Purchasing from a Reputable Breeder
If you are looking for an Old English Sheepdog puppy (or any other breed for that matter), there are things you certainly should and should not do. 1. Do not go to a pet store. Most of their puppies come from puppy mills where the entire focus is profit. Your chance of getting a healthy animal is low, your odds of getting a dog anywhere near the quality you are paying for is even lower. You will actually get a much better dog by going to a reputable breeder. Also- in all likelihood, the puppy from the reputable breeder will be better socialized. Puppy mill puppies are seldom handled. 2. It is a good idea to avoid the lady down the street with the sweet pet. Referred to as 'backyard breeders,' these people often breed animals that a reputable breeder would have spayed or neutered because it is not a good representative of the breed and possibly carries genes for hereditary defects that have not been tested for. These are normally the puppies that you find in the want-ads. Grandparents that were champions is certainly no indication of the quality of this dog, even breeding two champions will produce more pets than show dogs. 3. Cost, while certainly a concern, should not be your first concern- and most reputable breeders are leery of people for whom it is. They will give you a very fair price for a pet puppy. But the health of the puppy is of the most importance, is it not? 4. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you are saving money by buying a puppy from a backyard breeder. Their prices are usually less than the price of serious breeders, but the hidden costs are what you need to look at. ALL BREEDS HAVE GENETIC DEFECTS. I don't know of one that doesn't. The show breeder knows generations of the dog's history- and any problem lines are bred away from as much as possible. Your chance of running into a genetic defect is MUCH HIGHER when Mrs. A that has a papered dog breeds to Mrs. B who has a papered bitch. They do not know the background of these dogs, and may well be reinforcing a genetic defect. Most genetic defects translate into VET BILLS for you. If saving money on the purchase of a dog is that big a concern, go to the shelter and save a crossbred dog. The likelihood that they will have a genetic defect is MUCH lower- because you are not breeding within the breed. 5. Go to the shows. You can find where and when they are by going to the CKC/AKC website. Look for conformation shows. Look at the dogs there. That's what you're looking for- or as close as you can get. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most people love to talk about their dogs. If you are looking for a pet puppy, say so. Virtually no litters are all show dogs. 6. Seek out your local kennel club, or the club for the breed you are interested in. Go to a meeting or two. Ask questions. Get to know who's breeding what. Know what the health issues in your breed are. 7. Don't be surprised if the breeder has as many questions for you as you do for him- a reputable breeder cares very much about the kind of home their puppies will go to. 8. Do not be surprised when the breeder asks that the puppy you buy be spayed/neutered. Pedigrees are forever, and if they sell you a pet dog, they will want to be sure that the puppy they sell as a pet doesn't become an unpleasant reference back on their breeding program after being outcrossed to other pet quality dogs. You will find it fairly impossible to get stud service from a good quality stud if you have a pet quality bitch, in any case. Stud owners, also, are very picky about what goes under their pedigree. I hope this has been of some help. You don't need to find your puppy this week, you'll likely have it for some 15 years. Planning ahead on a commitment like that is a good thing. Good luck! |
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| Great info Amber! As someone who has purchased 7 oes from reputable breeders I don't think it can be stressed enough. |
| Hope all the people considering a BYB will READ this and follow it................
It seems from pasts posts, people just either don't understand or they think whatever they read won't happen to them!!!!..."not me---I'll get a good dog!!!" Thanks, Amber.... |
Good article Amber. 
Exactly what pretesting will a reputable breeder have done before the dogs are bred? What should these test results be... like OFA ratings on hips... only good or excellent? A tail like a cocker spaniel or boxer is a visual advertisement that the breeder is uneducated. There should never be a protruding or visible stump... correct? http://oesusa.com/TailDocking.jpg |
| here is a link to a similar ongoing discussion in the mediccal section -
http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?t=17145 |
| Wow... that's exactly what I'm looking for.
Thanks Dawn. |
| I think it is interesting that passing a ofa cert is not enough for some folks. It should be. The fact that they passed is proof enough the hips are good. The fair - good - excellent can depend on so many factors. The clarity of the x-ray. Whether or not the dog was put under and the exact position for the x-ray for a few examples. I won't judge a breeding possibility on a specific rating. I just want to know the ofa test result was positive.
Zach |
| Hey Zach-
I don't know what exactly makes a quality OES... it's one reason I've asked a few times what the qualifications of a good OES might be. One of my rescues dogs has bad hips http://oesusa.com/PandaXray1.jpg . Obviously she would rate poorly if x-rays were taken for OFA ratings (these were done for a progress check only). The only positive is she contributed to the HD gene study so her condition may someday help others not suffer from it. So are the three OFA ratings you've mentioned considered passing for breeding adults? It will be years before I consider purchasing a dog though I did look at some pups in the $2,000 to $2,500 range so I'm curious. |
| Yes - any ofa rating is ok for breedding in my opinion. A fair is still good. Just trying to clear that up lols. |
| I'm sorry you are having to deal with it Jaci and greatful you are trying to help. I am glad you are asking. They break your heart. |
| Great post Amber... |
zach wrote: Yes - any ofa rating is ok for breedding in my opinion. A fair is still good. Just trying to clear that up lols.
I find that interesting, Has any study been done to determine if dogs with fair hips vs excellent are more likely to have offspring with less favorable hip ratings? |
| Great Post |
| Fair to excellent is very slight. I know if you look at windfield in ofa for example, you'll find fair have produced excellent and excellent have produced fair and all have produced good. Does it really matter? The hips if registered correctly and other factors don't become involved shouldn't ever be a problem with any ofa rating. Plus, how do you know if they are what's stated to begin with. They look at so many I'm sure some days are better than others and as I said, x-ray quality, clarity, position and if the dog is put under all play a factor. I don't put my dogs under so I doubt if I ever receive a excellent. I know many other who don't as well. To me it's not worth the risk. |
| A very good article Amber.
Zach are you a breeder? |
Quote: They look at so many I'm sure some days are better than others
This statement seems it would be accurate... you've got humans grading the hips that are professionals trained in the field but the opinion given is subjective. Have you ever read a diamond grading report? The same thing applies. There is a disclaimer that usually indicates it's the opinion of the lab on the day of grading and it is in no way a guarantee. There are times the same diamond has been sent to the same lab and it's received a different grade. Granted, there are more grades possible but this seems the same would apply to some dogs that are borderline. |
| yes, on a modest scale. |
| Hi Dairymaid,
I was looking at your wonderful website. I see you have done well at the shows and have beautiful oes but I don't understand the judging and ratings. Can you help explain what they mean? |
| One more thing I didn't say on hips. Any oes can produce a dog with bad hips. Breeding with OFA stock only improves the odds. |
| Jaci this link might explain it more, scroll down to the bottom also it gives the interanational gradings for comparison with the OFA.
http://www.offa.org/hipgrade.html Fair is all right to breed with as they are registered on the OFA you can see by this link under that is not listed on the OFA register. One of the top producing sires of all times in the breed in the US only had a fair hip score and did not throw that in offspring. Say for instance you want to use a dog with a fair score, as a guide you would be looking for the partner they go to, to be higher say good or excellant. The hip evavluations are a guide to help breeders evaluate their breeding programs. I would have no problems using a dog with a fair score that had all that I liked in the breed, but I would put that one to another with a better result. Fair upwards is all right and common sense to what two go together is just as important.  |
| Thanks Lisa, saved me lols. |
| Thanks Lisa... I appreciate the explanation. |
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