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Things to know before you buy
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Looking for help when shopping for a pup? Info on this page can be applied to basically any breed of dog when pup shopping.Suggested reading material is listed below ;
vist links at left as well -"Things to avoid " & "Hip Guarantee's" & Scam Alert .
Confused about all the different types of German Shepherd ? you may wish to visit the German Shepherd Breed Standard to help you learn what traits are suppose to be in a Shepherd .Pay close attention to Faults & color section of all breed standards .
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Never buy a pup with a promise of AKC papers down the line.Many purchase a puppy, from the owner of the litter [Breeder/Seller] in which the AKC papers on the pup for "whatever" reason Seller/Breeder gives, are not present at the time of sale. Seller may say ''AKC has not sent the papers " . warning see AKC SAYS BUYER BEWARE .Akc states never buy a pup with a promise of getting AKC papers later .AKC cannot HELP you get papers after the sale .see AKCThere are many reasons why AKC would refuse to register a litter [seeDNA & bad breeders below ]
It takes 6-8 weeks for pups to be ready for homes .A Seller/Breeder has had all that time to register pups. It takes 2 weeks for AKC to mail pups registration papers & online registration of litters takes 1 week .There is only 1 exceptions to the above Make sure Seller provides written contract stating they will refund you cost of pup if no AKC paper is given by set date .verify who you do business with has good reputation Tip -contracts are only as good as the makers reputation & many cost you financially to enforce .
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So many Kennels ,which to choose ?Any one can set up a kennel over night ,all it takes is a little cash to buy dogs & a website bam your a breeder .Kennels are popping up over night which are often ran by people who do not know much about dogs or bloodlines, do not have a established reputation & may not help out with support after a sale .Good breeders always have references to back them .
Checking references is a good way to tell a establish reputable breeder /Kennel Contact the breeders vet ,get several references from past buyers .Reputable Breeders have a vast amount of references / testimonials from past buyers contact some of them .There are many "claiming" they sold top dogs for police work ,show , pet or sport. Ask for proof to these claims .Run seperate checks by kennel name & breeders name with Better Business Bureau in state kennel is located in .Do a web search to see if any customers have complained .Web pages should always list breeders full name, address & contact info , if not it may be a sign that they are hiding from past clients .Always verify a breeders claims .
Fancy pics, videos or titles on web pages?.Some web pages post false claims, like OFA on dogs yet dogs are not listed on OFA website .pics of dogs doing bite work or tracking, claiming titles like schH or Champion yet these dogs are not listed in records as having any title ..ask for proof of claims of OFA , Schutzhund titles or show titles .Its easy to put a hot dog in the grass ,get a dog on a leash & claim he is tracking or put a sleeve on your arm , teach dog to go after it & take pics that look 'schutzhund ' or arrange trophys for that pic & claim Champion .. Verify titles & health records by checking OFA , GSD club of America, United Schutzhund Club of America ,SV , AKC .all it takes is homework/checking from the buyer to verify breeders claims .Note -Titles won under CKC , UKC & many other registeries are not recognized with AKC, FCI , SV or USA SCHUTZHUND CLUB and are therefore considered by most serious in dogs as worthless .
Breeders claim import pups or imported dogs . verify claims by examining registration papers.All Adult dogs or pups which are really imports will have SV or FCI foreign registration papers written in their country's language & their AKC paper always list their country of orgin directly behind the dogs name .See AKC paper of a import . Germany's SV pink papers .Many who claim" Imports" do so falsly .import parents in USA producing pups on USA soil are not import pups .Pups born on USA soil are USA pups .
My Breeder is a member of this or that dog club .Keep in mind ,being a member of a certain club doesnt mean you have good dogs . It only means that the person paid small fee to join that club, doesnt mean that their dogs are titled ,shown or will be a good for you or your situation , smarter or prettier or that the breeder follows the rules or takes care of dogs correctly. verify breeders membership by visiting club's website ,find breeders name & it helps to look at scores on dogs owned as they tell you alot about the dog .always get refernces !
Hips Foreign hip ratings are o/o ,B or C hips , A stamp normal ,a fast normal ,noch zugglessan & Ausland to name a few used . USA is OFA excellent ,good or fair & pennhip .keep in mind that foreign hip ratings are done at only 12 months of age .Hips can change from 12 months to 2 years of age, its wise to only buy pups from stock that are mature over 2 years old with a OFA certification or penn hip rating . If buying foreign dogs I urge re xray & electronically submit to OFA or 2 or 3 vets before buying .
Its astounding that thousands of expensive titled dogs are purchased & imported yet once they hit USA soil the kennels never spent $150 - 200 to get hips rechecked & certified by OFA .Why wouldnt a breeder spend that small amount to see if the dog would certify with OFA after spending thousands to buy a import ? On guarantees - beware of those guaranteeing hips on pups when parents have not ever been xrayed.
