Your Experience With Registered Breeders

[corvus]

It's not too bad for me because I have two rare breeds. One of the reasons I like rare breeds is because it's much easier to find a breeder I like. I find it daunting if there's a list of, like, over a hundred breeders. I don't know where to start. I just want a dog that will be healthy and fit in with my lifestyle and suit my personality. An answer to a fairly important question for me like "I don't know, should be all right" doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. I'll find a breeder that can give me a more confident answer, thanks.

[erinonthefarm]

I suspect that like most things, there is incentive to complain if you have had a bad experience, but not a lot of reason to post if you have had a good one.

Thats true, given human nature, but I personally have made numerous posts on other topics related to how wonderful my puppies breeder was, but I don't think a single reply has been posted to say "thats great, me too ect"

It is a hot topic for DOL atm anyway :D

[aussielover]

It's not too bad for me because I have two rare breeds. One of the reasons I like rare breeds is because it's much easier to find a breeder I like. I find it daunting if there's a list of, like, over a hundred breeders. I don't know where to start. I just want a dog that will be healthy and fit in with my lifestyle and suit my personality. An answer to a fairly important question for me like "I don't know, should be all right" doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. I'll find a breeder that can give me a more confident answer, thanks.

That's a good point Corvus.

I think it is generally easier to find a good breeder of a truly rare or less common breed (not a "blue staffy" lol). They are less likely to be in it for the money and more likely to be breeding for the betterment of the breed. All the aussie breeders i had contact with were sooo enthusiastic about the breed (rightly so!).

I think labs are more suitable for me at the moment, but looking through the puppy listings of DOL is really very daunting, I wouldn't really know where to start asking...

I think I would have to stick with Mindy's breeder, other guide dog breeders, DOL members or recommendations from DOLers.

[SkySoaringMagpie]

It's not too bad for me because I have two rare breeds. One of the reasons I like rare breeds is because it's much easier to find a breeder I like. I find it daunting if there's a list of, like, over a hundred breeders. I don't know where to start. I just want a dog that will be healthy and fit in with my lifestyle and suit my personality. An answer to a fairly important question for me like "I don't know, should be all right" doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. I'll find a breeder that can give me a more confident answer, thanks.

That's a good point Corvus.

I think it is generally easier to find a good breeder of a truly rare or less common breed (not a "blue staffy" lol). They are less likely to be in it for the money and more likely to be breeding for the betterment of the breed.

One thing about people after money tho', they tend to be more polite on the first contact - and some people with rare or exotic or "difficult" breeds can be snobbish and/or appear exacting, which can lead to a less than fab first encounter unless you have some kind of introduction from someone else.

[koalathebear]

I had a terrible time getting replies by email but had much better luck after I phoned first and then followed up again with an email. Everyone was very helpful after the phone call. It took quite a bit of work but there was no unpleasantness from the people who I phoned and those who couldn't help, were happy to provide referrals to someone who could help.

I love the breeder from whom we finally got Hoover. If we ever got another dog (haha!) I wouldn't hesitate to get one from her and I would very happily recommend her to anyone else who wants a healthy, well-adjusted working line Kelpie with a beautiful temperament and an off switch. She's not good at email at all but wonderful on thep hone.

As soon as we had confirmed that we were getting Hoover, i emailed all of the other breeders I had contacted to thank them for their time and let them know that we had found a Kelpie puppy elsewhere.

[juice]

I nearly gave up trying to get a mature dog from breeders, until a lovely doler stepped in and helped me.

After being in rescue a while i wanted a well bred dog, but after sending emails out to breeders whose dogs i liked, i got zilch in response.

I found it all very intimidating, i have a perfect girl now in my gang, but it was like getting blood from a stone initially talking to the breeder!

I wouldn't hesitate to use the same breeder again, as my girl is wonderful, and hopefully next time i may get more than "yes", and "no," to my questions now they know me :D

[Crazy Daisy]

Mostly my experience has been really positive. I don't do cold emails unless they specify on their website that that's the way they like to be contacted. I call them up, ask if this is a good time to have a chat about their breed and most have been really, really lovely. I have been showing for a year and there are some breeders I see that look really scary in the ring until I have phoned them and found that outside of the show ring they are truly lovely. :D

I made a time to go to a show and meet people. Most showies know roughly when they're dogs will be on and will be able to give you a time that would be suitable to come over and have a chat.

