Frequently Asked Questions
Things to ask a prospective breeder (including us)
We often get questions regarding why some breeders make different choices than others do. We think that families should find a breeder that is a good fit for them. Some of the questions that should probably be asked include:
- What tests have been performed on the Dam and Sire? Character? Hips? Eyes? Thyroid? Conformation?
- How many bitches do you breed? How often is each bitch bred? How many times total? How many males do you use? What is the maximum age at which you will breed a bitch? Do you ever breed the same bitch to the same male?
- Will you ship your pups?
- Are you a member of a Hovawart club? Have you ever been a member of a Hovawart club?
- What criteria did you use selecting the dam and sire for this litter?
- Have you ever decline an adoption? Can you give some examples?
- Will you be able to provide FCI recognized registrations for your pups? (FCI recognized registrations are universally recognized; since the Hovi is not AKC recognized if you are to enter a dog into an event - agility, obedience etc. non-FCI pups would be "mixed breed". UKC is not FCI recognized).
- What do you feed your dogs? Do you use a species appropriate raw natural diet. If you use kibble is how does it rate at www.dogfoodanalysis.com?
- How do you socialize your pups before they are adopted? How many different surfaces have they been on. What noises are they accustomed to? How many different people? What ages?
- Do you have independent puppy temperament testing done on the pups to help match them to the best suited homes? Who does the testing, what are their qualifications? What characteristics do you test for?
- What training methods do you use. Which methods do you recommend?
- Do you use chemicals to worm your bitch during pregnancy? Which ones? On the puppies? Do you test the puppy's stool for parasites?
- What vaccination protocols do you recommend?
- What breeding restrictions do you place on your pups?
- Do you require your pups new owners at the appropriate time test hips, eyes, thyroid, and character so that you can get an understanding for the strengths and weaknesses of your lines?
- What microchip standard do you recommend? Are they included in the cost of the pup?
- What benefits have you gotten from your club? Is club membership included with the pup?
- Will you be available to answer our questions once the pup is received? For how long? Do you have access to other experts that could help for "specialized" questions?
- Which resources (books, videos, websites, people, etc.) do you find helpful in quality breeding?
Copyright 2010 Philip Long. All rights reserved.