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Ok so how are these questions for breeders we are looking at?

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  • Ok so how are these questions for breeders we are looking at?

    I am looking for information about welcoming a great Dane into our family spring of 2016. There is a lot to learn about what to look for in a responsible breeder and I was told to ask lots of questions.

    I found your website on the *&^$ great Dane club site.

    We will want a male fawn. My children are in (----) County 4H and they can enter and show dogs in the county fair so we would be hoping to do that with our boy.

    Do you have requirement for the families of your pet pups?
    Do you interview potential buyers before puppy selection?
    Do you have health promises for your pups?
    What health screenings are done on the parents?
    How much are male fawns?
    What vet care do they receive before going to their new home?
    Do you work with pups on any obedience training, proper way to sit or any potty training before they are ready for their new home?
    Do you select the pup for the family that purchases them from you?
    At what age do you allow them to leave their mothers and go to their new homes?
    Are we allowed to visit our pup before we bring him home?
    Do we have to have to get his ears clipped?

    We do not want a show dog, but a healthy dog from a reputable, responsible, breeder who loves the breed. I know that we are looking way in advance but I'm sure that it is quite costly and we want to know what we are in for and if it is the right choice for our family. We aren't affluent people but blessed and we prefer to buy from a responsible breeder even if that means waiting so we can afford it.

    Another idea that was brought to my attention was to consider buying a well trained adult Dane. Do you work with and sell older Danes? If so what is your experience with this and how do they do transitioning into their new environment?


    Thank you so much for your answers and any advise you have got!
    Kelly


    So... I have already sent this to one breeder. Hope it's not over board but I was to to ask lots of questions

    Should I add any other questions??

    We aren't rich by any means. We want to wait until we can afford to buy and sustain care for our boy. I briefly entertained the thought of showing until I saw the costs of entering dog shows... Maybe a sport for after we put our 4 kiddos through college I hope I don't offend any of these breeders by saying "reputable" or "responsible". The more I read on here the more I keep thinking about it.

    Also I couldn't find the ABC's of finding a breeder or buying a puppy thread someone mentioned. If anyone recalls that and could post a link thatwould be awesome

    Kelly

  • #2
    Here is the direct link for the ABCs of buying a puppy:

    http://www.danemist.com/ABCs/buyingapurebredpuppy.html

    And I think any reputable breeder will be fine with your letter - you may have to follow up as I've heard sometimes it can take a while before a breeder will get back to you, depending on how busy they are.
    -Lisa (Zoomer's mom)

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    • #3
      I think you did just fine. Just beware that some breeders will not respond this far out, some won't even respond until they have a litter on the ground. I also prefer to not talk about price until a relationship is established and you are sure you want a pup from them.

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      • #4
        How much are male fawns? I would hold off on this one until you're more certain you've found your breeder.

        I would also write a bit about yourself when making initial contact with a breeder. Explain what you would like to do with your dog (4H shows or whatever), describe your family and lifestyle, as well as your home and such. Also, check out a breeder's website first. Eisen's (my young pup) breeder has a very super thorough website, detailing everything from what she recommends you feed, to obedience training help, and loads about genetics. You might find answers to some of your more obvious questions, like pricing and stuff. Do be sure you ask about health tests and if they are published on OFFA.org so that you may see them.

        You can also check out local shows too, or even look at show results for some ideas of breeders. There is some form of a "kennel name" in all registered names to give you some clues who to look up.
        sigpic
        Fergus
        SC Dinnie Stone Guardian, CGC
        Eisen Shark
        C Shadows On The Sun, CGC

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        • #5
          Oh bummer I already sent it to one breeder in my area

          The breeders website is very thorough so I wish I had held off. Hopefully they will forgive me for being such a newbie. I read more from her site after I sent the email. Health information and show titles and registration records are all listed.

          I read the ABC's list of questions and it said I should call not email.

          Also I understand why asking for pricing seems tacky or something I shouldn't do.... But I need to budget and prepare myself mentally. What if I get my heart set on a breeder and he/she is a $1000.00 more than I can afford.

          Please don't get upset with that question but it seems legitimate to me.

          Also my husband is supportive of me looking at reputable breeders BUT his mom just bought an $800.00 pup from a backyard breeder. $800.00 to us is a lot of money, I explained to him why I will not go that way in buying our pup and he agrees and is again supportive. But he is an analytical thinker. He is going to want a breakdown and numbers and comparatives.

          Hopefully it isn't unfair to hope for somewhere between $1500.00-$2000... If pups are far outside of that then we would unfortunately be out of the market for looking for a Great Dane pup... Or we would have to wait a bit longer. There are other costs that I'll have to consider outside of our pups price tag. I want to be educated about and be able to sell my husband and myself on what great breeders put into their pups and why they charge what they charge. I believe in good breeding. I've been burnt and hurt and had dogs the we spent what we thought was a lot at the time just to see them get sick. that is why he is on board for looking for a life long reputable breeder. But I would be lying to you and myself if I didn't tell you that cost matters.

          There is a link on here about how much a Great Dane really costs. I'll relocate at it and read it later.

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          • #6
            I should add that the #1 thing we are looking for in our dog (aside from health certs) is gentleness and even temperament. So I want a breeder who breeds for this and knows her dogs. Maybe it is going to be that we have to wait longer

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            • #7
              Sorry I know I'm filling my own chat

              Talked to my hubby and he is ok with him being worth what he is paid for I told him what he could cost and he said it makes sense and he is approving and still on track for spring 2016! Sorry I was so happy I had to share I told him $2500-$3500 just to be highest (please tell me that's the top of the range).

              What do you think is this an ok price range guys? What should I expect? Oh I am so excited. I thought for sure he was going to say no way a dog can cost so much...

