# Health guarantee



## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

I see many breeders give a 1 year health guarantee for congenital problems. I assume HD falls under the same guarantee. Since the dog has to be 24 months before you can get it OFA certified, is a 12 month guarantee enough? Do HD issues arise before the 12 month guarantee expires? I have seen some breeders give a 24 month guarantee for HD (in a different breed that I'm interested in). I think 24 months is more appropriate....any thoughts? Thanks.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

The ones I've dealt with usually offer a 2 year HD guarantee. I usually prelim around 18 mths if I don't want to wait until 24mths.

You can prelim via OFA, right before that 12 month period, to get an idea..because if the dog has bad hips at 12 months you can be sure they aren't going to improve.

Guarantees are only as good as the breeder makes them. I think it's great if you get a guarantee, but they aren't the be all or end all for me.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Most breeders that I have seen warranty in regards to a dog passing OFA or having crippling dysplasia. In which case, you're right about OFA and crippling issues do not generally show symptoms in a puppy. If you certify through the SV/German system dogs can be certified at 12 months. 

I will say though, that in the cases I have seen, a dog X-rayed at 12 months that shows abnormalities in the physical construction of the joint will not improve at 2 years- it tends to get worse. Things like laxity or looseness in the joint do sometimes improve as muscles and ligaments tighten up. 

For me- personally- I do not give much thought to the warranty that breeders offer. If I've given real thought to the dog I want, I've looked at the parent's OFA records, I've looked at their family history, I've got an idea of what the specific bloodlines produce and from there I know it's all a big gamble. 2 Excellent parents can produce a dysplastic pup. 

So then I look at what that warranty is really worth to me. Am I going to trade in the dog when it is 2 years old if the hips do not pass? Probably not. Am I going to want another puppy? Probably not.


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. You both make great points. The guarantee is meaningless if you don't want another dog or don't want to give up your dog for a new puppy. How does one research the family history of the parents to see the HD history of the line? I would hope if you chose the right breeder, they have those records and breed accordingly. I certainly would not want to give up my pet, nor would I want to add another dog to the family. 

Would love to get one of the DDR GSD, I love the dark pigmentation and the less sloped back. I'm learning alot about this breed thanks to the links I have gotten here.


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

My thoughts exactly. I am not giving my dog back to be replaced by another. So doing your homework the best you can is all you can do the rest is the luck of draw.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

eddie if you can get the names of the sire/dam you can research them as well as their ancestors online..ALot of breeders post their pedigrees on the gsdpedigree database (you can google that) or you can look them up via OFA, or ask the breeder to show you a copy of the pedigree with hip evals..


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

My breeder will either replace the pup, or you keep the pup and get a refund of 1/3 of the purchase price. Nothing to sneeze at when the pup is $1500-$1800. To me that's a lot better than requiring you to give back the dog you already love.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

My breeder gives a 24 mo hip and health guarantee, 24 mos after you bring the puppy home. They don't ask for the dog back, they just give a replacement pup or your money back. They provide the results of the OFA rating of their dogs and while no guarantee in the world means there won't be a problem, it simply says that they're doing their best to provide as healthy a dog as possible.


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