HOW TO BUY A DOGUE DE BORDEAUX
Henry at the beach
|
No matter who you choose to deal with in regards to the purchase of a dog, this page is dedicated to what to look for and what to avoid. Please also read our Important Breeding Guide as this also gives an insight into how good breeders, try to do the best for the breed, in the long term and the best for the puppy buyer. |
PUPPY BUYERS BEWARE!!
A ‘registered’ breeder does not mean they are ethical or reputable as
this is often not the case.
To become a registered breeder is a very simple questionnaire and registration with your state Canine Council.
Contracts these days are very important (it protects both the breeder and the buyer). Far too many puppy buyers act hastily and have bought a puppy without researching its pedigree or its breeder, or they have not known the right questions to ask, and as there was no contracts, there was no recourse for them when something went wrong.
There are many “breeders” out there that are available PRIOR to purchase, but then suddenly disappear the moment a problem is raised.
Money does matter more to some people than the quality of life and standard of their puppies and the future of the breed.
Before buying your puppy - be informed - keep an open mind — be patient, and it will be worth it in the long term.
To become a registered breeder is a very simple questionnaire and registration with your state Canine Council.
Contracts these days are very important (it protects both the breeder and the buyer). Far too many puppy buyers act hastily and have bought a puppy without researching its pedigree or its breeder, or they have not known the right questions to ask, and as there was no contracts, there was no recourse for them when something went wrong.
There are many “breeders” out there that are available PRIOR to purchase, but then suddenly disappear the moment a problem is raised.
Money does matter more to some people than the quality of life and standard of their puppies and the future of the breed.
Before buying your puppy - be informed - keep an open mind — be patient, and it will be worth it in the long term.
Ask Questions!
◊ Are they a current registered breeder with their state canine council? This is important. People will tell you a piece of paper (ANKC registration papers) are not important for someone wanting a pet. Well they are if you'd like a healthy pet. True, papers and ribbons don't matter when you purchase a sick puppy or one that develops health problems later. However, unregistered breeders don't study pedigrees to see if their dogs are related (and often have no idea if they are) and thus inadvertently can be doubling the chances of some very serious, and often deadly, hereditary conditions. Buying from an unregistered breeder may get you a cheaper pup, but the chance of it costing you more in the long run is FAR greater. You will have no recourse, and you may even lose your pup at a young age due to some of the health issues that can come up.
Pedigree papers also prove you are getting what you pay for, a Dogue de Bordeaux. Unregistered breeders can in NO WAY guarantee you are getting a purebred, as you don't get any papers to prove it! It has been common practice for unregistered breeders to advertise crosses (and even pitbulls) as pure bred Dogue de Bordeaux, in order to sell them for a higher price, or to get around Breed Specific Legislation which prohibits the sale of pitbulls. For example, only recently a Dogue cross that is 1/4 Neapolitan Mastiff that looks purebred (maybe a poorer quality one, but still the right colouring) had the owner advertise the litter are 'pure bred' pups for double the price of the previous litter she had, when the owner actually advertised the mum as not being pure. Now those pups are sold, and say they decide to breed the pup they were 'told' was pure bred, the next buyer also gets a pup that is really not pure bred at all and so on. Your unregistered breeder may actually believe with all their heart they have a pure bred, but without papers to prove it, you too may be scammed like they were.
Do your research, and have a look at what quality pups look like, and compare it to the pup you are interested in - you will find HUGE differences nearly every single time.
◊ Are the puppies registered with the canine council (ANKC)? Ok, so your breeder is registered, but will they register the litter? Sometimes breeders do things that would breach the ANKC code of ethics, and in order to avoid detection will not register the litter. IF the breeder IS in fact registered, there is no excuse not to register the litter as well. And in fact, in most states, this practice is also against the Code Of Ethics. Most states insist that a copy of the pups ANKC registration papers be supplied at the time of the sale of the pup.
