Opinion on this breeder?

If you are wondering what is the right dog for you, this is the place to be. In this introductory forum we talk about topics such as breed vs. mix, size, age, grooming, breeders, shelters, rescues as well as requirements for exercise, space and care. No question is too silly here. This particular forum is for getting and giving helpful, nice advice. It is definitely not a forum for criticizing someone else's opinion, knowledge or advice. This forum is all about tail wagging and learning.

(Page 1 of 2: Viewing entries 1 to 10)
Page Links: 1 2

Banjo

Little rascal

Barked: Thu Sep 6, '12 11:12pm PST


	I dont plan on getting another dog for a while but I recently discovered a golden breeder in my area. The only breeder near me. Where I live Goldens are very rare and you usually have to get them shipped from another state. This breeder is fairly new. They've only had one litter and been running for about a year. They dont have a website yet so I sent them an email and here was what I got back. Hi, Sorry it has taken me a little while to reply. We don't have a website yet but in the near future I will create one.... We have started to show our dogs, however things have been a little busy in the last month. We will resume again very soon. We also take them to obedience classes however we do not enter obedience trials. Its more for general behaviour training for our dogs and socialisation. Health tests, we undergo are hip, elbows, heart and eyes. The dogs general health like vaccination heart worming etc of our breeding dogs is all upto date as well. The breeds average for the hip scores is 12 and our bitch is 4. Our male is yet to be done however when he is a year old this will be done. The lower the score the better. We are intending on breeding again in November. So pups will be ready about Feb 2013. Providing everything goes well we will breed six months after this litter. After this we will not breed for some time. We currently have 2 dogs (Male and female) and we will be keeping a pup from our next litter as well as adding another pup later down the track to create our next generation of show dogs. The pups will be born in ......, and we will be breeding from a male in Brisbane. We are a registered Breeder with the Canine Councial Control of Queensland and the pups will be registered. We haven't been breeding for a long time however have had goldens for quite some time. It has only been in the last year that we have started to breed and show our dogs. We aim to produce high quality dogs that are a golden colour, have a well balanced head (we like the finer head rather then the wider/ stronger ones) and have an exceptional nature. A golden makes a great family pet. They are loyal and a very easy going breed. Do a little background research on the breed just so you know exactly what you are looking for. You are quite welcome to send me an email if you have any other question. I'm more then happy to answer them. I've taken out suburb names just for privacy reasons. So what do you think of that reply? Any additional questions I should be asking? I know their is a byb of goldens in my area but I dont plan on getting a puppy from them. I really want a good quality breeder.

[notify]

Nare

Woo-woo- whineybutt

Barked: Thu Sep 6, '12 11:46pm PST


	What jumps out at me right off the bat is that their male will be tested at one year.. IIRC OFA won't grade hips until they're 2 years old (there are prelims but they dont really 'count'?). Their desire to breed back to back would put me on the fence. Why breed back to back then take a break? They should do one litter, watch them grow and then assess the situation from there. The 'six months' isn't really six months when the dam has the pups still for 2 months. It is easy for anyone to say their dogs have obedience training, if you go with them request to see the papers of classes they took. Or, if you can, see their training in person. I would ask for the pedigrees of their dogs, why they started breeding, their goals for their litters and dogs (Why are these dogs being bred? Family pets? Service Dog potential? Performance? Show?). What sets their dogs apart from the rest, their diet, how they're exercised and home environment (do they have kids? cats?). How do they match the puppies with their new homes? Is a breeder or trainer working with them to evaluate pups? What does the contract entail? Their views on spay/neuter? Honestly theres lots of questions that could be answered. They sound like they have the potential to be a decent breeder but many people are all talk, too.

