Hi there once more.

I've been checking old posts and I'm alarmed to find out that there is a waiting list to buy  SWD puppy!! Even of years!! Well, I am prepared to wait a few months (January 2006 would be ideal) but certainly not years!! I recognise that it is a "rare" breed in the UK and that there mustn't be many reputable breeders out there but still... can anybody help?

Thanks!

Alex

I think that you need to ensure that a SWD is suitable for your life style and what you really want in a dog.  This could take more than 3 months!  Some of the people who had my pups had waited 3 years for one.  These days it is much shorter and if we find you to be suitable there may be a chance that a puppy could be available in January.

There have been quite a few born this year so the waiting list is a lot shorter now than it used to be.

What Diane says is right, if its what you really want then the wait is worth it, I waited over a year for my first one, and was lucky enough to get my 2nd one 6 months later.
There are a few more people breeding over here now and the wait may or may not be long, there are bitches being mated and some are planned to be mated early next year.
You are coming to D.Dogs so wait until you meet the breed and hear all about them their good and bad points.
I have never regreted waiting I just wish i had found them earlier.

Jenny B

Hi Spanishwaterdog!

Let me reassure you that owing a dog is nothing new for me. I had a poodle who lived happily with us for 19 years!! :) I know that poodles and SWD may not have that much in common but I'm not new in the business, as it were :) and both my wife and I have been thinking about this for months now.

In terms of lifestyle, well, I'm a full time student doing a PhD, meaning that I spend a LOT of time at hom (incidentaly, this is another reason I feel it is "the right time" to buy a dog). I don't regard myself as a sporting person if you know what I mean, ;) but can't find the time to exercise a dog reasonably (as well as the space, as I live opposite a huge park in Harrow). I don't mind waiting a few more months after January if that means getting a healthy puppy from a recognised breader but I'm not prepared to wait for ages and ages!!!

Alex

Hi - just curious - what do you plan to do after your PhD?

Since you didn't reply - I was curious because PhDs last for 3-4 yrs and usually lead to lucrative (full time) jobs (unless they're in the arts, woopsie).  A dog lives for at least 12 if you're lucky.

We have waited over 3 years for a new puppy and we are regular show people, we could have had a puppy out of many litters but we are waiting for a particular bitch to whelp!  We have been on the breeders waiting list for a year now! :)

If you arn't prepared to wait then you don't want the breed that much, why don't you go to your local rescue center and get a rescue withing afew weeks :)

Hi Alex

Actually there is someone in SWD's that has both the breeds that you are interested in, maybe you should speak to her and see which one best suits you?

I'll e-mail you when I get home her address.

Regards.

Diane

Thanks, Diane. That will be very helpful. But let me clarify that my interest is on SWDs not poodles (after 19 years I feel like changing a bit, you know).

Regards,

Alex

DAINE CAN YOU RING ME TONIGHT IF YOU ARE IN.

THANK YOU

Dear Ice queen,

You are skating on thin ice... If your point was that because I am not prepared to wait for a long time "I don't really want the breed" well, it seems to me that you are assuming too much... and it does sound a bit arrogant. I think there is a mid-point between rushing into buying the first pup that becomes available and waiting for a year to get a pup from a particular bitch (which looks like to be your case). And this mid-point is precisely where I stand. On top of that, any advice to take a dog from rescue shouldn't be given lightly... and far less so for someone "who really [doesn't want the breed"

Alex

Hi Alex
In rare breeds you may just have to wait a long time if you do want the breed, unless you just happen to get lucky and come along at the right time. :) I breed a rare breed and for my latest litter I had one person who had waited 2 years and a couple that waited one year. Yet the last buyer just happend to come along when I had one puppy left unbooked, so she only had a few weeks to wait. I had to wait a year myself for a Papillon puppy (just as a pet). Sometimes I think we just have to accept it,when it is breeds where you cannot easily locate another breeder.Responsible breeders normally just breed for something to keep back, they don't breed a litter with the sole purpose of selling pups. Which usually also means that when you do wait, you end up with the very best as it was a very carefully planned litter. :)

Hi Goldmali,

Many thanks for your sound advice :) I do recognise that SWDs are a rare breed here and the problems that this entails in terms of not being able to get a puppy when one wishes to. I'll try to get in contact with as many KC recognised SWD breeders as I can (not that many I reckon) and see what happens.

