Hi all, how do you know when a breeder is telling the truth about they're dogs health?   The reason i ask is i know alot of people who've had problems with their dogs only to ask the breeder about this and they say oh no thats never been in my line.  So when going to purchase a puppy how do you know what to look for in an honest breeder?

Warm regards Susan

For the obvious things you ask to see test certificates. An honest breeder would often also be happy to put you in touch with previous puppy buyers.

Snip "Hi all, how do you know when a breeder is telling the truth about they're dogs health?   The reason i ask is i know alot of people who've had problems with their dogs only to ask the breeder about this and they say oh no thats never been in my line." Snip

I guess no ever really knows whether someone's telling the truth, perhaps the only way is to do one's own research thoroughly - take photographs, keep notes and make relationships with other family owning folk. 

The person that breed my dogs has always been completely open with me about what is and isn't there (good and bad), the door is always open to visitors to see the dogs at home, meet the generations past and present, welcomes questions no matter how silly (or how ever often asked!).  I'm fortunate in the way that my dogs have been line breed over two generations of breeder and have been able, with a few exceptions, to spend time with grandsires/dams and in some cases greatgrand as well.  A wonderful opportunity to witness the grand old dogs who are behind my own, it doesn't matter how often or how  long I spend with them I come away having learnt more about the little devils who live with me.  

Of course a breeder may be perfectly honest when tyey say they ahve never know such and such in their breeding as they will normally be using someone elses lines when they mate their bitch to their dog and won't know as much about the males health history other than health tests. 

Also some things crop up very rarely (thankfully) so that they amy only turn up in one in a hundred pups, for me that woudl be 20 litters, and if the owner doesn't let the breeder know then they will be telling the truth.

the same problem may not crop up again, but a wiswe breeder will try to research to sew if anyone else has come across it that has used the same lines and avoid doubling up on dogs from that breeding, just to be careful.

Good point, Brainless. Unless everyone whose dog develops a problem actually tells the breeder about it, how is the breeder to know?

My breeder keeps in touch with me.  Three years down the line we chat at least once a month and see each other every couple of months even though we are nearly 100 miles appart.  Her other pup owners keep in touch through the web site or phone (and we see the extended canine family at shows) and they do tell her if any health problems crop up and she is always ready to help, advise, support or refer on to a vet if needed.  All the regular tests are done, bitches always given 2 years between pups.  She takes any unsuitable dogs out of the breeding programe (that can be almost any reason but she only uses the best to breed from).

I only hope I can be half as good as she is.  That is a good breeder.

I had good relations with my breeder until my girl got ill. Her reply was 'it wasn't from my dog' and since then she hasn't even bothered to call and ask how she is. :(  so I haven't bothered to tell her that she has had all the other relevant tests done and has clear eye cert.  hip/elbow score which is excellent. In fact even the 'health' person I spoke to said it was so rare in this breed that it was a 'one off' and sh*t happens! The breeder I got my 2nd girl off has been excellent and even helps me with the other one even though it has nothing to do with her line at all.

Ah thats good Missie whats your dog been diagnoised with.

Warm regards Susan

Exorcrine Pancreatic Insuffiency :(

A classic example would be the litter the mother of my first dog (Belgian Shepherd) came from, unbeknown to the breeder the bitches litter brother was epileptic, they only found this out when the people became more involved with shows, they hadn't thought to let them know.

By the time they did know the litter my bitch came from had been bred and one of her sisters developed epilepsy, they let all the litters owners know and I had my own bitch spayed.

I agree that you cannot always guarantee no problems.  When I send my puppies off I always explain that there are a list of things which can go wrong in dalmatians and although I have not had them that does not mean to say they will not crop up.  Epilepsy is a prime example as I am aware that some lines carry more of a risk than others.  I have a friend who used a stud dog and 4 out of the litter later went on to become epileptic so she could not breed her bitch which she had kept.  It later turned out the dad had a very high frequency of siring litters with this problem.  Sometimes problems arise and it is not anyones fault.

On a similar tack,... I bought a bitch puppy last summer with a view to breeding from her with the breeder's knowledge and blessing (subject to health checks etc)

On getting the puppy home I looked more closely at the paperwork.  Silly me: yes, I had asked if the dam had been hipscored as it is VERY important in this breed, and was told YES, but I didn't ask WHAT the score was!
YES, the dam had been hipscored and BTW she had had several litters. On looking at the paperwork more closely I found that the hipscore was actually not what I considered good enough to breed from. But I had taken the puppy home, and she was lovely, and we were many miles away and I am not confrontational.
Hipscores are not necessarily the be-all and end-all ... are they?
So now, 14 months down the line, I have had this young bitch hipscored, and she is worse than her mother, so will NOT be bred from. In the meantime I have bred a male from my current bitch (now spayed) to specifically complement her breeding. All of a sudden my whole breeding program has collapsed. The young bitch looks ok, her hips are not giving her any grief, but she is not good enough to breed from as far as her hips are concerned. GSDs are reknowned for allergies; she has absolutely no problems with skin or digestion. She is lovely, just sh*t hips.

My naivety? Breeders honesty? Still doesn't help this lovely girl who has crappy hips because someone bred from a bitch with crappy hips!!!

Sorry, I am hurting. My baby will hurt at some point in her life before the final decision is made to spare her.

Maybe the KC should automatically endorse pups from breeding stock who have NOT met the minimum criteria for their breed. Or maybe they should refuse to register them at all? But I guess it's just a case of lets have your money and you can register what you like. Shame!

Hi Clarence i think that also, but it is the breeders fault for breeding your girls mum with bad hips in the first place she must have known the score for good hips when she set out to get her hips scored and thought what the hell i'll breed anyway, even knowing that the pups could end worse off, so that in my eyes is irresponsible as she knew the facts.  Sorry to hear your girls hips are bad.  Plus it's calculating because when you asked if she'd been hip scored she should of said to you the hip score result, instead of being calculating and hoping that you didn't ask.

Warm regards Susan