Looking for a puppy, tips?

[CSA]

Umm, I have two dogs, but not pit bulls (taking you literally). Still, not sure where this is leading.

I am aware of the fact that you have two dogs that are not pit bulls; hence, you don't have a dog in this hunt. Be patient. We will get to where I am going with this soon enough.

 

[NorCalDoug]

I have an aversion to trolls

 

[whodat]

We will get to where I am going with this soon enough.

That is the que to start guessing.

You had your foot knawed off by an angry PB?

 

[CSA]

That is the que to start guessing.

You had your foot knawed off by an angry PB?

No.

I think we all already know the answer to the question I posed to hooptie, but I welcome an answer from hooptie just the same.

 

[macneill]

I'm partial to Cairn Terriers:

http://www.cairnterrier.org/

http://cairnrescueusa.com/

http://www.cairnrescue.com/

http://www.cairnterrier.org/rescue/

 

[wob]

I know where this is going.

 

[Jetboy]

As far as us being ready, we are as ready as we will be. We have been talking about this for about 2 years now. We have been loosly talking and learning about breed options for most of that time. Of course that has intensified lately as we are getting closer.

We live in a house with a fenced back yard, and will not move to an apartment ever . . . barring of course any unforseen problems. And it would be a last resort.

We have thought long and hard about whether we will be able to give a dog a good home and have decided that we will.

That's good to hear. It really should be like having a kid, not buying a pizza. I hope I didn't come off like your father. I have a couple inlaws who are the epitimy of the bad pet owners. Cant say no to their kids when they want another dog or cat or whatever. They never train them. By the time they are two or three they are way too much to handle and then they go to the pound. It's a sad situation. They ruin perfectly good dogs. They could probably all make great animals with a little effort, but they are just too lazy.

I can understand why people shy away from shelter dogs. They come from homes like my inlaws with built in with bad habits. They can be great pets, they are just not for everyone.

 

[jrhaze]

That's good to hear. It really should be like having a kid, not buying a pizza. I hope I didn't come off like your father. I have a couple inlaws who are the epitimy of the bad pet owners. Cant say no to their kids when they want another dog or cat or whatever. They never train them. By the time they are two or three they are way too much to handle and then they go to the pound. It's a sad situation. They ruin perfectly good dogs. They could probably all make great animals with a little effort, but they are just too lazy.

I can understand why people shy away from shelter dogs. They come from homes like my inlaws with built in with bad habits. They can be great pets, they are just not for everyone.

What you say is true about shelter dogs. Obedience training is at the top of my priority list, and any bad habits will be nobody's falut but ours. I am all for people rescuing these animals though, but it is my choice at the end of the day, and I want a purebred dog I can train from the beginning.

Anyways, I'd like to thank (almost) everyone for the advice, it has been a great help. I think we have found a breeder, we're going to go for a visit either this weekend or next (it's a 5 hour drive)

 

[hooptie]

so i have a pit bull- so what? does that really matter that much to you? i actually have 3 :|

if i had norfolk terriers would that make my posts more valid?

jesus :|

No.

I think we all already know the answer to the question I posed to hooptie, but I welcome an answer from hooptie just the same.

 

[whodat]

That's good to hear. It really should be like having a kid, not buying a pizza. I hope I didn't come off like your father. I have a couple inlaws who are the epitimy of the bad pet owners. Cant say no to their kids when they want another dog or cat or whatever. They never train them. By the time they are two or three they are way too much to handle and then they go to the pound. It's a sad situation. They ruin perfectly good dogs. They could probably all make great animals with a little effort, but they are just too lazy.

I can understand why people shy away from shelter dogs. They come from homes like my inlaws with built in with bad habits. They can be great pets, they are just not for everyone.

That is a generalization about shelter dogs and does not apply to all. However, all dogs are work and puppies are even more.

 

[wob]

so i have a pit bull- so what? does that really matter that much to you? i actually have 3 :|

if i had norfolk terriers would that make my posts more valid?

jesus :|

too bad no :fireworks: smiley

 

[Jman]

And the number of cruisers you have, hooptie, is . . . . ?

 

[Gundy]

Meet the parents

We like to personally examine both parent pooches
in person. The temperment, etc you see in them is a pretty
good measure of what you'll get in a pup.
It's good to see and tour the kennel at this time.
Good breeders will screen YOU for ownership and require
proof of a good and proper home. If be wary of breeders
who ask no questions or refuse inspections.
You get good un's that way. Pick of litter is a nice option.
We paid in advance for that option with our current pooch.
Good luck! Cool breed!

ps: IMHO I wouldn't sign a contract with a damage provision
like that one, my .02..

 

[jrhaze]

We like to personally examine both parent pooches
in person. The temperment, etc you see in them is a pretty
good measure of what you'll get in a pup.
It's good to see and tour the kennel at this time.
Good breeders will screen YOU for ownership and require
proof of a good and proper home. If be wary of breeders
who ask no questions or refuse inspections.
You get good un's that way. Pick of litter is a nice option.
We paid in advance for that option with our current pooch.
Good luck! Cool breed!

ps: IMHO I wouldn't sign a contract with a damage provision
like that one, my .02..