Alex

Hi Aboladeras!

I can't help you with finding a pup, but others have put you on the right track so I thought I would tell you about our wait for another rare breed.

Basically we had been waiting since February for a pup from a breeder, at the end of August/ begining of September, things got a bit hairy and we had to find another breeder, we contacted our breed club puppy co-ordinator (who is wonderfull ;) ) who put us straight on the trail of another litter, and now we are very much looking forward to bringing our pup home tomorrow! If we had have stayed with our original breeder we would still be in for a long wait! (Although that wasn't the reason why we changed breeders) I just thought you would be heartened to know that you don't always have to wait months or years, it is literally just being in the right place at the right time - or having the right contacts (Thank you again puppy co-ordinator if you read this!!! ;) )

Good luck with your search :D

WOW NAT!  How did I miss this? :rolleyes: :D  Bet there wont be much sleeping in your house tonight!  Aw, great news!

Teri ;)

that's encouraging Natalie, thanks. I guess I should try to make contact with breeders ASAP. By the way, and this is a question open for anyone who cares to reply: I have read several times that it is against good practice to charge a reservation fee, but you know how big a gap there is between the theory and the practice... What do breeders think of this?

Regards,

Alex

I have never heard it was bad to ask for a deposit, we have paid one quite happily to make sure we get the pup we want! :D

LOL Teri, it has been a big secret but nothing can happen now to get in the way of him coming home so I can shout it out to the whole world!!! :D :D :D :D Getting very scared now though!!! All of this time waiting and wondering, and it is finally P-day (puppy day and the other sort of 'p'!!!) and I am a nervous wreck!!!

Congrats Nat...the wait is over at last!! Let the mopping up of wee commence!! :D :D Obviously we want all the details and pics!

I'm sure breeders ahve very good reasons for charging a reservation fee and I'm pretty sure I'd pay one if asked if I thought it would ensure I got a puppy but it does seem odd to pay to reserve something that may not happen, i.e you pay to 'reserve' a particular colour or sex and none of the desired colour/sex turn up in the litter.

Also, I read on a US forum that I am member of about scams whereby 'breeders' were taking reservation fees for puppies that they had no intention of ever supplying. They amassed long waiting lists of people waiting for puppies, taking a couple of hundred dollars a time and the kept making flimsy excusues as to why no litter was born. Obviously, you minimise this risk by going to a reputable breeder  but just thought I'd mention it.

I've got pics :D :D :D ;)

But shush don't tell anyone, hubbie will not be happy if I spend 'our last night of freedom' sorting out pictures!!! ;) :P

Oooh Congratulations!! So what colour is he?? :D

LOL he isn't the most colourfull Aussie you will ever see, but he is very very cute!! He is mainly black with quite a bit of tan on his face and back legs, with a thin line of white between his eyes and white on his chest and belly :)

When we get home with him, (if I get five minutes) I will upload some nice pictures and send them on :D :D :D :D

Ooh a Black Tri :D Would love to see the pictures :)

I personally refuse to accept deposits for puppies, ever since I was told it makes a contract binding. With each litter there's been a potential buyer I've changed my mind about, and if they refused to accept the return of the deposit, the sale would have to go ahead.

When I was getting my FCR the breeder did not take a deposit, as JG has said it can be easier for the breeder to change their mind about potential owners.

