At the top here are short bits of advice on how to shop and how to buy safely & wisely:
A BUYER's QUICK GUIDE TO BREEDERS
QUICK OVERVIEW FOR BUYING A DANE PUPPY
THE POWER OF PUPPY BUYERS & NOTES ON DANE COLOR
DOG SHOPPING IN THE 21st CENTURY
THE "SECRET" TO PURCHASING SAFELY!
Here is a list of more links for puppy buyers:
The "CHECKLIST" is directly below:
A DANE BUYER's CHECKLIST: Below are the 10 basic "mental" necessities to safely buying a puppy that help you sort thru breeder hype to find the real caring & able souls. Also FindaPup has a list of buyer's help & What Kind Of Breeder? is a good, short list of breeder categories. If you are thinking of breeding read A Dane Breeder's Checklist; and The Breeder's Corner has a lot on the topic of what makes a Great Dane (or breeder<G>) "real" and gives you the skills to start to be able.
There are lots and lots of people with pups for sale. Despite all the hoopla about "show" vs. "pet" breeders, good vs. bad, Euro-vs-American Style, PMers and BYBers, from a buyer's standpoint (who simply wants a good dog to love) it comes down trying to figure out who has what you want and has what they say they have. This "buyer's checklist" was meant for that, for all it's more a "contrast and compare" document, than "check off these things" when buying. First and last, remember ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS! Judge a breeder by what they do with the dogs, not what they say to you. It's a lot easier to be a good salesman than a good breeder.
WHAT A SALESMAN SAYS vs. WHAT A CARING BREEDER DOES:
1. They say: "We breed for temperament FIRST as we know it's important to you too!" vs. finding someone who spends time training and exhibiting their dogs so that their nice, smart, sweet (or otherwise!) temperaments are something others knowledgeable about the breed can actually have seen for themselves. People who who make claims noone can check on, who exaggerate their claims ("our dogs are like no other!") and talk too much (and in vague terms<G>) about how good their dogs are ("we strive for the highest quality!" "we have the greatest temperaments".."the longest lived"..) usually do so to get dogs sold. Not all are mercenary; out just for bucks. In fact many are nice enough, just too green to be breeding and so don't know what they claim is standard issue for the breed. They are impressed with what really doesn't amount to anything. They have low standards. Just like people who compare themselves to bad breeders ("we are not a puppy mill," "our dogs get loving care..are raised indoors, with family"..etc.) are worrisome as such claims suggest very low standards indeed! Salesmen are always trying to find a slant ("Color pure!" "European-bred!" "Bigger than average!") that they think YOU think is meaningful so you'll buy. Committed breeders stick to the facts and keep their focus and offer you meat, not sauce. GOOD BREEDERS DO NOT ACT LIKE IT's A CHOICE BETWEEN GETTING ONE THING OR THE OTHER! You CAN have it all (type, temperament, health and ethics: good pups, good parents, good buyers, good friends in dogs, winners that are healthy, nice dogs that are beautiful, etc.)--& any good breeder does. Don't settle for less.
2. They say: "Our dogs come with full guarantees to insure your buying satisfaction!"
vs. finding someone whose dogs have OBJECTIVE health checks (e.g. recorded for example in the OFA database for
hips). If they are checking, why not let others in on what their checks are all about and how they turned out?
Buyers, do ask to see the records, don't just listen to claims! And don't be taken in by "comprehensive guarantees."
Guarantees on pups will never take the place of certifying adult health/temperament (i.e. health certifications
on the parents as a start) matter more than any guarantee out there. Guarantees are about satisfying worried buyers;
letting experts check out the dogs you breed is the real business of breeders. So the focus should be on guarding
the breed's health, not customer satisfaction; on adults, not babies. The irony is that you've a better chance
at a healthy pup if the breeder talks less about them than the adults involved. Besides, realistically noone with
a pup for months (or even days?) is going to really WANT a replacement (how can you really replace a cherished
pet?), so pushing guarantees are just a way to up sales. And noone can actually guarantee a life to come. What
you can do is be there for your buyers and your puppies, stay in touch and try to do your honest best. And
part of doing that is having records you can and will share. When you ask "what about genetic testing"
or about hip exams, it's a salesmen who say things like: "we don't do that as AKC doesn't require it,"
or "my vet can tell about the hips when doing a regular check-up," or "the guarantee I give runs
to a year and you'll know before that if the dog has hip dysplasia" or "we guarantee no genetic problems!",
these are definitely not good answers to what were good questions BTW. Good breeders have better
answers, not "better" guarantees.
