Almost one hundred million families across the United States own a pet. Of those families, the majority are dog owners.
Dogs make for wonderful companions, live relatively long lives, and can add countless memories to your household’s history. Before you can enjoy all of those benefits though, you have to take the leap to find your perfect furry companion. This post aims to help you do that!
Below, we go over a handful of questions to ask a dog breeder to better understand if they’re reputable.
1. How Many Litters Do You Produce Annually?
Breeders that over-breed dogs or are managing copious litters across multiple dogs should be approached with skepticism. Every litter of puppies requires close attention from a breeding professional that they can’t afford to give if they’re managing 10 to 12 litters across several animals.
Overbreeding a single animal is also considered inhumane and can cause health conditions not only with a litter’s mother but with the litter itself. Dogs should only be bred as many times as their individual heat cycles allow. This is usually 2 to 4 times per year at a maximum.
2. How Long Have You Been a Breeder?
As is the case with any job, the more experience you have, the better you’ll be at your work. In an optimal situation, you’d want your breeder to have several years of experience managing not only dog breeding but breeding the litters that they are selling.
That’s not to say, of course, that new breeders are bad breeders. It’s just a preference we recommend you have that your breeder has been through a handful of litters to ensure the best possible outcome for the dog you put a deposit down on.
3. Who Are the Parents?
Breeders should absolutely know who their litter’s parents are. Not only should they know those dogs, but they should also have a good beat on the parent dog’s lineage, temperament, and other unique qualities.
Understanding your dog’s parents can help you rule out the potential of inbreeding. It’ll also help you get a glimpse into how your dog might act when it grows up and what its medical outlook will be as it gets older.
If possible, meet your dog’s parents in person and make sure they seem well-adjusted and in good spirits before putting down a deposit on their pups.
4. Will My Puppy Be Vaccinated?
Within a few weeks of birth, puppies should get their first round of vaccines and be subjected to de-worming treatments. Usually, this round of treatment will be included in the cost of your dog’s purchase.
That’s not always the case though.
Talk to your breeder to confirm what their dog’s medical trajectories look like before handing them off to new owners. Also, make sure that all paperwork associated with the vaccinations/treatments are provided upon payment.
5. What Sort of Health Guarantees Do You Provide?
Quality breeders stand by the health of their pups. That’s why you should never be shy about adding queries surrounding health guarantees to your questions to ask a dog breeder list.
Optimally, health guarantees for new pups should be good for up to one year so long as you keep up with your dog’s suggested vaccination schedule. Some breeders will offer guarantees for longer.
Breeders that won’t offer a warranty on the dogs they produce could be inexperienced or maybe fly-by-night breeders that routinely produce unhealthy dogs.
6. Do You Have Any References?
The best way to know how your dog will fare post-purchase is to talk to other clients your breeder has done business with. These clients, hopefully, have given your breeder the green light to use them as references.
Email or talk to your breeder’s references on the phone and ask them how their dogs are doing. Also, ask about Presa Canario puppy cost, Dalmatian puppy cost, or the cost they incurred for whatever breed you’re interested in to see if you’re being charged an unfair premium.
After talking to two or three past clients, you should have a good idea of your breeder’s reputability.
7. What Questions Do You Have for Me?
This last question is a big one. Breeders that care about the dogs they produce would never place their dogs in homes that are unsafe or unlikely to care for their animals.
To do their best to make sure your home is suitable to house a dog, breeders should be prepared to ask you questions about your home situation, work, and other factors that might affect your ability to care for an animal.
Breeders that seem nonchalant about your situation are not breeders you want to do business with.
Knowing Which Questions to Ask a Dog Breeder Can Save You Heartache
We can’t tell you how many people enter into transactions with breeders without having questions to ask a dog breeder list prepared. In some cases, these transactions still turn out okay. In other cases, families bring sick, neglected animals into their homes that die prematurely.
Always do everything you can to vet breeders so you can be sure that you’re only giving your business to caring, reputable people that deserve to be operating in this line of work. If you’re sensing that something is off with the breeder you’re considering, walk away.
Do you have more questions pertaining to animals? If you do, our team of pet experts has you covered! Dive into more of the pet-centric content on our blog which we update every week.