JMO

like i said i waited 5 year for gollie from diane and she turn worth the wait in gold and now she given me a very nice litter.of 5 pup all go into the show ring and working,
in your 1st post you put and that there must,nt be many reputable breeder,and your 2nd post you but that you will not wait for age for a ruptable breeder,

so you are not prepared to wait for a good swd with sire and  dam that had all tested done before breed form,and would go to anyone that will give you a pup just like that,and you are not worried where it comes from,not a breed that may sell you a pup from sire and dam that not had the tested done and will put the cost up so they can make a quick buck from this breed,
there are some very careing breeders out that do a alot of work for their breed,but there are one that dont care and the reuslt be the puppy will have ythe problems

if you cannot wait i would say go and get another breed,not a swd.

Taking a deposit does not make the sale contract binding as long as you tell (and even better, put in writing) the potential owner that you reserve the right to abort the sale and return the deposit. 

Verbal agreements aren't worth the paper they're (not) written on! ;) The only way for a breeder to retain control of the sale is to refuse deposits.

Please don't get arsy with me.  You said, I replied my opinions!  I'm sorry but anyone wanting a puppy WILL wait untill the right one comes along!

I waited 2 1/2 years for one of my cavaliers & I waited 9 months for my BC, time is irrelevant when you end up with the right dog

quite right,ice queen

with his attitude i wouldnt sell them a swd puppy. and i have refuse poeple that were not suitable for swd breed.

Briedog and bengiedog,

Oh please stop being so arrogant. How can you say you wouldn't sell a SWD to someone "with my attitude"? What attitude is this? Does the fact of me and my wife wanting a SWD within a reasonable time period excludes us from having a SWD? We don't mind waiting (within reason) and I don't want the dog just for Christmas, if that's your concern. But it seems to us that anything more than a few months is too much. You don't know me at all and can hardly say whether or not I'm suitable for SWD. I think it's admirable that you don't want to sell any of your pups to the first passer-by but please don't take this as a license to be the supreme judge of good and evil.

Alex

no i think you are the arrogant one,
in what you have put in your post.
i can sell my puppy to who i like either they have waited 5 year or 5 week for one, if i like the person,and i think they are suitable for the breed and vetted their home etc.and if i dont want to sell them i keep them and give them to the family.if there,s not a suitable owner and i have done this with my fcr.
i did turn a person down for a swd beacuse she said if she new she was going to have a pup then she come down to see them at 6 week,with out me seeing her and vetting her,that was a phone call.if new owner of puppies cannot pull then self out  for the breed to vet them why sould we as breeder just give way the pup to strangers,
i like to see the new owner at lease twice before the pup are born  then they can come and see pup grow over the 8 weeks and get a bond with them.

but luck my next litter will have been sold and that not going to be 2007
so i thing that a long time for you to wait.

Alex, a breeder has EVERY right to not sell a puppy to anyone they don't want to by their judgement.  They judge you as not suitable.  If you wanted a puppy for january time then you should have considerd a puppy along time ago.

IF YOU WANT A PUPPY YOU WILL WAIT!  Briedog is a reputable breeder who has afew litters now and again on imporve the breed.  Those poeple who come to her and say "can I join your waiting list, I don't mind waiting along time" will most likly have more chance of getting a puppy then who says "I want a puppy but I want it by X date"

It's people like you who are so desperate who go to the puppy farmers and back street breeders :( Good job your at home most of the time because you get a puppy from one of the just said people and you will be taking it to the vets at all hours and spending time trying to nurse it back to health :(

Go on ask any other breeder and you'll be told similar to what I have said.

