| Commonly Asked Questions |
| These are only SOME of the questions asked by prospective buyers as well as answers pertaining to my own dogs. I welcome additional questions when contacted. Also, these questions can also be used as a guidline for prospective puppy buyers when talking to other breeders as well.. |
| 1) How often do you breed? On average once a year, there have been years I have not bred, as well as one year I had two litters. 2) How often will you breed a particular bitch?No more than 3 times in a lifetime, since I want my girls to have a life outside of the whelping box. My girls are part of my family,and I enjoy their company. When having puppies they are not able to do the daily fun activities since they are caring for their pups. I refuse to breed them every season or even every year just to "produce more pups". 3) At what age will you breed a bitch? and why? After age 2 for several reasons. First before age 2 most dogs are mentally immature. To me the dog needs to be atleast 2 years old, so I as a breeder can determine if they are structurally and mentally sound. Puppies often go through growth stages, and a breeder often does not know what their dog will truly be until they are physically and mentally mature. Also, I would like to have any girl I breed titled or atleast pointed prior to breeding to show her breeding quality. Breeding is about the betterment of the breed, and showing/titling confirms the quality of my girls. Often breeders breed dogs without understanding the structure of their dog, and showing alows my own dogs to compete against area dogs thus confirming or denying their quality. Lastly, before age 2 a dog can not be OFA Certified. Hip Dysplasia is a known disease in this breed. A dog may run, jump play but if xrayed and sent out to the Orthopedice Foundation for Animals a breeder may learn that their hip conformation is less than desirable. Since evidence of hip dysplasia may never affect a dog and vets are not trained to read xrays, a breeder needs an orthopedist to evaluate their dogs hips prior to breeding. Before age 2 a dog is still growing, therefore any xrays taken only give a breeder a "possible" reading of ther hips. After age 2, when a dog is done growing the xrays are able to be read and a final certification can them be done. 4) Are your dog's OFA Certified? Will you breed to a dog who is not OFA Certified? Yes, all my girls are OFA Certified prior to breeding. I wil noy breed to a male unless he is OFA Certified. Studies have shown there is an increase % of hip dysplasia when an OFA certified dog is bred to a dog/bitch who is dysplastic. Hip Dysplasia is a complex disease, even when a breeder breeds OFA Certified dog to OFA Certified bitch hip dysplasia can still occur, however, the numbers are much lower than breeding one or two parents who have not passed OFA certification. A breeder is increasing her chance of having pups with hip dysplasia if they breed to a dog who may or may not be clear of hip dysplasia since studies have proven increased % of hip dysplasia from affected parents. You can read more at www.offa.org 5) Where and how are your pups raised? My pups are raised in a 10 x 12 room off of my family room. They receive daily interaction with my children and other dogs. My daughter is in the room holding/playing with pups from day 1. The neighborhood kids all love my dogs and often come to play outside with the pups when they are old enough to explore our yard. Mom stays with the pups until they leave whether they are in our home or outide having fun. I do not believe in taking mom away once the pups are weaned. To me mom is needed to guide/discipline her pups as they grow so they can learn proper manners from her which is a big part of social and mental development of the pups. 6) Why do you require a questionare prior to having persons out? By asking questions I am able to screen potential buyers. I learn about thier needs/wants in a Shepherd as well as the type ofhome the pup may be going into. My dogs are a big part of my family, and I want to ensure the pups who leave here are in the best possible homes, and screening buyers and checking references allow me to do this. 7) Why do you sell your dog's on Limited Registration with a spay/neuter contract? What if I want to breed later? To me breeding is about betterment of the breed. Before I bred my first litter I was mentored by some wonderful people who have been in this breed 30-40+ years. I learned about structure, genetics, pedigree, negative and positive aspects of the breed before I even considered breeding my firtst dog. I also became highly involved in showing, and personally believe titling my dogs confirms all the hard work I put into researching and achieving my goal of producing the best possible Shepherd I can. By allowing puppy buyers to take a pup which I bred and later breed without they themselves having the knowledge to breed for the betterment of the breed. my line can slowly lose the traits which to me make the ideal Shepherd. People often see "Champion lined" parents advertised as having pups. This does not mean they are producing a quality pup. They could unknowlingly be breeding into faults and genetic problems since they never did the research or the work to find out what makes a good dog. There are too many poorly bred Shepherds out there from people who breed solely to produce "more pups". By selling my dogs on spay/neuter contracts on "Limited" (non-breeding registration), I guarantee my pups a life as a beloved companion instaed of living a life of a kennel dog solely to produce pups for a breeder who may not even care about the betterment of the breed which love so much. 8) Can I meet mom and dad? Mom, yes. Mom is the largest influence in your pups life. She influences temperment, personality traits, as well as structure. If you do not like mom, than why should you get a pup from her since her kids will most likely have the same traits as she does. Dad is often not available since by keeping a male I would be limiting my own breeding program and not necessarily be breeding for the betterment of my own dogs..By breeding to an outside male, I have the choice of choosing the best possibe father for the pups. I look at pedigrees, structure, past litters, and determine a male that will be best suited for mom and her future pups. By doing this you can be assured that I am breeding to better my own dogs as well as produce the best possible family companion for you. |
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