I’ve told the story elsewhere of how the currents of sheer dumb luck brought me to a fantastic breeder who sold me my beloved Toby, a Belgian Terverun
How do you find a reputable breeder? It takes time, work and patience.
There he is, for once actually paying attention to me. Food must have been involved.
That was before the internet. Now we take for granted that anything can be found for sale online with just a few keystrokes. It is telling, therefore, that an online search I just did for Belgian Terverun puppies came up with the American Kennel Club website Puppy Finder page, a bunch of puppy mill-sounding broker sites offering “Belgian Terverun Puppies Shipped Worldwide!!”, some rescue sites with no dogs available and finally, going through two pages of the search listings, modest websites for a grand total of six breeders, spread out all over the U.S. and Canada.
Here are some things to consider:
1. Be patient. Many, many times, in order to get a first rate dog from a first rate breeder, you will have to wait for a litter to be bred and born. Many breeders don’t even mate their dogs until they have a number of highly rated homes lined up for their puppies to go to. You may have go on a list and wait for several litters to be born before your number comes up.
2. Word of mouth is a great way to find puppies from reputable breeders with a proven track record. Do you have a neighbour, co-worker or friend who has a Golden Retriever you love? Ask where she came from. Go to dog shows and dog parks.
Ask people about their dogs and if you like what you hear, ask them where they got their dog. Ask your vet or your groomer what they know about breeders of the type of dog you want. Maybe they have a client who has an outstanding dog of that breed.
3. The websites of national kennel clubs are an excellent place to start. Canadian, American and the U.K. Kennel Club websites have puppy finder pages where you can locate breeders who are members of that Kennel Club and who are therefore expected to adhere to the Club’s code of ethics for breeders.
4. Answer advertisements only if they are in a well recognized trade magazine or website. Be very cautious. Anyone can buy an ad. If the ad is accompanied by a photo of this breeder’s dogs winning at dog shows, that is a good sign. If you answer an ad, be more than normally vigilant about investigating once you connect with the breeder. As I said, many well-established breeders don’t advertise their puppies because they already have a waiting list.
DO NOT buy puppies (or kittens) from kijji or craig’s list or any site on the internet you can’t thoroughly check out. EVER.
This so often ends sadly, or even in tragedy.
5. Be wary of breeders who are offering several different breeds of puppies. Most breeders are dedicated to their breeds. They may offer two breeds. Rarely, three. One Oak Meadows client who got his puppy through an ad, enthusiastically described to me how he had found a barn in the country with ‘every kind of puppy you can imagine”, as if that was a good thing.The only thing missing was the sign that said “Puppy mill”.
6. Your purebred puppy should be bred at the breeder’s home.
Possibly not actually in the house, but at least in a properly outfitted building on the premises. You don’t want a puppy shipped in from somewhere else – that spells puppy mill. Preferably, at least one of the parents will be the breeder’s pet dog. This probably goes without saying, but of course the premises should be reasonably neat and clean.
7. Meet the parents, or at least the mother. The puppies need to be with their mother until eight weeks of age at a minimum. It’s possible the puppies are the result of the mother being bred to a dog standing at stud. That’s perfectly fine. While you may not see the father, you should still ask for a photo, and the basis on which he was selected to be the dad.
You can tell a lot from the mother. Pay attention not just to how she looks, but how she reacts to people and to her babies. She should be confident without being aggressive, friendly and reasonably calm. You want a clean well groomed Mom with a happy, wagging tail.
8. Ask how old Mom is, and how may litters she’s had. Dogs should not have puppies before they are at least two years old. Mother dogs should not be bred more frequently than every other year.
9. The puppies should be used to being handled by people.
They should, by the time they are ready to leave their mother, have had some positive experience of the world. You’re looking for a puppy with a sound, sociable temperament. Exposure at an early age to people, as well as a variety of different experiences, should engender confidence.
10. Ask what vaccinations both Mom and the pups have had, and how current they are. When the pups are between six and eight weeks old, they should have vaccinations for distemper, parainfluenza and – I’m not making this up – measles. They can also have the shot for kennel cough (bordetella).
Between ten and twelve weeks, they should have their shot for DHPP (distemper, parainfluenza, parvovirus, and adenovirus/hepatitis). They may also have a shot for coronavirus, leptospirosis and lyme disease.
Between 12 and 24 weeks, they will get their first rabies shot. As the proud new owner, you will be responsible for getting your puppy booster shots for both rabies and DHPP over the course of their first year. Did the breeder point that out when you asked about vaccines?
11. The breeder should guarantee that they will take the dog back, for any reason, at any age, if things don’t work out. In my experience, a dedicated breeder will in fact insist that the dog come back to them if there are problems. They don’t want one of their puppies to show up in a kijiji ad, and possibly end up with a bad, unvetted home or worse, in a lab somewhere.
12. The breeder should certify that the puppy is healthy and free of any infectious disease. You should allowed a grace period within which to take the puppy to your own vet to be examined before the purchase is final.
