Pure Bred Dog Rant

[PA Reb]

The one thing I am always looking up and reading more about than revolvers is pure bred dogs, Rottweilers to be specific. One thing I learned from the start of this beloved hobby of mine is to stay away from "puppy mills" and to always purchase from a reputable breeder with a good health guarantee. In PA., there is a group of people who mainly reside in the SE part of the state that have a lot of dogs for sale in the $300 - $500 range but these people run what is truly deemed puppy mills. So, when an individual interested in the purchase of a pup visits the website of one of the many so called "top breeders", the prices jump dramatically to the $2.5K on into the $5K range whose parents have a hundred titles after their names. All people like me want to do is purchase a dog with show qualities (meaning as close to the breed standard as possible) but don't have that kind of cash to put out for a dog which may or may not turn out as desired. It seems to me that these breeders are out of control and buying a well bred dog has become a rich man's hobby. Its a crazy world we live in!

O.K., my rant is over now!

 

[Bkreutz]

The one thing I am always looking up and reading more about than revolvers is pure bred dogs, Rottweilers to be specific. One thing I learned from the start of this beloved hobby of mine is to stay away from "puppy mills" and to always purchase from a reputable breeder with a good health guarantee. In PA., there is a group of people who mainly reside in the SE part of the state that have a lot of dogs for sale in the $300 - $500 range but these people run what is truly deemed puppy mills. So, when an individual interested in the purchase of a pup visits the website of one of the many so called "top breeders", the prices jump dramatically to the $2.5K on into the $5K range whose parents have a hundred titles after their names. All people like me want to do is purchase a dog with show qualities (meaning as close to the breed standard as possible) but don't have that kind of cash to put out for a dog which may or may not turn out as desired. It seems to me that these breeders are out of control and buying a well bred dog has become a rich man's hobby. Its a crazy world we live in!

O.K., my rant is over now!

My solution is to contact the local breed club of a dog you're interested in. They normally have a rescue section. These are dogs that are either turned in to animal shelters or to the breed clubs themselves. I'm currently enjoying my 3rd rescue of an Old English Sheepdog (shaggy dog) the main reason this breed gets given up is that people buy the cuddly puppies but soon realize that these cute little puppies turn into huge dogs that has hair that never stops growing and takes too much of their time to properly care for them. The breed rescue people are more cautious on who they adopt out the dogs to, knowing the particular requirements of that breed. Rescue dogs seem to me to be more appreciative of the care (but I'm biased)

 

[Mydogmax]

I agree, the prices do seem pretty high, but I don't really know how much it costs for breeding, vet bills and feeding. Also can't really say what the blood line is worth. Are you planning to show this dog? Then you're gonna pay some big bucks. If not, then just take your chances. I've had many dogs. Some pure breeds, some not. Loved them all. Quirks or not. Another thought might be a rescue dog from a shelter. My neighbor has one and she's very very smart. Just an opinion.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Once upon a time I went over to a guy's house. The front door was partially open and I could hear a low growl behind the door. When John answered the door I could see his really strange looking dog. 'What kind of dog is that?' 'Its a registered German Shepherd.' OK

Later he told me he thought he had purchased a registered German Shepherd puppy from a breeder (puppy factory) in Illinois. Later on he got a letter from the AKC canceling his registration. This dog was big, tall, long bodied, almost hairless especially on his tail. Had a really big head. His daddy was most likely a Great Dane.

 

[SweetMK]

We got a Great Dane from a guy who "showed" them.

We paid a few hundred dollars, he delivered it over 150 miles.

The dog was trained - well!!

BUT, he was a leaner, he loved to lean against your leg, too affectionate!

That is a B A D show trait,

Check with the guys who show, they are perfectionists,,,,,,,

Heck, I prefer an affectionate dog!!

He walked like a "king" on a leash.

 

[quneur]

Another resource is to contact people who show dogs. Tell them you are in the market for a pup but doesn't necessarily need to be show quality. Some will have litters which they will keep one or two and sell the rest but do not wat the hassle of advertising.


My rant: I own a Llewellin Setter which AKC recognize as a English Setter. Llewellins were recognized as early as 1902 by Field Dog Stud Book (earliest dog registery) before AKC existed.

Take a look at the wikipedia article: English Setter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and notice the differences between bench/show setters and field setters. Show setters are nearly double the size of field setters; what nearly a hundered years of breeding for show has done for the breed. Now, we have to differentiate between show and field type. My rant over.

 

[Texas40]

All our dogs come from the shelter. Never paid more than a few dollars for any of them. All three current dogs are rescue pups.
You cant change the world but you can change one dogs world.......

 

[hangnoose]

+1 ON FIELD VS SHOW DOGS

IMO the AKC is ruining dogs. #1 they don't recognize many dogs. My French Brittany's for instance, HELLO Brittany is in France & is where the breed began! To avoid a puppy mill a lot of research, a trip to visit the breeder and maybe more $ is in order. I am all for rescues for most people. You could have an AKC champion hunting dog breed that never hunted a day in it's life. Guys like Sigbot (Bodo) Winterhelt spent their lives, & founded NAVDA (north American versatile hunting dog assoc) breeding new lines of versatile hunting dogs all to be able to live up to breed standards & field ability vs good looks dog to dog. A less popular breed may have a better chance of not being from a "mill", but you still have to do your homework & check out the breeder/facility/background. I'm a believer in no such things as bad kids or dogs, just bad parents & owners. A mutt could have everything needed to make a great companion dog or hunter, if the owner/trainer does their part.

