After that we decide the breed of election, we need to prepare
ourselves to realize a good acquisition.
Good acquisition is the one that will satisfy us during approximately the next 10 years.
The best way of deciding with precision is formulating appropriate questions.
A kind of "check-list."
What is the purpose?
It is a question that almost nobody does himself before to effect a purchase:
a) Working Dog ?
To answer this question we have to examine our conscience and know if it will live
together the family or if its function will be only of service.
b) Guard and Companion Dog ?
In this case the choice will have to be more rigorous about the temperament
c) To Personal Guard or Territorial?
The choice will must relapse on the male, to territorial guard and the female will remain
with the responsibility of the personal guard for being more jealous than the male.
d) For Breeding or Dog Show ?
In this case the main concern will must be about the bloodline and the qualities that the
specimen will can offer to its offspring.
Male or Female ?
The male, when adult, in all breeds is more rustic, heavy and hard,
less willing to play while the female is more docile, jealous and altruistic.
If the purpose is of breeding we will must make a breeding program and we buy the females
on the following sequence:
To has a natural development the kennel will must begin with a female; take care of her,
feed her and exercise her.
When she is 8 months old is the moment to acquire the second female and so on.
When the kennel gets 5 females is the economic moment of acquire a male.
According to the rule of mate, in a litter, the male has by right a puppy or its value.
The female has by right the others.
The average of puppies, per litter, in breeds of big and medium-sized, is of 6 (six) thus,
each female has by right 5 from her 6 puppies.
The male that covers 5 females has by right 5 puppies and, therefore, economically will
have the same value of a female.
Paying a mate is cheaper than to sustain the male for 6 months.
What we need to verify when buying a puppy:
The acquisition of a standard of the breed chosen is of primordial importance. It describes how must be the breed.
1) IF IT HAS PEDIGREE
The Pedigree, at buying a dog, correspond to the "guarantee
certificate" when you buy an appliance. It is the quality guarantee and makes it more
expensive just in about R$30,00 reais.
2) VERY SERIOUS FAULTS OR
DISQUALIFYING (depending of the breed)
a) Light eyes very light – check with the breed standard the
seriousness of this fault.
b) On males, absence of the testicles.
c) Undershot – check with the breed standard. In boxer, for example,
it is a quality.
d) Light Marks on the nose – check with the breed standard. In
Harlequin Great Dane, it isn’t fault.
e) White Marks on the chest and the paws – check with the breed
standard. Some breeds allow and at others, as on Bernese Mountain Dog, it is a quality.
f) Timidity and fear of noise.
g) Blindness or deafness.
3) SERIOUS FAULTS
a) White markings - check with the breed standard. Some breeds allow and
at others, as on Bernese Mountain Dog, it is quality.
b) Not well development: thin, rickety, unhappy.
c) Puppy that doesn’t lie with the legs on back: probably is already initiating a
process of not well development of the hip joints.
d) Dewclaw without be amputated: check with the breed standard. Some
breeds allow and at others, like on Briard, it is quality.
d) Dewclaws not amputated:
4) REFINEMENT
Try to do a check-up and acquire puppies:
a) That have a good temperament: happy and leader. Observe its relationship with the
kennel owner. Observe its relationship with the others puppies. Choose a playful. Do a
noise like clap your hands loudly. Don’t choose the fearsome.
b) It has to have a good movement: observe the puppy walking, preferentially not running.
Check if it just move itself with the hind paws together or if it moves also them touching
the ground alternately. The one that alternate them has more chance of excellent movement,
when becomes adult.
c) It has to be well boned: observe the diameter of the carpals and metacarpus
well-developed.
f) It has to be sound: clean of worm – observe if the belly presents eruptions like
prickly heat or if it presents pustules like acne; observe if the eyes present some
running. Observe if the conjunctive is red-color or pale.
FREE FROM DIARRHOEA – wait a little talking to the kennel owner and observe the puppy feces; the puppy with diarrhoea has much chances to contract the parvovirus.
GOOD APPETITE – never buy a puppy without appetite.
TAIL AND DEWCLAWS – at the occasion of buying the puppy, the wounds of the dewclaws amputation if they exist and of the tail cut (check with the breed standard: there are breeds that require the dewclaws and tail amputation and others don’t) they must be completely scarred. A healthy puppy is happy, playful and has an insatiable appetite and after eating, defecate and urinate, sleeps like a prince.