Researching a Litter

Before you visit a litter of purebred puppies to pick your new family member, do some research to try to avoid some unpleasant surprises. You probably want to purchase a socialized, healthy puppy that truly looks like your chosen breed.

That goal sounds easy but may be difficult because so many people are breeding dogs. Here’s an approach that might help you select your near perfect puppy.

First, decide if you want to buy a registered purebred dog and if so from which canine registry. The American Kennel Club (AKC), founded in 1884, is the oldest dog registry in the United States and considered by many as the most prestigious. But if you choose to buy a puppy from a litter registered by another dog registry, research that registry carefully to determine if it takes steps to verify that its registered dogs are indeed purebreds.

Next educate yourself about your chosen breed. Don’t rely on information from your neighbors or someone who has raised a litter just for the sake of having puppies. Instead, ask yourself a few questions:

• Is your chosen breed a good match for your lifestyle and living situation?
• What kind of temperament can you expect?
• What are the health issues of the breed?
• What are the physical characteristics of the breed?

My husband and I are constantly amazed when someone tentatively ask if our dogs are Labradors. Unfortunately, many dogs are called Labradors because they “resemble” one. Ours adhere closely to the breed standard (specific guidelines for physical appearance, movement and temperament) for Labradors. Many people don’t know that Labradors should have broad heads instead of narrow ones with long muzzles or stand between 21 ½ to 23 ½ inches for females and 22 ½ to 24 ½ inches for males and have an otter, not a thin wispy, tail instead. The only colors of Labradors are black, chocolate and yellow.

Look on the AKC’s website (www.akc.org) or the national and/or local breed clubs’ websites to read your chosen breed’s standard.

Next, research your breed’s health issues. A google search may give you some broad information but the website of the Orthopedic Foundation of Animals (www.offa.org) provides a wealth of information. Click on “Tests by Breed” to learn what health tests are recommended by the national breed clubs. Be aware that additional health tests also may be important, so consult your vet and reputable breeders.

How do you locate a reputable breeder? If you don’t know one by word of mouth, call the local breed club to ask for referrals to club members with litters. Many (but of course there are exceptions) spend considerable time and money on their dogs in their quest to improve their chosen breed. Expect them to ask lots of questions before they agree to sell a puppy to you. They want their pups in good loving and caring homes. Likewise you want a puppy raised in a loving environment and bred with care to give them the best chance of having good health and temperament. A future blog will discuss questions to ask a breeder.

Call the breeder who has been referred to you. Presuming you are interested in his/her pups, ask which registry the litter has been registered with as well as the registered name of the dam and sire of the litter, and their specific health clearances. Then do your homework. Obviously, dysplastic dogs should not be bred as the likelihood of producing dysplastic pups is much greater than if two non-dysplastic dogs are bred to each other.

To verify health clearances, type the names of the litter’s parents into the OFA website’s search function. Keep clicking on links to find health clearances of relatives that have been tested. Unfortunately, for some diseases such as hip and elbow dysplasia, dogs with normal joint conformation can produce dysplastic puppies if they are both are carriers of the dysplastic genes.

There still isn’t a genetic test to detect carriers. Thus, offspring, sibling, grandparent and great uncle and great aunt histories may be helpful in assessing the likelihood that your potential pup’s parents are both carriers and if so, know that some of their pups will be dysplastic.

Another caveat: Not all owners of dogs authorize OFA to publish failing health test results, so the information on the OFA website maybe incomplete. Your research should reduce the risk of buying a genetically diseased puppy but won’t eliminate the possibility.

If you are still interested in the litter after your research, call the breeder to set up an appointment to visit the pups. Make sure the breeder is responsive to your questions and then fall in love with your new family member! Good luck.