Breed Articles

27/03/2009

Buying that first puppy

Animal and particularly dog welfare is a topic which has hit the headlines in recent times.

It is more important than ever for novice owners to make the right decision about their first dog or puppy.

Unfortunately many people see dogs and dog breeding as a way of making a quick buck. Dishonest advertising, irresponsible breeding and fancy language can easily dupe the first-time owner leading to the purchase of animals which may suffer from devastating health consequences or potentially dangerous character flaws later down the line.

However, we at the GSA are here to help and we have compiled an article which we think will help you on your way to finding the perfect partnership.

It is imperative to check that your puppy comes from healthy, fit parents who are sound in mind and body. A responsible breeder will only breed from animals which have been thoroughly health checked and have been tested and found clear of hereditary defects.

At a time when the newspaper small ads are flooded with ads for puppies of all shapes and sizes, it has never been more important for the prospective buyer in Ireland to be equipped with the knowledge that will allow them to make the right decision when they set out to select and purchase a puppy.

Are you thinking of getting a German Shepherd puppy? If so, the fact that you are reading this is a very good first step. Getting any puppy needs serious consideration. And depending on your long term plans or ambition you want the best possible.
You are hopefully going to have him (or her) for a long time and unlike children, he will not reach a stage of maturity where he can look after him/herself.

Throughout the puppy’s early period of growth and for the rest of its life, it remains your responsibility and its wellbeing, health and comfort depends totally on you.

Feeding, exercising, socialising, training, housing, health and cleaning up after him, these will all be your chores. These are part and parcel of the commitment you make when you take on the responsibility of a dog, a friend. It is a big decision and one that need serious thought. The first consideration is – do you really want a dog at all? Are you prepared to take on the responsibilities?

Remember, if you are thinking of getting the dog for “one of the kids”, in most cases, you will invariably be the one who ends up looking after him.

This is particularly so if the child is coming up to or in early teen years. School, friends and the opposite sex will soon take over!

Having convinced yourself that you do in fact want a dog, please consider carefully which breed. All dogs need exercise, food and looking after, they also need some form of basic training. If you have a particular breed in mind - such as a German Shepherd for instance, we would suggest that you learn something about the breed beforehand and if you have ambitions to show or train for dog sport them a visit to your local GSA representative or training group is imperative. The GSA is a service organisation, its educational and developmental facilities are at the disposal of all dog people regardless of the breed of dog they have.

Now all that aside, the decision is made, you want a dog, you are happy to mind him and you are dead set on a German Shepherd, what next? Well before you fully make up your mind and make that very important purchase, give us a call. We know this dog, this great breed, we know all the pitfalls and especially we know the breeding lines and the problems that come with unregulated and un-scientific pairings and breeding, of which, unfortunately, there are many.

Take the few minutes out and talk it though with one of our people. Any of the contacts on this site have years of experience in our breed and will give you freely of their time.

They will advise you to the very best of their ability. And most importantly the advice will be totally impartial.  What you can be certain of though, is that there will be no unscrupulous breeders, puppy farmers or cowboys mentioned or recommended. 

Any advice proffered by our advisors will most assuredly be based around the correctness of the breeding, the kennel conditions, health and what questions you should be asking and what assurances you should be looking for.

So, what should you be looking for and what should you ask?

German Shepherd dogs are happy, friendly, outgoing, energetic dogs. They generally have good health though they are susceptible to a variety of conditions that you need to make yourself aware of. They make excellent family pets, they are loyal, easily trained and will with maturity be sensibly protective of you, your family and your property. They need and thrive on company, attention and exercise. If you don’t have the time, please get something else.

Do you want a male or female? 

Please do not set out by considering a female first and foremost as a breeding prospect, we are not going to run out of German Shepherds any time soon.

There are so many issues to be considered that if you were to suggest to us that breeding is your motive, we would advise against it. Later when you are established in the breed is enough time to consider this activity. Females are as a rule generally quieter, a little easier to manage and less territorial. Males can be a more independent, please remember these are generalisations and leaving aside the possibilities brought about be females coming into season, it really makes little or no difference which sex you choose.

If you are getting a dog to compete in working our sport or in obedience, the seasons can be disruptive and a male may be a better choice. Regardless of the role your puppy is going to fulfil, he/she should have a lively outgoing and inquisitive nature.

Forget any notions of a boisterous puppy being a boisterous adult, not so. Correctly reared and trained the puppy will be suitable as a pet, guide dog, police dog, drugs dog, bomb disposal dog or just about anything you want him to be. There is no limit to the roles a good German Shepherd can be adapted for.

Character, temperament and good nerves are what make the puppy trainable. Drive can be built or subdued as required. The quite nervous puppy will be the quiet nervous adult and likely to be trouble, please don’t be tempted by a timid dog that seems cute and doleful, a scared dog can be just as dangerous as an overtly aggressive one.