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              • #8
                I think most danes from responsible breeders are between $1200-2000. Our girl was in the middle of that range. If you are looking for a show quality dog, it will be more expensive; but you said you weren't planning on showing so you should be fine.
                sigpic
                Adrienne
                Roger - 3 yr Brindle
                Mabel - 1 year
                Rest In Peace Willow 4.11.14
                Pepper 10.26.14

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                • #9
                  When I was breeding, I wanted to see more information about how you planned to care for a pup. I wanted to know about your housing situation, rent, buying. The fencing you have. How many hours a day would the pup would be alone. Are you planning to crate and for how many hours a day. I wanted to know if there are children and how old they are. I wanted to know your experience with dogs, especially large dogs. Plans for training, obedience, etc.

                  I suggest following up with a phone call. Keep the call short. I've had people want to chat for hours and then never buy a pup. Also, if possible find a local show and go chat with the breeder at the show. Yes, this works. I was at a show recently where a couple approached a well known breeder and talked about getting a well bred companion pup. The breeder liked the couple and they are now getting a beautiful pup from a co-bred litter (GCH Sire and GCH Dam) in another state.

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                  • #10
                    I don't think you'll completely ruin your chances by asking about price as long as that's not your only question . But you should definitely be able to get a well bred fawn companion for under $2000. Hubby and I started saving a year before we got our puppy and saved the purchase price, another $1,000 for initial expenses like vetting and training, and once the litter was born, we started acquiring stuff like a crate, toys, etc so we didn't have to buy that stuff all at once. Yes, it's a lot of money, but doable if you start saving ahead of time, and it sounds like you are.

                    I would also suggest volunteering more info up front about your family, what you are looking for in a pet, and how you plan to raise said puppy (or adult). I sent out an email to a few breeders with an introduction telling them what we were looking for, what we did for a living, and our general dog experience. I gave them a week or two to respond (they have jobs/families too, plus shows etc!), and followed up with a short phone call. I did once spend 3 hours on the phone with a Japanese Akita breeder, but since they're all in California I won't be able to get to any shows or anything, and he was totally fine with it With the Dane breeders I didn't spend so much time right off the bat. When I followed up, that's when I asked all my other questions about health testing, etc. After speaking with Finn's breeder, we went to meet her at a show and were able to meet Finn's mother - and my husband was completely sold! I think you're going about things the right way and I'm sure that you'll find your perfect pup. It's totally worth the wait!
                    sigpic
                    Chaucey
                    Asaah ~ xxx Asaah LaLa, CGC, registered therapy dog

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                    • #11
                      Thanks guys!

                      The breeder emailed me back and asked me to call her Monday! She is out of town at a show She said with so many questions it would be easier than going back and forth via email

                      Should I tell her about us now or just ask questions about her? I think I'm so excited it might all come out at once. I'll write out what I should ask and keep it short, clear and polite.

                      Is this good about us:

                      We are always together here, I'm a stay at home mother of 4 and I homeschool. We are active in 4 homeschool groups. We own our home and have a large fenced in yard. We live in a trilevel (stairs worry me, my mil Dane didn't like them) We've had the same vet for all our pets over the last 13 years. All our pets are utd on shots and spayed and neutered. We plan to crate train at night and for quiet times during the day (if he needs to relax or is stressed) or when we aren't home. Not wanting him to NEED his crate once he is potty trained and trustable not to eat the couch when we are out for a bit. I am looking into clicker training but with our previous dog I did K9 training the first class.. Is this recommended for this breed though? We are looking for a pup to be good with our dog Olive (6) and our cats and of coarse to be great with kids. Ellie will be 4 when we are ready to bring him home and our older children are all use to helping with our pets so they will be happy and ready to help with our new pup. Our bunnies are outside in our shed, Alyssa brings them in for a bit here and there but they live outside. Alyssa showed one of her bunnies at the fair last year and I would really like one of kids to be able to show our pup 2017 if we can. There is dog agility and obedience, as well as show and doggy dress up.

                      We are looking for a companion pup, but want the option to let the kids work with him at fair (hopefully) but it's not a must have.

                      We would also like to take him with us to all the places we can so he is well socialized and not scared or shy. Fair is very busy and loud. It only comes once a year but lots goes into making it great. The kids are in a 4H club the is animal science and they will be doing doggy massage in April and Olive gets to be one of the dogs the kids learn on.

                      As a homeschooling mom I'm always looking for opportunities to teach and with hands on real life experiences. Learning about Great Danes and what they need will be something we learn as a family. It's very exciting. We are going to a major college in our state for Vet a Visit to learn about how vetaraniarians work with different animals. Alyssa went to the same college last summer on a scholarship through 4H to study rabbit showmanship, breeding and I can't recall the last class. It's really amazing to have these opportunities


                      So was that to much? Lol

                      I should say though we will need a taller fence, the one we have it just a standard metal one. Also Olive was 3 when we got her and she is lovable, gentle and spoiled rotten. She only wants people food and loves my couch. She was allowed on the furniture at her previous home and she sneaks on it the second my head is turned... She thinks all our guests are coming to see her and she rushes to see them. So I'm sure before we bring home a pup I will have to teach Olive manners.. The same we will want our pup to follow. Can I break bad habits in an older dog? This will be my mission this year!

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                      • #12
                        I'd just wait and talk with her on Monday, she's probably busy getting ready for the show now anyway. I'm sure she'll have just as many questions for you as you will for her
                        sigpic
                        Chaucey
                        Asaah ~ xxx Asaah LaLa, CGC, registered therapy dog

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                        • #13
                          No answer and a full voice mail box

                          Oh we'll, there's always tomorrow.

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