eliminate themselves from the list. I had over 100 questionnaires for my last litter.

2) Phone interview- usually 1-3 hours. Where I get their references... and find out if they are going to actually ask questions. If I cannot talk to someone... they don't get one of my pups although I may refer them to another breeder. (If they are a decent person I ALWAYS offer them other breeder's names... I prefer people to specifically WANT one of MY pups).

3) In my home interview - usually 2-3 hours.. where they get to see the dogfur on the floor etc etc... They need to bring the whole family so I can see how the children and ALL members of the family interact with the dogs. If they can't deal with fur... they can't have a puppy. If my dogs don't like them, they can't have a puppy. They don't get to SEE pups until I have some notion that I like them.

4) Puppy placement- I deliver the pup..or one of my friends or daughter does if its out of my area. I want to SEE where the dog will be living. I'm not looking for a mansion... or even clean... I am looking for something other than a chain tied to an apple tree.

I do most of the things others have already listed... except in the case of someone purchasing a pup from a distance I cannot always do a face to face interview in both my home and theirs (I have a delivery policy and have flown to deliver pups with the pup as carryon). When I cannot do a face to face interview, I ask a friend in the area to do an interview for me (which is why its great to belong to a breed club... networking is a MUST).

At any point I have and will walk away from selling someone a puppy. If I don't feel they can give a better home to the pup than I can, I may as well keep it.

Answer 4

The puppy must be kept indoors and only outside when supervised by the owner. To many accidents happen by dogs not being supervised while outside.
Routine and emergency vet care must be provided when the dog is sick. Dog must be kept up to date on vaccines.
They must be commited to the dog. Be able to provide the dog with enough attention and time. They must realize that dogs cant be locked up in the house for 8 hours a day without potty breaks. They need to get outside to go to the bathroom 2-4 times during the day.
They must also realize these dogs can get too hot in the summer and must be kept cool.
If anything happens to the owner and they are no longer able to keep the dog I want it back regardless.
The dog must be cared for properly and not neglected or abused.
Pet quality puppies are sold on spay and neuter contracts or are already spayed or neutered. Pet quality should not be bred.
Do they have children and what are their ages. These dogs can get easily injured so immature and young children would not be a good situation for these dogs.
Do they have other dogs and pets.
Do they own rent or lease their home. Are pets allowed. If pets aren't allowed then it isn't going to work.

Also another thing, keeping the dog at a healthy weight and keeping the dog in shape. Too many treats is bad and feeding junk to the dog is bad.
Also keeping the teeth and gums healthy so that they have their teeth last a long time. These dogs because they are so small they can lose teeth prematurely. They may need a tooth cleaning that is between $150-300.
They must also have retained baby teeth removed.

Answer 5

When potential buyers for our pups come to look, and are sure they can handle the responsibility. I go one step further, I ask that they make a non - refundable cash deposit. This assures me they are committed and are serious about purchasing the pup. If they refuse to put down a deposit I know they are not committed to the pup. Also when they come to pick up the pup ( I do not ship) they get all their registrations papers, all their vaccine and health check papers,a small bag of food and a toy. I ask that they take their pup to their vet with in 72 hours of purchasing. If any problems are found do to me I will pay the vet bill or replace the pup. On the bottom of my contract I ask that they return the pup to me if down the line they are not able to keep the pup or no longer able to care for it. If they have any question to give me a call I will be more then happy to help. As of now all the pups I have placed are all healthy still in their original homes. I get calls at least once a year from the people who purchase my pups with the exception of one who calls at least 4 times a year.

In Dec. one pom will be going to Ft.Riley Kansas and the other will stay in our town. We still have people on a waiting list for our poms.

Answer 6

I'm not a breeder, but I do work with a rescue group. If I were a breeder, my requirements would be similar to those of our group. I would also be guided by the requirements of the breeders I have dealt with, who are among the tops in their breed.
There would be an application form. This would first ask the person to provide enough information to identify them - name, address, telephone, email, etc., and some form of identification, such as a driver's license number. I would ask about their employment. I would ask about their experience with dogs in general, and in particular their experience with the breed, or one similar, or how much self-education they have done about the breed. I would want to know their expectations about what the dog will be like, and why they think this breed would meet those expectations. I would ask about the environment where the dog would live - would it be an indoor dog, or an outdoor dog, fencing, runs or other means of containment. I would ask if they have ever done obedience work. Finally, I would ask for references, including veterinary references. In our group, we consider vet references much more important than personal references.
Finally, I would insist that they visit the kennel so not only could they see the dogs, but so I could see how they interact with them, and form my own first-hand impressions of the person. And, I would expect them to ask me about the health history of the sire and dam, temperament, training, vet care, and a bunch of other questions, unless I knew they had quite a bit of dog experience. Finally, except in the rarest circumstances, I would not ship a puppy to them, but want them to pick it up in person. Many good breeders wll ship, but it's something I personally would be uncomfortable with.
There would be a contract for them to sign, stating whether this was a show prospect or companion animal. If it were a companion, spaying or neutering would be required before the papers would be released to them. If a show prospect, they would be expected to show it. In both cases, there would be a provision that if they feel they can't keep the dog, it would be returned to me. I feel this is an important issue, since a lot of dogs that wind up in a breed rescue come from homes where it was obtained from someone who refuses to take their animals back if the owner doesn't want to, or can't, keep it, or who can't be located, etc.
There are probably some things I've overlooked, but these are probably the main points.
It's a lot of trouble to go through this, and someone who is buying a dog on a whim is probably not going to be willing to go through it. Education willl reach some people, but others will not bother, regardless, and that's unfortunate.