◊ Have the parents been a minimum of hip and elbow scored? Ask to see a copy of the hip/elbow score papers. This is a giant problem in the breed, and very expensive to repair surgically (in excess of $8000) and the poor dogs afflicted can suffer horribly. This test is inexpensive and ALL breeders SHOULD be doing this very basic testing on their breeding dogs. There really is no excuse not to do it. It's available in every state, and country. And it CAN be done by unregistered breeders - it is not an exclusive test just for registered breeders.
◊ Have any other health tests have been done on the parents and what were the results? Remember that in Australia the most important health test currently is hip/elbow scoring. Some breeders are going beyond that, testing hearts, thyroid etc.
◊ Can you see the parents? Photos are not always accurate & can hide a lot of faults. Also, it will give you a good indication of temperament. Keep in mind that some mums can be quite protective of their little ones, but generally, you would like to see confident friendly parents. With unregistered breeders, as they don't register the pups, there are no rules or penalties if they provide misleading information about the parentage. In this instance, you may see 2 Dogue de Bordeaux in the yard, but there is no guarantee the next door neighbours dog didn't jump the fence and also mate with their female - dogs can also have pups from multiple males in the same litter quite easily.
◊ Are the puppies microchipped? Check what your state laws are in regards to this, and ensure the breeder is complying with it.
◊ What happens if the puppy develops a hereditary health problem?
◊ Do they offer a health guarantee, what are it’s conditions, how long does it last? All health guarantees are different. Ask to see it. Some will exclude every condition but still call it a health guarantee. Others only guarantee for 6 or 7mths, when most of the severe conditions are diagnosed after this age. Make sure you read the guarantee and are comfortable with it.
◊ What is the history and experience of the breeder themselves? Lots of 'fly by nighters' buy up a whole heap of adults, breed a few litters, then sell everything off and disappear. You want to find a breeder who has been in it for the long haul, or are being mentored by people who have been in the breed a long time.
◊ How long have they had dogs, how long have they had Dogues, do they have other breeds of dogs as well? Lots of inexperienced Dogue de Bordeaux Breeders are unfamiliar with the breed standard, even some of the people who have been in the breed a long time needed to attend a lecture by a breed expert to clarify some aspects of the breed standard to better understand it. If they don't know the standard, how can they breed to it, and if they are not breeding to it, you will not get a good example of the breed.
◊ Do they “show” Dogues or just breed? There are LOTS of registered Dogue de Bordeaux Breeders. LOTS! But only a handful actually show their dogs. Some kennels that breed lots of puppies have never ever produced a champion! Some breeders websites shout out loud about them breeding 'Top Quality Dogue de Bordeaux', or 'The Best In Australia' but yet, they have never set foot in a show ring, none of their dogs have ever been shown, they have never titled a dog themselves, nor have any of the dogs they have sold been titled. So, one has to wonder how they gauge quality or how they have determined they are the best when they have never competed against anyone?? DO NOT be fooled by fancy websites, they are often a smokescreen so you can't see what really lies beneath. Many will tell you the show world is 'too bitchy' as an excuse. Well, lots of ethical breeders sometimes think this as well, but they either go anyway or they attend (but don't exhibit), just so they can get an idea of what is out there, and what lines are producing what results.
◊ Do they travel to see other Dogues or attend shows? Lots of breeders will travel to show against competition, and under specialist judges. Some will also travel overseas and interstate to inspect kennels and breeding lines they are thinking of using. There is nothing better than getting first hand, in the flesh, experience. Potential puppy buyers are encouraged to try to see as many Dogue de Bordeaux as possible in the flesh. There are so many variables between kennels, you will quickly see which ones you prefer. Ask around your area and see where the local dog shows are and attend them to see if there are any exhibited. Big agricultural shows, like the Sydney Royal Easter Show, or specialist shows, like the All Mastiff Breeds of VIC, are often the best in this regard as there are more Dogues than usual at these types of events (these examples are in Australia, if outside of Australia, contact your governing body to see which larger/specialty shows are in your area and when).
◊ What else do they do to continually build their knowledge?
◊ How does the breeder keep/raise their dogs? As a puppy buyer you should choose to buy a puppy that is healthy, well looked after and content. You should ask questions of the breeder to help you establish that the way they have raised the puppy and kept their dogs is going to ensure the puppy fits into your new home. All breeders are different, as all new homes are different. The best way is to go see for yourself in person.
