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| NOVICES INTERVIEWING BREEDERS BY JILL SWEDLOW PART 2 |
| Although cardiomyopathy is a problem in the breed, it’s a difficult condition to evaluate. Obviously if they are actually suffering from it, the test will show it. However, when I had one of my bitches checked, I was told that although she was healthy at the moment, she could show cardiomyopathy when tested in 6 more months! What I find really odd is that OFA will certify the heart with a one time test! Oh, well, we do the best we can I suppose. 2. So assuming that the breeder has at least done hip and thyroid screening, the next question is to ask for documentation. Anyone can say that their dogs have been screened. I know this probably really sounds harsh, but if a breeder is honest, they should have no problem with showing you the documents. If they hem and haw, beware. 3. And this brings us to a really touchy question. They say they do the screening, they show you the documentation, can they prove that this documentation does, indeed reflect the results for that particular dog? In other words, does the dog have any kind of permanent identification? I must admit that I have only one dog that could fill all the above criteria. Until recently, it never occurred to me that someone might test a healthy ringer to substitute for the dog that had previously failed the testing. In talking to the veterinarians who have done these screening tests, I’ve asked them how they verify that this is the actual dog it is purported to be. They’ve all told me that there is no way they can unless the dog is identified with either a tattoo or a microchip. Due to a personal experience with this kind of fakery, I plan to microchip and tattoo every future puppy I produce at cropping time. Every test I’ve performed on Skylark shows here microchip number on the documentation. I make the vets check her chip before the test. Hopefully the day will soon come when the AKC will require permanent identification PRIOR to registration. This will keep a whole lot of people a whole lot more honest! I’m certainly not trying to imply that those who fake test results are in the majority. Far from it, but it does happen and it’s important to know this. 4. This brings us up to temperament. Basically our breed truly deserves its nick name of ‘gentle giant’. Breeders have wrought miracles in temperament improvement from the first Danes imported from Germany into our country. Back then the breed was so vicious that they were banned from dog shows. But unfortunately the incidents of Danes biting children, their owners or handlers seem to be increasing. There are top show specimens with terrible temperaments continue to be bred. These are often dogs produced and used at stud by well known breeders. Why? I don’t know. I’ve given up trying to figure it out. I’ve always hoped that one of these dogs would take a really BIG bite out of the people who continue to breed him/her. You need to ask if a breeder will guarantee the temperament. You need to see the dam (away from her puppies, please) and the sire. You need to see them under circumstances other than being strung up in the show ring or ring side. Believe me, the handlers know well how to hide temperament problems. However, there’s a catch to this one. Temperament is not only a product of genetics, it is also heavily influenced by environment. An aggressive dog can be made more so by a timid owner who has no idea how to cope with his pushiness. A submissive dog could be turned into a fear biter by an abusive owner. Conversely the aggressive dog can become a reliable family companion and guard in the right hands as can the shy dog be brought to it’s best by a competent owner. Because once the dog leaves the breeders, control is relinquished, I DO NOT guarantee temperament in writing. For instance, if I thought that the problem had been caused or aggravated by the way the dog was treated, there is no way I’d place another dog with that person. Instead I would refund half the money and send them on their way. In one circumstance when we had a temperament problem in a dog that I knew had been properly raised and nurtured, I replaced the dog from a puppy from another (unrelated) litter. I make it clear in my contract that I have the final say so in these cases. As a new buyer, you will need to go on your instinct here. If the breeder strikes you as being truly concerned with good temperament, then you’re probably safe with them. Just don’t fault them if they fail to unconditionally guarantee this trait. A good breeder knows the potential temperament of her puppies. Rely on her to help you pick the best temperament for you situation. A family with small children will be best off with a puppy who is submissive enough to take direction willingly, but who is outgoing enough to romp and play happily with the kids. A dominant personality may best suit a single person or a family of adults only. A family that has the ability to properly train the dog and not the other way around! |