How long did it take you to choose a breeder?

[noludoru]

And how long did it take you to get on a wait list for a puppy?

However long did it take for you to get your puppy (ie, litter on the ground, being bred, or waiting for a particular breeding)?

And how did you choose your breeder? What kind of relationship do you have with them now?

You can answer this for past dogs if you want, it doesn't have to be current. Long-winded answers are appreciated.

 

[Laurelin]

Like a week. In the future I want to take more time to pick out a breeder.

There's a reason Hank is a shelter dog... I could not find a breeder I liked. Well I could find breeders I liked but they either were breeding a breed I didn't want or weren't having a litter for a year or more.

I'm in pretty big research phase right now. I know a couple dogs from breeders I'm interested in so I'm kind of waiting to see how they grow up.

 

[Linds]

Didgie and Traveler, a couple weeks. I looked around a lot but kept coming back to his dogs and the people I talked to all said the same thing and finally one person I really liked and respected in the breed just said "If you are going to gamble and import, get a Toolalla dog." And that was that. When it was time to add another I didn't even think about going anywhere else.

Since he's retiring I'm still looking for a breeder for my next Koolie which is proving to be very difficult. I have a couple of leads but have trouble finding the type I like.

For the Crested I'm getting, it all happened pretty fast. The breeder I was going to go with fell through with me for time frame and a friend said she had seen this other breeders name pop up a lot and might be worth looking into.

Since I'm not and really don't want to become immersed in the breed I wasn't going to put a ton of effort looking for a breeder, it was more of a "if it works out, it works out.". But I looked her up, sent her a message and she happened to have a Puff puppy kept back, I liked her, liked her contract and liked what everyone said about her dogs.

Basically, it was really easy. But, I'm not looking for a top level performance dog so that makes it easier.

 

[LostAndConfused]

not long. I had my eye on a litter and my husband said, "stop talking about getting a dog and just get one already" so I seized the moment. If that litter hadn't worked out, I had my eye on a few more that would have been available later in the fall.

The breeder was super easy to talk to, replied to emails & FB messages super quick. She had a gathering at her place in March, but with my work schedule it didn't work out. I still like her dogs, but will be looking for a breeder that is producing smaller dogs next time around. I lucked out with Small Dog and his size.

 

[PlottMom]

I've had it narrowed down for a few years to a few people I used to be around a lot when we were still East coast and going to a lot of events. I had a plan set up to acquire a dog that had nothing to do with any of them, but it fell through, and I was telling one of the aforementioned breeders that I would not need her to eval the litter I though I would, and asked her to let me know if she knew of anyone who might be able to supply me with a competitive AKC dog. She mentioned she was breeding a litter that week, told me who the dogs were, I asked if there was a chance I could get a good AKC prospect, and she said yes and that she hadn't really mentioned the litter yet. So I'm on the list, now we see what happens when they're born.

 

[k9krazee]

I looked online for a few weeks and called a couple breeders. I really liked what Pox's breeder said on the phone and her contract details. My timeframe was a year away, I was hoping for a Spring 2015 puppy and she asked if she could bump me up to her Summer 2014 litter because she thought it would be a good fit. There were two litters before the summer 2014 litter and she tried to give me a puppy from each one and I declined (purely cosmetic reasons) and then the summer litter became fall and my Pox was born!

I love his breeder. I didn't meet her or her dogs before I got Pox, but a couple weeks ago I went to visit her and spent the night at her house. We are becoming good friends.

ETA: Short version: Found her online after a couple weeks of exploring. Sent her a deposit after two phone calls. 7 months later I had a puppy.

 

[krissy]

Kili fell into my lap.

I was looking for a retired racer for agility and was having a really hard time since so few people in the adoption world know what to look for. A friend mentioned there was a breeder that used to do grooming at her vet clinic. I looked up her name and found that she does performance sports with her dogs, so I e-mailed her to find out if she would have any litters coming up. Turned out she had 4 and 5 week litters on the ground at the time. This was super lucky considering she hadn't bred in 3 years, and didn't breed again for almost 3 (she's expecting a summer litter in about a month!).

I honestly did minimal research. I liked what she had to say. I liked the look of her dogs. I liked that she does a variety of sports with her dogs. I liked her health testing. I went to pick up Kili and I loved the adults' temperaments, liked the contract, etc. I had a really fantastic breeder just fall from the sky right when I needed.

I talk to my breeder a lot and am on a puppy list for when she breeds a particular female. I send her updates on what we're doing in life and if ever we have health concerns. We discuss dog sports and her breeding plans... all sorts of stuff. My breeder is the best.

 

[*blackrose]

I started looking at Chessie breeders maybe a year or so before I had decided to get one? I knew I wanted a dog after graduation, just wasn't sure what. Bounced around between Lab, Chessie, Cocker Spaniel, Field Spaniel...heck, I even emailed a Swedish Vallhund breeder that was local and had a good chat with her about the breed.

I think I got really serious after Michael enlisted. Maybe around April? Started emailing breeders. Seeing who had a litter, or was planning one. I needed a puppy after mid May, but before the end of July as Michael would be leaving. End of May/beginng of June was my target time.

I had decided I wanted a Chessie at that point, with Michael leaving I wanted a large, loud dog around, but was getting discouraged. 2/3 of the breeders were not breeding what I wanted and the other 1/3 was non responsive, didn't have a litter planned, or said my timing seemed too rushed.

