What can you achieve with these questions?
These questions give insight into the reasons and motivation of the breeder with whom you are dealing. It shows his/her involvement with the breed and what you might expect should there be any unexpected problems.
1. Everybody has a reason for being involved with a specific breed. There is no standard reason. Breeders who are doing it 'for the kids' or because they 'need a new carpet' are not motivated for the right reasons. Someone who breeds several breeds has by definition to split their time and energy between all the breeds and should be expected to know a lot about all these different dogs and breeds; that is very difficult.
2. A breeder should have a clear aim - breed improvement, producing an excellent show dog, progeny for the future, etc. People who believe that 'it is healthier for the bitch to have one litter' are simply dog-reproducers, whose intentions may be good but who certainly have not properly thought out what they are actually doing. On the other hand, 50% of all pups are born to breeders who only ever produce one or two litters; they do their best, they have expert support and they are also necessary for the breed. Especially in the numerically small breeds, it is unusual to find breeders who have four or five litters per year!
3. The Scottish Terrier Club
is the only officially recognised Breed Club in Holland. In Germany, it is the Klub fuer Terrier and in Belgium the Terrier Club and her associate club the Schotse Terrier Club. Membership of the Breed Club means that you receive regular information about various breed matters - health, breeding aspects, regulations, shows, etc. To qualify for Pupinfo via the Club, breeders have to fulfil certain rules, and in the future all breeders will have to submit to the official Breeding Regulations that the Club will formulate. Membership of the Club brings breeders into contact with other like-minded breeders and owners, enabling a better exchange of information. Membership also means influence on policy - some breeders are only Club-members so that they can sell their pups easily and quickly via the pupinfo. Breeders who have been suspended or banned from the club have a lot of explaining to do as to the reasons for such action. There are also breeders who advertise that they breed according to the regulations of the breed club to which they belong, but they do not always mean the STC - it could be any club in any country.
4. The length of time a breeder has been breeding has no relevance to their skill. Breeders with 20 years of experience can sometimes just as easily choose the easier combination as the novice. Of course, there is more chance that an experienced breeder has more understanding and knowledge of the breed but do not always be overly impressed by 'XX years experience' - there are breeders with only one year experience who understand exactly what they are doing, but there are also breeders with 20 years experience who continue to make the same mistakes year after year. There are also breeders who, after a few years, regularly produce healthy, breed-typical, good-quality pups. Breeders with many years of experience and success should also be able to prove this with photo's, references, show-results, etc.
5. With pups of 1-9 weeks old, you should expect to see the mother as well. If the mother is not present and there is no normal explanation, then something is wrong. A good breeder will be proud to show you the mother together with the pups. That the sire is often not present is understandable - breeders often use sires belonging to other breeders, living far away, and they go to the sire for the mating. However, you would expect to see a photo of the sire at least. And if the sire is present with the breeder, then it is justified to ask the breeder if this sire was chosen on purpose and for what reason.
6. Every breed has their genetic problems – a breeder who claims that his breed and/or pups are ALWAYS healthy, is not telling you the whole truth. A guarantee (written of verbal) does not exist. You are breeding with living creatures and have limited control over genetic influences. Good breeders try to discover the background of their planned combinations and attempt to avoid risks. Of course, a sick pup can be replaced by another pup, or your money refunded, but the emotional damage to the owner involved cannot be removed so easily. Examples of hereditary diseases in the STC breeds are:
Scottish Terrier – Scotty Cramp, epilepsy, skin problems, demodex, CMO Dandie – Cushing disease, eye problems Skye – radius ulna/curves, Cushing, auto-immune diseases, skin and coat problems Australian Terrier – patella luxation Australian Silky – patella luxation 7. A breeder who thinks seriously about his breeding programme can explain to you why these two parents have been used for breeding. What are the good points of the sire and how do they complement the bitch? What are the ancestors of the sire like and how do they fit in with the bitch lines and ancestors? A sire who is used because he lives close-by can be a signal that the breeder has not fully thought the combination through. But using a champion sire with a whole bag of titles is also no guarantee of good pups - it looks great on the pedigree but there is no benefit in using such a sire if the lines or types do not suit each other. You do not improve a bad bitch by mating her with a champion sire!
8. As mentioned earlier, real guarantees do not exist. A breeder who begins to discuss how possible health problems would be resolved is honest enough to recognise that something CAN go wrong. You grow attached to your pup, would not part with it for whatever reason, and so replacement of a sick puppy is not always the solution. But remember that vets fees can be very high if you intend to raise and tend a sick puppy, not to mention the emotional problems that you will encounter. A refund of your money is a serious option. If a breeder of a sick pup/dog cannot take the dog back, this is not always a sign that breeder is bad - sometimes the breeder has simply not got the space or the possibillty of keeping the sick dog with the remaining healthy dogs. Sometimes the breeder cannot handle the emotional problems either. However, there also breeders who blame the buyer for the health problems - with epilepsy, for example, the owner is accused of dropping the pup onto its' head and so causing the problem! With skin problems, the buyer is blamed for giving the wrong food, etc. Do not be intimidated - ask the breeder this question. Legally, a pup is merely a product, but a serious breeder will never approach it from this viewpoint and will always try to find a satisfactory solution.
9. Every dog has a pedigree. The question is, whether this is a FCI-recognised pedigree. These can be identified by the round FCI logo on the pedigree of the sire and dam. On these pedigrees, three generations of ancestors are stated and you will often see names of famous and less well-known dogs mentioned. The fact that these ancestors have lots of fancy titles says nothing about the quality of the pups but can be an indication that the quality of the ancestors has been reproduced in the pups. With a small amount of investigation and questioning of other breeders, you can quickly discover if the ancestors on the pedigree are famous or possibly fake. A buyer can also ask the Dutch Kennel Club if a specific breeder is registered with them and/or if they breed FCI registered pups. Many books about the STC breeds show photo's and pedigrees of well-known dogs and this can be a guideline towards deciding what quality the pups might possess.
10. Shows, exhibitions - all rubbish and humbug - too much politics, totally corrupt and biased towards the breeders. In 99% of the cases, this is totally untrue. Experienced exhibitors have a much higher chance of successfully showing a dog than a novice. Often, they can trim the dog themselves to perfection, present the dog better and successfully camouflage the lesser points of the dog. Every breeder thinks that their dogs are the best, but it is important that the dogs are examined and judged by others - the judges - to prevent the breeder from becoming kennel-blind. Attending shows brings the breeder in contact with other breeders, exhibitors and fanciers and that is important for your general breed-development. If you receive a G(good) qualification at every show with your dog, then you should recognise after the fifth time that your dog probably does not possess the qualities required and that such a poor example of the breed should not be used for breeding. But if the breeder never goes to shows, then how can they honestly judge if their dogs comply with the breed-standard? Admittedly, not everyone is suited for the show-world, but it is the only method of obtaining an impartial opinion about your breeding products.
These are just some of the questions you can ask - there must be hundreds more.....
Article written by : Chris Hunter©
Published in the STC Holland Club Magazine March 2004