# Would you buy a pup you liked from a breeder you didn't?



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

If a breeder who didn't meet your personal standards, whatever they may be, had a breeding with the bloodlines you wanted and a puppy you really liked, would you buy?


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

No...because if you look especially if the bloodlines are popular you can always find someone who is breeding similar lines. I don't really care about all that BYB breeder stuff-more just a feel I get from someone. I don't feel like I have to always stay in contact with the breeder either just wouldn't want to buy a dog from someone I didn't like simple


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I voted yes, I'm going to live with that dog for the rest of it's life not the breeder (tho I have not ever bought a dog from a breeder I didn't like


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

To clarify: I'm not talking about someone who abuses or neglects their dogs, just someone who doesn't meet your personal standards for a breeder.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

I voted no.

I if didn't like the breeder, I wouldn't even know if they had a puppy I really liked because I would never go to see the puppies in the first place.

There are some breeders I don't care for as human beings, either because of their nasty personalities, or their ethics. (or both!) They may have perfectly nice dogs, but I will NOT give them my money!

But don't feel that you are stuck to a breeder for the life of your dog either. When I but a puppy, it is MINE to do with as I see fit. I won't have a breeder trying to tell what to do and not do with said puppy. 

I've never bred a litter and never will, but I breed horses and when I sell one, it is then up to the buyer to care for, use, and feed it as THEY see fit. It never crosses my mind to tell them what they can and can't do with it. If I thought they were going to mistreat it, I wouldn't sell it to them in the first place.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

I would go with a no. I have very high standards for what I expect from a breeder and I don't settle for less because I can always find better. 

I want a breeder who socializes their puppies as much as possible so those puppies have the best possible chances at success. A breeder who fully health tests and titles their dogs to prove what they can do. While I do look at pedigrees and bloodlines, the immediate dog I am working with is important to me. Just because a female comes from great bloodlines doesn't mean she wasn't a wash out and is may very well produce more wash outs. I don't want an accidentally turned out nice dog. I want a dog that proves through generations and immediate family that they can, will, and do excel in the things I want out of my dog and they have the health and structure to bring them through it. 

If I didn't like a breeder personally, to me its asking for problems. Especially if the breeder knows it or doesn't like me back. Whose to say they would give me the dog I wanted? Or if they didn't follow through on a replacement of a puppy if something happened. Not to mention being in the dog world is about making contacts, learning through each other etc. If I can't talk bloodlines and training and find out what their immediate lines are like and what to expect in a friendly manner then I'm not going to get much out of it. 

I like to have long intellectual conversations about lines and what theirs specifically produce and the different ways each puppy from each litter has turned out thus far. 

I can't do that if I don't like them, or they don't like me.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Emoore....this is a question that has much controversy.
*It would totally depend on the person buying..(I think).*
IF the person has enough knowledge about specific lines, temperament and health regarding those lines and is completely willing to take the chance (knowing that breeder support is questionable)...then, they can take such a risk......I have.
BUT....for the person who has limited experience...then they should absolutely connect with their potential breeder.....
*It is a very important decision.....*


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

just to add I agree with Robin)


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## Discoetheque (Nov 2, 2011)

It would depend a lot on my reasons for not liking them, to be honest.
If I just didn't like the breeder's personality or attitude in general, as in they're just a rhymes-with-punt but this had little to nothing to do with their knowledge or dedication to the breed, the care of their dogs or whatever support they intended to provide for the life of the puppy, then I would probably still get a puppy from them, if it was everything I wanted: personality, lines, potential.

But if I disagreed with their ethics, the way they operate their kennel or the care of their dogs, if I knew they were the type to mail out their dogs to have them come back as 'paper champs' (titles on paper for dogs with shoddy or no working ability), then as I would not support a business with questionable ethics and practices, I would do the same for this breeder and their kennel, no matter how nice the dogs were.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

I agree with Robin too.

I have plenty of experience, I've had GSDs for over 30 years. The best dogs I've had are the ones I have chosen for myself rather than bring chosen FOR me. I don't need a breeder that is there waiting, ready and willing to help with any silly question I may have. (But for a newbie, this can be VERY important.)


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Nope, because 1) I need breeder support and enjoy communication and 2) if something happened to me and for whatever reason my family could not keep my dog, that breeder would probably be taking back my beloved dog. I'd want them to be someone I like AND trust.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

I answered No because when I have questions, the first place I want to be able to go is the breeder.

