You're probably all excited about getting a puppy. You're adding a new member to the family. But you've got to consider a few things, including where do you get your puppy. If you want a great puppy -- if you want to make sure you're getting your money's worth -- you need to find a really good breeder.
And the truth is that not all breeders are created equal. Some breeders love dogs. These breeders also know how to care for the dogs properly. Out of their love, they care for their dogs and make sure that they are healthy and happy, ready to become a welcome member of your family.
It is unfortunately true that there are others who are only in the dog breeding business because they think it's a good source of money. They don't particularly care for their dogs or love them. And they probably do the bare minimum to keep the dogs alive.
What you want to do is find a great, honest, loving breeder and steer clear of the folks who are only in it for the quick dollar. What you want to do is research each breeder. Each recognized breed probably has a kennel club and may be able to provide you with a list of the breeders with whom they work.
If you cannot find a kennel club -- locally we hope -- for the breed you are interested in acquiring, try to find the information online. And if you have friends who have that breed of dog, you can talk to them and find out where the dog came from and whether your friends are happy with that breeder.
If you want to take a look at the dogs from afar before you purchase one, you can go to dog shows. You'll get a chance to see how the owners treat their dogs and also get a chance to see they look in the show and in the kennels where they are kept.
But this is probably not the best place for you to get into an in-depth conversation with the breeders, because the breeders are very busy with the activities of the show.
You should be able, though, to go to their home or to wherever it is that they breed dogs and there you can see how they are treated in their current home environment.
And the breeder will also be looking you over. He may not want to sell you a dog if he doesn't believe that you will properly care for the dog. If your potential breeder doesn't ask you questions, you may need to wonder just how concerned they are about the dog's welfare. And if they're not concerned about the dog's welfare, then they may not be taking proper care of their dogs.
While you're at the breeder's place, a few of the things you should take a look for are:
You should also have some questions for the breeder, that include:
You might also expect the breeder to ask you some questions, too. Among the questions that the breeder may ask are the following:
The breeder can, in fact, refuse to sell you a dog, if your answers don't indicate that you would be a good match up with their dogs. Just as they can refuse to sell to you, you can refuse to buy the dog, if the breeder doesn't meet your standards.
If everything looks OK to you; and if everything looks OK to the breeder; and if he is a conscientious, caring breeder who loves his dogs, you will then sign the sales agreement and purchase the puppy.
If you're still uncertain that you know exactly what to do with this breed of dog, don't hesitate to ask the breeder any questions you might have. In fact, one of the best questions is, "What I should I have asked you about caring for this dog that, in my ignorance, I have failed to ask? I don't hesitate to confess my ignorance; please don't hesitate to educate me."
The breeders can generally give you all sorts of tips and tricks about feeding and grooming and caring for this particular breed. Obviously, you do not care for a great dane in quite the same way that you care for a toy poodle.
It is possible that you will not be able to take your puppy home immediately. Be ready for that. The breeder will normally want to keep the dog with its siblings for up to eight weeks so that it will be used to other dogs. So if you have picked out a puppy that is only two or three weeks old, you may have made your purchase but not yet be taking the puppy home.
And when you do, finally, take the puppy home, the breeder will probably encourage you to stay in touch. If you've got a good breeder, they care about the welfare of the dog. And they are happy to help out by answering questions that come up as you go along.
If they've gotten into dog breeding for the right reasons, they love the dog nearly as much as you do and they really do care about her welfare. They want to make sure you know how properly to care for her.
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