Choosing a Puppy / Choosing a Breeder

A puppy who is a good buy will come from a responsible breeder. Although waiting for a puppy can be discouraging, try to think of it as a positive sign that people are not breeding casually, that they are carefully considering whether they have time to raise the puppies, homes to place them in, and whether the dogs they are breeding are sufficiently sound in both temperament and health. Because breeders take this care, Welsh Springers rarely appear in shelters or pet stores.

THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A VISIT WITH THE BREEDER. Health test results, titles earned, club memberships, and written purchase contracts all suggest that it is worth considering a puppy from this breeder. A visit is the best way to learn how the breeder's dogs are actually kept and how your puppy will probably be raised. If you don't like what you see, leave. We absolutely positively recommend against buying from anyone you have not personally visited. If you want to leave the visit until the day you pick the puppy up, make sure that you are prepared to walk out without the puppy if things are not as you think they should be.

Do not buy a puppy because you feel sorry for it. There are many puppies to feel sorry for at much lower purchase prices at your local animal shelter. Buying one puppy for hundreds (or thousands) of dollars just provides the breeder with incentive to bring more into the same conditions.

Here are some ways to recognize a puppy who is likely to be a good buy.

1. Health (Return to top)
1. Hip dysplasia.
   The breeder shows you certificates from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) stating that both the sire and dam of the litter have been checked, and their hip conformation is Fair, Good, or Excellent. If you have the registered names of the sire and dam, you can search the OFA database yourself at www.offa.org. (Outside the U.S., there are other hip registries. Ask breeders in your region, even breeders of other breeds, how to interpret those hip scores.)
2. Eye diseases.
   The breeder shows you certificates from the Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF) showing that both the sire and dam of the litter have been examined by a certified veterinary opthamologist and currently show no evidence of hereditary eye diseases. Eye condition can change, so the CERF certification should be from within the past year. You can also check the CERF database online at www.vmdb.org/cerf.html (Outside the U.S., there are other eye registries. Ask breeders in your region, even breeders of other breeds, about eye testing in your country. WSS breeders should at minimum be testing for cataracts and entropion.)
3. Epilepsy.
   The breeder will identify one or more carriers in the litter's four-generation pedigree, and will discuss how she has planned this breeding to minimize the risk of epilepsy. Both sire and dam are over age 2, and neither has seizures. Either the sire or dam has puppies from a previous litter who are over age 2 and none have seizures.
4. Hypothyroidism.
   The breeder will show proof from within the previous year that both the sire and dam either tested negative for thyroid autoimmune antibodies or tested normal on a thyroid hormone panel.
2. Temperament (Return to top)
1. Personality.
   You meet the dam and she is a dog you would like to live with. She barks at first, but away from her puppies she settles fairly quickly and everyone in your family can pet her. Titles, particularly those that come after the name and indicate some working ability, give some indication of stable temperament. However, titles are earned in controlled situations. You need a dog who is stable in unpredictable everyday life. Your personal impression is a better indication. Shyness is the most common problem encountered in WSS temperament.
2. Hunting Instinct.
   If you want to hunt, the sire and/or dam should hunt. Look for hunting titles (WD, WDX, JH, SH, MH after the dog's name in the U.S.). See pictures or videos or see the dogs work.
3. Physical Conformation (Return to top)
1. Soundness.
   The sire and dam have championship titles (Ch in front of the dog's name), suggesting they are reasonably physically sound.
2. Type.
   The sire and dam have championship titles (Ch in front of the dog's name), suggesting they have the right appearance. There is more to the right look than just being red & white.
4. Contracts (Return to top)

The puppy should come with a written contract that includes at least:

1. Evidence of health clearances on both sire and dam.
2. Compensation in case of hereditary health problems in the puppies.
3. Willingness to take the puppy back at any time if the owners cannot or will not care for it.
4. Restrictions on whether, when, and under what circumstances the dog may be bred.

You should feel you could call the breeder for advice later. You should feel you can trust the breeder's word. You should feel that the breeder loves the dogs.

5. Who Cares About Titles? (Return to top)

Maybe you don't want a show dog, you don't want to hunt, and you're not into competitive obedience, so you think you don't care about titles on the sire & dam. When you pay for a Welsh, you expect to get a healthy dog who looks and acts like a Welsh. Just breeding a registered dog to a registered dog doesn't necessarily achieve that. 100 years ago, it was thought that after a few generations of selective breeding, you would weed out all the inherited material you didn't want and then everytime you bred a WSS to a WSS you would get dogs that looked and acted like WSS. We now know that's not possible. Constant attention to selective breeding for the appropriate traits is the only way to maintain the look, temperament, and health. Yes, there are worthy dogs without titles. Yes, there are unworthy dogs whose owners have persevered long enough to eventually get the titles. But unless you have extensive experience, rely on the titles.

6. Why Wait? (Return to top)

You may have to wait several months to get a puppy from a responsible breeder. Here is a quote from someone who got tired of waiting, and ended up with a very shy dog who requires constant work.

"Without going into too many details, I will just say that we were overly eager to find a Welsh puppy and therefore did not go through the best and necessary steps to insure that we knew all of the necessary information. I adore our girl and would not trade her for the world, but now know that our next Welsh-and there will be a next!-will be well researched and WAITED for. Our impatience got the best of us and we ended up with a breeder who did not have the best reputation and alot of sketchy details. I will say no more than to tell you that we never heard from this breeder again after the day that we got our girl-at a "neutral" site (another mistake!) and have very little information on her mother or the mother's breeder. There have been many times when I have wanted to pick up the phone and call the person we got our girl from to ask for more information, but have felt that it would be somewhat futile. It is all really water under the bridge now, anyway, and we are totally committed to this dog, so I figure it is just now up to us to continue to work with her to get through it. "

Valerie Young

(Last modified on 12/20/04)