◊ Do they do any other training or activities with their Dogues?
◊ Can you go back to them for help and advice in the future? (have they given you their contact numbers, email, address, wanted to befriend you on social media to keep in touch etc)
◊ And finally (and this is a little tongue in cheek), do they work? Ethical breeders will NOT use dog breeding as a sole income or to prop up any kind of government benefits. Ethical breeders breed for themselves first and foremost, and any additional money they make, if any, is put back into the dogs (like a new import, show costs, vet/breeding cost, health testing, travel to shows/kennels to see other Dogues etc).
Many kennels are nothing more than registered puppy farms, not all registered breeders are equal.
THESE ARE JUST A FEW SUGGESTIONS, BUT ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS AS YOU WANT.
REMEMBER—THERE WILL ALWAYS BE “SALES PEOPLE” IN THE BREED.
IF YOU ARE NOT SURE ABOUT ANYTHING THEN GET ANOTHER OPINION.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, IF YOUR GUT FEELING SAYS SOMETHING IS 'OFF' ABOUT A BREEDER, IT WILL PROBABLY BE RIGHT!
Pedigree papers also prove you are getting what you pay for, a Dogue de Bordeaux. Unregistered breeders can in NO WAY guarantee you are getting a purebred, as you don't get any papers to prove it! It has been common practice for unregistered breeders to advertise crosses (and even pitbulls) as pure bred Dogue de Bordeaux, in order to sell them for a higher price, or to get around Breed Specific Legislation which prohibits the sale of pitbulls. For example, only recently a Dogue cross that is 1/4 Neapolitan Mastiff that looks purebred (maybe a poorer quality one, but still the right colouring) had the owner advertise the litter are 'pure bred' pups for double the price of the previous litter she had, when the owner actually advertised the mum as not being pure. Now those pups are sold, and say they decide to breed the pup they were 'told' was pure bred, the next buyer also gets a pup that is really not pure bred at all and so on. Your unregistered breeder may actually believe with all their heart they have a pure bred, but without papers to prove it, you too may be scammed like they were.
Do your research, and have a look at what quality pups look like, and compare it to the pup you are interested in - you will find HUGE differences nearly every single time.
◊ Are the puppies registered with the canine council (ANKC)? Ok, so your breeder is registered, but will they register the litter? Sometimes breeders do things that would breach the ANKC code of ethics, and in order to avoid detection will not register the litter. IF the breeder IS in fact registered, there is no excuse not to register the litter as well. And in fact, in most states, this practice is also against the Code Of Ethics. Most states insist that a copy of the pups ANKC registration papers be supplied at the time of the sale of the pup.
◊ Have the parents been a minimum of hip and elbow scored? Ask to see a copy of the hip/elbow score papers. This is a giant problem in the breed, and very expensive to repair surgically (in excess of $8000) and the poor dogs afflicted can suffer horribly. This test is inexpensive and ALL breeders SHOULD be doing this very basic testing on their breeding dogs. There really is no excuse not to do it. It's available in every state, and country. And it CAN be done by unregistered breeders - it is not an exclusive test just for registered breeders.
◊ Have any other health tests have been done on the parents and what were the results? Remember that in Australia the most important health test currently is hip/elbow scoring. Some breeders are going beyond that, testing hearts, thyroid etc.
◊ Can you see the parents? Photos are not always accurate & can hide a lot of faults. Also, it will give you a good indication of temperament. Keep in mind that some mums can be quite protective of their little ones, but generally, you would like to see confident friendly parents. With unregistered breeders, as they don't register the pups, there are no rules or penalties if they provide misleading information about the parentage. In this instance, you may see 2 Dogue de Bordeaux in the yard, but there is no guarantee the next door neighbours dog didn't jump the fence and also mate with their female - dogs can also have pups from multiple males in the same litter quite easily.
◊ Are the puppies microchipped? Check what your state laws are in regards to this, and ensure the breeder is complying with it.
◊ What happens if the puppy develops a hereditary health problem?