Ice Queen,

It is obvious that breaders have every right to sell their puppies to whoever they want to. That goes without saying. Having said this, I'm not saying that I want a puppy by x date. What I do say if you read my posts carefully is just that I don't want to spend YEARSto get a puppy. I want a puppy within a reasonable span of time (months rather than years). If I have mentioned January it is because my assumption is that if we get the puppy in January we might be able to take it with us to Spain for our August break (although if that is not the case because of the PET scheme regulations, then we might well stay in the UK)

Once again however you take matters too far by saying that I'm "desperate" and all those things about buying from backstreet breeders and bla bla bla. I wouldn't consider buying a SWD or any breed for that matter on "Loots" or from a puppy farm. We had a terrible experience some 20 years ago with a poodle from a puppy shop and vowed never to go through this again (in the end we got him from a breeder and he lived happily with us for 19 years)

Alex

if you want a pup in jan it got to be born around nov to go in jann plus if you were think of taking it to spain in a very hot summer as a young pup with a long travel bye car,i thinking that unfair for a young pup to go throw that.

plus the pup cannot have it rabie inject untill 3 month then you got to wait for the blood test to come back clear up to a month after the injection then you cannot bring the pup back into the uk untill 6 month after the test is clear so you looking at sep /oct or later

so again it A WAITING GAME WITH DOGS,

Thanks briedog. This clarifies a few things. I guess we'll need to postpone our holidays then. Since you're not prepared to sell me any of your pups perhaps you'd be kind enough to identify yourself in case I contact you by accident. I don't want to upset you any further. I'll contact SWD club breeders and hope I'll be lucky enough to get a healthy puppy within a few months. As another poster has said, sometimes it is a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

Thanks

Alex

HOW CAN I SELL YOU A PUPPY WHEN ALL OF MINE HAVE GONE AND NOT DUE ANOTHER LITTER UNTILL 2007.AND THAT DEPEND ON THE BITCH TAKING THERE ALOT ON BITCHES INALL BREEDERS AT THE MOMENT THAT ARE NOT FALLING IN WHELP,THEN THERE THE 2 WEEKS DANGER SIGN WHERE PUPS MAY NOT SURIVE.LIKE A LITTER I HAD 3 YEAR AGO 6 OUT 9 DIE OF KENNEL COUGH  AT 4 WEEKS YOU JUST GOT WAIT AND SEE WHAT HAPPEN.
THEN IF YOU  WANT A GIRL THERE MAY BE ALL BOYS IN THE LITTLE, THEN THERE THE COLOUR TOO.MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT COLOUR PUP FOR YOU THERE LOTS OF THING TO THINK ABOUT.

I DO HOPE YOU GET A HEALTHY PUP TO BUT THERE NO GUARTEE THAT THE PUP CAN GET HIP/EYES PROBLEM AND OTHER PROBLEM EVEN IF THE SIRE AND DAM ARE CLEAR,YOU GOT TO GO BACK A LONG THE LINE TO FIND OUT WHAT BEHIND THE GRAN PEARNETS  AS WELL,
SEE BREEDING IS NOT EASY FOR US,WE CAN ONLY DO YOUR BEST,THERE A LOT OF ISSSUES TO THINK OF BEFORE BREEDING AND SELLING PUPPY

Totally agree with IQ.

I wonder what the OP is going to do if he does not get a SWD within his time frame.

PS, as someone who only has rescues (cockers mainly but also have an old yorkie rescue), rescue dogs are great.  My two rescue cockers are completely safe with any child.  My 15 yo yorkie is not - she is the biter.

I waited 18 months for the right dalmatian. I viewed several litters during that time, but none really appealed. Then I heard of a litter of 7, with 1 bitch puppy (and I only wanted a bitch). I went to view, just n case. Saw the litter, picked up the puppy that most appealed - wow! It was the only bitch! She was mine!

Hey thats nothing we waited a year for the right Lab. Yes there were plenty that we could have had sooner, but they were not what we wanted. Yes it was a long wait but well worth it. It did cause us some inconvenience in that we could not take the pup when we wanted but we have always fitted our lives around the dogs, not the other way round. In short the best is always worth waiting for and will give many years of pleasure.

