I've previously discussed 'Questions To Ask A Breeder' in order to help potential buyers find a responsibly bred puppy. Be prepared, however, to be grilled on your own circumstances as well, as those responsible breeders will be extremely selective about who they offer their precious puppies to!
You need to make sure you have done your research on the breed that you are looking to bring into your lives. Make sure you know what level of exercise and grooming they require and also look up what sort of lifestyle suits them best. Do they do well in cities? Do they need acres of garden to run around in? the more research you have done to ensure that you are looking at the best breed for your circumstances, the more likely you are to be offered a puppy when one becomes available.
A responsible breeder will want to know all about your lifestyle in order to ensure that you can offer the perfect home for one of their puppies, and also enable them to match the right puppy to you. Below is a list of some of the questions you can expect to be asked when having a conversation with a breeder.
ABOUT YOU
Why do you want a dog?
Why have you chosen this breed?
Are you looking for a dog for a specific purpose? (Pet/showing/working)
Do you plan on neutering your dog?
ABOUT YOUR LIFESTYLE
How often is someone at home?
Do you have someone to look after a dog when you can’t? (in an emergency/when you are on holiday etc.)
How much time can you dedicate to training and exercising a dog?
How much time can you dedicate to grooming?
Do you have a plan for training? (puppy classes etc.)
Have you researched the costs involved in owning a dog?
ABOUT YOUR FAMILY
Where do you live? (Type of house/outside space)
Do you have any children? How many? How old? How much involvement will they have?
Does anyone in the house have allergies?
Do you have any other pets?
There may well be more specific questions within different breeds which is where doing your research really does help. If all you've done is look at a picture and think 'I like the look of that', it doesn't convey to the breeder any sense of understanding about the responsibilities of dog ownership. Do you're homework and you are so much more likely to get it right and have an amazing life with your new dog, and potentially a great friendship with your breeder!
Thank you for your reply. I now understand neutering at the correct time is something a responsible dog owner can do to help manage the risks you have explained; to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. I had not truly considered the problems associated with unwanted pregnancies, lack of testing and potential health issues, despite being well aware of the problems. I guess I was thinking along the lines of why should my dog be neutered if he doesn't need it for a medical reason. The answer is clear; to help prevent the issues you highlighted and this ties in with your recent post about breeders offering dogs with certain characteristics which are being highlighted …
If you do decide to keep your dog entire then you have an even greater responsibility and more risks to manage. Personally, if I was not looking to show or breed from my dogs (male or female) then they would be neutered at the correct time in order to remove the risk of unwanted pregnancies. As I do show and breed occasionally, they will be neutered once they stop both of these activities for the same reasons. With bitches, there is always a risk of pyometra which can occur at any time and spaying stops this occurring. Hope that helps!
Neutering at the correct age can reduce problems such as marking in the house and potential aggressiveness towards other males (especially if there is a bitch in heat nearby). Entire dogs are also more prone to wandering, again if there is the scent of a bitch in season. There is then of course the removal of risk when it comes to accidental pregnancy. Not only could the puppies be unwanted but an accidental mating means them dogs involved could not have been health tested and could also be an incompatible match leading to problems during whelping or health problems later on.
It doesn’t affect the health of the dog either way unless it is done too early, at which point it can affect growth. Ideally you would leave it a year with smaller dogs like the Jacks but bigger dogs take longer to mature. It is detrimental to take the hormones away before they are fully grown. It is not a failing of the owner at all to not have their dog neutered, it is personal choice, however the question does enable to breeder to understand any further plans then potential owner could have with a dog.
Is having a dog neutered something which benefits the health of the dog or the owner? The dogs trust website for example, has a page explaining reasons for having it done but I wonder if it is carried out more to decrease the number of unwanted dogs turning up at animal shelters and to make them less energetic than for health reasons. Having had two male Jack Russell terriers over a period of 30 years or so, it was never anything I'd considered having done to either of them. They had no health issues but had loads of character and energy; something which I have seen can be missing from animals who have had it done. Is it a failin…