I was looking at a paid for internet site
advertising listings of Papillon breeders with dogs for sale. There were a
couple of people on the list that I knew were
producing good quality healthy show quality champions as well a nice
companion pet Paps. There were several people listed I had never heard
of. Soooo, for curiosity sake, one by one, I selected the links to the
breeder sites I did not know.
As I went to each one of these sites many of
them made claims of all the key words that people are told to look for when
searching for a breeder to purchase a new puppy or their next dog.
The words"quality,
reputable, healthy, ethical, champion bloodlines in pedigree" are some of the words that come to mind.
Believe you me...there were a few of those breeders who were blowing smoke!
As a longtime Pap breeder, I have studied a tremendous amount of
Papillon pedigrees, I have learned to recognize the good producers and
the dogs in a pedigree that are less than desirable lineage. Of course
there is no way for anyone to be an instant expert about any breed of
dog. This search got me to thinking that it must be incredibly hard for someone
looking for a happy healthy Pap kid to figure out which
breeder is good or bad & who to
contact for inquires about purchasing a puppy or maybe an older furkid.
Here are some tips for
your search of a excellent breeder for your next addition to the family:
A) The Statement, Champion (s) in pedigree,
many times means they have a champion somewhere in the pedigree. Most
of the reputable breeders will have a online pedigree of their dogs or
will readily provide one. When you see that pedigree look for the
following information in part or total and probably more than 1. Champion (CH), Sire of Merit (SOM),
Dam of Merit (DOM) or Distinction SOD within the first 4 generations
several times, not just one CH dog!
B)
Instead of asking if the dog is
in good health, ask for known genetic disclosures. You should receive an
answer saying, for example: "Sire A has been checked clear of PRA,
however the great grandfather was a carrier.", or "We know of no known
genetic health problems in 4 generation of the pedigree." If they say
they don't know, don't believe is testing, it is a waste of money or they do not know what you are referring to, that
is a sign of a breeder that may be lacking in knowledge.
C) If a breeder quotes a
purchase price similar to the following; The puppy is $1,000.00 as a
pet on a limited registration, but if you want to breed the dog it is more money for full registration. Be
leery. American Kennel Club frowns upon people charging more money for
papers that include breeding rights. It is against AKC rules to charge
extra for individual registration papers. YES, it is true, some good
reputable top quality breeders many times will sell their show quality
puppies as neutered pets. Odds are those same breeders won't offer you
two prices for the same dog.
D)
Requesting a deposit on a puppy before it is born. What's up with
that? <g> Do you think these people were fortune tellers in their former life?
<g> Placing a deposit on a several week old Papillon that may be
available after the puppy completes it's vaccinations, or are neutered
is a normal practice. Do not be surprised if a minimal non refundable deposit is
requested as
earnest money to hold your new puppy until you can arrange a visit to
take it home.
E) Ask if they belong to any Regional
Papillon Clubs or their country's Papillon Club ie: Papillon Club of
America (PCA). If they are club members, go check out the breeders
referral list of the club and see if they are listed. If they are not
listed, write a breeder that is listed on the breeder referral that just
happens to live in their area. Ask them if they
have ever heard of the breeder. OR write the Clubs Recording Secretary
and request a referral to a breeder that is local or within driving
distance.
F) Do a search engine query on their names
and the word, Papillon. If the search comes up with dog show results,
that is a good sign. If you find the breeders kennel name or their own
name shows up in paid for site ads after paid for site ads, selling
puppies, then do this next. Search their name and the word "dog". If their name
comes up in the search with several breeds, I would suggest
to investigate why
they are selling several breeds of dogs. Not that someone can not breed
an excellent quality dog of more than one breed, but usually hobby
breeders only breed one AKC breed well... maybe two.
G) Visit a news page on their site. If
they have pictures & brags of show wins, and it compliments someone
putting an obedience or agility title on a dog they have bred, that is
better than, seeing picture after picture of puppies stuffed in cups, or
sat in ridiculous settings that makes you want to hummm "How much is
that doggie in the window". ARF ARF
H) Do not be afraid to fill out an online
inquiry. But keep in mind, reputable breeders want information! So
take some time and thought into filling
out
a Pap inquiry. If you fill in the minimum amount of information, the
chances are no matter how good of home you are, your going to get
overlooked.
I) If the breeder wants to set an appointment
for a home visit. Welcome them to drop by. In most cases
they want to check out where their little babies that have loved
and nutured since birth are going to live the
rest of their lives and that your home is a safe healthy environment.
Sometimes we will drive up to 4 hours one way for a home visit. In
our case, after we
get to know you, then we will welcome you to come for a visit
and possibly pick up your new happy pappy.
J) Ask if your puppy will be sold with a
veterinary signed health certificate. If they have nothing to
hide, they will say yes. Please keep in mind, Breeders can't just
drop in anytime on their vets and allow sufficient time for them to make
a Vet Appointment for the health check.
K) Make sure that you have a sales contract
that states health conditions, a return policy, Individual Registration
number of puppy, DOB, Breeders Name, Name of sire & dam, plus their AKC
registration numbers.
L) If you run across a breeder or a site
that rants about other kennels, talks about why other breeders don't like
them, Or writes statement on "why NOT to join a club", such as the Papillon Club of America.
You may want to put some thought into why they don't get along with
their piers and why they would dislike an association of breed fanciers.
M. Looking for a breeder to sell you a
nice finish able quality show prospect could be even more difficult to
find. If this would be your very first showpap it may feel nearly
impossible. My suggestion would be find a breeder that has bred
Papillons for a number of years. Ask if they are willing to part with a
showpup. Make sure they are willing to provide you mentoring in
grooming, training, showing, finding a mate, pregnancy and whelping
after the sale is complete. If you are offered a show pap ask the breeder to share
with you the good and bad points of the dog you may be offered. Do
not be surprised if they discuss with you about breeding restrictions or
breeding rights, that is becoming more and more popular these days. As
this fancy little toy dog continues to gain more attention in not only
the show ring, but in performance, obedience, and pets for the family
responsible breeder feel more compelled to hold onto their show stock.
The traditional breeder in America may almost seem paranoid in their selling
to another new show home. I can't say I blame them... Your job is
to make them feel comfortable enough to feel your home will care for
their breeding with a lifetime of good care and love.
Well that's my thoughts as a Butterfly
breeder on helping you find a quality Pap person with healthy Papillons
that are available for placement.
Please note: Forevr
Paps and Showpaps.com website is not a breeder referral service.
When offering this
breeder tips page, it was not our intention to provide contacts between
the buyers and breeders. Even though we hope that every person looking
for a Papillon finds a perfect breeder match for them, we would *prefer*
not to offer opinions of breeders and make suggestions on who to contact
for a Papillon. Please do not phone or email information to us inquiring
about other breeders. We do not give out phone numbers!
Further Forevr Paps and
Showpaps.com recommends the following sites as a start to finding a
breeder of quality Papillons.
Wanting to find more breeders? Try the Pap Breeders
Guild Webring.
Just click the picture on the left.
Or if you live in the USA try the Papillon Club of
America's Breeder Referral at
http://papillonclub.org
Email Advice:
If your looking for advice on a Pap
you own ... please remember it is free advice from our donated time.
We spend numerous hours answering email and will answer when we have the
time to do so. Advice will be truthful honest information and because it
is free... it will not be sugar coated for you to hear exactly what your
wanting to hear. AND we are not in training to be the Dear Abby of
Papillons!
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