When I was looking for my first show dog, my Shih Tzu, I found some people were really lovely about my interests in showing and some it just turned off, so that can also make a difference when looking for a dog.

[Ons]

I voted in response to my second golden retriever. Before I got her I was looking at getting a chocolate lab and was making enquiries, some were helpful, some not and were clearly in it for the money as choc labs were flavour of the month back then. I did decide to ring up about a litter of goldens only about 3 hours away from where I was living at the time (which considering where I was living was considered close) and just really liked the sound of the breeder so ended up going with one of her pups and we are now great friends. I would happily get one of her pups again and would if anything happened to my Tilly-Rose.

With my oldest golden retreiver I don't have contact with her anymore BUT have always felt that I could ring her anytime and ask questions . She also made me promise that if I couldn't keep Onslow that he was to be returned to her. There is no reason why I wouldn't get a pup from her again, only that I have formed a great relationship with Tilly's breeder

Overall I could say that I had very positive experience talking to golden retrievers breeders when I was looking for Onslow I had to talk to a few as golden retriever pups were strangely scarce at that time and all were very helpful referring me to other breeders until eventually I found out about Onslow's litter.

[Guest english.ivy]

my Belgian Shepherd breeder was suggested through another Doler and we instantly clicked, she was awesome with info etc.

when i went on a mission to find another BH breeder, as Ivys breeder wasn't planning a littler at the time, a couple of breeders filled me with major lies and I got in hot water from what I was told.

From that experience I felt that I wanted to get another breed of dog. I know now that I'd never get a BS from any other breeder.

Finding a Pointer breeder wasn't so difficult, I guess they are a lot more common. I'm still in contact with my Pointers breeder, through FB.

I would return to her if I were to ever get another Pointer and I wouldn't have any problems passing her info to anyone seeking a Pointer.

[mita]

I'm with corvus that owning a less common breed took me straight to a reasonable number of registered breeders. All of them had interest in the breed as their major reason for doing what they do.

I was also lucky that these Australian breeders have close ties with the best of breeders overseas... like New Zealand, Scandanavia, France, Switzerland, UK & USA. Communication with pet people is welcome & they're generous with help.

An example:

I recently was looking at a prize-winning children's author's website. And there she had gorgeous photos of her gold pet tibetan spaniel. So I told the breeders' list. Next thing, a UK breeder emailed to say she'd bred that little tibbie in 2000. She sent me her baby puppy picture. .

She told me that the author had dedicated one of the books to her, as her beloved tibbie's breeder. Even gave me the name of the book series....'The Little Yellow Dog'. Which I'm tracking down, to buy.

Now there's appreciation for a breeder!

Click on the middle pic in the row of 3 to see a tibetan spaniel that the breeder & the owner can be justly proud of!

http://www.francescasimon.com/about.asp

Edited February 11, 2011 by mita

[gwenneth1]

I've had mostly good experiences even with breeders that I didn't end up getting a dog off them, they didn't try and talk me in to their choice of dog breed,but rather gave me really solid information for me to base a decision on.

I've only had one negative experience with one breeder, who let me know that she was 'somebody' in the show dog world and intimated I would be lucky to get one of her pups if she chose to let me have one. Also got extremely irritated with about half a dozen questions I asked, like I was questioning her authority and qualifications. I realise breeders probably have to deal with Charles Darwin Hall of Famers from time to time, but in this instance the way she spoke almost made me say "yes, your Majesty". :D

I still keep in touch with one breeder, even though I don't have that breed of dog anymore-she was and remains terrific. A wonderful source of information with all things dog. I agree with the post below, most people at dog shows are happy to talk about their breed at a convenient time and I haven't found (contrary to all the horror stories I hear) them to be bitchy or rude at all.

[melinda10786]

We had a fantastic experience with the breeder we purchased Monte from. After deciding on the breed we wanted, we emailed some of the breeders listed on DOL to just get some idea of what they were looking for from us, and what we wanted in a puppy. We didn't receive some replies from breeders but we expected that.

We were lucky enough to get in contact with a breeder who lived 20 minutes from us, and was happy for us to meet the puppies at 3 weeks and chose which one we wanted, and then we did a second visit at 6 weeks to play with the litter. She was fabulous and answered all of our queries regarding the puppies and what we needed to do, let us play with her other dogs and gave us some fabulous information which we still use now!