I asked if we would be able to visit for a few hours, check out the faciltity (what-ever it might be), see the pups and meet the parents. He said we can visit whenever we like, the pups are raised in the house with the mother, the father however will not be available to view as they shipped his semen in from the US. Is this normal practice? Something to shy away from? He has pictures of the father.

This breeder does not have any weird provisions in the contract like the first one I posted. They offer a 2 year health guarentee. They have all their dogs tested for the typical health concerns. The purchase price includes the price of spaying, vacinations, microchip and vet inspection.

We are thinking of making the drive out to see them next weekend.

I don't think we will get pick of the litter, the only reason there will be one available to us is because it was a litter with 7 females and some of the people on the waiting list are wanting males. We however want a female.

I hope we can pick from a few though, and don't just get whatever is leftover, I guess that's a question I should be asking next.

 

[wob]

I asked if we would be able to visit for a few hours, check out the faciltity (what-ever it might be), see the pups and meet the parents. He said we can visit whenever we like, the pups are raised in the house with the mother, the father however will not be available to view as they shipped his semen in from the US. Is this normal practice? Something to shy away from? He has pictures of the father.

yep. Among high dollar dogs anyways. You should be able to look at his papers and see where the male is from.

 

[PHBeerman]

I asked if we would be able to visit for a few hours, check out the faciltity (what-ever it might be), see the pups and meet the parents. He said we can visit whenever we like, the pups are raised in the house with the mother, the father however will not be available to view as they shipped his semen in from the US. Is this normal practice? Something to shy away from? He has pictures of the father.

This breeder does not have any weird provisions in the contract like the first one I posted. They offer a 2 year health guarentee. They have all their dogs tested for the typical health concerns. The purchase price includes the price of spaying, vacinations, microchip and vet inspection.

We are thinking of making the drive out to see them next weekend.

I don't think we will get pick of the litter, the only reason there will be one available to us is because it was a litter with 7 females and some of the people on the waiting list are wanting males. We however want a female.

I hope we can pick from a few though, and don't just get whatever is leftover, I guess that's a question I should be asking next.

Frozen insemination is really common. Have you studied the pedigree of each parent?

 

[Gundy]

Artificial inseminations have been around for years.
Not seeing dad just means you need to ask questions
of his owner perhaps. Get his info from the breeder.
Call him .


DANGER ALERT: It's almost humanly impossible
to look and play with puppies without taking one home.
CAREFUL. Dang, it's making me want another one just typing about 'em.
Your current breeder contact sounds fine. Home inspection
will answer if the rep is true.

Puppy training tip: To keep our pups train to our boundaries
out here in the woods we use an old tip and old timer
once told me.
Drink a lot of hook the pup to a leash and
ya'll mark it off together. It works. They'll check those
"sign posts" thereafter and "get" the idea of your pack's
range.
Send 'em to school. I like 6 month old pup course followed
by re-enforcement and advances when they are a year
or so older.
Two most vital things for great doggie times. They MUST
obey the "come when called" command and understand
"NO!".
The ability to retrieve a dog via command will make your
life a lot easier.
"No!" covers a host of doggie sins.
NEVER strike your dog with your hand. Discipline is necessary
but your naked hand hand is a BAD choice.
Good luck.

 

[jrhaze]

Frozen insemination is really common. Have you studied the pedigree of each parent?

They have the pedigree listed on the website, but it's greek to me.

I don't think the male will be on there, I'm sure I could reques it though.

 

[jrhaze]

Artificial inseminations have been around for years.
Not seeing dad just means you need to ask questions
of his owner perhaps. Get his info from the breeder.
Call him .


DANGER ALERT: It's almost humanly impossible
to look and play with puppies without taking one home.
CAREFUL. Dang, it's making me want another one just typing about 'em.
Your current breeder contact sounds fine. Home inspection
will answer if the rep is true.

Puppy training tip: To keep our pups train to our boundaries
out here in the woods we use an old tip and old timer
once told me.
Drink a lot of hook the pup to a leash and
ya'll mark it off together. It works. They'll check those
"sign posts" thereafter and "get" the idea of your pack's
range.
Send 'em to school. I like 6 month old pup course followed
by re-enforcement and advances when they are a year
or so older.
Two most vital things for great doggie times. They MUST
obey the "come when called" command and understand
"NO!".
The ability to retrieve a dog via command will make your
life a lot easier.
"No!" covers a host of doggie sins.
NEVER strike your dog with your hand. Discipline is necessary
but your naked hand hand is a BAD choice.
Good luck.

haha good advice

Obedience training is tops on my list, I have been reading as much as I can on training and it doesn't sound too bad. I don't really know what to expect though.

I hope I can at the very least have a dog that will "come when called" every single solitary time. The last thing I want is to watch it run out on the road and get hit by a car or something because it wouldn't respond to my calls . . .

 

[PHBeerman]

They have the pedigree listed on the website, but it's greek to me.

I don't think the male will be on there, I'm sure I could reques it though.

Have you checked dogs within the pedigree out on the internet. Some problems are hereditary and can/should be avoided.