How To Aquire Your New Dog

This was written about great danes, but obviously it applies to any breed.

Okay, the moment has arrived. You have decided that you are ready for a great dane. There are a couple of different avenues you can take...

1) You pick up a local paper and cruise the Pets section
2) You have been in contact with a reputable breeder and are now ready to get on their waiting list
3) You go to the nearest GD Rescue site and start browsing

Let's take a look at how each avenue may progress...

1) You've found a local breeder in your paper and you're on your way to looking at the pups. You get there, and you immediately fall in love. You are so smitten with your new friend that you forget to ask the breeder about health testing or temperament. In fact, the breeder is busy talking about what great pups "ZENA" and "TINY" always produce that you forget almost everything you had read in the books. You fork over the cash and come home with your new puppy that day.
2) You talk to the reputable breeder. He/She informs you that they have a planned breeding coming up in 3 months. He/She also informs you that the Sire just completed his championship and has also gotten his CHIC number. He has cleared all testing for common inherited diseases. The Dam has been cleared for months, and they have been waiting for the best sire they could possibly find to compliment any faults the dam had. Because the breeding has not yet occured, you go ahead and place yourself on the waiting list. You talk to the breeder several times in the interim, and you're SO excited to get your pup. In the meantime, you continue to do research, you go to shows where you see relatives of your upcoming pup. You beam with pride.

3) You hear about a rescue from a person you work with. You decide to check it out. After all, saving a life is a wonderful thing. You contact your area coordinator and spend quite a while on the phone with her. You tell her of your specific needs, and she tells you of a few of the foster danes. She sends you an application. You fill it out and send it back in. You may or may not be perfectly matched with another dane immediately. But you're on your way.

So, now you have taken one of the three avenues. What happens next? Let’s fast forward six months.

1) Your backyard bred pup is now 7 ½ months old. Your breeder had told you how great his/her pups did on “X” kibble from the local grocer, so you decided to stick with it. At 5 months, your puppy had severe pains in his joints, but you called the breeder and were told it was just growing pains, don’t worry. At six months, he could hardly walk, and his feet look funny. You called the breeder again, but now your calls are being avoided. You take puppy to the vet only to find out he has severe HOD. While doing the x-rays, they also found that your puppy is dysplastic in both hips. The vet prescribes the appropriate treatment for the HOD, which your pup will eventually conquer, but prepares you for the hard life of problems ahead with the hip problems. He discusses surgery options with you for the future. You try to contact the breeder to tell him/her how upset you are, but surprise, your calls are still being avoided.

We’ll also touch base on the behavioral issues your pup is having. Because he wasn’t with mom until he was at least eight weeks old, he did not learn the appropriate socialization skills that mom would have taught him, as well as bite inhibition. Now he is 100 pounds and has fear aggression. Again, you try the breeder, and again you are ignored. You have no breeder support.
2) Your new pup from the reputable breeder has only been with you for a short time. The litter was born successfully and your breeder sent you pictures by email of the pups every week, along with updates. Through many conversations with your breeder, you both picked out a pup that would be suitable for your family.

The breeder also sent you home with tons of information about feeding your pup, health care, the name and number of a good trainer, and a cell phone number you could call anytime you had a question. This is breeder support, and a reputable breeder offers it for the life of your pup.

At three months of age, your dane pup is everything you could’ve hoped for. You are very happy and satisfied with your puppy and he’s healthy and happy and is a great representation of the breed.

3) Your adoption application was approved, and you have met several danes up for adoption. Two weeks ago, you received a call about a dane that would be a perfect match for your family. He’s been vet checked, and temperament tested and after meeting him, you couldn’t resist him. You brought him home where he took great interest in becoming part of the family. Your rescue volunteer has called to check on him, and you report that he is doing great, you can’t imagine why someone would’ve given him up. The volunteer also gives you a phone number you can call, anytime, should you have any concerns.

You can see how much making ONE decision can influence the life you share with your dane.

Let’s fast forward a few more years…..

1) Your backyard bred great dane suffered horribly from his hip problems. The pain of that on top of his temperament issues made him a biter. After your son accidentally tripped over your dane, the dane bit him causing extensive damage. You had to release him to the Bridge because he was not only in misery, but no longer trustworthy. He never made it to his fifth birthday. Your breeder never returned your calls.
2) Your pup from the responsible breeder went on to become a registered therapy dog, a Canine Good Citizen, and an agility champion. Your breeder was there every step of the way giving you support. When your dane reached the age of ten, you called your breeder again. “Jess, Apollo is getting old, he sleeps most of the time and has trouble getting up.” Your breeder is there for you, and offers support, and when it’s Apollo’s time to go to the Bridge, she even goes with you too the hospital.