3.They say "Ours are the best, the biggest, the baddest, the goodest, the longest lived, the
most amazing and incredible (etc.) Danes you will ever come across!" vs. finding someone who, quietly
shows you their dogs & their dogs' *real* accomplishments, and someone who lets you judge for yourself; is
good enough and has good enough dogs that the dogs (and the breeder<G>) sell themselves. If you need
a shouting sales slogan and a snow job, well, you either are too new to know better, or too wise about what you
have really got and know you've got to push to get it sold. Also concerned breeders do NOT offer "rare"
or unusual colors (or traits) or "reasonable" (read cut-rate) prices for "the loving owner,"
discounts for deposits, charge more for you to breed the dog, etc. el. at. In fact any website focused on cute
puppies and centered on customer satisfaction is spending too much time on litter sales and not enough time on
breed betterment. Breeders who are "plugged in" and know their peers are watching "can't go here":
they speak softly and are modest in their claims. They say their dogs (they hope) are as correct as possible, (not
perfect or the best). They offer the dog's record as a testimonial to his quality: (they don't say things like
"everyone loves our darling BigGuyDawg," or "our StudleyBoy is the Greatest!") --see the difference
in vocabulary? The knowledable speak facts and leave the "gush" out of things. They don't want to sell
emotionally and they don't want you to buy emotionally. That can come later (always does with dogs!); first what
is need is careful thought about each other and the potential sale/buy as everyone is comparing everything. Well-bred litters are sold quietly and carefully. Well-bred <G> breeders go about the
business of documenting what their dogs can do, & their brags are about things YOU can document, not things
they FEEL about their dogs. They in fact spend little time on trying to impress buyers, and pray every night the
buyer will get themselves well enough informed to tell empty boasts from the real thing. Not that these prayers
are always answered.
4. They say: "We breed for longevity and health... for loving temperaments...massive bones and
blockheads....true European style...10 generations color pure!" vs. finding someone who shows you
their pedigrees and their pedigrees show you something about their dogs. Again, as a buyer, you'll have to
educate yourself enough to the read a pedigree, know the breed standard, & learn what counts and what doesn't.
But in general, the nice sort of breeder offers "show and tell" to you, not a sort of shouting about
claims that the educated breeder takes for granted ("gorgeous type!"), or knows are not correct for the
breed anyway (like "blockheads" ugh-in a breed that is supposed to have a long, lean head). After all
who DOESN'T breed (or at least say they breed) for health and temperament, type and longevity? Saying it's a big
deal to you ("Ours are Raised with Loving Care!") as a breeder doesn't mean you are accomplishing it
anymore than someone who's quietly out there working hard and being realistic--and honest--about breeding good
dogs. It usually just means that this sort of breeder hasn't gotten any farther, might well have reasons to worry
about these basics, and anyway hasn't anything else to offer the buyer. This is the sort of thing a breeder intent
on getting buyers has to say. They know you want to hear it and say it to get unwanted dogs sold off to people
they usually don't even get to know. What they hope you WON'T KNOW is all of this is completely meaningless sales
talk. This is to push your emotional buttons as they are selling by starting out talking about what they know you
worry about. Be is temperament or health, talk is cheap. Next time someone tells you their lifespans exceed that
of other breeders and the breed norms, well just ask them to show you all those old veteran Danes they have. Odds
are they cannot. In fact most of these websites claiming so much about the health of their dogs don't seen to show
any dogs over breeding age at all.