 

[steelslaver]

Bkreutz

Is that a Wire haired Terrier? I have on that was rescued from a bad situation. Girl friend saved him and I promised her I would look after him if something happened to her. Something did.

I agree with the AKC wrecking a lot of breeds. Irish setters comes to mind. What was once a great hunting breed is now mostly a bunch of beautiful morons.

I believe that a dogs heart is a lot more important than his breed. Give the vast majority of them some time and attention and they will love you till their last breath.

 

[Donn]

I had an English Bulldog for 11 years, loved him but I'd never have another. Any pure bred for that matter. While he was alive and for some years after, I followed the circuit. Dog breeders and those who show are cut from a different bolt of cloth. They're downright odd IMHO. I'll take a mutt any day. They're loyal, not near as temperamental, and will eat pretty much whatever you put in front of them without yakking all over the house.

 

[speedyquad]

i have always had akc dogs. up until our recent cocker spaniel. every beagle, german shorthaired pointer, and the previous cocker spaniel have been from pure blood lines. that is what akc registered is. pure blood line for the breed. it's when that blood line has show quality with verifiable history that the prices go up. the gsp and cocker we had we not going to be bred so i never actually registered them myself with the akc, but i had the paperwork to if i needed/wanted to.

our current cocker is a beautifully marked male and quite a bit smarter than the akc cocker we had. he is registerable with the ckc or kcc or some other dog registry that i had never heard of and from what i read, very disreputable. the kids wanted another one after 2 years, he was very pretty, he seemed well adjusted, friendly, and smart when i went to look at him so i brought him home. i am glad i did. i paid $250 for him(which happens to be the max that i will pay for a dog). this was the same that i paid for the akc cocker 9 years ago and the akc gsp 15 years ago.

i guess what i am trying to say is unless you want to show or breed, don't get caught up too much on the akc part. spend some time with the dog of your choice, get to know his/her personality and if you click with him/her, then it's the right dog for you.

 

[NCTexan]

I would suggest going to some AKC dog shows in your area and getting to know some of the owners of the breed in which your are interested. Most are very friendly and love to talk about their dogs. You will learn a lot about the different kennels and breeders in your area.

Once you find someone with an upcoming litter, let them know that you are interested in either a "show" quality or "pet" quality pup. Often they will determine that a beautiful and healthy puppy is missing some minor conformation characteristic and let it go to a good home for a very reasonable "pet" price.

Letting them know that you'll provide a good and loving home is very important to most of the show breeders... and will help to get you a great dog at a reasonable price.

Edited to add: Most good breeders are very careful to maintain good health and temperament in their line as well as "looks" and conformation. Over breeding with no controls can lead to hidden health or behavioral problems that are amplified through the generations.

 

[Arik]

What are you going for? Just the look? Any Rott will look the part. No one will know if it's there is a % other unless it's 50/50, in which case you will know. The whole "pure bred" thing is BS.

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[red14]

We used to breed Chihuahuas, many years ago. The 'breed'
now is half the size they were we we bred them. Tiny, short
noses, round heads, skinny and usually shaking. I don't like
them, they aren't really dogs to me.

Unless you are going to breed and show a dog, I suggest you
rescue a dog. We have, and are thoroughly pleased with all
our friends we have saved. They seem to realize they have
been saved and seem to be smarter than breeds. I know my
new pup is a Terrier, and that's about it, but he loves me and
my family. The only thing is, he has a 'likker' problem.

 

[williamlayton]

If you have ever been to Germany or parts thereabout--all you will see are German Shepards with really big head.
America has bred the big heads out of them.
I like small dogs aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaLOT.
Blessings

 

[steamloco76]

Coming from mixed European stock-German-Scots Irish-Polish-Lithuanian I am far from a pure bred so why should my dogs be any different? My two rescue mutts are wonderful companions to my wife and I, even if they don't have fifty-two silly names and a bunch of AKC papers.

 

[Harrison]

Our last Doberman from a reputable breeder cost $2500.00 and that was five years ago. Last year we adopted a sweet dobie from Houston Doberman Rescue for $250.00 The rescue dog is every bit as smart, lovable, healthy and affectionate as our high priced dog. She just didn't come with a long pedigree. Our older dobie loves having a little sister to run and play with.

 

[M29since14]

All our dogs come from the shelter. Never paid more than a few dollars for any of them. All three current dogs are rescue pups.

You cant change the world but you can change one dogs world.......

Bears being repeated. I was fortunate to have three St. Bernards in my younger years. They were wonderful dogs and I would give up every S&W I own to have them back. That said, the next dog I get will be from a rescue organization.

 

[Comrad]

Even well bred pure bred dogs can come down with all sorts of genetic problems later in life. I have a AKC Yorkie, well actuallt Mrs Comrad has one and as good as he is he's developing all the well known breed problems late in life. Just like the last one we had. Did I mention, this one will be the last. Give me a good mutt anytime, just like me.

 

[BearBio]

We have had about a 1/2 dozen dogs, at least. Our first, Maggie was a pure-bred GSP from a friend of a friend (thru Quail Unlimited and the Turkey Federation). We've had 3 others, all from the pound. All pure-bred. Pointers are very active and many people can't handle it. We've also had 3 terriers from the pound ( well, one was a foundling-somebody left him in our yard). All but the Maltese worked out well. She is now happy in another home being a single dog.

A friend in SoCal has had at least a 1/2 dozen pointers from GSP rescue.

We won't buy another puppy! Give a rescue a chance!