After Apollo is gone, you remain in contact with the breeder. Then the day comes when another litter is planned. You put your name on the list. You’re going to be a mom again.

3) Your rescued dane shared 4 more years with you. Four wonderful years. In the space of that four years, you adopted two others. You now know that you will never be without a rescued dane. When you had problems with separation anxiety on the latest adoption, you contacted the rescue volunteer who gave you great advice, and together, you worked through it.

You now volunteer with the rescue as well. The first dane you adopted inspired you so much, you have become a wonderful asset to the rescue organization.

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Let’s take a look at a different perspective now.

The Backyard Breeder -
The backyard breeder has taken no steps whatsoever to make any improvements. Though she knew she was breeding faulty dogs, she continued to do so. She put very little money into raising the dogs, but sold them for hundreds of dollars. She has made quite a little pile of money at the expense of the dogs and the owner’s pain.
How do we stop this from happening? SIMPLE - do NOT buy from them. Educate yourself, and others about the pitfalls of buying from a BYB.

The Reputable Breeder -
The reputable breeder consistently works to improve her lines. Health testing is done to insure that the risk of inheritable health problems are minimized. The reputable breeder has continued to take steps to ensure that she is breeding only the best. She makes no money from the breedings but continues to do so because of her love for the breed. It was never about money.
The Rescue Organization -
The rescue has just celebrated their 15th year as an organization. Homes for over 800 great danes have been found, with great success. They take so much time and make so much effort to assure that the danes they place go to great forever homes, that they rarely have any danes returned to them. They continue to help save danes, educate owners and backyard breeders, and make life an option for many danes.


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One decision, it doesn’t seem like much. But it can mean the world to you down the road. Please choose wisely.

** Backyard bred danes (Scenario number 1) can be substituted with Pet Store Dane for the same effect and outcome. Pet store dogs are typically supplied by mills or back yard breeders. No reputable breeder would ever sell a dog to a pet store.

Please do not copy without permission. Email me at [email protected]

That's a nice article, but what it doesn't account for is the fact that your rescue dog likely IS a dog from a unreputable breeder so therefore will likely experience all the problems from situation 1.

And I also DESPISE the term "Backyard Breeder". We raised companion danes, two litters, from my beautiful old bitch, Sarah - yep, you guessed it, not registered! They were guaranteed for hips, etc, and there was a clause included in our contract that if the dog was being mistreated or was no longer wanted, they would be returned to us. We rehomed two. They are all healthy, wonderful dogs, and all of them (with the exception of one who fell down the stairs at the hand of a two year old - try to tell me that as a breeder, no matter how reputable, you could stop something like that) are still alive and thriving today! My old girl is 11 years young. We even advertised the pups for sale in the local newspaper.

I agree with the most part of your article - you do get a lot more support from a RESPONSIBLE breeder, but that responsible breeder is not always ONLY the one who has registered dogs with titles on them. I'm afraid the beginning of your article spawns bad feelings towards honest people who breed affordable companion dogs.

Thats a great analogy!

Yes, but you enter into rescue with the knowledge that you are adopting a dane who may or may not have issues. The majority of people who purchase a dane puppy expect a healthy puppy.

That's great, the majority of backyard breeders however don't take those precautions. I'm sorry you despise the term BYB, I despise their actions.
Obvioiusly if you health tested and offered breeder support, the term did not apply to you. You fall into the "grey" area.

Affordable? I paid $400 for my first dane, a Backyard bred dane. He had to have major surgery at 4 months, and died on me at age 3. Sorry, that was not much of a bargain.

I'd rather the spend the extra up front from a reputable breeder and decrease my odds of suffering that pain and loss and expense again.

And a responsible breeder is one who breeds for betterment of the breed. PERIOD.

Well - yes, maybe.

But you can have a great debate about that.

So... I think it's an opinion, rather than FACT.

I liked

Muggie -- I appreciate your input, but I don't think you get the point of this AWESOME point. You seem on the defensive. If the dogs are so wonderful, why WOULDN'T you register them? It just sounds like a red flag to me...

Maybe sire and dam aren't registered??