Answer 7

I'm not a breeder but I've learned a lot with my first puppy. One thing that hasn't been mentioned but after hanging out here on answers for a while I think I'd require a non-refundable deposit but I'd also layout a average budget for puppy/dog care and spend some significant time going over that with potential buyers. It's sad how many dogs aren't getting vet care due to finances. I will say I've been surprised at how costly puppy care can be and I have a very reasonable vet. Fortunately I can handle the cost but even with all the research I did before I bought her I never realized how much it could be until I was into it already.

Answer 8

I'm not a breeder, but I've purchased 2 pups from breeders in the past.

The first breeder agreed to sell us the dog over the phone, we drove to PA, paid the money, and she gave us the dog. She seemed a little sketchy, but the dog was in good health, had all his shots, and she had him neutered prior to us picking him up per our request. I would not put her in the category of 'good' breeders though. (I will add that *I* did not choose this breeder, I was younger at the time and my parents and older sister found and purchased from this woman.)

The second breeder required a long personal interview, after we completed a lengthy online application. We were asked about our home, the size of it and the yard, if it was fenced or not, the location (city vs suburb/rural), our family members and lifestyle, income, previous pets, current pets, ability to train the dog, etc. We then had to drive out to meet the breeder and pup and make sure the pup was suited to us. Finally, we had to sign a contract including a neuter agreement since the dog was not determined to be show quality and was not being permitted to register as a breedable dog. We did not receive the rest of his papers until we sent them veterinary proof of his neutering. This woman owned and bred a champion line of dogs, and had all the dogs that weren't currently showing in her home with her. She was definitely a good breeder.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people don't really care where the dog comes from as long as the price is right. But maybe a few will read this question and give it a second thought.

Answer 9

My requirements are very strict and have worked well for me. First off I have the enitial meet with the prospect owner, to get to know them there experence with dogs there life style and area around there home next i need to see the home and area the dogs will be kept if possible i physicaly go and see the home if not i make the potential owner send me pictures of there home and yard. After all of that, when they come to pick up there pup, i dont ship they must come to me to get it, i give them knowledge on the breed show them the perents teach them some trianing styles go over good and bad foods show and give a sample of the kind i feed go over vet needs and medications that need to be given such as heartworm flea ext. Next we move on to myh contract in which i think the most important thing it contians is if the owner I sell to ever desides to get ride of or find a new home for the dog i sold them it comes striat back tyo me no matter the time in its life or anyproblem it may have i will take it back. I try and be as through as possible with everything and keep close contact with everyone i sell a dog to

Answer 10

My first question is what dogs have you had, and what has happened to them? Were they spayed/neutered? What type of housing do you live in? (that Q doesn't eliminate much of anyone, but helps me ask the right Q's to see if they have the proper comittment to a dog) DO you have a fenced yard? if not, where will you exercise your dog? Who is/was/will be your vet? (contact the ones who had/have a vet and ask for their opinion of owner. If first dog, contact vet and ask if they strongly advocate same ideals I do)

There are tons of other Q's I use depending on the situation. I always insist on meeting everyone who will be living with the dog, or visiting frequently. I also either do a homecheck myself, or have a trusted fellow reputable breeder do one.

If a potential owner says, "But I wanna bred mine. At least once." when I mention the spay/neuter clause, I spend a lot more time explaining the costs, quality issues, ins and outs. I also explain they will have to wait until I have a breeding quality prospect or get one from another reputable breeder.

After I accept a home, I still require the owner to contact me twice the first year with either pics, or the dog itself so I can see if what I bred is doing what I want/expect it to growth and quality-wise. After that, I like to see/hear from them yearly.

I'm sure there's more, but that's what I can think of to send you right now. :-)