Also I would far rather this than have breeders just put the price up for 'immediate delivery'!

after reading all the posts on here i think you are all being a bit hard on alex although i do agree strongly with what alot of you have said , but come on give the guy a break .........

Oh thanks olivetor and Jennie :) Thanks for joining the group of people in this chatroom who are more keen on giving advice rather than telling me off as if I were a child!!! ;)

Alex

Alex, I know the waiting can seem awful, but once you have fallen in love with a breed you just can't settle for anything else, and the waiting just has to be done. But, you never know your luck. When I first started contacting Irish Terrier breeders I was told that the wait would be a minimum of a year, probably longer. The breeder we had chosen had not long had a litter, and all pups were reserved, he would not have been having another litter for a year - we felt miserable. However, a few weeks later we got a phone call to say that a little bitch that he was holding back for another family was now available and would we like to meet her. Sure enough we met her, fell in love and she is currently lying on the bed next to me.

Have you considered an older SWD pup, maybe one that the breeder has ran on to see how they do in the showring, but are now looking to home.

I guess I'm a bit frustrated at the prospect of having to wait, yes :( You see, because I'm Spanish, got a home and a family there and all that, it'd be so much easier (and half the price too!!!)to buy a SWD there. The problem is, of course, the 6-month rule of the PET scheme:(

But as you say I may be just as lucky as you were :) Definitely it won't be a bad idea to consider an older SWD. I guess I'll need to raise the issue with the breeders as soon as I contact them.

Good luck with your Irish Terrier (a lovely breed too I'm told and maybe rarer than the SWD!!)

Hi Alex, I would be more concerned if a breeder didn't have a waiting list for their litters and i would be asking them why (they may have a good reason). Remember most reputable breeders only breed when they want to keep a pup back for themselves - not to supply the pet market - and then only breed when they have a list of good vetted homes to place the remaining pups in. In my breed it is not unusual to wait a year or two for a pup (and my breed are not considered rare). Considering this dog is going to provide you with 12+ years of companionship, waiting a year doesn't seem that much.  Think of the Guinness ads - Good things come to those who wait :) .  I thnk if you are set on getting a SWD then waiting for a pup is just something that goes along with owning the breed - If this is the only breed for you then you have no other option but to join a waiting list and hope for the best. Good Luck to you.

Fortunately for us it's very rare that an older dog would be available, this did happen a couple of months ago but in a rare set of circumstances.

Alex, you are doing the right thing by contacting plenty of people.  You need to ensure that the dog is going to be KC registered and not DLRC registered.  SWD's are best bred in a house environment as they can be wary of people that they don't know but with the right socialisation etc. this can be helped. 

You have to ensure that you are able to at least be able to take them to early obedience classes as this helps with their socialisation.

I can tell you now though that they are an addictive breed.  Never in a million years did I think 13 years ago that I would have 6 of them (4 living with me and 2 with my parents!!).  And as Olivetor's just said you could be with this dog for at least 12 years.  Just had a birthday party for Lydia who is 12 tomorrow at her brothers house :d  It's been a busy but enjoyable day, and neither of them look their age.

happy birthday mum love gollie

THanks Gollie

I had a wonderful day.  Loads of people came round and I played with the tennis balls, got loads of doggy treats and a new toy that a piggy with a squeaky head, best of all she has a tennis ball as her tummy.  I'll soon be able to chew that to bits.  Azor was a bad boy and ripped two of his new toys up in seconds, but I was very good and left mine all in one piece (not for long though :d).

Mum managed to take a couple of photo's but she wanted to take some outside but it rained all day.

I wonder what I'll get of my mum and grandma and grandad tomorrow?  I can't wait.

Bye for now.

Lydia (soon to be 12 yr. old SWD!)

have a good day i am off to the beach with my dauther  tangle and those big frc for the day.

Hi perrodeagua,

I'll definitely make sure the breeder is a KC recognised one. I already have a breeders' list from the SWD club and will contact them ASAP.

Alex