The saddest part in obtaining Monte, was the breeder crying when we left because he was the last puppy to go to his new home from his litter, so we felt guilty for adopting him!! But it showed us that this breeder truly appreciated each and every puppy. We are still in contact with her occasionally sending photos and updates, and she has never once denied us any information should we require assistance. We now have a lovely puppy who has become a well loved member of our family and our extended family.

[Tilly]

For our last 2 dogs I have been very happy with the dogs (loved their pedigree/bloodlines and the dogs themselves) but found communications with the breeders a bit difficult. Either they can't be bothered too respond or they simply just don't care about what happens to the dogs once they get their money.

I wouldn't recommend either breeder simply for that reason ... and we had gone through many breeders before we settled with the two that we did get our dogs from.

If we had been looking for a pet and not a working dog ... then I would have simply brought from a petshop or from the paper. That way I wouldn't have had to deal with the many rude people that call themselves breeders.

Edited February 11, 2011 by Tilly

[*Lolapalooza*]

For our last 2 dogs I have been very happy with the dogs (loved their pedigree/bloodlines and the dogs themselves) but found communications with the breeders a bit difficult. Either they can't be bothered too respond or they simply just don't care about what happens to the dogs once they get their money.

I wouldn't recommend either breeder simply for that reason ... and we had gone through many breeders before we settled with the two that we did get our dogs from.

If we had been looking for a pet and not a working dog ... then I would have simply brought from a petshop or from the paper. That way I wouldn't have had to deal with the many rude people that call themselves breeders.

Thats a shame you feel that way

[Pepper and Jax]

I emailed plenty of breeders of various breeds, and spoke to a few on the phone too. With the emails, I received some lovely informative responses, some more brief responses, and in some cases no response at all. I remember some of the phone calls were a bit awkward and in some cases I pushed buttons that sent a couple of breeders onto their soap box - e.g. by querying their views on tail docking (this was a few years ago). But other calls were great.

I'm still in contact with Pepper's breeder, though she's not breeding GSPs anymore. She has been generally supportive, interested to hear how we're going, and very proud of how gorgeous Pepper looks now that she's all grown up. Knowing what I know now, I might have chosen a different breeder, but not due to personality or willingness to assist, more about long term commitment to the breed and show experience.

[Paptacular!]

My current breeder is fantastic, no question has ever been too much of a hassle and she's great for advice.

I did have a bad reg. breeder experience, where the pup died 3 days after she arrived due to something she contracted at the breeder's house. Not limited to reg. breeders though, can happen to anyone (probably more likely to happen with a BYB actually!)

[Fleuri]

I didn't think I should vote yet because I have only recently started looking. I will update how it goes, hopfully I will find an excellent breeder too. I really want to find the right one.

Edited to add, so far only contacted four breeders.

Edited February 11, 2011 by Fleuri

[Gayle.]

My experiences have been very mixed.

I started out looking for a small bull breed and emailed breeders or two different breeds. I sent off around 15 emails over a few days and got one response. I specifically chose breeders who had email addresses either on their websites or on their listing. At the time I didn't know about DOL and was finding breeders by Google, then checking to see if the website/listing was reasonably up to date.

The one response I got was an invitation to call, which I did the following day. She talked about her breed and I talked about my desire to own her breed then she told me the price and after I picked myself up off the floor she told me the terms under which she sells her puppies.

I enquired politely about what health tests she carried out....."None. Waste of money!" she proudly proclaimed (and yes she is a registered breeder, still breeding).

Basically she was a puppy farmer with a pyramid puppy breeding scheme going. All puppies were sold on a breeders contract, all came back to her to be bred from. No health testing but she sure charged a lot for the puppies.

Not satisfactory at all, but I'd had no other responses so discussed matters with my husband and he told me he didn't want one anyway and could we please get a normal looking dog. So we researched, talked, looked at breed books, websites and read lots and lots of stuff and finally decided on an Australian Shepherd....medium sized dog, moderate coat, high intelligence, "normal" looking according to my husband.

First breeder I emailed, I got a response within a half hour with a number to call. The following day we headed to her place and spent the afternoon with her, her husband and some of her dogs and the three puppies she had for sale. The following weekend we went back and collected our puppy.