◊ Do they offer a health guarantee, what are it’s conditions, how long does it last? All health guarantees are different. Ask to see it. Some will exclude every condition but still call it a health guarantee. Others only guarantee for 6 or 7mths, when most of the severe conditions are diagnosed after this age. Make sure you read the guarantee and are comfortable with it.
◊ What is the history and experience of the breeder themselves? Lots of 'fly by nighters' buy up a whole heap of adults, breed a few litters, then sell everything off and disappear. You want to find a breeder who has been in it for the long haul, or are being mentored by people who have been in the breed a long time.
◊ How long have they had dogs, how long have they had Dogues, do they have other breeds of dogs as well? Lots of inexperienced Dogue de Bordeaux Breeders are unfamiliar with the breed standard, even some of the people who have been in the breed a long time needed to attend a lecture by a breed expert to clarify some aspects of the breed standard to better understand it. If they don't know the standard, how can they breed to it, and if they are not breeding to it, you will not get a good example of the breed.
◊ Do they “show” Dogues or just breed? There are LOTS of registered Dogue de Bordeaux Breeders. LOTS! But only a handful actually show their dogs. Some kennels that breed lots of puppies have never ever produced a champion! Some breeders websites shout out loud about them breeding 'Top Quality Dogue de Bordeaux', or 'The Best In Australia' but yet, they have never set foot in a show ring, none of their dogs have ever been shown, they have never titled a dog themselves, nor have any of the dogs they have sold been titled. So, one has to wonder how they gauge quality or how they have determined they are the best when they have never competed against anyone?? DO NOT be fooled by fancy websites, they are often a smokescreen so you can't see what really lies beneath. Many will tell you the show world is 'too bitchy' as an excuse. Well, lots of ethical breeders sometimes think this as well, but they either go anyway or they attend (but don't exhibit), just so they can get an idea of what is out there, and what lines are producing what results.
◊ Do they travel to see other Dogues or attend shows? Lots of breeders will travel to show against competition, and under specialist judges. Some will also travel overseas and interstate to inspect kennels and breeding lines they are thinking of using. There is nothing better than getting first hand, in the flesh, experience. Potential puppy buyers are encouraged to try to see as many Dogue de Bordeaux as possible in the flesh. There are so many variables between kennels, you will quickly see which ones you prefer. Ask around your area and see where the local dog shows are and attend them to see if there are any exhibited. Big agricultural shows, like the Sydney Royal Easter Show, or specialist shows, like the All Mastiff Breeds of VIC, are often the best in this regard as there are more Dogues than usual at these types of events (these examples are in Australia, if outside of Australia, contact your governing body to see which larger/specialty shows are in your area and when).
◊ What else do they do to continually build their knowledge?
◊ How does the breeder keep/raise their dogs? As a puppy buyer you should choose to buy a puppy that is healthy, well looked after and content. You should ask questions of the breeder to help you establish that the way they have raised the puppy and kept their dogs is going to ensure the puppy fits into your new home. All breeders are different, as all new homes are different. The best way is to go see for yourself in person.
◊ Do they do any other training or activities with their Dogues?
◊ Can you go back to them for help and advice in the future? (have they given you their contact numbers, email, address, wanted to befriend you on social media to keep in touch etc)
◊ And finally (and this is a little tongue in cheek), do they work? Ethical breeders will NOT use dog breeding as a sole income or to prop up any kind of government benefits. Ethical breeders breed for themselves first and foremost, and any additional money they make, if any, is put back into the dogs (like a new import, show costs, vet/breeding cost, health testing, travel to shows/kennels to see other Dogues etc).
Many kennels are nothing more than registered puppy farms, not all registered breeders are equal.
THESE ARE JUST A FEW SUGGESTIONS, BUT ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS AS YOU WANT.
REMEMBER—THERE WILL ALWAYS BE “SALES PEOPLE” IN THE BREED.
IF YOU ARE NOT SURE ABOUT ANYTHING THEN GET ANOTHER OPINION.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, IF YOUR GUT FEELING SAYS SOMETHING IS 'OFF' ABOUT A BREEDER, IT WILL PROBABLY BE RIGHT!