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AKC , UKC ,CKC ,APD , NASDR,- what is the difference in papers ?
AKC is the ONLY ACCEPTED dog registry in United States. AKC is the only USA dog registry accepted by other countries registry systems[Europe, England, France].
Do not be fooled by people selling dogs with other papers on their pups & dogs. Other registries are not accepted , titles won at any other reistry other than AKC & USCA are not recognized by AKC , FCI or other countries .CKC [ Contential Kennel Club ] & UKC [United Kennel Club ] are smaller registries that register dogs not accepted by AKC , whether pure bred or picked up off the street, they even register a breed someone decides to invent by mixing several dogs together then calling it cockerpoo[cocker spaniel +poodle]see ARTICLE
WHO IS AT BLAME FOR THE MESS? The responsibility of the purebred dog & keeping the breed true lies with Breeders, AKC & to some extent Buyer's too! Everyone contributes in some way, whether the contributions are good or bad depends on the people .Breeders have tools to use to keep the breed true ,they are below;
1.Using OFA & DNA on parents of pups
2.Offering AKC limited registration to curtail indiscrimante breeding .
3. The health/temperment of the stock they choose to breed together
4. The pedigree of the dogs used in a breeding
5.Honesty & interigty in dealing with customers - without them Breeders can destroy the breed, hurt their customer & their business .
Buyers have tools they can use to find descent breeders they are as follows ;
1. Learn about the breed you want before you buy , its health problems , pros/cons of owning that breed .
2. Make sure both parents of a pup have OFA certification [ click ofa link for example ]
3. Get vet references on seller -then call their vet to verify breeder has good dogs
4.Spend time around & insist on handling both parents of a pup you want to buy.Remember it will grow up to be like mom& dad in looks temperament.
5.verify all paperwork & AKC papers of parents of pups used to breed are over 2 years of age .Also read Scam Alert Article
6.Never buy pups from breeders who have other breeds they are dealing in,or keep dogs in uncomfortable enviroment like wire cages , small runs , several different locations they keep dogs or those who offer to meet you somewhere .
Buyers who do not do their homework are scammed .Educate yourself about the breed you want to buy, its good & poor bloodlines, types of breeders good & bad, etc.
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DNA - why is it needed?
Breeders using DNA on both parents prove their pups are off those parents without a doubt .They wish to show honesty & give buyers peace of mind.See AKC DNA . . The public has a right to know that many people are fradulant in their breeding practices .
such as using false records , selling pups of impure breeding as pure bred,switch the dogs used in a breeding, stating a particular stud sired the litter for sale - when its really another dog that is sire. An example of this can be found at the following link - Nike Andretti Clayfield .This happens more than the public knows . When caught ,they are fined by AKC & loose registration with AKC for up to 10 years & all of their dogs,including pups from those dogs, loose their AKC papers.
How BAD BREEDERS effect everyone? Once caught , a Bad Egg effects everyone all buyers of his/her pups now have no AKC papers on their dogs. All dog fanciers who know them or done business with them now wonder "how long was it going on?Even their past breeding is questionable . Are any of the dogs they ever sold pure bred?
This type Breeder does a huge injustice to the breed & also to anyone unfortunate enough to have dealt with them! Imagine the greif of the Buyer who has paid a little extra for that promised purebred pup with "papers" -only to find out not only is the AKC paper worthless but their dog isnt purebred.Rover can not be shown or bred .
Those who do not think this is a very real & serious problem read on. The AKC reports this on their website, just click here AKC BOARD MINUTES , once there, simply click on a month, scroll half way through the AKC minutes page looking for section titled AKC compliance. Listed are people by state who were caught "cheating, mistreating dogs, forgery, etc." along with the breed they have & a month total for all dogs whose AKC papers were revolked. This is a serious problem that pup buyers should be aware of .Copied from AKC website see below;
In month of November 2006, a total of 1,181 dogs AKC papers were revolked by AKC see November Minutes 260 litters were cancelled just in that month ,of the 260 litters-250 were a result of DNA Partentage Evaluation[ parents were untrue ] .This resulted in cancellation of 446 registered adult dogs &rendering 735 dogs , members of these litters ineligible for registration .
We want to make it Very clear AKC is not at fault here - BAD Breeders are at FAULT! Make sure you are buying from a reputable Breeder, get references on the breeder & buyers do your homework before buying pups .
Below is a website listing some of those caught in fraud selling/breeding pups or cruelty to animals. This listing is not up to date nor does it list all caught but its a start . To check on a breeder , click on the letter that corresponds with the breeders last name
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