| Every breeder must first be an exhibitor. In fact, my
recommendation to anyone contemplating any involvement with
showing and breeding pure-bred dogs is as follows: first, find
a mentor, and then, trust that mentor to guide you in
acquiring your first show prospect.
The
American Kennel Club is the best place to start looking for a
breeder. The AKC can furnish a contact person in almost any
recognized breed who will be able to provide a
national-club-sanctioned breeder's list, or at least tell you
how to acquire one. I recommend buying from a local breeder if
possible, but often the student-teacher relationship is
carried out long- distance.
The beauty
of buying a pure-bred dog from a reputable breeder is that the
knowledge and experience of the breeder come along with the
dog. You don't have to be your breeder's best friend, but it
is important to be able to communicate comfortably. You don't
have to buy from the most famous breeder in the country, or
even in your area, but those people are always worth calling.
They are so used to fielding phone calls that even if they
can't personally help you, they can give you good advice. Be
aware though, that many breeders who appear on national club
lists are bombarded with phone and mail inquiries. I generally
do not return long-distance phone calls or answer written
inquiries. The phone calls are costly, and I feel anyone
should make the effort to call if they are truly interested in
buying a dog from me or soliciting my advice.
Make sure
when you phone your prospective mentor that it is at a
convenient hour. First, introduce yourself. Give your first
and last names and explain how you got the breeder's name.
Then you might ask, if that breeder is not local, whether he
or she knows of anyone closer to you who might be able to
help. I recommend calling a few different breeders to gain an
overall perspective. Breeders tend to ask the same questions,
and after a few phone conversations, you should get a feeling
for them as a group and also a feeling for which one you might
feel most comfortable in dealing with.
Qualities
you should look for in your mentor? You should ask how long
the person has been breeding, and be sure you have a
successful exhibitor. You will get the most help from people
who actually go into the ring themselves, even if they also
employ professional handlers. Ask whether this person has been
a mentor to others, so you can call someone who has already
been through the experience.
What are
your potential breeder's facilities like? Don't necessarily
write off a person with a kennel in favor of "home raised."
Sometimes a kennel is a beautiful facility, with ample
employees to ensure maximum care, while "home" is the basement
or garage stacked high with crates with one frenzied
caretaker. On the other hand, the commercial establishment is
to be shunned under any circumstances.
What do
you do if the person you really like has nothing for you? I
say wait, particularly if you want to get into exhibiting and
breeding. This is a long-term relationship and nothing to rush
into. It is entirely possible that the right dog for you is
not available at that time. However, if the wait is going to
be more than a few months, then you probably should ask for
further recommendations from the person with whom you feel
most comfortable.
Most
important, get a copy of the sales contract in advance. You
must not let the relationship advance to the stage where
you're hooked, only to find out the breeder has some
significant terms attached to your pup. If you have chosen a
breeder with whom you can communicate freely, you will be able
to work out any contractual questions or misunderstandings
before you buy. If the terms seem unreasonable, however, call
another breeder. Bear in mind that the dog world is small, and
your breeder will probably hear all about your phone call.
Still, if you really need a second opinion, go ahead and make
the call.
What are
the qualities the experienced breeder should be looking for in
a potential exhibitor/breeder? Is this person a good listener?
After you made clear the obligations you expect to be
fulfilled, does he or she appear to have the time and patience
necessary to persevere? Does this person have the facilities
to adequately care for your breed? Have you established a
mutual trust? As a breeder you must ascertain whether someone
is truly interested in showing or breeding, or merely trying
to purchase a "better" dog by saying they are interested in
showing, when actually they have no intention of their beloved
pet ever leaving the sofa except to jump onto the bed every
night. Usually it's easy to get to the heart of the matter by
explaining the time and effort (to say nothing of the
financial committment) involved in showing dogs. And, of
course I would only sell breeding stock to someone who was
committed to exhibiting. Selling potential show/breeding stock
requires a committment of your time. Whereas "pet people"
require quite a bit of hand-holding early on, they usually
aren't heard from again until they contact you fourteen years
later for a replacement. When selling a show prospect, I plan
on the relationship being more intense and much longer in
duration.
