# ?'s 2 ask a breeder



## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

I replied to this over a year ago - if a future V owner comes here for advice - let's make it easy - put it on the search bar in big red letters - ?'s 2b asked & what r your responsibilities - of almost 5k members - can we not come up with a 1 stop shopping list ? not that easy - we can educate and point them in the right direction - let us make it easy - new or old - breeder or trainer - or just a lover of V's - 1 page or 4 - the new forum members looking 4 a V - they should have a starting POINT - simple things like pedigree or OFA ( is that Shreck in a cartoon ) 4 me lets consolidate the most important issues when looking 4 a breeder and have them go from there !!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

I'll start...

1 Visit the breeder. Non negotiable... This is a must!
Do not ask stupid hunting related questions if you have no clue and the breeder is not a hunter or dog trainer. 

2 Do not be critical of the breeder's living conditions look at the dog's living conditions, instead. 

3 Dogs kept indoors with breeder's family may be a just a little bit more human oriented than dogs kept in outdoor kennel or barn. 

4 General health and temperament of the adult dogs around, clean coat and shiny, nails trimmed? Eyes clean? 

5 Papers - I'm not an expert here :-[


http://www.volhard.com/pages/canine-personality-profile.php


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

as soon as we get some more input REM, I'll sticky the thread to make it easier to find


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## Happyhappyhappy (Jan 8, 2013)

1. References from others who own offspring from this breeder (including references based upon skill development or lifestyle - birding, competition, family dog with small children, etc.)

2. How does the breeder prepare the puppy for home life: vacuum noise, hands in the food, collar, exposure to children. 

3. Adoption timeline (when could you visit the new puppy, when ref. or non-ref. deposit is due, at what age will you complete the adoption)?

4. Why is the breeder breeding? Suggesting that a hobby-response or 'want to carry on my dog's line' might be different if the breeder adds that the 'dame/sire has been evaluated for qualities that will contribute to the integrity of the breed and good temperament.

5. Specifically, why was sire selected? For what qualities were the two matched?

6. How are puppies matched with future owners (you)?

7. Past breeding schedule of dam and results?

8. If you have questions, how does breeder want them handled before and after you have your puppy? (Send an email vs. call between 8am and 8pm, for example).

Simple - but these Q helped me!


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

HHH - what a great way to start !! hope the rest of the forum jumps in & I hope Har or someone - will put the list in a form that will put a new owner on point to find a great breeder - so many great posts on this forum - I just want 2 make it easy for a person looking for a V 2b educated without surfing the entire site


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## Eddiemoto (May 4, 2013)

watching this thread closely.


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## Nelly (Feb 7, 2013)

Great reply HHH, I would ask all of that as well as wanting to see: 

The sire and dam's 'family tree' so that I could look closely at the breeding lines i.e pick out any very close breedings etc.

I would ask about the sire and dam's progeny (pup) records as well so that I knew for sure how many litters Mum had had and when she had them.

I would be sure to ask the breeder what the protocol is should there be any issues (god forbid) during the pups life and how it would be handled in the case of a serious problem.

If buying a bitch I would ask when the dam first went into heat and how she was (kind of helps to get an estimate of when your bitch will go into heat, but not a guarantee!)

I would ask full details of any KC/AKC endorsements, i.e endorsed by the kennel club via the breeder so you cannot breed from them (to avoid any puppy mill type thing) sometimes endorsements can be lifted to the right people if they really want to carry on the line.

These would just be an addition to what HHH and Data replied, can't remember if this has been said but I would ask to see the sire and dam or at least dam (often sire has gone back home) and any other dogs they have from the line. I was fortunate enough to meet Nelly's Grandfather and Auntie as well, it was her Auntie that sold me - immediately slipped into my lap and lay there for about an hour and a half like a baby.

We went to visit our breeder and the pups every week from 2 weeks old, we were fortunate that they were close by. As Data said though at least one visit is a must.

Hope this is helpful! 

Chloe

Forgot to add I would also ask about Health checks and/or temperament checks as well as hip scores. As far as I know the temperament test is not mandatory for breeders but I think health checks on sire, dam and pups is, could be wrong. You could also ask if your pup is in any line that suffered from polymyositis.

Sorry that all sounds a bit grim but important nonetheless.


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## WillowyndRanch (Apr 3, 2012)

Free Professional advice removed by Author.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Data- Nell - Ken - HHH - this is a great way for Har to start with !!!!!!! sorry Har !!!!!!!! LOL


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

R said:


> Data- Nell - Ken - HHH - this is a great way for Har to start with !!!!!!! sorry Har !!!!!!!! LOL


2X


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## Eddiemoto (May 4, 2013)

So, once you know the parents, how do you check it's lineage and determine good vs bad?


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## Nelly (Feb 7, 2013)

Eddie, the way we checked the lineage was through the 'family tree' that the breeder had available to give us and on a website. We were then free to check for ourselves while she also offered any lineage information we wanted. 

The family tree we had went back about 6 generations (I think). 

Another member may know of an easier way to do this. You can also check online if your pup has come from any lines with polymyositis, I think that link is stickied somewhere in the forum?

We also did research on other litters dad had sired and what the pups were like. 

Hope that helps.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Eddiemoto
Here is two websites to start with. Do you have the dam and shires reg#

http://www.caninehealthinfo.org/brdreqs.html?breed=VZ

http://www.offa.org/


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://www.vcaweb.org/download/building_a_responsible_breeding_program.pdf


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Eddiemoto said:


> So, once you know the parents, how do you check it's lineage and determine good vs bad?


Searching through bloodlines for the right pup is exhausting.
Yes you should do it, but also have help from a local vizsla group.
Members have personal experience with bloodlines, and can tell you things that you won't find by looking at the pedigree.

You posted that you were looking to hunt over the pup and train yourself.
You need to look at how you like to hunt and the areas you will be hunting.
Dogs have different ranges due to breeding.
Bootlickers
Medium range 
Big runners


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## Rapunzel (May 10, 2013)

Thanks so much for the websites and all of this information! Very valuable to me as I am getting a new puppy. I like that I can check the lineage myself.


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## Eddiemoto (May 4, 2013)

Yes I do have the Registration numbers for both. I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at but I will continue to learn. Thanks for the information folks.

TexasRed, I WOULD LOVE to hunt with her but that really won't happen. It is wishful thinking right now. This dog is really a family companion. I've enjoyed training my previous dogs, so we will get her up to speed with obedience training and make her a good trail pup.

On a separate note, another forum member has a cousin to the litter I'm going with so I'm feeling better & better based on their recommendation of the breeder.


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