How to Find a Dog Breeder

Posted by Jeanne on February 10, 2009

If you’re in the market for a purebred dog, you’ll need to find a breeder from which to purchase the animal.  This can often be as easy as opening the classified advertising section of your local newspaper, but you’ll want to be sure that the breeder you’ve chosen is reputable.  There are several ways to help ensure that the breeder you’ve found knows his stuff and is reliable, professional, and trustworthy.

Ask for References

Any good breeder will be able to provide you references of clients he has worked with in the past.  These will be people who have purchased a puppy or utilized stud services and will be happy to share their experiences with you.  Choosing a breeder that was used by someone you know is a good choice as well.  If your friend or family member was happy with the service and treatment he or she received from the breeder, the odds are good that you will be as well.

Prepare to be Asked Questions

A good breeder will have as many questions for you as you have for him, perhaps more.  Good breeders work to ensure that the dogs they breed are placed with the correct people.  They may ask whether you have children, what size home or yard you have, and numerous other questions to help them let you know whether the dog you’re seeking is right for you and your family.  A breeder that doesn’t ask these types of questions may be looking just for the money from the sale of the dog and is probably not the sort of breeder you want to do business with.  A good breeder always has the best interest of both the dog and the clients in mind.

Guarantees

A good breeder will have had the puppies checked for potential health risks before ever selling the animal.  Some problems, however, simply are not detectable until later in life.  If you purchase a golden retriever pup, for example, and six months later discover that it has hip dysplasia (a genetic defect in the animals hip joints, it is often nearly undetectable until the animal is several months old), a good breeder will issue a refund to you, no questions asked.  Genetic defects like this are avoided by the use of selective breeding (hip dysplasia in dogs has between a 25% and 85% chance that it is genetic in origin), but sometimes a pup will display the disorder even if there is no trace of it in either parent’s history.

Other Sources

Aside from looking in the newspaper of on the internet for a dog breeder, breeders can be found through veterinarian’s offices, pet supply stores, and at dog shows.  Dog shows are a very good choice since the breeders that attend these events are often showing one of their dogs or are there to see the performance of one that they bred and sold in the past.

Choosing a Good Hunting Dog

Posted by Jeanne on December 1, 2008

Dogs have been bred for the purposes of hunting with humans for centuries.  Whether hunting for food or sport, various breeds of dog have been used to help flush the hunted animals out into the open, to retrieve downed animals (especially ducks, pheasant, and other birds), and to sniff out and track animals for the hunter.  It is with these potential duties in mind that a hunting dog should be chosen.

When choosing a dog for hunting purposes, you may want to evaluate your needs and base the choice on what you want the dog to do, how easily it can be trained, whether it is likely to be “spooked” by the report of a weapon being fired, and how good its nose is.

Hunting Breeds

There are several breeds of dog that have a natural aptitude for assisting in various aspects of hunting.  Hounds, for example, make excellent trackers, especially bloodhounds.  They have a very acute sense of smell, even for a dog, and have no problem following several scents at once.  Retrievers are quite keen at retrieving and make excellent bird-dogs.

Hunting breeds are separated into four general groups.  These are the general hunting dogs, gun dogs, retrievers, and bird dogs.  Some specific dog breeds may fit into more than one category.

Retrievers

Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers are experts at finding and fetching fallen prey.  They are especially useful on duck hunts because their oily coats help them move effortlessly through water to find and retrieve the fallen waterfowl.

Pointers and Setters

These dogs are useful in hunting because they let the hunter know when prey is nearby.  They are most often used in bird hunts and are trained to freeze and point their bodies in the direction of the hunted bird (pointers) or hunker down low to the ground when they locate a bird (setters).  Spaniels also make good pointers.

Hounds and Trackers

Bloodhounds and other dogs with heightened senses of smell are used to track all manner of animals.  Whether it is their traditional use in the British fox hunt or their usefulness in tracking down deer, bears, and other such game for hunters in the US, they serve their purpose exceptionally well.