Contracts should be as concise as possible
and protect the dogs as best they can. Selling pets with
non-breeding contracts is simple compared with the
responsibility of selling potential breeding stock. I only
sell breeding stock outright to people I know. It is important
to explain co-ownerships and the ramifications of any terms
put on the purchase. Under the current rules of the AKC it is
much easier to control the breeding of a bitch because all
owners have to sign the registration applications. Only one
owner of the stud dog needs to sign a litter application, so
it is impossible to control the breeding of a male, and
co-ownerships are useless.
The advice
everyone always hears is, "If you want to breed, start with
the best bitch you can find and breed it to the best dog."
With all due respect to this age-old adage, I contend that the
best way to get started in the sport of pure-bred dogs is to
purchase what we call "a finishable pet" - preferably a male.
There are lots of dogs who are capable of finishing their
championships, even novice owner/handled, who do not have the
potential to be specialed (shown past the point of gaining
their championships). Because they need not enter the gene
pool, these dogs make beautiful, neutered companions. They
have good looks and have benefitted from the show training. If
they have been held longer by their breeders, they are a
little older and a lot wiser. There are always exceptions, but
most newcomers to pur-bred dogs aren't up to dealing with the
upbringing and campaigning of a superstar. It's less stressful
all around if the novice can practice on a nice, but not
star-quality, pup.
Why a
male? In most breeds it's more fun to show a male, who doesn't
go through seasonal hormonal changes that affect coat and
attitude. And why neuter your beloved first champion? Perhaps
the pup will mature to be of breeding potential assuming that
door has been left open in the contract. But, a neutered male
will make a better house pet for the beginner and family. If
they decide to go further and purchase a bitch, that decision
should be made totally independent of the male dog.
A male pup
gives you the opportunity to step rather than plunge into the
dog world. You will have a nice dog, and by showing him you
can decide whether exhibiting is something you want to pursue.
In other words, you're paying your dues. Your male will
probably be between 18 months and 3 years old by the time he
finishes his championship. Therefore, by the time you are
ready to to contemplate buying a bitch for potentital
breeding, even though you are still relying heavily on your
mentor, you will have enough experience to be able to bring
some knowledge to the decision. By the time you breed their
first litter, you will have raised and shown both a male and a
female enabling you to be much more responsible than you would
have been had you acquired a bitch to breed right away. You
will preferably have attended some large shows, including
specialties, so you will be quailfied to assist your mentor in
the choice of stud. When you sell your first litter, you will
have gained quite a bit of experience and will be capable of
being a responsible breeder.
A
precautionary tale: A nice, young professional decided he
wanted to breed and show dogs. A number of local breeders gave
him the same advice - buy a male dog to ease into the
pure-bred dog world. After many long visits with local
breeders he bought a bitch from across the country. He showed
the bitch quite a bit, although she never was able to win a
point. When she was of an appropriate age she was bred to a
popular stud dog in another part of the country. When the
puppies were 8 weeks old, since he was out of the mainstream,
he contacted the local breed club for help in placing them. At
least one pup was sold as show potential, but the owner had to
seek help with more experienced breeders because her breeder
had helped her "as much as he could." At least he was honest.
There are
no shortuts. Most people who jump into anything as rigorous as
exhibiting and breeding dogs last only a few years. The above
story illustrates how inferior animals enter the gene pool
through ignorance. On the other hand, many lovely breeding
animals are lost to the gene pool because beginners lose
interest. The requirements are the same whether one is a
seasoned breeder in the role of mentor or the beginner
starting out: patience, perseverance and trust.
Biography
Cindy Vogels, of Greenwood Village,
Colorado, represents the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of
America. As a breeder, Vogels is responsible for some of the
top-winning Wheatens in history. Her career highlights include
a Terrier Group win at Westminster and winning the SCWT
national from the Veterans class with a 9-year-old
dog.
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