THEY have the experience and knowledge so I would be looking to THEM for help.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

I think it really depends on the buyer and how much knowledge and experience they have with the bloodlines they are looking at... I think if the buyer knows exactly what they are looking for, and said "bad" breeder is the only that has the bloodlines, then I'd fully expect the buyer to overlook the personality of the breeder and buy the bloodlines they want.

If it is a first-time GSD owner or someone with little experience, I think it's absolutely IMPERATIVE that they go with someone ethical and someone they can communicate with. It is important that they like, respect, and trust the breeder, because they will definitely need the breeders' support. 

For me personally, I wouldn't be looking at pups from a breeder I didn't like. But if something came along that I'd been looking for for a long time, and it happened to be the breeder I didn't like that had it, I knew exactly what I was getting into and willing to take any risks, then I would buy the dog. But I would grumble over it.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

robinhuerta said:


> Emoore....this is a question that has much controversy.
> *It would totally depend on the person buying..(I think).*
> IF the person has enough knowledge about specific lines, temperament and health regarding those lines and is completely willing to take the chance (knowing that breeder support is questionable)...then, they can take such a risk......I have.
> BUT....for the person who has limited experience...then they should absolutely connect with their potential breeder.....
> *It is a very important decision.....*


Sorry, didn't mean to stir up controversy. IMHO, this is one of those decisions that depends on the person buying. . . certainly wasn't trying to get someone to say what someone else should do, just what they personally would do.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Can you vote two ways? I'm to much of a novice to buy off of someone Im not going to have a relationship w/. The lady who helped get Lucky ,I talk to at times still.For me though God if i dont like them then I am going to have a tough time wanting to buy from them because I'm not ok w/ them personally.


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## Geeheim (Jun 18, 2011)

I voted NO. If I don't like the breeder I'm not going to purchase a pup from them simple as that.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

So many questions are just not yes/no. There is a gray area on most things. 

If I suspect a breeder of being false, lying to people, not following through on an agreement, questionable on paperwork, the answer would be no for sure.

If I can see that the dogs' are kept in filth or over-crowded, any type of neglect or abuse, certainly not.

If the breeder trains with prong collars and competes in obedience and is rather anal about it, maybe. I might not like that, but it won't hurt the puppies. 

If the breeder is more or less gregarious than I am comfortable with, so? It won't hurt the puppies. And, I do not think it would stop me from asking a question or relaying information about the pup. 

I mean, I suppose one can suggest that they like everyone who is not a scoundrel, but for me, different people rub me different ways. If the breeder is knowledgeable, and seems honest, she can care more about dogs than people, and I would not hold that against her.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Nope... I support the breeding program as much as the puppies that particular breeder is breeding. 

If I don't like something about the breeder, I'm not buying a puppy from them no matter how great their puppies are. There are always good puppies out there.... not so many good breeders.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

I would vote no, but not necessarily because of the reasons you list (so I didn't vote  ) but because I just can't see giving someone money I don't care for. More on principle that there are a lot of breeders out there and I can probably find what I am looking for elsewhere from someone I can stomach being around. 

In the future, I would definitely avoid any breeders who have a lot of drama or seem to be drama queens. I'm just not the type of person that likes a lot of nonsense going on in my life and I don't have a lot of patience for people. If they would give me a headache hanging out with for the weekend at a dog seminar, then you probably couldn't get me to buy a dog from them.

But who knows...there might be a day where someone I find horridly annoying has a dog I am dying to have and maybe I'll eat my words. But at this moment in time, I would probably not even given them enough of my focus to even determine that they have something I might want.


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

I didn't vote because I'm kind of in the middle on this. For me it would depend on what I didn't like about them. If I didn't like their ethics, the way they socialized early on, etc. then no, the lines wouldn't matter; I wouldn't buy the dog. If I just thought they were cocky or something like that, but had the kind of dog I wanted and was ethically and was going to socialize my pup right and all that I'd probably do buy from them.


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

I wouldn't primarily because I would hate giving a breeder I don't like my hard earned money, as nice as the puppy would be the odds are you can find a similar pedigree from someone you do like, this goes for horses as well, I bought a horse and had it shipped from Tennessee , because I couldn't stand a breeder out here with the pedigree I was determined to add to my herd. It's just my principle.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

selzer said:


> If the breeder is knowledgeable, and seems honest, she can care more about dogs than people, and I would not hold that against her.


