Find A Reputable Breeder

 

Finding a Breeder

How do you find a reputable Breeder?  Educate yourself and ask questions!!

1.  Does this breeder show pictures and health clearances of all of their dogs on their website?  Does this breeder have puppies available all of the time or will you have to wait for a little while because they only have puppies when they can devote a lot of time to them( 2-3 litters per year or less is common for a reputable breeder) Are the puppies raised in the house?  Does the breeder do evaluations that allow the breeder to match up the right puppy with the right home?

2.  Does this breeder ask you LOTS of questions about how you will care for the puppy?  Do they have an application process and a Sale Contract?  Do not be offended by a breeder asking how you will care for your puppy, etc.  If the breeder is genuinely concerned about the welfare of their puppies they need to know the family purchasing the puppy will take excellent care of the puppy.

3.  If you purchase a puppy from them will they supply hard copies of the clearences?  Hips are certified by OFA, Eyes anually by a certified Opthamologist, and Hearts annually or bi-annually by a certified cardiologist. You can verify hip clearences at  www.offa.org.

4.  Does  the Breeder Exhibit their dogs in some area of competition?  Do the dogs have titles before and/or after their name?  Breeders that exhibit their dogs are putting their money back into their dogs not just breeding for profit.  There are many things you can do with a cavalier, Conformation( show), Obedience, Agiliity, and Tracking. Titles can be earned in all of these events.

5.  Beware of the "unique" cavalier.  A variety or specialty in sizes, such as Teacup, are not recognized or accepted by the American standard.  Don't be fooled by fancy words and prices.  You can expect to pay $1500 to $2500 today for a quality cavalier king charles spaniel puppy.  Paying more is not buying you a better quality puppy.

6.  Look for a breeder that is devoted to the welfare of the breed, who not only clears for hips, eyes, hearts, but researches the pedigrees for other health issues such as eplilepsy and allergies.

7.  Does the breeder have a contract and is he/she willing to take back your puppy anytime during the life of the puppy if you can not keep it.  Is the breeder willing to be there for you as a resource for questions while you have this puppy?

8.  Designer dogs such as the Cavidoodle are NOT healthier, or better than a purebred bought from a reputable breeder.  These designer dogs will not ever be accepted as an AKC breed. These breeders can not compete in AKC events and are only breeding for profit.  These dogs do not have less health issues, rather they can have more because you are adding the health problems of two breeds together (such as in cavaliers it is very uncommon to have PRA- Progressive Retinal Atrophy- which causes a dog to go blind between the age of 2 and 6.  Poodles are commonly afflicted with PRA, so now you have a mixed breed puppy  that has potential heart, cataract, epilepsy, allergies and PRA).   Combining genes also means within a litter some dogs will have more traits of a poodle and some of a cavalier. So some will shed just like a cavalier, and some will have a combined coat that while cute as a puppy can be very difficult to deal with as an adult. And these dogs are NOT hypoallergenic, people are allergic to pet dander, not dog hair.

And last but not least find a breeder you are comfortable with, in buying a puppy from this person you are establishing a relationship with that breeder for the life of your puppy which hopefully will be as long as 15 years.