Purebred dogs are famously subject to inherited diseases and difficulties. Even Belgian Shepherds, generally free of such problems, have a slightly higher than normal tendency towards epilepsy. Ask the breeder what problems this breed has in general (you will have already researched this so you will know if he is answering honestly). Then ask if his dogs have had problems. If, for example, he suggests that people exaggerate the extent of the problem with hip dysplasia in German Shepherds, and that in twenty years of breeding (or whatever) he’s never encountered any such problem with his dogs, be at least a little suspicious. At the very least, there should be an acknowledgement that problems can occur, despite the breeder’s best efforts.
There are genetic tests that can be done, and other proofs of soundness, such as eye certification. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals can certify hips, and has an advanced cardiac data base. It sponsors the Canine Health Information Centre. If you are buying a breed for which genetic testing can be done, inquire about that.
13. Does the breeder have references from satisfied customers? How recent are they? This may not be of particular concern if you found the breeder through a reference by someone known to you, whose dog you know.
14. You should be asked to sign a Spay/Neuter/No Breeding Contract. This agreement obligates you, as the purchaser of the puppy, not to use the puppy for breeding purposes. A responsible breeder wants to do her best to ensure that those puppies are spayed and neutered at some point. They don’t want you breeding this puppy. If you do want the puppy for breeding purposes, be prepared to undergo a very thorough vetting.
If you have plans to show the dog, the breeder may agree to delay the contract for a period of time until you’ve had a fair chance to take them to their conformation title of Champion. The breeder may encourage you to show your puppy, because they want to add to the count of champion dogs bred by their kennel. That’s how I got into the world of conformation.
The breeder may ask whether you’re looking for a show dog or a pet. What’s the difference?
Once in a while a puppy will be a little too short or a little too long, or there may be some other purely cosmetic deviation from the breed standard. These puppies will be sold as pets at less than the full price for a show dog. If you don’t intend to show the dog, this is a great deal. Show dogs should also be good pets, but you will pay a premium price for them.
With a pet dog, a non-breeding contract should be a given.
15. The reputable breeder should screen you every bit as thoroughly as you screen them, and be willing to provide advice and guidance as you go forward with your new puppy. One of the breeders of Terveruns that came up in my internet search, stipulates that they do not reserve puppies of the internet. You must call them. They also reserve the right to cancel any sale and their “comfort level with any home will be the final determining factor”. Yes! This is what you want to see.
The breeder should want to know how their puppy is faring, and will ask for updates and photos of their puppies. Such photos and emails for other satisfied clients may well be offered to you as references. If you do show your puppy, chances are you will meet some of his littermate at dog shows. You become part of one big happy family, at least for the first year or so.
Beware of the breeder who only cares if you will send them payment via Paypal, asks you no questions aside from where to ship the puppy and shows no interest in what’s going to happen once the puppy arrives.
16. Since you are paying for a purebred puppy, both parents and your puppy should be registered with a national Kennel Club or, depending on the breed, with a recognized breed club.
It is important to understand however, that the fact that the dogs are registered does nothing other than certify it is the product of two purebred dogs. The puppy being registered only speaks to her bloodlines, not the soundness of that bloodline or that dog.
Nor does the fact that your breeder is a member of the Kennel Club guarantee any kind of ethical standards or that this is a reputable breeder. Aside from any other considerations, the Kennel Clubs simply do not have the resources to inspect the thousands of breeding kennels that are members.
Note also that having a business licence doesn’t mean the city or county, province or state has inspected the breeder and certified anything about them other than that they have paid their fee and met the (often) very minor requirements necessary to get a licence.
17. Does the breeder show his dogs? Enter her dogs in obedience trials? Fields trials if they are sporting dogs? They may seek to excuse their lack of participation because of ‘politics’ or money. Most breeders use trials and shows as a way of proving that their dogs stack up against others of their breed when judged by a person who has been authorized to do so on the basis of their knowledge and expertise with that breed.
You might ask your breeder how many litters they bred to get ten champions. In the case of my beloved Toby, Gemfire (the kennel name of the breeders) almost reached that in one litter.
That’s my Toby winning Best of Breed, with his littermate Animal Crackers taking Best of Opposite Sex. (Any excuse to show off my beloved Toby.)
If your breeder has had ten litters and only two champions amongst them, you might at least inquire why. Possibly the people who are buying the puppies aren’t showing them. Fair enough. If other things about the breeder are ringing some alarm bells though, this might weigh more heavily in the negative balance.
Finally, if having ‘papers’ is not of prime importance to you, because you don’t intend to show your dog, check out your local shelter. Many, many purebred dogs end up there. Rescues exist for almost every type of purebred dog. In fact, it’s a good sign if the breeder you are considering is also involved with a rescue group for that breed.
Finding a good dog is a quest.
As with any quest, you may get lost along the way. You may meet villains, sages and wise women. You may find help in unexpected places. Be true in your quest, and your reward will be to find the treasure that will bring untold joy to your life.