5.They say: "We love pet buyers and we let pet buyers have lots of choices!"
vs. finding breeders who carefully care for the breed and their puppies by carefully analyzing and sorting their
litters (starting with what they are going to KEEP!), and so only offer to you for sale what they think will really
suit you and focusing on what's the best fit for the pup in question). Now
here is one of those naked sales techniques it's still amazing so many fall for it! How could
a breeder put customer satisfaction over the proper sorting and selection of a litter and really have the breed's
best interests at heart? Or the litter's........or even the pup's? Ummm....they can't? Either the pup's needs
or the people's demands have to be a priwould they need you so badly to have to fall over themselves to please
you? That should make you wonder. Breeders, when reputable, are usually swamped with buyers, uneasy with strangers,
don't like to talk money or promise pups at first, and want to go slow when it's about sales. The dogs, after all,
really ARE their "babies" to protect & they do so, don't just talk that way to you, while selling
to you from the minute they meet you! Good breeders usually are reluctant to sell/place at all until you've had
time to get to know each other. So if a breeder seems so very worried about how YOU "the customer" feels,
how can they simultaneously be putting the welfare of the pups & the breed first. They can't. If
"the customer comes first," then the dogs come second. So when friendly sales to pet owners is the breeder's
focus, that eager buyer should beware.
6.They say: "We don't breed for profit; we love our dogs and know you will too!" vs. finding someone who doesn't even want to talk money but is usually spending it, hand over fist, on everything from OFA xrays to exhibition costs & training fees. How can buyers believe a website with PayPal, Visa and Mastercard isn't focus on sales? How can buyers believe it's not about money when the website for the breeder has pups and sales policy front and center, with all that talk of non-refundable deposits and publically pending sales and policies on how you order up and buy a pup (too much like a pair of shoes, tell me color, size and style)? How can buyers "buy" the line that "pet" breeders (those that do not exhibit/'show" their dogs) are not making money on puppy sales? Just quickly do the math, folks. From the bottom up, here we go. If you sell dogs without papers from a pair in the backyard without shots, that $150 a pup is pure profit and ten pups means $1500 you will not likely be telling Uncle Sam about. If you sell "AKC pups" from a couple of local dogs (or your own breeding pair) with shots and guarantees but nothing else (but a sales pitch), that $350 a pup is nearly all profit and ten pups means likely $3000 pure profit a litter. If you sell from a slick internet site with a full customer service package and sell in the range of show prices (or just undercutting them usually to pull in buyers), then that $750 a pup means probably $5000 or more in pure profit per litter. If you coyly sell dogs from "show" lines or "fine imports" and focus on colors, etc. bujyers ask for, sell each pup then for more than a $1000, well, with just 2-3 years you can make more than most waitresses, many entry level folks, and lots of other honest workers. Anyway you slice it, there is a lot of profit for these folks claiming they are breeding for "the love of the breed" isn't it? Easy to love a thing that's making you $5,000, $10,000, even $20,000 or more a year doing no more than letting "nature take it's course"? That's love, "hand over fist"! True breed love is the hobby breeder who sinks $5,000-15,000 in the breed each year. Actions speak louder than words.
7. They say: "We breed for quality, not quanity, and only have a couple litters a year,"
vs. finding someone who shows you they are spending time on the dogs and getting titles, certifications, etc. while
letting the "quality" largely speak for itself. (If you've got the goods, surely it
shows?) And do the math? Once again, someone who pays no show fees, stud fees, advertising fees, health
cert. fees, etc. doesn't need to breed often to stay in the black in their little on-line cottage industry. Being
a stay-at-home breeder means, however much you sell, you are making money. A good second income can easily be made
with a website, a couple of bitches, and a great sales pitch to the buying public; you don't need a lot of dogs.