I kept in touch with her for a while and sent pics, then correspondence dropped off but she recently added me as a Facebook friend so she can keep up with us there.

Second time I wanted a puppy of the same breed it was easy, I was active in some dog activities, had joined the state breed club, joined a breed email list. I pretty much decided what colour, markings and gender I wanted and took my pick. That breeder then also sent the next puppy to me in a co-ownership deal and we email regularly and I'm going to stay with her in SA next month when I take both dogs of her breeding over there for some shows.

I have found with Australian Shepherd breeders I get responses each time, no matter what it's about.......puppies, health issues, chit chat, events and activities etc.

Last week I powered up my old computer and went through emails from 4 years ago and found the one I'd sent to 15 breeders. It was reasonably short, friendly, asked about the breed in general, described our circumstances briefly and enquired about the possibility of puppies in the future. I also offered to phone them at a time convenient to them, then thanked them for their time.

I honestly could not see anything wrong with what I wrote and to this day I can't understand the lack of response. Oh well, I have completely lost interest in those breeds now.

In hindsight, I wish my first question was "How much?" because had I known that, I would not have bothered any more breeders. The going price at the time was more than I was prepared to spend on a dog. I could have saved myself a whole lot of effort and emotional energy if I'd known the cost of those little bull breeds up front.

About buying a puppy from a registered breeder.....well, I have pedigree cats so never really thought beyond going anywhere but a registered breeder. While I can understand some peoples desire to keep in close contact with the breeder of their dog, I don't have a problem with not doing that, I wanted a puppy not a lifetime commitment to a friendship. The fact that I AM friends with one breeder is nice, it's not essential to my enjoyment of the breed though.

I can understand people not wanting to buy from a registered breeder and going the petshop/byb route, especially if they've had a similar experience to me. If you find a really nice breeder, it's a great experience but it can be extremely demoralising if you don't. A lot of people wouldn't bother going further than one or two non-reponses or one rude response, they'd just go where they can get decent service and to someone who cares that they want to buy a puppy. I have had pet shop puppies and they were loved and cared for as much as my pedigree dogs. And I was equally as proud of them.

There are always flipsides though. I talked my son into getting an ex-show dog from a registered breeder rather than getting a rescue as he wanted a purebred but wasn't having any luck with the rescue organisations. He got a totally gorgeous orange belton English Setter who we all fell in love with. The dog was 18 months old. He was put to sleep in November 2010, aged 3 1/2 years. My son will never buy another pedigree dog again, that one broke his heart.

My most recent experience with a breeder has been very good. Same breed I already own but an adult rescue. My initial email was responded to the following day with a request for my phone number. We talked for a couple of hours, the following day we talked again to arrange flights, then a week later the dog arrived in Melbourne from Perth. A very easy, friendly transaction although no money changed hands as they were looking for the best home possible for the dog and thought ours was it.

[Tay.]

I don't really have any experience with registered breeders. My current two dogs are from BYB (didn't know any better at the time) which I totally do not support now. I think I feel guilty for supporting the byb world in the past, that now I'm super paranoid about finding the 'perfect' breeder. However, Jess is my heart dog and I don't regret getting her at all.

When I was about 5 years old my parents got our first family dog from a 'registered breeder' (I use this term lightly because I'm not 100% sure). Our dog had a million health issues throughout her short (6 year) life, most hereditary problems I assume, and we later found out (through another breeder in the same breed) that her breeder was really dodgey. So that has left my parents in a sort of against registered breeders mind frame....

[Shazzapug]

I know this is a thread about breeders and puppy buyer experiences....but from a breeder point of view I think it is important that word gets around via word of mouth if the experience by all is a good one. For example I recently rehomed a male fawn pug to an already pugged mature couple because they came highly reccommended by the breeder of their first Pug. I hadnt thought of rehoming this dog, but it was a home no sane Pug would refuse. He has been there for just over a month now and had his first Brighton beach experience....he met a nearly 4 yr old Black pug, started playing....the slaves got talking and the Black pug was from my 2nd Black litter and I remember the lovely dads as soon as she said his pet name. So my point is go where the breed hangs out that you want and talk to the people and find out where they got their dogs from. Eg. If you want a pug go down to Elstenwick Park on a sunday morning and watch all the pugs running off leash and talk to all the crazy Pug slaves. I think we rely on the internet too much.