Buy from a responsible and reputable breeder
Responsible breeders are concerned with the betterment of the breed. For
example, they work on breeding healthier dogs with the appropriate temperament
for their breed. Your AKC breeder referral contact will direct you to a breeder
who is concerned with the future of the puppy. You can link to the
breeder's code of ethics below.
Take the time to go to the National Parent Club
These organizations will have information regarding breeding practices for their
individual breed and a code of ethics for breeders. Many of these clubs also
have some type of breeder referral program to help you find a responsible and
reputable breeder. You can link to the National Parent Club below.
Screen the breeder with questions
Owning a dog is a big responsibility! Talk to breeders. Ask them lots of
questions; we all know there are no stupid questions. A responsible breeder will
eagerly answer your questions and share his or her experience and knowledge with
you.
Ask to see at least the sire or the dam
While there can be circumstances that prevent this (sometimes the breeding was
done by AI and the sire is no longer alive or the dam died after whelping), for
the most part, the breeder or litter owner should be able to let you see the dam
for the litter. Whenever possible, you want to meet the parents of the puppies
to see how the dogs in your breeder's home interact with the breeder and you.
Are they friendly and outgoing or do they shy away? This is sometimes just as
important as seeing the puppies in the litter and how they interact with each
other, the breeder and you.
Expect to be screened by the breeder
Whatever your reasons for wanting a particular AKC breed, the breeder knows what
type of home environment their breed needs. Whether it is a written
questionnaire or whether it it done verbally, the breeder wants to find out what
type of environment and home their puppy will be going to and for the sake of
their puppy, wants to make sure the home is a "forever" one. It is important to
be forthright and honest in answering their questions.
Ask for a written contract
A contract is a mutual agreement between two people written down in plain
English. If there are health guarantees, these should be spelled out in the
contract. If you are to provide spay/neuter proof, this should be spelled out
in the contract. There is no set standard for what is included in a breeder's
contract. Some are very simple and some can be quite complicated. You should
read it over carefully and ask for clarification of any part you do not
understand. You also have the right to request the wording of the contract to
be changed to fit your expectations and if your request is within reason, the
breeder should be willing to work with you to come up with an agreed upon
contract. The goal is to have a mutual agreement between you and the
breeder/seller for the puppy or older dog. A contract should be done
regardless of the age of the dog and regardless of whether there is any cost for
the dog. You can link to a sample contract below.
Demand AKC papers
If the breeder is marketing their puppies as AKC registered, do not pick up and
pay for a puppy without receiving or seeing the AKC registration for that
particular pup. Official AKC registration application papers are two sided and
carry the AKC logo on the front page. The front page litter information shows
the breed, date of birth, sire (and sire's AKC registration number), dam (and
dam's AKC registration number), breeder and owner of the litter (which does not
have to be the same). There will also be a unique number that is the
registration number for a single puppy in the litter (each puppy will have their
own unique number). There is a payment information area, a place to put the
requested registered name for the puppy, gender, information if the pup has a
microchip or tattoo, the type of registration (limited or full) and the color
and markings of the individual puppy. On the back side there is an area where
the litter owner signs the puppy over to the new owner and a place for the new
owner(s) to fill in their information and sign the form. Litter owners can get
the litter registered online or by mail. Either way, the registration
applications will come in the mail within 7 to 10 days and the litter owner
should be registering the litter well before the puppies are ready to go to new
homes.
If the litter owner does not have the papers by the time the puppies are ready
to move to new homes, you should assume that they are running into a problem
getting the papers and you may be ending up with a puppy who cannot be
registered with the AKC. Some reasons for not having the AKC registration
application for a puppy are: One or both of the parents are not registered with
the AKC, the stud owner is having a disagreement with the litter owner/breeder
and will not sign the litter registration, the litter owner or the stud owner
has been placed on suspension with the AKC, etc. Not having the money to
register the litter with the AKC is not an acceptable excuse.
Some breeders have a policy where they will hold onto the registration
application of the pet puppies until they receive proof of spay/neuter. But,
when you pick up your puppy, you should be shown the AKC registration
application for the puppy and you should be filling out the new owner portion of
the application. This way as soon as you provide proof of spay/neuter, the
litter owner can either send the application into the AKC for processing or can
mail it to you so you can send it in.
German Shepherd Dog Club of America