Don’t make the mistake either of taking a puppy from a dirty stressful environment because you felt sorry for the poor thing. To purchase nervous, distressed and dirty puppies is to reward the bad breeder and an incentive for them to carry on their distasteful trade in farming, you would be fuelling the problem and encouraging the breeding of more puppies.

To reiterate, if you don’t have the time, patience or disposition to put up with the outgoing youngster, please get something else or take up another pastime. Happy outgoing puppies from clean conditions are rarely the products of bad breeding so it’s here you need to start. But remember this only the beginning, there is so much else to bear in mind.

Ask the questions!

Do not be shy or embarrassed. Don't reserve your comments or observations until you are back in your car going home. After all it’s your money, your puppy and eventually your dog that you will have to live with and train. Any responsible breeder will be delighted to answer any questions you have. They will show you anything you need to see and will be prepared to give you any reasonable assurances you need, if they refuse to let you see the puppy with its mother, or in its natural environment and insist on bringing it out to you or delivering it, don’t do it.

Please make it clear what is you want. You may want a puppy that you can eventually show, you may want a dog that you hope will be suitable for top competition - you may want a family pet where certain failings may not be an issue, i.e. a long coated puppy may be suitable. Make it clear. You should get certain assurances. The puppy must be healthy. If the purpose is to show or go in competitions, then he/she must not have any disqualifying faults.

If issues come to light after you have had the puppy for a considerable time - you need to be clear as to how these problems can be resolved. Many new owners become attached to the puppy very quickly and will not be prepared to give it back. We consider this to be a most reasonable position, we also think it is reasonable that if a puppy has been bought for a particular purpose and you have paid for that purpose you should get as far as is possible a puppy that will be at least to the minimum requirements.

If this is not so you should be refunded the difference between the price you paid and what you would have paid if you had wanted a pet. Make this position clear at the beginning. Write down the agreed position and sign it off.

Unless you are in a GSA club or know someone involved in the breed it is likely that your initial contact with the breeder will be by phone. Listed below are some of the relevant questions you should be asking. Please bear in mind, by necessity we will be making some generalisations and you can clarify any issue with us before you progress.

For instance we would generally advise that you check with us first if it becomes clear that the breeder keeps the mother and father, the sire and the dam. There are of course some excellent breeders where this would be the case, we will know them, but generally we come across this where the same dog is used to the same female season after season with money making as the primary objective.

Similarly, we would generally advise you to deal with a small breeder involved in and committed to the breeding goals of the breed standard and the club. Such  breeders will have the time to put into the small numbers of puppies they will breed, again, there may be a big breeder somewhere with facilities and people on hand who can give the attention the puppies need, check it out with us first. Make sure you have a pen and paper on hand, write down anything you may need to clarify with us later and use these questions as a check- list.

Who is the Dam of the litter? 

If the answer means nothing to you, we will check it out. Get additional pedigree details.

Who is the Sire?

The same applies as above. Also remember that the mother is every bit as important as the father, if not more so.

How old is the Dam?

She should be no younger than two years and no older than eight.

How old is the Sire?

This may not seem terribly important as long as he was old enough to have had his hips and elbows x-rayed. Realistically he should be about two years old and already have some of the important requirements which we pointed out earlier.

Is the Sire and Dam positively I.D Marked?

Both should be tattooed and /or Micro-chipped. Between the GSA and Kennel Club schemes are now in operation and the need for verification in licensed events and shows there is no excuse whatever why this should not be done.

What are the hips scores/elbow grades of the Sire and Dam?

Hip and more recently elbow dysplasia, where the ball of the joint moves away from the socket, has plagued the breed for decades because of irresponsible breeding, meaning pain and heartache for both dogs and their owners.
This problem has not yet been eradicated. It is largely a hereditary problem and breeders who either bred animals un-scored or with high scores have helped perpetuate it.

Schemes are in place where dogs can be x-rayed to see what degree, if any, of dysplasia is apparent with 0:0 being the best score, HD free.

Some heavily used sires that have good hips themselves, have in the past sired puppies with high scores – it is a minefield and it is best to get as much advice as you can on suitable bloodlines.

We will advise you on this. Be polite, say thanks and put the phone down if they are not both scored. Don’t be taken in by the excuses that the plates have been submitted or that confirmation of results is awaited. There are many excuses, and that is all they are, excuses, the animals should not have been bred from if not already scored, and with a good score at that.

What training degrees have the sire and dam?

We will advise you further on this. Ideally both should have a domestic or international performance Schutzhund title, the higher the better.

The minimum you should hope for is a B.H. Companion Dog Degree earned for obedience and evaluation under traffic conditions. 

