Torbay Newfs, Vet Tech, Not a Black Saint Bernard, other Newfie owners?

Question

What are the important "must ask" questions to ask Newfoundland breeders when trying to chose a good breeder?

Thank you so much to everyone who answers!

P.S. Torbay, you have been great.. all your help is much appreciated. Thank you!

Answer 1

Geez...where to start:

1. Parents MUST be screened for hips, elbows,heart (by a board certified cardiologist) and cystenuria. Those are the MUST haves. Thyroid,eyes, and patellas are "optional" as there is not much problem with them in this breed. Make sure you SEE the health reports. That way you can know if this was a "fair" to "fair" hip breeding and if you wnat that. OFA has a great website and you can search for dogs related to the dogs you are looking at and often find a LOT of interesting info!!! And many breeders are dojng PennHip now and those results are not available on any site...unless they reported them to CHIC.

2. ALL puppies MUST be seen by a board ceretified cardiologist before purchase. You will get a form with the result for the puppy you buy. DO NOT accept anything other than a cardiologist report. Your standard vet is just not as capable of picking up some of these murmurs!!! Some puppies will have "innocent" murmurs and that would be stated on the report. If that animal is to be used for breeding down the road, it would have to be cleared by echo or doppler.

3. Find out what the "contract" covers and for how long. Also be aware of the state laws regarding puppy sales and the UCC (universal commerce codes). Some breeders say things in the contract that are NOT true for their state laws.

4. Make sure the breeder would ALWAYS take the dog back NO MATTER WHAT!!!

5. Find out what things they do with their dogs. A breeder that does NOTHING with the dog except breeds them may not be a good breeder!!!!

6. Always pick a breeder that will give you the list of BAD things about Newfs! Like the drool and grooming. If a breeder can find nothing bad to say about the breed and why it is not for everyone...they don't know the breed well!!!!!!!

7. Choose a breeder that AT LEAST belongs to the NCA..Newf Club of America. They may be members of regional clubs as well, but the NCA is a must.

8. Find out how many litters they have yearly, and have had in the last 5 years. Some may have only had one liter THIS year, but had 12 in the last 5!!!

9. IS the breeder ALWAYS available to answer question? They should be!!!

10. I am assuming that AKC registration is a given. Maybe I shouldn't, but if that is not there.....go elsewhere!!!

11. Really, you should visit the breeder and they should be willing to let you visit. Then you will know how the dogs are kept and what the place looks like. Many breeders have areas the dogs have trashed, but the place clearly should be clean and not smelly!! Although Newfs, especially when wet, can smell!!!!

12. Cost is kind of a given also. You would want to know that. Most breeders are selling puppies for $1,500-$2000. I would not pay more than the $2000. I only know a few that are charging more than that and I would not get a puppy from them anyway!!!!!

* as stated, getting involved with your local Newf Club is great, but remember....they are ALL run mostly by breeders. They ALL talk about other breeders behind their backs!!! There is a lot of "catty-ness" that goes on at these clubs!!!!

Rescue is good also, but frequently few and far between. You can get on a waiting list if you desire a rescue. Since we stopped buying from auctions, there are less dogs through the rescue.

There are different "lines" of Newfs. It depends on what you are looking for. Different area of the country have different "type" also. Getting ahold of a few copies of recent "Newf Tide" magazine may help you decide what you are favoring. If you become a momber of NCA, you will be sent NT four time yearly.

Answer 2

Not a Black Saint Bernard covered most of what I'd say... I'll just add:

Spend time with the dogs, talk to other breeders about the line of dogs. Some Newfs have "sharper" temperaments than others. I know there are a few Newfs who I don't want to be set up near at a dogshow... and it is NOT true of the breed in general.

Answer 3

My best suggestion for you is to go to the northern ca.newf club here is their website http://www.ncnc.org/
Here also is the the newf club of America website http://www.ncanewfs.org/newfs.shtml

These are realy good places to start your research. This is where I started. I found them to be very educational. Then armed with the info I learned I went about interviewing/talking to breeders. Make sure to read all the pro's and con's to owning a Newf.

Answer 4

This link has some great questions to ask... should help you figure out if the breeder is responsible or not. Also has questions to ask about a specific puppy

Research what genetic health problems Newfs can get and be sure to ask if those have been tested for on the parents and if it has ever shown up in the dogs ancestors...

http://www.breederlist.co.uk/choosing_a_dog_breeder.html

Answer 5

One would definitely be to ask about how they house the dogs there.

I had an encounter with a "backyard breeder" that had several dogs just running around the back doing whatever. We weren't smart then and ended up buying two dogs and they had liver and heart problems. They both died in less than 6 months.

So make sure to question them about that!

Answer 6

ALWAYS ask for all their papers (KC etc.) if they do not give you the papers there and then, it COULD be that they dont have any.
ALSO DEFINATLY ask to see the dam and the sire
GO and see the pups in their "own environments" see how the puppies are with children, other animals, adults,(who may be there) strangers (you) see if the breeders look clean and they know what they are doing.

Answer 7

Check newfie rescue. Get involved with your local newf club.

Breeders can lie. These two contacts will be your greatest asset and you will have great things to do with your newfoundland.