I have found that a lot of people involved with dogs--breeders, trainers, groomers, etc.--do not always have good rapport with humans. I don't hold that against them, but it can make it difficult to communicate at times.

I have also noticed that a lot of people involved with dogs don't get along with each OTHER. So some breeders, trainers, etc. are demonized by others if they aren't in the same camp. I try to stay out of those kinds of politics.


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## Jack's Dad (Jun 7, 2011)

Freestep said:


> I have found that a lot of people involved with dogs--breeders, trainers, groomers, etc.--do not always have good rapport with humans. I don't hold that against them, but it can make it difficult to communicate at times.
> 
> I have also noticed that a lot of people involved with dogs don't get along with each OTHER. So some breeders, trainers, etc. are demonized by others if they aren't in the same camp. I try to stay out of those kinds of politics.


Great topic for a new thread Freestep.


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## BR870 (May 15, 2011)

No... Not if I am not comfortable with the breeder. A good breeder/client relationship should last the life of the dog and longer. 

I love my current breeder. Not only is she great as a breeder, but she also competes at the National level, which to me makes her invaluable as a resource as I learn SchH. She is also very friendly and easy to talk. I really appreciate that she actually wants to talk ever week, and has taken an interest in me not only as a puppy buyer but as to how my development in Schutzhund goes...


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Depends on what is meant by "like". I'm really picky so there's probably not a breeder on the face of the earth that does things 100% like I would in my armchair breeding world in my head, lol. Also I don't need or expect a lot of support from a breeder and I don't really care if I "like" them as a person (I've considered puppies from breeders that were IMO pretty odd/interesting people, not people I'd ever meet in any other context). I guess in my experience looking for and purchasing the last few dogs, I've never been tempted by a breeder I personally consider unethical because those breeders don't have much to offer me as far as what I'm looking for in a dog. My top priority is the dog but that doesn't mean I'm buying from people I think are unethical con artists.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

You may not realize you dislike the breeder until you have met both the breeder and the puppy. If you like the puppy (for whatever reason) you will be doing it a favor to get it away from the breeder ASAP. You are buying the puppy, not the breeder.
If you know in advance that the breeder is disreputable you probably would not have gotten to that point.


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## BR870 (May 15, 2011)

PaddyD said:


> If you know in advance that the breeder is disreputable you probably would not have gotten to that point.


Just because you don't "like" the breeder does not inherently mean they are disreputable. You could have a breeder that is very reputable, does everything right, and you just don't "click"

Call it a "personality conflict"...


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I would never purchase a puppy to get it away from its breeder. That, encourages the breeder to make more puppies. So if you do the puppy a favor by getting it out of there, you are dooming more puppies, and adult dogs.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

I voted *NO* because I was thinking that I wouldn't like the breeder for some type of ethical reason/s which goes against my grain. 

I never met the breeders of Andy (won in a contest), JR (got him as an older adult), or Bo (adopted from shelter); didn't know Abbey's breeder before I bought hee (got her from an ad in DOG WORLD ... before internet ... and she's been one of my dearest friends for over 40 years now); but I knew the rest of the Hooligan's breeders and always liked and respected them.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Emoore....I didn't mean "controversy" as in a bad way.....more like "heated topics & personal opinions".
I think that it is a good topic......but not a "black & white" situation at times...


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## Magnolia (Jul 18, 2011)

If it were just a simple personality clash, I probably would. If it involved ethics or something pertaining to the dogs, I wouldn't want to support the program.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Been there. Done that. Like Lies I buy prospects/puppies not breeders. I don't have to like the breeder as long as they stand behind their dogs and they have a litter that I am interested in. If the breeder's ethics are bad or their breeding practices are bad they probably aren't producing what I want anyhow. There are breeders out there that have great ethics. Their puppy buyers love their puppies. They have huge followings and are well recommended yet I wouldn't touch one of their dogs. It can go both ways.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

I now go by gut feeling on buying and selling....having made 2 mistakes and going against my instinct, I can tell you it can be a nightmare! No way......the lines I have chosen to focus on are not as common as most anyway....and like Lisa, there are many breeders with big followings whose dogs I would not want, ethics or business practices aside....just different perspective on breedings.

Lee


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