Quote:
Originally Posted by Martian
I am the lone voice of dissent. Contrary to popular opinion, you can know exactly what you're getting from a breeder. The trick is to know how to tell a good breeder from a bad one.
A good breeder will ask a lot of questions about your home life and your situation. A good breeder wants to make sure that his or her dogs are going to the right home. A good breeder will send you photos of the litter. A good breeder will advise you on common health problems with the breed, and will also be able to tell you all about the dog's pedigree. And a good breeder will never let a pup go earlier than eight weeks. A lot of them will not let a pup go before twelve.
With the right breeder, you have the advantage of knowing exactly what kind of dog you're getting. There's a random element to pound dogs that I'm personally not a fan of.
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Not the lone voice, I voted breeder
Like I said before, I've had rescue/pound dogs and I currently have two pure-bred GSD's. I have had much fewer problems with the pure-breds health wise and training wise (although the training is easy due to the breed) with the pure-bred's. I know a few reputable breeders and they will do like you said, ask alot of questions, make sure you understand what the breed is meant for and show you the full history on the bloodlines. I've never taken a pure-bred before 13 weeks and actually prefer to take them at 15-16 weeks so that they get the full socialization from the litter. A good breeder will in fact tell you do this.
Again, the most important decision in anything is picking the right breed for the household.