Good Breeder Vs Bad Breeder

[Guest Terry]

Me and my Wife have thought about getting a puppy, for a number of years. Well, I'm thinking we're gonna be getting one very soon. We want something small, like a beagle, or daschund, or the likes. The other day while in a pet shop we saw this little brown Cairn puppy. My wife immediately fell in love with the guy, and I sort of like him too. VERY young, and super small. Somehow, we both conjoured up the strength to not act impulsively, and went home empty handed. I want to educate myself on Cairns, and various training techniques first. I"m rambling I know, to get to the point:

I read somewhere that going to a pet shop in unfavorable, and going directly to a breeder is preferred. But I don't understand why. Furthermore, I read that the breeder should be scrutinized, just and carefully as the puppy itself. Again I don't understand why. I hear about bad breeders all the time, and the terrible conditions and neglect bad breeders can have. I don't want to do business with them because I don't want to encourage their neglectfull practice ofcourse, but at the same time, when buying a puppy that is so young, and small, and hasn't had time to learn anybad habits or be exposed to much trauma for very long, what is there to scrutinize? What sort of things should I be looking for in good breeder, and what things should I look for and avoid If i've found myself a bad breeder?

[Rocky Top]

Terry: You will find lots of good info on this site about that subject. I just recently purchased a Carin puppy from a breeder and he is one special little friend. The breeder I got Taz from was very helpful and had morals of her own. That always helps.

The "kennels" that she had were very clean and the mother & Dad were on site. It allowed me the time to not only view the puppies but how the parents were behaving. I felt real comfotable about laying that cash on the table. I don't mind spending money, I just want my moneys worth.

As far as the "petstore" puppies, I would stay away from them. Even though the puppy is young most have parents that are nothing more than incubaters. The intelligence has been breed out of them. Most of those poor females are pregnant as often as possible.

There are exceptions to this rule but I feel others on this site with far more knowledge than I will agree that most petstores should be avoided when buying a puppy.

You have come to the right site for Carin info. I have 2 German Shepards that are simply amazing. Very intelligent, playful, and really fun to be around but the Carin we have had for less than 1 month is without a doubt the most special little buddy you can ever imagine. Others had told me how "special" they can be but untill you experience it yourself, words wont do the Carin justice.

Good luck in your quest for a puppy. I look forward to your journey.

[LyndaHammel]

We have a link on our website inregard to "what to look for in a responsible breeder" Go to http://www.PotomacCTC.org

happy surfing

Lynda Hammel

[bradl]

Bless you for doing research. I also applaud your self-discipline. It will serve you well with a puppy in the house. In the interest of conserving web hosting resources, I offer the following 'recycled' information from previous posts:

A couple of resources you may find helpful. For a general discussion, the CTCA page "Meet the Cairn Terrier" includes a few paragraphs about finding a breeder (scroll down a bit to "selecting a breeder"): www.cairnterrier.org/meet

A quick google turned up a number of pages devoted to this very topic. One of the first I looked at was a Canadian Westie site that seemed quite good and hit most of the bases: www.canadawestieclub.ca/westies/quest.html

I usually look for some kind of active involvement in the breed, with other people in the breed. Usually this means dog shows, although some breeders focus more on obedience trials and performance tests.

Here is a link to a somewhat breathless post I made some time ago about the differences between getting a pet store puppy vs a puppy raised by a responsible and committed breeder. http://www.cairnterrier.org/forum/index.ph...=findpost&p=818

[Guest Guest]

Thanks for the replies. And thanks for the link to your older post bradl. You certainly have some strong convictions about this subject, and so do many others. Personally I had never given much thought about petstore puppies, and where they have likely come from. Like said earlier I was aware of bad breeders, but never really had the "puppy-mill" image in mind until now. It's certainly a bit sobering, and although I have mixed feelings about the arguement of these pets being somewhat inferior due to health problems what not, I certainly do not want to encourage puppy mill practice by no means. So off to a breeder I go.

Now if I can only get one to return my calls. Lol. I've been waiting the entire day, she said she would call back, but I think I'm getting snubbed. I'm getting the feeling that finding a good breeder may be the start of the patience-testing that dog ownership seems to be famous for. Thanks again for all the insight.

[Guest Terry]

I'm the "guest" by the way. Sorry, I'm not quite used to this particular forum.

[Guest Hogan's Mom]

Yes, it might take a while, but be patience, it IS worth the wait! Good breeders don't always have puppies available.

Hogan is our 3rd dog, and the first we've gotten from a breeder. He is BY FAR the best dog we've had! He was old enough (17 weeks) when we got him, that he was well socialized. That has made a huge difference.

Good luck!

[bradl]

Hogan's Mom makes a great point -- it helps to be a terrier (stubborn, persistent) to get a terrier. If puppies were always available 'on demand' to anyone who asks they'd be ... products.

Also, if you don't mind skipping most of the 'cries all night, chews the house down, and housebreaking rodeo' be sure to ask breeders if they have any 'junior' or young adults they are considering taking out of their breeding program. These non-puppies are the best deal going. Usually they've been well socialized by the breeder and are generally excellent specimens of the breed -- maybe they didn't turn out to be exactly what the breeder was looking for to improve his or her line, but they were good enough for the breeder to have chosen to keep them and 'run them on' for a few months or a year or two in consideration of possibly using them as part of a planned breeding program.

Everyone knows how cute a puppy is, but few remember (or acknowledge) how much work puppies are. The antics of a junior dog will capture your heart just as surely, with 50% fewer cleanups

[LORI]

If you would like to see a bad breeder and what he or she does to their dogs just go on Col. Potters Cairn rescue site and look at alittle female,seven years old from Texas.

She had to have her last litter of pups taken from her. She was fed and that was about all. She has cataracts and a very low calcium level so that brings about all sorts of new problems. Look at her face and see her misery.

If this is what the mother looks like can you imagine what the puppies are like. This is where your pet shop puppies come from.

Please do your homework. Cairns aren't for everyone. They will steal your heart and hold it forever if you get the right match. Thank you for being so diligant about doing your homework. You become a better person for it.

[CarCarDawn]

Hi! Just a little note to add: I went through a reputable breeder to obtain Riley. She had been breeding Cairns for over 12 years and another small breed for over 20 years. Even tho I know this was not expected - - - my puppy was born with a defect - - a liver shunt. By the time we discovered this he was already a big part of our family and we exhausted all efforts to save him. Without surgery his life was compromised and shortened considerably. With surgery he was given a 50-50 chance of survival and an almost 100% cure. He came through the surgery pretty good - - spent almost 3 days in intensive care and cost us almost 7,000 dollars, but his prognosis is favorable. What I am trying to convey is that you don't always get your "moneys worth" - - sometimes things just happen. We were fortunate to come away with an awesome little guy - - great temperament, very, very loveable - - but at quite a cost to us.!!!! My daughter thoroughly researched a bunch of breeders before coming up with this one. Sometimes life throws you a curve!!! Good luck on your search!!!!

[Guest Howard]

Hello, My wife and I have been researching getting a cairn for several years now and the time has arrived. We spend almost 3 hours with the father and mother, what a great time. We loved their personalities. The owner answered all our questions and more. 6 weeks to wait! These forums are a wealth of information. We have at least 6 different books on cairns which help educate us.