I do get on the defensive about these things after watching dog forums for years and years who constantly berate people who don't breed dogs with titles, etc. Heck, some people would consider what we do with our horses "backyard breeding", but we have produced several show horses, have world champion bloodlines and all of our horses are in pleasant, happy homes --- but to people breeding WORLD SHOW quality horses, that is "back yard breeding", because we've never shown at the World Show. It all lies in the eye of the beholder.

The unfortunate truth is, whether you like it or not, people are entitled to do what they want with their animals. I have met my share of "unscrupulus" breeders over the years that DO have papers on their dogs, have titles on their dogs, etc, and then you meet some really great, what everyone else would deem "backyardbreeders" - if people were only allowed to breed the BEST to the BEST, who would be the determining judge of that? People seek different things - for example, the working dogs vs the show dogs of a particular breed - the show dogs would be useless in the field and the working dogs would not hold up in the ring - oftentimes someone using a working dog doesn't care about papers, but wants something BRED to work, with a traceable history, you know what I mean?

I'm just saying it's not fair to make huge generalizations like this, like every person you buy from that doesn't SHOW their dogs or have registration papers is a horrible, evil Cruella Devil-esque figure. You see so much hate on these boards and prejudging of people and their circumstances. It makes me sick.

Sure I wish we lived in an ideal world where everyone did what everyone else wanted, but it's hardly fair to peg anyone who ever advertises dogs for sale in a newspaper or doesn't have a waiting list a mile and a half long as "back yard breeders". What about show breeders who keep their dogs in kennels more hours of the day than they are out? I'd much rather go to a spot that has a couple of bitches running around, living with the family, and raising a litter every couple of years than somewhere where the dogs are debarked and held captive in kennels for most years of their lives.

It's a very gray area, IMHO, and until there are clear federal guidelines indicating what a "back yard breeder" is, I certainly won't be judging anyone or perpetuating unfair stereotypes.

Good post, although I think it doesn't insist about training enough - even the best bred dog will be a bad dog if not trained.

Muggie's mum, I don't know anything about horses, but even in the dog world 'champion bloodlines' doesn't mean anything. No offense.

But I agree, people are allowed to do what they want with their animals (unfortunately) - so I guess it's not a bad thing to try to educate so that the whole problem decreases no? If people don't buy from them... they will stop breeding.

My question is, how do you know anything about a dog's bloodline if they are not registered? A pedigree isn't just for looks, it's a useful tool.

I guess that my problem with people who don't show their dogs is that their reasons for breeding are wrong. Even when it's a family with dogs living with them - why make their bitch suffer through it just because of some selfish want? That, and how can you claim breeding a purebred puppy when the pup doesn't look like the standard? If the looks are not like the standard, how will you know what the temperament will be?


I guess it's what I don't get. With non tested/showed/registered puppies, people won't know what they get anyway - why not just get a mutt from the shelter?

Wait..

You say in the dog world, world champion bloodlines don't mean anything but in the next breath say that registration is important because you need to know what bloodlines they have??

For halter horses, having a stallion that is an own son of one of the lifetime leading sires is a pretty good indication that you have some quality of horses.

So. Only show dogs and shelter dogs are valuable? I just have a few problems with what you're saying...

Muggie's Mom, do your dogs have health clearances recognized from OFA, pennHIP, CERF? Are they cleared on thyroid and congenital cardiac disorders? Do you have a spay/neuter contract on your puppies?

i dont understand why they even look at papers let alone multi breed commercial sites on the net.

The new trend is create a multi breed site as a backyard breeder and then you dont need to by advertising in mag or papers or any where . The Backyard breeders FLOCK to your site and they pay you to advertise your own backyard bred pups.

And no one asks you for Health work or show because you are the admin.

Sad really sad...

And yes, certified for things that danes can be prone to - forgive me for not knowing exact associations it was recognized by as I was 12 at the time. Many many moons ago.

There was no spay/neuter clause in the contract, but none of those pups was ever bred, coincidentally enough. They went to companion homes, exactly what they were bred for.

There is a huge difference between having a vet look at your dog and saying that the hips look good. Having your dog OFA or pennHIP scored actually tell you precisely how there hips are and the concern, if any, about the genetic replication during breeding. These health clearances cost thousands of dollars, and this is one of the reasons that a reputable breeder charges so much for their puppies---because they cost an awful lot to breed!!!