So being a small kennel doesn't make you a good kennel, although it might well mean you are a "BYBer"
(back-yard breeder). And practically every BYBer sort of website starts off with this assurance they breed for
quality, so it's as meaningless, really, as saying you breed for "type, temperament and health" and so
on. Again, think about who your sales support. True breed love is the hobby breeder who sinks $5,000-15,000 in
the breed each year, not someone making that off a litter or two that is all profit as their investment in the
breed is mostly limited to chat and a a couple of pets they bought that keep having puppies. Actions speak louder
than words.
8. They say: "Shows are about things you don't care about, show dogs are sickly and mean, show
people are mean and hateful," vs. supporting the average working stiff of a show breeder who spends
thousands every year trying to get the job done right. Are all "show" people wonderful people and
are all "show" dogs great dogs? No, of course not, but they are all involved in an enterprise
that has everything to do with preserving the breed, and nothing to do with preserving their own profits, that's
for sure. And they are doing it where YOU can see it and their dogs and compare them yourself.....you'd
think the safety this brings a buyer alone would make them all rush to breeders that exhibit their dogs to the
public! And actually the only way TO lose money breeding dogs is to "show" (compete with)
them--it's otherwise, by definition, pretty profitable. Nothing like club fees and donations, breed and training
seminars, handling and training fees, hotel, resturant and gas bills to eat away at that litter's profit margin.
So "showing" is putting your money (literally) where your mouth is. As for temperament and health, of
course a few dogs who don't have it can be "professionally managed," but nothing takes the place of having
to have your dogs well brought up enough to go out in public in close quarters with 100s of others dogs, stand
travel and strange beds, late nights and other schedule upsets, then get up and perform in public, and have to
be ranked against the dogs of other breeders. How's that for demonstrating you have solid health, good temperament
and proper type in your breeding stock? Certainly that breeding pair who's lived their lives in someone's backyard
or who are "best in couch" cannot claim they've undergone the same sort of rigorous testing for temperament
and stamina. And if your dogs fail to please when shown, or you are a nut, well, everyone knows it.
You think for that alone, the buying public would DEMAND all breeding dogs are exhibited in public, as who can say really what the situation is when all you've got is the loving owner's claims about their dogs? All the info that's inevitably available on show dogs can be used...or used against them. And the show ring is a crucible of pressure that can proves health, temperament, and type when used right. Not to mention it shows committment. Sure people can do silly things there, people do silly things everwhere. But people who dodge the demands of showing/trialing/health-certifying while breeding dogs are not fooling wise heads. Despite all their chat, the real reasons these "independent contractors" stay at home to breed are pretty obvious. It increases your profit & leisure time, keeps you from the hassle of having to keep up and compete, while it decreases your chances someone outside of your breeding program is going to be able to assess your dogs. Showing dogs can be a drag & drive a breeder nearly nuts, but the breed needs this sort of forum. It could be done better, but, however it's done, it's got to be there for breed safety. Got good dogs? Fine. Prove it. Go out and compete against others who claim their dogs are good enough to breed. And shouldn't the puppy buyer support the breeder who supports the BREED, not just their own breeding program?
9.They say: "We can offer you many satisfied customers, just look at our happy puppy buyers!"
vs. finding someone whose PEERS (other breeders and other people committed to the preservation of purebred
dogs) will recommend them. Naturally any breeder can offer up a few of their buyers who'll tell you to buy
from them. Their vet likely will to. And their neighbors (well some), most of their family, and their moms. But
it's not about having your friends like you, it's about others out there who respect you. And if independent people
who understand what a breeder does to and for the breed cannot recommend a breeder, well......silence isn't golden.
And remember, time is no necessary teacher. People can be "in the breed" and selling puppies for many
years (& even decades), offer that as a selling point even, but it doesn't necessarily say anything more than
they've gained a strategy to stay in business. We all know people who are "30 years in..."..whatever
and aren't experts or who haven't improved in years. So you cannot count years having baby Danes for sale as meaning
the breeder necessarily knows anything more than exactly that: how to get baby Danes sold. It doesn't mean they
know the breed necessarily. And it may mean all they've improved on over the years is their sales technique. You
can keep making the same mistakes, or the same mediocre dogs, year after year....<G>as long as you can find
buyers.