You will want to see evidence of this. In the absence of a training title it may be advisable to have someone with you who can assess the character of the female.

Again, please remember that an important aspect of the dog’s makeup is its temperament, its impartiality to noise and gunshot, its ability to cope with stress and deal with new and unusual experiences. An ideal example of the breed should be scared of nothing and nobody.

The fact that the parents have successfully been examined and passed for these things certainly minimises the risks of the puppy having related problems.

Have the Sire and Dam been shown?

What breed qualification grades have they achieved? Ideally the grades should have been achieved at a GSA specialty show or event. Of exceptional importance would be a rating awarded at the Irish Sieger Show. Here you will have a guarantee that the certificate (which you will be asking to see) relates to the Sire and Dam in question.

Note: if the answer to the two questions above is no, or if the grading was achieved at a show where the animals were not tested for gun noise sensitivity or were not required to prove identity we would be sceptical. We would recommend that unless it is possible to carry out this test, you should cease to be interested. We will know the shows and circumstances where this test has been carried out.

How old are the puppies?

There are a number of opinions as to the importance of this question. We believe it is vital. Puppies go through various stages of social development. We would suggest that the optimum age to take a puppy is seven to eight weeks. We would urge caution to a novice owner taking a puppy older than ten weeks who has been raised in a kennel environment.

It is possible to get a well-adjusted, sociable puppy much older than this if the breeder/owner has deliberately done everything correctly. Keen small breeding kennels are conscious of this and those who breed performance/working dogs are seemingly more conscious than most.

Enquire into the Worming and Vaccination. Conscientious breeders do take precautions to keep the puppies in good health. Some others do not. One sure and certain way to determine a puppy’s health is to observe it feed. The dog’s appetite and drive for food is very important if not vital if you want the puppy for trials. Without food drive the interest to develop tracking instincts is severely impaired. You should always ask about the sequence of worming that was carried out with the puppies and bear in mind that there is a future sequence of worming to be observed to keep the puppy clear of parasites. Additionally find out what if any vaccinations the puppy has been given and insist on details of these being written down. Regardless, the puppy will require the full set of vaccines at about twelve weeks.

Please note, we do not suggest or recommend a price you should agree to pay. This is an issue for you to decide. Puppies should be observed in their natural environment for an accurate impression to be had. Do not 'collect' a puppy from the back of a car at a meeting point because either you or the breeder think that the distance to travel is too far.

Let your first impression be a strong guide.

The property itself should be clean and suitable. The kennel should be spotless (ignore little recent accidents). The kennel should be such as to have a raised wooden floor or other insulating material covering it all to protect the puppies where ever they lie. It should be large enough for the puppies and have good light. The puppies must have draught free sleeping quarters and access to another area where they can clean themselves.

There should be clean fresh water in clean water dishes.

There should be no dirty or bad smells. The mother of the puppies must be confident. She need not necessarily be friendly. If this statement is confusing to you, bring someone along who understands, she may be naturally defensive of strangers around her puppies! She should be clean and in obvious good condition and health. If the sire is on the premises, the same simple rules should apply to him. The puppies should be outgoing, forward and friendly. They should be happy to see you, happy to come to you and be curious about you. Better still if they want to play games or chase articles or balls. A litter which is shy in general and may have one outgoing puppy is best avoided, the other way around is OK, just make sure you don’t take the shy one.

Ask to see the litter being fed. Do so after you have done all you need to do. The previous comments about food apply. If you feel you can trust the breeder – take some advice from someone that you do trust.

Listen to what they have to say about the various puppies. If the puppy is for training for competition, there are well known and suitable selection tests that can be carried out – talk to us if need be. 

Don’t commit immediately if you have doubts, go back and take a second look if possible.

Find out which food the breeder is using, if you take a puppy you will need to continue on this food and if necessary gradually introduce any changes you plan.

That is it in a nut shell. There are a great number of things that are equally important in evaluating and selecting a puppy, but these for the novice would, we feel, on top of this comprehensive piece of advice confound and confuse one even more.

Best to take the steps and actions advocated above and then try to procure the help of someone from GSA Ireland, we don’t bite!

Please act carefully and responsibly.

Get your puppy micro-chipped or tattooed as soon as possible and then get him/her registered on the G.S.A. database registry.
Without doubt the next most important thing you can do is join the GSA.

Find out where the nearest training group or club is and get there by any means. Even if it is a great distance away, make the effort. It will be very worthwhile. Get the best possible start for you new puppy, make sure you have done all you possibly can to ensure a long and happy relationship with this wonderful breed. 

WITH YOUR NEW PUPPY THERE IS ONLY ONE OTHER POSITIVE STEP TO TAKE -
JOIN GSA IRELAND LTD.