[notify]

Star BN RN- RA

IM too CUTE

Barked: Fri Sep 7, '12 7:10am PST


	I agree with Nare, the testing at 1 year does not really count and breeding back to back is a little scary as if they are planning on showing most breeders I know would wait to see how the puppies from the first litter develop before breeding again. As for the obedience training, I would ask to meet them at a show (or training class) and again at their home, this way you could see how the dogs are at home and out in public. All the questions mentioned by Nare are wonderful questions to ask to really see why they are breeding and how they treat their dogs. I would definitely request the dogs (both of theirs and the male in Brisbane) pedigrees and look up the dogs on the pedigree, you can get a good sense of conformation and if the owners did anything else with the dogs. Also you could try and find out what the dogs on the pedigree died from as cancer is very common in goldens. I do like that they want you to do research on the breed and to ask any questions, that's a good sign. I agree with Nare, they have the potential to be a good breeder but I would ask more questions.

[notify]

Tyler

Whippy- The- Whipador

Barked: Fri Sep 7, '12 10:30am PST


	Nare has pointed out some good questions to ask, but i'd also be questioning why they feel their bitch is exceptional enough to breed from in such a short time? Has she got any titles? I would want them to email me proof of health tests done. How have the dogs been placing at shows? What are their long term goals? How old is their bitch? You could also ask whether they're attending any local shows and whether you can meet them there first to view the dogs on the move, get a feel for the breeders in person, and whether they're people you feel meet your requirements in what you're looking for.

[notify]

Chandler

Code name:- Farmcollie

Barked: Fri Sep 7, '12 4:46pm PST


	What system does Australia use for hip x-rays? I know OFA in the USA is not considered "official" until after the dog is 2 years old. (PennHIP is predictive at an earlier date.) Edited by author Fri Sep 7, '12 4:49pm PST

[notify]

Toto, CD,- RN, CGC

We don't do- doodles!!!

Barked: Fri Sep 7, '12 5:45pm PST


	I wondered about the hip testing system as well since I am totally unfamiliar with ANY that lower is better. Perhaps it is measuring joint laxity? Even with Penn Hip, higher is better, BUT, 12 months is accepted with Penn Hip.

[notify]

Jackson Tan

Lad about town

Barked: Fri Sep 7, '12 7:10pm PST


	Have you emailed your local club and asked about this breeder? They sound okayish, but I think you could do better. Much better. Queensland Golden Club I have heard good things about Riangold, but can't get their site to work so I can't access their stats... they have churned out a number of champions. Have a sift through this list before you commit to the breeder you are speaking to. There are 242 breeders here and quite a few in QLD! Australian breeder list

[notify]

Maggie

Wishing For Snow

Barked: Fri Sep 7, '12 8:31pm PST


	Toto, Bosley has a littermate that went to Australia and I keep in touch with her owner and what she is doing in her breeding program. The hip evals there are very different than the OFA scores. The X-rays are evaluated on 4 or 5 different categories, each one given a score of 0 (being the best score) to 6 (the worst score). The numbers are then added together for a total hip score. This is done for each side. So the lower score, the better. I also thought lower scores in PennHip were better. A score of .25 for a Berner is very good but a score of .70 would not be so good.

[notify]

Star BN RN- RA

IM too CUTE

Barked: Sat Sep 8, '12 3:58am PST


	I did not realize you were in Australia! I take back what I say about the 1 yr test, I am used to OFA. I dont know what age is acceptable for the Australian testing organization.

[notify]

Toto, CD,- RN, CGC

We don't do- doodles!!!

Barked: Sat Sep 8, '12 5:48am PST


	I'm not terribly up with Penn Hip BUT, my new puppy's parents had both done. The dam is OFA Excellent and +90% on Penn hip, with a distraction index of .26 on both hips. The male is OFA good with +80%, his distraction index is .29. It gives the median rating for labs at 50%, so I assumed they would use the percentile rating for the actual score. Frankly, I hadn't paid much attention because everyone always talks about the percentage profile, not the distraction index. Soo, I guess we are both correct! At any rate, in this case, their Penn Hip scores definitely agreed with OFA!!!

[notify]

(Page 1 of 2: Viewing entries 1 to 10)
Page Links: 1 2

Dogster

Opinion on this breeder?

Love Dogs?

Want a Dog?

Have A Dog?

Be in the Know!

Dogster

Forums Home » Choosing the Right Dog

Opinion on this breeder?

Love Dogs?

Want a Dog?

Have A Dog?

Be in the Know!

Prefer Cats?