Abrams' breeder I had spoke with a year prior when I was breed researching and I kept going back to her and her dogs. I emailed, she had a litter that was on the ground and would be ready to go first week of June, but they were all reserved, although one of her puppy buyers had mentioned waiting until her next litter...so she said she'd see what she could do for me. A week or three anxious, nail biting moments passed...and the buyer transferred his deposit and I had a brown male pup with my name on him.

 

[houlahoops]

However long did it take for you to get your puppy (ie, litter on the ground, being bred, or waiting for a particular breeding)?

I went to visit Dennis and Carolina in December of 2013? So about six months before I got Pippa. Prior to that, I think I had been in touch with them on-and-off for another six months.

And how did you choose your breeder? What kind of relationship do you have with them now?

I was looking first and foremost for health-tested, working-line dogs. I talked to some owners, watched a lot of Youtube videos, and was pretty sold on Johnson-Haus. After I met Ebo I was all-in! It was just a matter of waiting for the next couple of litters to hit the ground (I took a pup from the second, as the timing was better).

 

[Elrohwen]

I went through 3 breeders before I got a dog. All of their names were on the directory, but only one near me had a website which had a timeline for puppies, so I contacted her and got on the waiting list. I realize now that I should have contacted more people. Unfortunately, there weren't enough puppies for everyone, so she recommended two other breeders. I visited the first and was very excited, but then no pregnancy. So she pushed me to the third woman who had a 2 day old litter with too many boy puppies, and she said I could have one if I wanted a boy. I think from initial contact with any breeder to bringing home Watson was probably 11 months.

I have a very good relationship with Watson's breeder. She's stayed at our house a couple times, when she first showed me how to groom him, and when we bred him. She loves Watson and is super excited to see how his puppies turn out. When she handed him over to me she said he's one of the nicest males that she's bred. I don't think we would have stayed in touch nearly as much if I wasn't showing him and if she hadn't bred to him; it would've been a more casual relationship where I sent pictures a couple times a year. Obviously we've been in touch a lot about Watson's litter which is 5 weeks old now - she's sent me pictures every week and I'll be there for the evaluations which is pretty cool.

I have a nice relationship with the other two breeders I initially contacted, and I see them at shows and on facebook.

The Welshie community is small and everybody knows everybody. There is a directory on the club's website, and that's more of less all of the breeders in the country. Every one I have seen does the standard health tests, so it's pretty darn easy to find a good breeder. Now that I know more about lines I'm a little pickier on temperament and type in the dogs I prefer, but really you can't go wrong picking someone at random from the directory.

 

[Red.Apricot]

I was introduced to Elsie's breeder through the president of the breed club, after meeting him when I went to look at a puppy that ended up being more dog than I was looking for. Elsie's litter was almost four weeks old at that time, and I went to see her, liked her, liked her mom, liked the breeder... then I went to a show to meet the sire and I liked him. When Elsie's litter was 7 weeks old, I was told that, if I wanted, I could have the lavender puppy (Elsie!). I said yes, and got Elsie.

I had been looking for a Terv breeder for probably three months when I met Elsie's breeder, and it was another two months before I brought her home.

 

[SoCrafty]

It took me longer to figure out which breed. Originally, we wanted a rescue dog. She was the cutest little thing. But because we didn't have a fence, they would not adopt to us.

We emailed a breeder, but never got a response. I had already seen the website for Addie's breeder, but wasn't sure. I wanted a performance lined dog. Hubby told me to talk with her, so I did. I asked her questions and we went down to meet her. Spent over an hour asking questions before putting our names on the list.

And what do you know, we put up a tiny side yard for her a d we alternate between that and her 30ft long leash and she's happy as a clam. I still feel upset that the rescue didn't give us a chance. There are other ways to exercise a dog / tangent.

I am very happy with Addie though. We got the dog we needed perfect fit!

 

[meepitsmeagan]

How long did it take you to choose a breeder? Well, I had originally planned on going with a separate breeder. She took me probably about a month to find through research. I spoke to her several times, timing was never right for a puppy. When I was ready, she wasn't breeding at the time. Though she had dogs with her similar lines being bred, I didn't really want to go through someone else.

However, then I met Tulsa's breeder who showed/lived locally. I was able to spend tons of time with her dogs who were a little lower key then working bred dogs. I made the decision that while I was in school, a conformation bred ACD may be a better choice for me. She does all the health testing and everything, so it was just a matter of matching me with the correct puppy. I didn't 100% commit to Tulsa (or said breeder's dogs) until she was 6 weeks old.

And how long did it take you to get on a wait list for a puppy?

Post-Story drama, I think it was about a month later that I said I was interested in a puppy.

However long did it take for you to get your puppy (ie, litter on the ground, being bred, or waiting for a particular breeding)?

From start to finish from meeting her breeder, it was just over a year.

And how did you choose your breeder? What kind of relationship do you have with them now?

Kind of answered this above... she kind of just fell into my lap. We have a friendship. She helps me a lot at shows and such and we horseback ride together occasionally. I don't think I will use her again in the future, though.

You can answer this for past dogs if you want, it doesn't have to be current. Long-winded answers are appreciated.

Answers in bold.

 

[Stingr69]

We have been very lucky. Found Snoop Dogg from a well known breeder and had to pounce on him immediately. Just the right place at the right time. Better breeder than I could have imagined. Available RIGHT NOW, any time, when ever I have a question or need advice. Still keep in contact and send pix.

Dita was much more challenging to acquire. We needed another Pap and the right dog from a breeder we could work with was hard to find. I had to branch out and make some cold calls to some breeders involved with the national specialty club. Got lucky AGAIN! Right place at the right time. Had to drive 4 days round trip but it was totally worth it. We visit with the breeder maybe once a year or so.