How did you choose the breeder of your puppy?

[Susan Stone]

This is the opposite question to the thread Ursula started. Many people on this site do not breed but own just one or two exclusive setters. I'd be interested in knowing what you looked for in a breeder when making your choice.

Sept. 5th: new pictures added

[Alenka Pokorn]

Susan we have also big problems with dogs coming from puppy mills from different (really mostly east-european) countries. We try so much to educate people - tv shows, articles in magazines, forums on internet etc But it just does not help. You talk one of them into buying a pedigree dog, but there are 10 behind who go to the "importer" who has "all paperwork and vet certificate, import licence etc". Usually these dogs are very sick, owners spend a lot of money on the vet, pedigrees never come or are fake etc Then the clubs get calls from these owners seeking advice how to take care of their dog etc Luckily Irish are not so popular right now to have a lot of imports like that, but Gordons are a problems for us. Politicians are not really interested enough to do anything much. Our Kennel CLub is also doing lots of lobbying, but not getting anywhere.
Of course there are many good breeders in Eastern Europe who do all the health testing, work with their dogs, show, carefully choose studs etc. They get a bad brake from all this like Laura mentioned - problems in buying quality dogs or getting use of quality studs, more difficult to sell puppies abroad etc Although once you are well known and established abroad this problem diminishes.

Alenka

[Susan Stone]

So true, we have a long way to go...

[ursula wilby]

We have the puppy-mill-problem from eastern european countries (so far) only when it comes to toy-breeds.
(Not having a go at eastern european countries, but that is where the puppies do come from.)
They are easy to smuggle in (especially if you tape their feet together). Then you can just stack them in a suitcase...but no matter how often these pictures are shown on TV or in the media, it looks as if people are stupid enough to buy them anyhow.
We do have all the information readily available and there have been so many warnings in both press and on TV. We also have a warning text on the internet-sites selling dogs...but it still goes on.
It does look as if some people just dont want to be educated!!!!!!!!!

Also there is the problem of insurancecompanies not wanting to insure. Plus the vets MUST report any puppy they suspect has been smuggled in to the country.
As for choosing a breeder, I find most people that are not in the breed or dont actually want a very specific Irish setter are totally hung up on the date they can pick up their puppy.
I often get phonecalls were I am asked if I have puppies ready for delivery for the first week in june or the last of august...?! Even two weeks later will not do! Amazing I think.
These are not the buyers that want a puppy NOW, but ones that plan ahead...but to a specific date. Never mind anything else about the dog and its background.
The DATE is what matters.

[Susan Stone]

Interestingly just this morning there was a short report on the radio informing people about the risks of buying cheap pure bred dogs from suspicious origin. GREAT! maybe we are getting somewhere?

Ursula, I have not come across the 'delivery to a fixed date' - unless you count the pre-Christmas enquiries?
What I have been confronted with was someone buying a puppy and when it came to pick-up time at 10 wks the new owners explained they would be going off on holiday in 6 weeks' time and would it not be better if they left the puppy with me until after their holiday... my first reaction was astonishment, then I explained that the critical time for bonding & further socializing was now and that as I was keeping a dog from the same litter their puppy would not be able to profit as much as if it were with the new owners. The puppy could come back to me for the one week vacation. This is how it turned out.

[Alenka Pokorn]

I also have similar experience. People expect to purchase dogs like they buy shoes or something. They say they really really want an Irish, but if they have to wait more than a few days they will usually buy something else, probably some breed that does not resemble what they "really" want in looks or character. Just whatever is there. These are really not the kind of buyers I am looking for.
Alenka

[ursula wilby]

I think if you breed long enough, you will eventually see EVERYTHING! Its a bit like faults or illnesses etc...
I feel that if I would ONLY breed dogs, I would have lost all belief in the human race years ago.
Thank god I dont!
I think that most of the potential puppybuyers get scared off by me at first contact on the phone. A huge chunk get dropped once I get to see them...
Sometimes a spend any admount of time just getting people NOT to buy a dog!
But then, at times, it ends up all wrong anyhow.
I had a VERY nice and friendly family that wanted to buy an irish setter. Now they came to look at my dogs and they where so VERY un-doggy plus worked all day.
I spent hours explaining about dogs and their need to have people around and how you can not just leave a puppy all day...and about day-care puppy-places. And as the whole family were so utterly wimpish...I said that even having sorted out the day-care-part, they should get something smaller and that needed a lot less work than an irish setter.
They were very nice people (but a bit dim...how dim I did not find out until later...!!!!).
They phoned me (all happy) to thank me so much for all that fantastic information and all the help...now they had bought a puppy!
A wirehaired german pointer male.
And amazingly enough, THAT breeder had told him that they could leave the puppy all alone ALL day and that was what the puppies were used to anyhow as he had a full-time job and was this not GREAT!
I never said much. It was sort of too late by then...I think the family found out the hard way. :-))))

[harriet]

We liked the mother of Justin very much.She was at that time one of the topbitches in The Netherlands.
Slliot was chosen by joyce Suyck a dutch breeder(juggernautskennel)
She liked the Reddinskennel because of the way they breed.
She also owens a half sister of Elliot.

[Susan Stone]

The mother being Call me Emma v.h. Adelaarsvaren? A truly beautiful lady!

[Susan Stone]

Fran, now that is a very unusual way of finding the breeder of your puppy. I would had not thought of that one. It certainly looks as though it has worked out for you;-))