bommy
Boxer Booster
Hi guys,
someone on another forum I am also part of asked about boxer breeders & what they should be looking for...I responded with the following....
Over the years we have had several searches for boxers & spoken to many breeders both in QLD & out of state, one thing I have learnt is that if they are too eager to sell to you without giving you a good grill over the following its a good idea to run a mile!
MOST REPUTABLE & ETHICAL BREEDERS REALLY CARE ABOUT WHO IS TAKING THEIR DOGS & WHAT ENVIROMENT THEY ARE GOING TO & MANY WILL ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ON TOP OF THE GENERAL COLOUR PREFERENCE?SEX PREFERENCE.
- Do you live in a house/Unit/caravan etc
- Yard size
*Is your yard fenced? Fence Height (some will even ask to see photos)
- will your dog be inside or outside?
- how often will the dog be alone? approx hrs/day
- where will the dog sleep?
- do you have children? if yes ages (most breeders prefer toddlers/other children to meet one of their adult dogs so they can see the interraction between child & dog) a puppy looks cute & cuddly but a full grown boxer can be intimidating.
- food plans for diet (sometimes a BARF breeder prefers puppies to go to a BARF household)
-Plans for neutering/breeding?
- showing plans?
I could go on the list is endless.... I bought my first boxer from a BYB (back then I was naive & thought a prefix & papers meant a1 top quality dog/reputable breeders) I loved Chief to death for the 9 yrs & I think he was the most handsome boxer out there but reality bites & I know his genetic makeup was not that great with Cardiomyopathy playing a huge part in our lives! Molly, I went through a two year waiting period & a gruelling interview with her breeder (who is now my mentor) to get & she is perfect genetically & in conformation, Major, once again we rushed into getting due to Chief's passing & our whole families stress at losing him & even though I did see a few red flags I chose to ignore them & our new boy who we love very much has just ended up costing us twice as much than if we had flown a show quality dog up from Melbourne.
So a few things you should look at with the breeders are:
References... speak to previus purchasers ask to view their dogs if possible
Vets - ask to see their vet records for the parents (testings for heart, hips, eyes & GENERAL MEDICAL! If there is any treatment of Demecodosis (SP) Mange run & Run fast this is genetic & if the bitch had it your puppy will most likely get it too!0
I know all dogs have the demecodosis mite on them it is just their immune system that lets is through or not a poor immune system then generally the mange will come through) Also make sure that their treating vet is still registered & practicing! & not just retired & practicing from home.
Ask if they will be prepared to help you with any questions/training issues you have down the track.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY IF YOU WANT YOUR NEW BOXER FOR SHOW go via the show circuit & ask questions...probably not a good idea to ask as they are getting ready to go in as most ppl are trying to focus on getting in the ring but after they have finished, until then sit back & watch them & their dogs interracting with the enviroment.
BUT GOOD LUCK... I hope I have helped a bit...
Which I feel are pretty fair questions to expect to be asked & to ask in return! however I upset one of the Boxer Breeders on the site who informed me I was being overpedantic & if I asked to see her dogs vet history & test results she would tell me to go away... I simply replied to her well thats probably a good thing because I wouldnt buy your dogs if you didnt provide this info..
So am I being to hard? Or over pedantic in my requests.. be honest I know I can trust you guys to tell me the truth!
Cheers
someone on another forum I am also part of asked about boxer breeders & what they should be looking for...I responded with the following....
Over the years we have had several searches for boxers & spoken to many breeders both in QLD & out of state, one thing I have learnt is that if they are too eager to sell to you without giving you a good grill over the following its a good idea to run a mile!
MOST REPUTABLE & ETHICAL BREEDERS REALLY CARE ABOUT WHO IS TAKING THEIR DOGS & WHAT ENVIROMENT THEY ARE GOING TO & MANY WILL ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ON TOP OF THE GENERAL COLOUR PREFERENCE?SEX PREFERENCE.
- Do you live in a house/Unit/caravan etc
- Yard size
*Is your yard fenced? Fence Height (some will even ask to see photos)
- will your dog be inside or outside?
- how often will the dog be alone? approx hrs/day
- where will the dog sleep?
- do you have children? if yes ages (most breeders prefer toddlers/other children to meet one of their adult dogs so they can see the interraction between child & dog) a puppy looks cute & cuddly but a full grown boxer can be intimidating.
- food plans for diet (sometimes a BARF breeder prefers puppies to go to a BARF household)
-Plans for neutering/breeding?
- showing plans?
I could go on the list is endless.... I bought my first boxer from a BYB (back then I was naive & thought a prefix & papers meant a1 top quality dog/reputable breeders) I loved Chief to death for the 9 yrs & I think he was the most handsome boxer out there but reality bites & I know his genetic makeup was not that great with Cardiomyopathy playing a huge part in our lives! Molly, I went through a two year waiting period & a gruelling interview with her breeder (who is now my mentor) to get & she is perfect genetically & in conformation, Major, once again we rushed into getting due to Chief's passing & our whole families stress at losing him & even though I did see a few red flags I chose to ignore them & our new boy who we love very much has just ended up costing us twice as much than if we had flown a show quality dog up from Melbourne.
So a few things you should look at with the breeders are:
References... speak to previus purchasers ask to view their dogs if possible
Vets - ask to see their vet records for the parents (testings for heart, hips, eyes & GENERAL MEDICAL! If there is any treatment of Demecodosis (SP) Mange run & Run fast this is genetic & if the bitch had it your puppy will most likely get it too!0
I know all dogs have the demecodosis mite on them it is just their immune system that lets is through or not a poor immune system then generally the mange will come through) Also make sure that their treating vet is still registered & practicing! & not just retired & practicing from home.
Ask if they will be prepared to help you with any questions/training issues you have down the track.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY IF YOU WANT YOUR NEW BOXER FOR SHOW go via the show circuit & ask questions...probably not a good idea to ask as they are getting ready to go in as most ppl are trying to focus on getting in the ring but after they have finished, until then sit back & watch them & their dogs interracting with the enviroment.
BUT GOOD LUCK... I hope I have helped a bit...
Which I feel are pretty fair questions to expect to be asked & to ask in return! however I upset one of the Boxer Breeders on the site who informed me I was being overpedantic & if I asked to see her dogs vet history & test results she would tell me to go away... I simply replied to her well thats probably a good thing because I wouldnt buy your dogs if you didnt provide this info..
So am I being to hard? Or over pedantic in my requests.. be honest I know I can trust you guys to tell me the truth!
Cheers
