Good breeder? Answers from breeder listed!

[OurFirstPup]

Hello everyone,
I am getting ready to pick up my puppy first week of June, I found this breeder on breeders.net. We are looking for a healthy family pet, not a show quality. Breeder only charges $400 for puppies, which instantly made me hesitant. I sent her a letter to ask for details. So far, I've been very satisfied with her answers, do you see any red flags? They do have both mom and dad which they raised, and puppies look great in pictures (see avatar). I hope I'm doing the right thing. Thanks! Listed below are my questions and breeder's answers.

May I ask why you do not have a website?
- I use the breeders.net website, it has been the best form of advertisement, plus this is not a business, it is a hobby for me, so keeping costs low is important as well.

Are the parents certified/registered?
- Parents are both AKC registered.

What is their family history like? How old are the parents?
-"Mom" is 6 and "Dad" is 5.

How old were their parents, and did they die of natural causes or were euthanized due to health issues?
-"Dad"’s mom is still healthy as can be, around age 7 now (maybe a little older), his father I am not sure I used an outside breeder for that litter, but "Dad" is a puppy I bred and kept. His mother which was mine as well was placed in a new home about 3 years ago after I quit breeding her. "Mom"’s mother is still alive, will be 8 this month and still very healthy. Her father was put to sleep at age 11 due to old age catching up and not being able to get around as well.

How many litters has "Mom" had?
-This is her second.

How often is she bred?
-I only breed eligible females 1 time a year and only 3-4 times in the life time.

Any concerns about thyroid/heart/hip problems with parents or puppies in the past?
-Nothing that I have been made aware of.

Do you provide a certificate from a vet stating good health?
-The vet gives me a booklet and you are welcome to contact them for information, but they write anything out formally.

What shots/exams/services has the puppy received so far?
-They were dewormed last weekend, but don’t get their first shot until 6 weeks old, then will need a 9 & 12 week shot as well as their rabies at 12 weeks. You can also start your puppy on heart worm prevention at 12 weeks. All of my dogs start at around 12 weeks of age. You also cannot start any flea/tick preventative until 12 weeks, ticks are thick this year too!

What is your health guarantee?
-Mine is that you need to take your puppy to the vet with 72 hours of pick to verify that your puppy is healthy and that your vet agrees with my vet’s initial visit. After that I do not have a guarantee, I cannot foresee what may happen to the puppy in the future. As you know with boxers there is heart & hip issues as well as they are prone to cancer. I have never had a dog come back due to heart or hip issues and I have been breeding for 15 years. Cancer has come up before, but generally not until old age sets in. I cannot guarantee that just because the parents of the puppy are healthy that your puppy will live a long and healthy life. That’s just something I have adopted over the years in dealing with other boxer breeders.

How are puppies socialized?
-We have other dogs, a cat and a 21 month old son.

Are the puppies kept in the house or kennel?
-In our garage, which is right off the kitchen so we can play with them as much as we can.

Have they been put on a leash?
-No, I don’t start puppies until around 12 weeks old for a leash and they don’t wear collars due to catching on things and the possibility of hurting themselves while playing.

Do you keep in touch with people who purchased your puppies? Any references?
-I do have a handful of people, like I said it’s been 15 years now, I do have several people repeat buyers. I would prefer to ask them if it is ok first, you can always use my vet though, we have used him for over 20 years. It is *** in ***, *** (phone number)

In your receipt, it mentions "limited registration" - what does this mean?
-You will have AKC papers, but no breeding rights, if you plan to spay you won’t have an issue!

How are you able to keep your price comparably lower than competition?
-I don’t do this as a business; I do it as a hobby. So my price is based on what a family can afford. I have paid thousands of dollars for a dog, just to get what I want so the dog produces a better specimen, but I sell to families, occasionally a breeder and once or twice someone who wants to show. I started breeding dogs from getting involved in Guide Dogs for the Blind through 4-H and it just turned into a love I cannot give up. Now I have son to share this with and the learning experience he is getting and the responsibility it will teach him are very important to me. We also breed pugs and we have literally had a litter of puppies in our house since the day he was born. It is something I love to do and strive to breed for better bloodlines/disposition and temperament. I am proud that I have healthy dogs.

I really hope my questions won't offend you.
-No offense, it just proves you want to know where your dog comes from! It says a lot about a person who asks these types of questions, after 15 years you get a gut feeling about a person, believe me I have lied about price and availability just because I got a bad vibe!!
***********
What do you think? She has kept in touch with all information regarding reciept of deposit, taking puppy to the vet (I'm exepcting a call this weekend with the results from vet's visit), etc.
Thanks for reading, everyone!

 

[LILYLARUE]

WOW You are very thorough! I printed this post in case I ever decide to buy from a breeder again. It's a great start to weeding out the true breeders from the BYB's. Thanks for posting!

 

[OurFirstPup]

I am indeed

I'm known for doing my research, to put it mildly!
I had my heart in my throat when I sent my email to her - who knows how a breeder may respond to such forward questions? In my mind, if I never heard from her or if she responded vaguely or rudely, that would be an indication of a breeder I did not want to deal with. I also make sure to write down listing numbers, in case I'll have to contact the advertising site later with information
This feels right, I hope everything works out. If our little puppy is supposed to be ours, she will be, if not, we'll just have to wait.

