# How Do You Rate a Breeder



## DianL (Mar 28, 2007)

I thought this would be very interesting to both buyers and breeders to see how people really go about getting a new puppy.. I hope you do to.

Do you base your opinion on hearsay ?
Do you base it on a visit to the breeder to find out what their breeding practices are for yourself?
Do you base it on breeder references such as vet, previous buyers, etc ?
Do you base your opinion on what a website depicts without going any further ?
Do you base your opinion on the amount of testing done?
Do you base it on a friends opinion?
Do you base it on the amount of Champions the breeder has?
Do you base it on full or limited registration?
Do you base it on price?
Do you base it on pet or show?


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

5+ years ago, when I got Bonnie, I was uneducated and bought her at a petstore. Knowing what I know now, I would follow several of your ideas. I would listen (not gospel) to hearsay and store those names. I would ask my vet and groomer (again, store any names and cross check). I would want to develop a comfortable relationship with a breeder where questions come from both sides. I would expect the breeder to be responsible enough to test his/her breeding dogs. A website would probably only serve to eliminate breeders to me. Although I know many, if not all, reputable breeders have websites, my decision would not be based solely on that. I would weed out the 'tea cup' claims, etc., from websites. I would like to visit the home that the dogs are in, and see their environment. Therefore, I would not (personal choice) have a puppy shipped to me. I would sooner fly to the breeder's home and meet them there. And that brings me to my final (and possibly strongest) determinant - advice from this website. I've learned so much here, and have met so many people that have developed strong relationships with breeders, as well as the wonderful breeders that visit this site. I would be very comfortable purchasing my next Maltese from someone on this site, or someone who was referred to me by this site.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

I find it's easiest for me to get information right from this forum. Reading and asking questions - one can really learn alot. I, too, made in impulse buy when I got Archie (BUT I HAVE NEVER REGRETTED IT). He is the most precious guy in the world. Abbey came from a local breeder who has beautiful dogs...all family raised, actually I stopped in a couple of days ago to see her. She has a three week old litter - big mistake for me (I'm in love now). Tinker is a yorkie I rescued three months ago - I didn't get to see him until I got him. 

If I am ever allowed to get another dog. I will probably contact a breeder on this forum....and start bugging them....and bugging them....until I get one! LOL. My husband keeps saying "no more dogs"


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

Here is my answers for this based on if I was looking for a new dog. This is all hypothetical. If a person was actively seeking a dog, these questions would be easier to answer!


Do you base your opinion on hearsay ?

*If I hear negative things about a breeder, I take it under advisement but I don't base my opinion soley on what i hear. It always seems like there are two sides to every story, no matter what. * 

Do you base it on a visit to the breeder to find out what their breeding practices are for yourself?

*If that can be done, than that is a good basis. Actions can usually speak louder than words (either negative or positive) I would also want to know how young a breeder breeds their girls.*

Do you base it on breeder references such as vet, previous buyers, etc ?

*Previous buyers are worth their weight in gold, again with either a positive or negative experience*

Do you base your opinion on what a website depicts without going any further ?

*I do base an opinion on what a website depicts since that is usually my first impression of a breeder, what their website looks like. I love looking at breeders dogs, pics of their home, etc. I also like seeing ALL of the dogs on a site with links to their pedigrees, not just the ones that are champions. I love looking at pedigrees. It also gives me an idea of how many dogs a breeder has and I don't feel like there is something that a breeder is hiding by just having their champions. I like seeing descriptions of the dogs personaliies, etc. I also love looking at pictures of purchased dogs in their new homes as part of a breeder's extended family. Grooming tips are always appreciated also! *

Do you base your opinion on the amount of testing done?

*Testing is definitely important and knowing that somebody isn't breeding a dog with bad patellas, etc*

Do you base it on a friends opinion?

*I try to keep an open mind, especially if the friend has had a bad experience with a breeder*

Do you base it on the amount of Champions the breeder has?

*I do look at the number of champions a breeder has. Definitely. The more dogs that are finished, the more comfortable I feel that a breeder is serious about breeding quality dogs and not just using their females for breeding purposes. I know that it doesn't always mean a whole lot that a dog has been finished, but I feel more comfortable when I see that a breeder takes the time and money to at least try and finish some of their girls before using them in their breeding program. Especially if they are a breeder of show quality dogs, I think it's extra important. It's definitely not all I look at though. * 

Do you base it on full or limited registration?

*Obviously if I'm looking for a show dog, I think full registration is important. If i was looking for a pet, I would feel more comfortable buying from a breeder who sells with limited registration on their pet puppies. * 

Do you base it on price?

*Depends on the dog and if I feel they are worth the price that is being asked. I definitely don't mind paying for quality!*

Do you base it on pet or show?

*Again another question that has two different answers depending on what i was looking for. I truly appreciate breeders who are willing to sell show dogs to new people but only if they don't sell to just anybody who says they want a show dog. * 


Ok, these were hard to answer! All my answers are hypothetical but I tried to answer as if I was looking for a new dog.


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## msmagnolia (Sep 8, 2004)

I have gotten 3 maltese from 2 different breeders, both of whom show dogs. This is MY experience...

Do you base your opinion on hearsay ? Sort of. I tend to look to breeders that other people have had good luck with. I would probably be negatively influenced if I heard that a particular breeder kept all their pups in cages all the time, etc. I am aware that rumors are sometimes unfounded so I hope I would give the breeder in question the benefit of the doubt and try to see and decide for myself.