Answer 8

Daughter has a black Saint, does that count??
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2368/2052299509_eb3f1f5011_m.jpg

IMHO, unless you are already familier with a breed find someone that is and have them go over the breed standard with you LINE BY LINE.
Visit as many breeders as you can, believe me you will find some that have nothing but trash.
Also IMHO, find out what is the breeders history with the breed. Are they showing/working BBE or someone elses pups?? If they are showing/working someone elses, maybe you need to find out who someone else is.

Answer 9

Not a Black St. Bernard covered all the bases! She is great and has provided you with wonderful information!!

The only things I could add are more of "red flags" you should be the on the lookout for, not so much questions to ask:

· SELLS MALES FOR LESS MONEY THAN FEMALES. This is because a premium is placed on females
by other "wannabe" breeders to start their own backyard breeding program.

· SELLS "SHOW QUALITY" WHILE THEY NEVER SHOW THEMSELVES. How can you know? Markings? That only represents about 10% of what makes up a "show quality" dog.

· SELLS ANY PUPPY WITH FULL REGISTRATION for more money, regardless of the quality or health of the pup.

· DOES NOT HAVE VERIFIABLE HEALTH CLEARANCES on hips AND elbows of at least MOST of the dogs on the pups pedigree. If you are told "our vet said they are healthy" this is a BIG red flag.

· “BREEDING STOCK COMES FROM HEALTHY LINES” If you are told this, DEMAND PROOF.

- DOGS WHICH ARE BRED BEFORE TWO YEARS OF AGE AND/OR ARE BRED EVERY HEAT CYCLE.

· “BOTH PARENTS ON PREMISES.” Good breeders go out and find the stud dog that best compliments their *****. Breeders who tend to be in it "for the money" only, don't want to pay a stud fee, so they just get a boy and a girl, and whatever they produce, they produce. Also, if they
own several females on only one male. This tells me they are just pumping out puppies - high volume - high sales - more money in the seller's pocket (this is not an absolute. Some good breeders DO have the stud dog, but this is not always the case).

· BREEDER DOESN'T FOLLOW UP ON PREVIOUS LITTERS to assure the pups they have produced
are healthy. This is especially important if the puppy seller touts "healthy dogs." If they haven't bothered to follow up on previous litters, how can they make this claim????

· THE "HEALTH GUARANTEE" SALES PITCH.

· BREEDER HAS A USDA LICENSE. This almost guarantees you are dealing with a mass production
puppy factory.

· “AKC INSPECTED.” Every breeder who breeds AKC registered dogs is subject to AKC inspection. This means nothing.

· BREEDER DISCOURAGES YOU VISITING THEIR FACILITIES, or “suggests” you meet somewhere
to get your pup. This is often offered as a convenience to you. It is really because the breeder doesn’t want you to see their kennel.

· REQUIRES MONEY UP FRONT before any paperwork (such as pedigree info, contract into, etc) is provided.

· REQUIRES DEPOSITS (USUALLY NON-REFUNDABLE) BEFORE THEIR ***** IS BRED OR THE
LITTER IS WHELPED.

· SELLS WITHOUT A CONTRACT.

· PUPPIES REGISTERED WITH OTHER THAN AKC REGISTRY. While AKC registration does not assure a good breeder, NO responsible American breeder uses any other registry. The puppy mill industry has created many bogus registries to trick buyers. Dogs registered with APR (American Pet Registry), CKC (Continential Kennel Club, not to be confused with the Canadian Kennel Club, a
legitimate registry), ACA (American Canine Association), AMW (Archive of Merit Worldwide), FIC
(Federation of International Champions), etc, are indicative of a commercial puppy factory.

· DOESN’T ASK YOU ANY QUESTIONS. In an effort to confuse you into thinking they are a responsible breeder, you may be asked to complete a questionnaire, but you won’t be asked any follow up questions.

· HAS A PAYPAL OR CREDIT CARD SYSTEM SET UP FOR PAYMENT.

· “I JUST BREED NICE PUPPIES FOR NICE PEOPLE.” This is the hallmark of a bad breeder. You are a nice person, and you want a nice puppy, but not from this breeder. What this REALLY means is, “I am breeding whatever dogs I can get my hands on, and I am selling them to anyone who comes up with the cash.”

· BREEDS MULTIPLE BREEDS. Some good breeders may breed one or possibly two other breeds, but anyone who has more than 4 or 5 different breeds of dogs is making a business out of pumping out puppies. There is no way this many dogs can be given the attention and care that they need. This is a puppy factory.

· “CHAMPION BLOODLINES.” This could mean one dog in a 64 dog pedigree has attained a championship. This also implies that the parents aren’t champions. This is just another trick to fool you.

· DOES NOT HAVE A LIFETIME RETURN POLICY FOR DOGS OF THEIR BREEDING. Do not
concern themselves with rescue, and take no responsibility for the dogs they have produced once the sale is done and money has changed hands. These breeders represent a large part of the mess that purebred rescue groups have to clean up.

· JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS (EASTER/MOTHER’S DAY, ETC)! Good breeders just don’t market their “merchandise” this way. In fact, ethical breeders strongly discourage giving puppies as gifts at any time of year. The decision to add a puppy should be made by the entire family, and good breeders will want to meet with the prospective owners.

Hope this helps!! Good luck!