No spay/neuter contract into companion homes are where the BYB develop. BYB are not necessarily bad people, infact most of them truely love their dogs. The problem lies within these people thinking that because they have a nice dog that they think they should breed it just because she will have nice puppies, and they can get a couple of bucks out of the whole scenerio. You are very lucky that these people did not breed their puppies. Right now in New Brunswick an epidemic of unwanted Saint Bernards are showing up in the shelters. A woman who 'loves' her dogs and only wants others to be able to have the same experience as she has with this lovely breed is selling litters without any sort of spay/neuter contract. In turn others think that if she can make $500 off an unregistered pup then they can too. And the problem grows. The woman sells her pups for $500 because this way they are affordable for people who really want one, and they don't have to spend a thousand dollars ona puppy. Is she any less of a BYB-NO!!! In fact she is responsible for a beautiful 3 year old male who was euthanized three weeks ago. He was sold to an owner where he managed to escape, when he was fianlly caught he was deemed unadoptable (the original owner didn't want him back) because of aggression problems. This dog was actually a product of one of the pups that the original woman sold, so in fact she did not breed him, but the truth remains that if she would have had a spay/neuter contract the problem would never occured. So in turn I hold her responsible for selling a beautiful puppy to another irresponsible person who wanted to have a litter, and them selling a puppy to another irresponsible home. You see how the chain grows??? There are lots of things that make up a BYB, and IMO people who breed to simply have a litter are BYB's. Breeding is not something that should be taken lightly.

There is a reason for this, ya know. And sure, I've seen a few breeders who aren't good breeders just because they have titled dogs...a reputable breeder offers more than titles, as I stated in my original post.

You're correct, sadly....Backyard breeders will continue to churn out crappy quality congenitally defectives puppies one after another "because they can"

Their peers. That's what is important about shows...or agility, stockdog trials, Field trials, etc....those papers that state that your dog is a champion, whether it be for conformation or obedience, aren't just for the trash. They are proof that your dog is living up to a standard, or is the top of the line in an specific job or ability...

Most wonderful working dogs still have a traceable history.

You know what's NOT fair? Being conned by a backyard breeder because they said all the right things even though it was all lies....You know what's NOT fair? Taking your 3 year old dog to be cremated because your "breeder" wouldn't health test her breeding stock. You know what's NOT fair? When the shelter calls to say they have yet another dane in, and that's it's slated to be PTS in three days. They've contacted the breeder, who refuses to take it back. THAT is not fair. THAT makes me sick!

That's not a reputable breeder now is it? I don't recall suggesting someone like that IS. A breeder/exhibitor does not a good breeder make. There are MANY aspects that make up a reputable breeder.

To each his/her own. If you're fine playing russian roulette, I can't control that.


I agree...Training was not my intended subject of this article, that's a whole nother can of worms

The bottom line is that I'm not saying that people should not educate themselves on irresponsible breeders. They should, in fact, but they should also be able to judge a situation on their own - and take many things into consideration. Perhaps people with less animal experience /savvy wouldn't be able to recognize good and bad traits of breeders, but I believe *I* could walk into a situation and know what I am dealing with from years of owning dogs and other animals, purchasing and selling over the years.

You just can't GENERALIZE like that. It's unfortunate that you seem to believe that the only valuable dogs are those from shelters and those from show breeders, etc. Agility titles don't mean a blessed thing about quality/being a candidate to breed, do you know how many mutts I see on the agility field??

I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree on some things here. I can't justify judging someone on face value, without knowing the whole story. I know it's easy to get emotionally involved like that when it's an issue like dogs, but I do have to give people a LITTLE credit, without automatically assuming things.

I'm not saying you're wrong - I'm not saying I'm right, or vice versa, but there are a lot more to these situations than what first meets the eye.

saintgirl, are you talking about New Brunswick, CA?

Didnt you guys hear that Rare breeds are "naturally Healthy" and require no screening because they are ABORIGINAL and are WORKING dogs.

Sorry Heard that today from someone who got it from a Breeder of a rare molosser breed I laughed so hard i spit my ginger ale out...

Where are these people when I was a 18 year old telemarketer for teh quick diet pill? they believe anything a self exclaimed expert says.

PS greats posts cant add to excellence

Muggie's Mom-Yes, New Brunswick Canada.

Shadowfacedanes- what an excellent article, and I wish that everyone who
was thinking about adding a dog to the family would read it!!

Naturally healthy dogs just because they are a rare breed??? OMG- the things that some people will say to make a sale of a pup, huh??

That's awful about the saints - I actually hadn't heard about it - heck, haven't even seen a saint in NB, but I circulate (if I circulate at all!) in the equine industry around here, not so much dogs, we haven't bred a dog in years and years, and we only *just* got into agility.

I agree it's stretching it a little far to say 'naturally healthy' about ANYTHING.