10.They say: "We are proud members of the local Nonsequitor Association, the Distant-from-us
Club and the AKC," vs. a breeder offering REAL affiliations like the local, regional, and national
breed and dogsport clubs. Here's another sales tactic buyers should be savvy to. NOONE belongs to the AKC guys.
Only clubs can be AKC members, breeders CANNOT. And it matters not that you belong to the Rotary club or even sat
on your local humane society's board; this doesn't tell anyone about your skills as a breeder as noone in such
organizations likely understands how to judge a breeder. And how about people who only belong to clubs so far away
noone ever met them? This all seems just sales tactics to make a breeder who doesn't really HAVE any valid credentials
look real?
The biggest problem with buying dogs is people are not well armed with good information. But the answer is not
to try to know more than the seller (you cannot) & you don't need a ton of specialized information, you need
good common sense and you need to put your thinking cap on. How do you select a pediatrician or a mechanic? How
do you tell if a dentist or a decorator knows their stuff? How do you keep from being snowed by an insurance or
car salesman? Use those same skills to buy a dog. And PLEASE KNOW that you the buyer need to be the sleuth and
seek out good breeders! Do not advertise expecting them to come to you. You need to do the leg work and make the
calls. They should respond politely, but they will not be seen "chasing" buyers, and anyway, usually
have a nice list of savvy folks who've learned already how to get first pick of the best of the litters.
Bottom Line: SALES FOLKS STAY AT HOME & TALK: GOOD BREEDERS ARE BUSY OUT WORKING ON THEIR SKILLS. That's what the good quality breeder is hoping you will see....amidst all the noise. So consider the old sayings about "putting your money where your mouth is" and "who talks and who walks," next time you are out thinking about buying a dog. Educate yourself about what *really* counts when breeding dogs. And remember, if the focus is on the buyer, then the focus is off the dogs!
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WANT TO KNOW "THE" SECRET TO BUYING SAFELY? |
TRY THIS "SAFETY NET" APPROACH TO PUPPY BUYING:
Spend 6 months and visit at least 6 shows/trials, talk to at least 6 exhibitors/breeders at each event and visit at least 6 breeders at their homes WITHOUT ASKING AFTER PUPPIES. Learn the breed and the breeders around you before falling for some small bundle of love.
Remember the puppy maxim: BUY IN HASTE, REGRET AT LEISURE.
To end up happy NEVER pick newborn pups, wait until they are at least 6-8 weeks old, and in the meantime:
A. Pick THREE THINGS you MUST HAVE in a pup & be specific (like must be tolerant as I have many active children).
B. Pick THREE THINGS you MUST NEVER see in the pup (like must not be too pushy as I have limited experience with
big dogs).
Choose your puppy (in consultation with a dedicated breeder) on PERSONALITY FIRST once the pup is old enough to be up and walking and interacting with it's littermates. See these links for more help:
http://www.nwk9.com/dehasse_pupdev.htm
http://www.bogartsdaddy.com/bouvier/BuyersGuide/Puppy_Aptitude_Test.htm
DOG SHOPPING IN THE 21st CENTURY: Online breeders are a potentially dangerous way to purchase a dog,
a sort of "super classified" full of strangers who may often be better salesmen than superior breeders.
There are some "red flags" to look for to help you avoid the worst sorts, but the problem is, anything
you are reading to educate yourself, breeders (of all kinds) are reading too. Website therefore ending looking
a lot alike, but that doesn't mean "this" breeder offering mentorship and limited registration does it
with the same reasons or same ability as "that" breeder. So when purchasing a puppy try to stick with
people who you can get a PEER recommendation from (anyone can find a few puppy buyers or even a vet to say they
are okay). This generally means stay with club and show people who have a public reputation you can check on, who
have signed some sort of Code of Ethics that makes them accountable, and who let others breeders, their peers see
and who can judge what they do with some expertise. And consider the internet is the 21st century big'ol newspaper
in the ether--a dangerous way to shop for a dog. Use it to contact breeders, but then HAVE CONTACT with them-actually
interact with them and their dogs. Buying dogs from strangers is dangerous & made worse when you have no first-hand
experience of the dogs/people. So if you now can see how buying from across the country can be a worry, consider
just how dangerous it is for anyone but the experienced breeder to import a Dane? There is no way you can know
anything about the dogs from a country you have never been in, let's face it.