 

[Skywalker]

"Any concerns about thyroid/heart/hip problems with parents or puppies in the past?
-Nothing that I have been made aware of. "

I am sure you will get replies from others who know alot more about breeders than I do. Well done for being thorough we were the same and asked our breeder tons of questions and she asked us alot back as she also wanted the best home for her pups. In reference to the above question did you actually ask if she has done the health testing on the parents? Any concerns is not the same as actually having them tested so was just wondering especially as they are not giving you any sort of guarantee.

Good luck

 

[j'adoreboxer]

Hello everyone,

Any concerns about thyroid/heart/hip problems with parents or puppies in the past?
-Nothing that I have been made aware of.

What is your health guarantee?
-Mine is that you need to take your puppy to the vet with 72 hours of pick to verify that your puppy is healthy and that your vet agrees with my vet’s initial visit. After that I do not have a guarantee, I cannot foresee what may happen to the puppy in the future. As you know with boxers there is heart & hip issues as well as they are prone to cancer. I have never had a dog come back due to heart or hip issues and I have been breeding for 15 years. Cancer has come up before, but generally not until old age sets in. I cannot guarantee that just because the parents of the puppy are healthy that your puppy will live a long and healthy life. That’s just something I have adopted over the years in dealing with other boxer breeders.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Those are the only two questions that would make me think twice. Personally, I would want solid evidence with results of the proper health testing. Also, most breeder have a health guarantee stating that the puppy is covered for 1 year from genetic conditions. If a puppy is found to have a genetic disorder then they will either refund the $$, replace the puppy, or they will take the puppy back.

That's just my 2 cents though. I hope all goes well for you

 

[OurFirstPup]

Thank you for your message (and for reading my whole post!). I am going to call the vet after their appointment and get all the details myself. Since they've used the same vet for years, if he is reputable, he will tell me if something is amiss. If not, his reputation is on the line once I get the puppy checked by my vet :D. From what I've found so far, you can get the most expensive dog with the highest pedigree and good health checks, but that dog may develop an illness (as with our friends), so any puppy you buy is really on faith.
The breeder wrote several days after I contacted her that an owner of one of her pups called her to let her know their dog died at 12 years of age (from natural causes) and that she's been a joy to their family, and wanted to thank her. I think it takes a lot to do that during a time of greif, they must have really been happy.

 

[OurFirstPup]

Also, most breeder have a health guarantee stating that the puppy is covered for 1 year from genetic conditions. If a puppy is found to have a genetic disorder then they will either refund the $$, replace the puppy, or they will take the puppy back.

That's my concern as well, I wanted to know about grandparents as well as parents. If there is a genetic disorder, I do not forsee an issue with this breeder; this is something I will talk to her again in person. I will also try to stop by her vet on the way back from her house. However, as I responded above to Skywalker, if puppy had a disorder, getting my money refunded or getting a replacement puppy from the same breeder would not make me feel better. What good is a guarantee like that? Unless it is genetic, life just happens to dogs, and humans.

 

[ikonxone]

the breeder i purchased from had the date the parents were last tested and what the test was. after researching boxers on this message board i thought that was very important. money was not a limiting factor since we just wanted a healthy puppy. my wife and i were willing to spend what we thought was reasonable from a tested line of boxers.

 

[gmacleod]

It is a good list, but I don't think you're thorough enough with this question:

Any concerns about thyroid/heart/hip problems with parents or puppies in the past?
-Nothing that I have been made aware of.

And the answer should have you looking for another breeder (or at the very least, reverting to ask about actual health screening). Not "hearing about" any problems doesn't cut it as far as responsible breeding is concerned. You should be asking for - and being given - copies of the holter monitor test, the offa hip screening, the thyroid panel, etc, for both parents of the litter.

 

[Cami]

I don't want to sound like the bad guy here but......

This screams BYB to me. I don't think this breeder is a bad person (most BYB's are not terrible people, just ill advised ones). IMO.

1). If she had done any health testing on the parents she would have offered that info to you when you asked about previous health issues of the parents.

2). A responsible/reputable breeder will ALWAYS take back a puppy for any reason, health or otherwise. Far more than her 72 hour "guarantee".

3). The breeder you want does not need to advertise. They have waiting lists for their puppies. A good portion of them (most) WILL have a website with info on their breeding program so that you don't need to ask near as many questions. They are forthright and open and offer this info without being asked.

4). I don't believe for a second that she is NOT in it for the money (in reference to her low price). She is much more capable of selling these pups @ $400/each than she would at double or triple that amount. It also shows me that she more than likely has NOT done any health testing on the parents other than her regular vet just telling her that they are "healthy". It is EXPENSIVE to have all the necessary health testing done (and continue to have it done with future litters). A responsible/reputable breeder CAN'T afford to "give their pups away" (for lack of a better term).

5). She mentioned that she also breeds Pugs. The majority of responsible/reputable breeders pick ONE breed and do everything in their power to make their lines the best they can be. Hard to do when dealing with multiple breeds. Of course not impossible but I'm just sayin!

6). While it is not out of the realm of possibility that a responsible/reputable breeder wouldn't want their children to share in this "experience" the fact that she mentioned this just makes me all the more leery.

You asked for red flags. Those are mine. Don't shoot the messenger!!