Debunking Some Common Misconceptions
If I buy a Poodle Cross or other cross breed will I get specific breed characteristics like a low shedding coat?
If you buy a cross breed, you will get either, parent’s coat or an unpredictable mix of the two different breed’s coats. Different puppies in the litter will get a varied combination of characteristics from one or other parent or an odd variant of both. The puppy and resulting adult dog may well be gorgeous but don’t expect any certainty on it’s final characteristics. The only way to guarantee coat type and other characteristics is to buy a pedigree puppy from an ANKC registered breeder.
If a low shedding coat is a priority then there are multiple pedigree breeds with low shedding coats. Here is a list of some of them:
Poodle, Bichon Frise, Bedlington Terriers, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Schnauzer, Portuguese Water Dog, Irish Water Spaniel, Havanese, Chinese Crested, Bouvier des Flandres, Lowchen and Lagotto Romagnolo.
If I have an allergy to dogs, will I be able to own a dog if it has a low shedding coat?
People can be allergic to other aspects such as the dandruff or saliva of the dog. Allergies could even be related to products such as shampoos used on the dog. If you have had allergy issues around dogs, you should get specialist allergy tests done before purchasing a dog.
My friends beautiful dog escaped the yard whilst on heat and was seen being mated by the gorgeous dog next door. Should I buy one of these pups?
What most people don’t realise is that there can be multiple fathers involved in the same litter. This roaming female may well also have got together with other local dogs without the mating being witnessed. So whilst you may opt to give one of these pups a great home, be aware that they may not be the mix you expect, regardless of what the puppy looks like.
I want to buy a pure bred and have seen one in the pet shop or on Gumtree that they say is from a registered breeder.
Firstly, ANKC registered pedigree breeders are NOT permitted to sell via a pet shop. They are required to find suitable homes themselves and most would not dream of doing anything other than this as they want to meticulously screen the homes to which each of their precious babes go. One has got to ask “registered with whom”, when viewing such advertisements as ultimately it can be any created organisation out there trying to give itself a name and appear credible.
Secondly, if the dog is not from an ANKC registered breeder with the puppy coming with pedigree paperwork from the relevant ANKC state organisation, such as Dogs Victoria, then you have no guarantee of what the puppy’s breed is. There have been many instances of dog owners attending dog training classes with a large dog that they can’t manage having thought they had bought a small dog.
I’ve heard some Dogs Victoria members who are ANKC breeders have been investigated/reported for doing the wrong thing. Is this true?
Every large organisation gets the occasional bad egg and yes Dogs Victoria, amongst it’s 10,000 members, have had some (considerably less than 0.5% of the membership). The vast majority of ANKC breeders are passionate breed specialists who love their dogs and are meticulous about their breeding decisions and practices. Dogs Victoria are actively inspecting their breeders and have very stringent rules. They don’t have statutory authority to enter and seize animals the way the RSPCA can but they will investigate matters of concern. They can and do suspend or expel members. Of the 10,000 members only around 4000 have breeder prefixes and of that only about half are active. The vast majority have no more than one or two litters in any given year. In fact around half have none in a given year. Only around 17% of puppies born come from ANKC breeders with the other 83% coming from other sources mentioned in this article.
I’ve seen puppies advertised that are said to be pure bred and that they come with “papers”
Be careful here. There are a number of self claimed groups popping up that are creating their own “papers” with a dog’s family tree. There is only one Applicable Organisation in Victoria, under state law, which is Dogs Victoria (also referred to as The Victorian Canine Association). Its member breeders are registered as breeders with the ANKC. They only breed registered pure bred dogs, never cross breeds. If you are seeking a cross breed, you will not find one bred by a responsible ANKC breeder!! If you are after a pure bred dog with Pedigree Papers then you are seeking an ANKC registered breeder, who will be a member of their state based dog organisation, eg Dogs Victoria.
If I buy a cross breed will it be healthier due to genetic diversity?
The odds are that a cross bred puppy will be from parents with no health, temperament or genetic health screening. It may well be the result of an accidental mating where a parent’s health or temperament problem may be passed on. It may well be the result of ignorant pet owners having a litter with no knowledge or caution. Then there are the puppy farms that simply don’t care and will not spend any dollars on tests. The pedigree community are very active in breed research and have funded the development of genetic tests for many of the conditions we can see in any dog. They know the family history of the dogs, so will be aware of any health issues, unlike a pup coming from dubious origins. This can create the perception that Pedigree Dogs all have problems and mixed breeds don’t. Whilst health issues can always arise despite the best of care, it’s irresponsible to not do screening for all health conditions known to occur in a breed. Regardless of whether a litter is pure bred or cross bred, the parent dogs should still be tested for all conditions known to occur in the breeds involved to minimise the chance of health problems in the puppies.
Will I pay more for a Pedigree Dog?
Maybe, maybe not. An ANKC breeder is not a commercial breeder so their prices are largely based on covering costs. There are a number of things that impact cost. Average litter size for the breed, cost of various tests, importation of semen for increasing genetic diversity, food suited to the breed size and veterinary expenses are some of the main things.
Backyard (non ANKC registered breeders) will often have spent less on the above care, or may have released their puppies under 8 weeks or without microchips or first vaccination, so can charge less.
Commercial breeders will often charge more as they are profit motivated. Many of those breeding for the deliberate cross breeds charge more than double that of a typical ANKC breeder.
We hope you have enjoyed this 3 Part series on
"Buying a puppy from a responsible breeder"
Read our blog post - Yay! A puppy is joining your family and
Pet Insurance. Should I get it?