You want the parents and the family of your puppy to be documented as to health, type & temperament. This means
something more formal and documented than promises a breeder makes (that you as a buyer are asked to take on faith).
Non-profit foundations like OFA are set up to provide
a professional and independent record of health issues, and organizations like the AKC offer exhibition and competition for breeders who wish to make various claims about their dog's
abilities & traits. Why settle for the assurances of a stranger; make the breeder prove their claims. This
generally means titles and certifications, records kept, a reputation earned, and other respectable Dane people
who will PRAISE a breeder. We generally fall silent when faced with a breeder we cannot feel good about, so silence
in dogs ISN'T golden. We all end up knowing (or knowing about) each other; it's a small world; and reputation is
everything. There is no "Doggie U" and no "State Board of Breeder Examiners," learning here
is done by mentorship and largely only if the person is self-motivated. And remember, big or small, been doing
this 10 years or 30; good, bad & indifferent breeders come in all shapes and sizes. Smaller numbers may not
mean anything but lesser quality, and being in the breed a long time may mean nothing but the breeder hasn't learned
a thing in 3 decades (except how to keep selling pups). And having their "own line" may just mean nothing
more than noone else knows about the troubles they've seen!
So look for documentation about the family of the puppy rather than promises about the puppy itself. Anyone can
say they give guarantees with a puppy, but they mean little to nothing on their own. First off only the adults
surrounding the puppy actual have more to offer than "a promise" when it comes to health, temperament
or type. Secondly "guarantees" can be a cheap way around doing "your homework" and proving
the dogs you own are really worthy of being bred. Instead of checking on the traits of the parents, you just assure
a buyer "everything is guaranteed" and when something goes wrong, promise a replacement. That sounds
reassuring until you stop and think about it? What buyer is likely to give up the dog they have loved for months
(or have it euthanized) to get a new one? And even if that isn't required (which it often is), the arguments over
guarantees go on forever, so you may never see that replacement when the problem is determined to be *your* "fault."
And anyway you may not want a pup from that same someone once you are actually in need of a replacement? So it's
unlikely many dogs, no matter how horribly dissapointing, ever get replaced. Even if you do get a replacement,
having to do this too often suggests sloppy management? And a focus on guarantees often speaks more to an "easy
come, easy go" attitude than real responsibility as a breeder. You want a breeder who wants you and the puppy
they sell you to be in their life for a decade, not someone who smiles as you hand them cash, and then the honeymoon
is over with the first question you have. Buying a good dog is hard work; breeding a good litter is tough to do.
Caution needs to be the watchword of all conscientious buyers and breeders, not "we can always get another."
Well-bred Dane puppies cost $1000.00 or more these days. That is before transportation
and often before cropping. And you can expect to pay out
at least $500 that first 6 months, plus that again by the time the pup is a year old. So a Dane is a fairly large
investment, especially a young one.
Ironically price has little to do with quality. Bad or good, great or just mediocre, pups are sold based on what
the market will bear. And the going rate reflects the marketplace therefore more than the realities of breeding.
Most dedicated breeders are lucky if they ever break even on a litter, nevermind have the dogs pay for themselves.
Like a loving pet owner, a conscientious breeder's dogs live off them; they don't live off the income the dogs
bring in. "Cut rate" puppies are typically from animals that are kept as minimally as possible and as
scant an investment as can be made is put into them to be able to maximize profit. The result is these cheaper
puppies are from cheaply made litters, but where the breeder can expect a profit every time. In fact an extra $5-15,000
income is made by such folks from just a litter or two a year! Ironically that's the amount of money the average
"real" hobby breeder PUTS into the dogs each year, not expects FROM them. So consider who you are buying
from when listening to claims and to prices; consider what that breeder is doing for the breed, not just for the
buyer? In the long run what they do *TO* the breed is affecting what you can buy.
