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1. Ask to see the mother, and
the father too if possible. Beardies have variable temperaments,
and the mother's behavior is one of the better predictors of the
puppies' behavior. If the mother isn't available at the time you
visit (e.g., away at a dog show) consider coming back to meet her on
another visit. You'll have this dog 10-15 yrs, so you can wait a
bit longer!
2. Beardies are not
particularly prone to heritable diseases, but they do have some.
A. Hip dysplasia: If this disease
appears in your dog (generally when he is 2-3 yr), his hip bones are
prone to pain and dislocation, and he not only won't be the puppy of
your dreams, he may have to be put down. Ask to see the certificate from
the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) showing that both the
parents' x-rays are rated at least fair; better yet the x-rays should be
good or excellent. Note that vets say you can't get reliable
x-rays on dogs under 2 yrs old, so x-rays of dogs bred before that are
not reliable.
B. Ask about the history
of Addison's disease among the line. This is an auto-immune
disease whose genetics is unclear. Treatment is very expensive,
and may not be very successful. No responsible breeder would breed
from a dog with this disease. If you speak to a breeder who acts
unfamiliar with the disease, you may want to shop elsewhere, since he
probably hasn't given much thought to whether his dogs might be
carriers.
C. Ask about any other health
tests the breeder may have done. These could include thyroid
tests, eye ("CERF") tests, and elbow x-rays. Most
breeders will have done at least some of them. If the breeder has
done all of them - smile and look grateful!
3. Good breeders care a LOT
about the puppies they breed. The more they seem to care about
whether you will give the puppy a good home, the more likely you are to
be dealing with a responsible breeder. You may be asked about
*a fenced-in yard
*your past experience with dogs in general and
beardies in particular
*your lifestyle
*whether you will spay or neuter the dog (reduces the
chances of beardie-poodles or chihuabeardies on our streets. Many
of these end up in shelters, where most dogs are put down.)
If you don't get asked any questions like these, you might wonder how
much this breeder cares about breeding good puppies and where they end
up.
4. Cost: puppies in the
mid-Atlantic area tend to go for
$1200 to $1800 (in 2006) for a really
promising super-champ pup. At the low end, you can still find
very high quality pups for the home market, since their
"defect" may be mismarking, or legs a bit too short or size a
bit too big, or ears or tail set wrong. These problems don't
affect the puppy's health or value as a pet. This sounds
expensive, but ask yourself how much you think you'll spend on food and
vet bills over the next 10-15 yr.
5. Ask what the breeder will
do if the puppy proves defective in the first 48 hr? Month?
Year? Some sort of guarantee against sickness is common over the
first few days, and some breeders offer guarantees against heritable
defects over a longer period. Furthermore, you probably won't want
to take a puppy you love back, but the breeder may offer a replacement
puppy. Also, a breeder might well want to get the puppy back
rather than see it put down.
6. Ask for references from the
breeder. Past puppy purchasers, or the breeder's vet are good
candidates. Breeders usually keep track of past purchasers so that
they can see how their puppies turn out. The breeder probably
decides to repeat that breeding based on how the pups in the first
litter turned out. Some extremely conscientious breeders may want
an annual photo of the puppies they sold!
7. Nothing is certain, but if
you follow these steps, you increase your chances of getting a good
healthy puppy - and saving yourself some money.
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