09/02/2022
๐๐ข๐ช ๐ง๐ข ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ & ๐ฃ๐จ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ฌ
If my fridge breaks today, I simply go and get a new one. My choice of a fridge may only be spurred by its price and maybe its energy rating, it's not something I'm going to sit down for weeks to think about...but I'm sure some people do.
A new puppy....you can get online and grab a puppy today, you can be impulsed by its cuteness just the same as I'm impulsed by the caramel creme egg at the checkout but that puppy could live for 15 or more years and if that puppy's personality and traits don't match your lifestyle and your own personality, then my friend, you're up sh*t creek and you'll get there pretty quickly. A breeds cuteness means sh*t all when you don't enjoy living with it - leave your romantic notions at the door of how you think it's all going to pan out
Don't think you can change that dog's breed behavioural traits - you either like them, love them, or can find ways to live with them...the human male for example has 'man vision', you can try and change that, you can try and educate, motivate and provide critique but that sh*t isn't going anywhere, you're stuck with it.
โ๏ธ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ข๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ (๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐....).
๐ Here are my recommendations for choosing a puppy:
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Head to https://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/list.asp and look at every single breed and write down ones you're drawn to.
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Research the behavioural traits of your short-listed breeds.
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Research the common health issues in that breed.
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Look at your budget, can you afford a trainer when needed & pet insurance? Some breeds that are more prone to health issues, those, turn out to be the most on-trend ones often enough, you'll want insurance on those ones!
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Jump onto the breed pages on Facebook for those breeds and ask "If you could impart some wisdom to someone considering this breed, what would you tell them? The good, the bad, and the ugly?" - people will tell you things that aren't relevant to the breed, it's just run-of-the-mill dog stuff but you'll start to see repeated answers. Pet people will tell you the truth about what it's like to live with the dog - I'm in 4 breed groups of breeds I'm interested in. You also get a good sense of the current health issues of the breed. You can also ask how much the average price is for the breed - that might rule the breed out for you - DO NOT TRY AND GO CHEAPER ELSEWHERE FOR THE SAME BREED, Cheap will be cheap for a reason. Puppy prices have gone way up, expect to pay anywhere between $2000-4,000 and more for on-trend breeds...and no, generally no after pay or credit card facilities are available!
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Narrow down your list and then find some breeders on Dogzonline (the link above) and research them i.e. head to their website if they have one - narrow down your list again, what do you like about them, what didn't you like.
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Start contacting some registered breeders. For a breeder to give you a puppy is like giving you their first born, so you better put some thought and effort into your introductory email.
Introduce yourself, tell them what research you have done and why you have chosen the breed and why you have chosen to contact them specifically. Tell them the purpose of your puppy i.e. pet, agility, showing, etc.
I suggest you do not get specific with colour, coat length, and gender unless it is absolutely imperative, otherwise you could be waiting a very long time - simply consider the personality that is most suitable to your home.
I recommend you do not ask about price in your first email, leave that to the 2nd email/phone call.
Your chosen breeder may not be planning any litters in the near future so you may need to wait, are you prepared to? Most bi***es come into season every 6 months but some have longer cycles and it's only during these seasons that the bitch can become pregnant.
You will also need to consider that not all proposed pregnancies eventuate. The breeder can't guess how many puppies that a bitch might have, if she only has a small litter then they may already be spoken for from other breeders and those waiting years etc.
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Here are some things I would recommend you work into conversation over time but do not bombard them:
- What are the personalities like of Mum & Dad?
- Will I be able to meet either of the parents? Keep in mind, that Dad's arent' always in the picture, it could have been imported semen, or Dad lives in another State or with someone else.
- What are the main health challenges that you're currently seeing?
- What health tests are you doing?
- Where are the puppies raised?
- Do you do any development programs with the puppies such as puppy culture?
- What challenges do you see new owners facing with this breed?
- Are you available to contact after I buy my puppy if I have questions?
- Will I choose my puppy from the available puppies or will you choose a puppy for me?
We could go on and on, but these are just some things to get you started. Good luck, be patient! Choose a registered breeder that you can research so you don't get scammed, never pay in advance for a dog from someone you can't phone their governing organisation to check they are a breeder with them. Puppy scams are big business! But, if you contact someone listed at Dogzonline that's a registered breeder with Dogs Australia.
๐คฉ If you're happy to take on a dog of unknown/mixed heritage then I recommend you contact a rescue group that has puppies in foster care situations so you can go and meet the puppies in a home environment and ask the foster carer all about them.
https://www.savour-life.com.au/adopt-a-dog/search-now/