Also don't forget about rescue? Rescues come usually spayed/neutered (if old enough), have all their shots, have
have a vet check-up and a temperament and training evaluation and, with scrupulous rescue (there are bad rescues
like there are bad breeders), they will stand behind the dogs forever and be honest with you about the dog's traits.
These animals cost little to acquire. The donation asked is usually $150-300, depending on the outlay the rescue
has made. Often the dogs make good pets. They end up in rescue simply as the family who bought them really wasn't
ready to have a Dane, which usually just means they bought from a breeder who didn't screen buyers properly. It's
saving a life and it might well also save you money, if that's an objective.
Getting an older dog is a much safer way to buy a Dane on a budget than purchasing
the usual Dane puppy for sale under $1000!
And in this breed color has a lot to do with the cost of the puppy as outlined above, plus color matters in many
other ways. There are three color families of Danes: fawn/brindle, black/blue and then Harlequin/Mantle. THere
are color "rules" about breeding choices, and most of the rules are based on sound breeding priniciples
no matter what you have heard & so are time honored practical guidelines if not moral precepts. (If you want
to read more about the genetics of color, go back to the ChromaLinx where there are two entire sections on color
genetics.) Fawns and brindles are the color family most commonly bred in "nice" circles, followed closely
by black Danes, with fewer educated and able people breeding the blue and the Harlequin families (called "AOAC"--All
Other Acceptable Colors--which says a lot right there). Harlequins are not bred with these other solid colored
Danes (black, blue, fawn, brindle), and in Harlequin families we can get a "rainbow" of colors in a litter:
a typical litters has blacks, black & white Danes (Mantle, mismarked black, piebald), white Danes (and many
of these are deaf and/or blind), merle Danes (silvery grey with black patches and white markings), and Harlequins,
and you can see blue, fawn, brindle (all with white and various patterns) as well. So you are dealing with seperate
pedigrees and seperate sets of breeders with each color, and each color family therefore has seperate issues. Fawns
are the most popular with reputable breeders so the most plentiful. They don't have the hardships that come with
trying to breed good AOAC Danes. To read more about the perils of trying to purchase
in AOAC, click here.
| Buyers, not clubs, not the AKC, not the need for dogs, actually largely control the system
of pup production in the USA. Breeders are actually CREATED by the potential for sales in dogs. And the breeders
that the public often create are made by how they, as buyers, prioritize their wants. Most puppy buyers start off
just wanting a breeder to offer a kind face/voice, a few promises that ease their worries, pups that are reasonably
priced and available. So that's what breeders who get in dogs with an idea to
sell pups know they need to provide...this is so little and it doesn't translate into having a happy and healthy
pet. An estimated 2 in 3 purebred dog purchases seem to end badly, for all they started well enough. It takes more to make good pups and to take care of the breeds over the decades and even centuries, than offering cute, clean pups for sale. But it's understandable that buyers mostly are wanting nothing more than a nice family pet are not thinking about all these other issues. And that's fine, but ask yourself: Who *IS* minding the store.....the breed....when all these folks are focused on puppies? Look at that breeder for a moment as who they are to the breed? I wish more buyers looked at buying a dog like a learning experience, a trek through breed history, as then maybe more would look to find people to consult with (not just buy from)? They might then find not just people with pups for sale, but those who are dedicated to the breed, and who could act as experts to guide them (just as these same folks guide the breed). I wish it was easier to tell "good" breeder from "bad," but , somehow, the very able and ethical doesn't often look much different from the smiling puppy salesman to the average sincere buyer. In a maze of pups being bought and sold, the breed seems to get lost. Since buyers control such a large part of the production of dogs in the USA, we all need to stop and think about where this is taking us? Please support the breed you love by supporting the breeders who love that breed. |