Do you base it on a visit to the breeder to find out what their breeding practices are for yourself? In a perfect world I would visit the breeders home. Unfortunately this is rarely possible because I do not live in a central location.

Do you base it on breeder references such as vet, previous buyers, etc ? I do check references, yet I understand that a breeder isn't going to give me anyone to use as a reference who will not be positive. I would rather have an opinion from a fellow breeder...

Do you base your opinion on what a website depicts without going any further ? I am not influenced that much by a good or bad website. I understand that many people are not "into" the internet. At the same time, a slick website does not necessarily indicate a good breeder....

Do you base your opinion on the amount of testing done? Having had a dog with a problem (that a test wouldn't have found!), I like breeders who test. I think it would be much better if the AMA had breeder guidelines for minimum testing. The bichon people have certain things that they test for and all of the good breeders do this testing. I would like to know that the sire and dam have had tests and I would like for the puppies to be seen by a vet, have all of the shots (to date) and have a blood panel. I am willing to pay for the blood panel.

Do you base it on a friends opinion? I think friends are biased toward their own favorites. I am influenced by my friends' opinions but we are all looking for different things in a puppy.

Do you base it on the amount of Champions the breeder has? I want a breeder who shows dogs because that tells me that they are trying to obtain breed standard. 

Do you base it on full or limited registration? I have no personal interest in showing a dog so I expect a breeder to sell a dog to me with a limited registration and I would be suspicious if they were willing to sell a pet puppy with full registration.

Do you base it on price? No. Price isn't that big of a deal, within reason. (Everyone has different levels of comfort regarding price.)

Do you base it on pet or show? I look for a pet dog. I want a puppy who was bred for the express purpose of getting breed standard so that the puppy might be shown. My puppy will undoubtedly have not met the expectation of the breeder. I do not want to use a breeder who is just having pups so that they have dogs to sell.


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## Cathy (Mar 19, 2006)

Do you base your opinion on hearsay ? After 6 years of being Maltese obsessed I have heard a a lot of hearsay. Whether or not I believe it depends on the source and if the story even sounds plausible. If I've heard a lot of negative things about a particular breeder I'd likely stay away as there are a lot of Maltese breeders to choose from.

Do you base it on a visit to the breeder to find out what their breeding practices are for yourself? I would love to visit a variety of breeders but unfortunately this isn't possible due to the cost of flying from Canada to US destinations. Unfortunately, there are very few good show breeders in Canada. If cost wasn't an issue I'd visit a bunch of US breeders in a heartbeat. For the 3 Maltese I have owned I did visit the breeders. My first was purchased locally from a BYB. My 2nd and 3rd came from a show breeder in another province. I flew to her home without knowing if I would even come home with a puppy. She wanted to met me before committing and I wanted to meet the girl. I passed her test and she passed mine so I came home with a puppy each time.

Do you base it on breeder references such as vet, previous buyers, etc ? In the past I haven't but may do so in the future if I am unfamiliar with the breeder.

Do you base your opinion on what a website depicts without going any further ? Absolutely not. A slick web site does not mean that it belongs toa good breeder. Many good breeders do not even have web sites.

Do you base your opinion on the amount of testing done? I like a breeder who tests the breeding stock. While there are not tests for everything, those that are available should be done. For example, the patellas and hips should be OFAed, blood panels done and bile acids tested.

Do you base it on a friends opinion? If my friend likes the same type of Maltese as I then I would consider her opinion. However, this would not be the only factor in my decision.

Do you base it on the amount of Champions the breeder has? I want a breeder who shows dogs because that tells me that they are trying to obtain breed standard. The number of champions does not matter. I highly respect a particular woman who has been showing and breeding for over 20 years. Her goal for breeding has always been to produce her next show dog. Because she generally specials her dogs she hasn't done a ton of breeding or had a zillion champions. Yet, she's always had quality dogs and selling pets was always secondary to producing a dog to show. I trust her completely and am assured that she is not secretly keeping breeding dogs in her garage. She is who she says she is and has been a wonderful mentor. She truly leads by example.

Do you base it on full or limited registration? If I am buying a pet I expect limited registration. If I am buying a show dog I expect full registration. However, I would be open to paying a lesser amount for limited registration until championship is attained and then a further fee to have it changed to full registration.

Do you base it on price? Yes, to a degree. I like good quality Maltese and if 2 of comparable quality are available from 2 different breeders for a significant difference in price, I would choose the least expensive. Travel costs would also be factored in as I'd likely go to pick up the puppy.
Also, some breeders have been known to charge the same as or more than top tier breeders even though their dogs are not the same quality. Some who do this do not even show. Others justify their prices by saying they show but in reality they aren't actively showing. I would stay away from these breeders as they ae obviously trying to make a big profit from their dogs. 

Do you base it on pet or show? When I was looking for my 2nd pet I wanted one as close to the standard as possible. I found my perfect girl whose bite went off so she was sold at 6 months as a pet. In my search for a show dog I wanted a quality dog from a breeder I could trust. Too many newcomers are stung by breeders and I didn't want to become a statistic. 

New Question: Do you base it on the looks of the dog? Yes, I have to like what I see in the intial pictures. I'm partial to certain head types and like a good coat since I prefer to keep the coat long. My dream Maltese has a heavy indestructible silk coat.










Cathy A


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