Yet another neurotic question. I am planning on purchasing a pup in 2-3 years. How soon is too soon to contact a breeder or breeders in whom I am interested? I am planning on going to the Golden Specialty in October, and hope I can overcome my shyness and meet some breeders there. Any advice on this would be helpful. As you can see, I am seriously bitten by the puppy bug.



Thanks in advance.

i counted back 4mos from when i wanted a puppy. i'm in indiana and there are a few breeders who are great right around me. i knew i had good odds. i would imagine being able to watch a breeder go thru a litter of pups and watching how those do would be great. do u have someone in mind?

I have about 10 breeders in mind and am in the process of narrowing them down to 4. It's really hard for me. I know what I want in a puppy, but have found what look to me like some very good breeders.

Find the right breeder first and then the right puppy will come along!

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I do what I like and like what I do. Yorkies- Cozy (4/1/06), Roxy & Zoey (2/11/08), Lucy (4/6/09); Golden- Buddy (4/13/09- Rescued 12/11) Maine Coon cats- Mika (1998) and Tallulah (2000)

I chimed in on your thread about getting a performance puppy a couple days ago. I waited two years. The other person getting a puppy from this litter is a very serious performance home who is finishing her current dog's MACH and MH, I'm pretty sure she was waiting longer than me or at least was having conversations. I absolutely do not think that you are jumping the gun on reaching out to people and building relationships precisely because you are wanting more than a pet prospect.

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Ellie and Mack

@drloripalooza

It is not too early to contact a breeder 2-3 years out. However, you should keep your timeframe open because getting a puppy from the right breeder that is right for you trumps the timeframe many times. It also give you time to develop a relationship with the breeder and having them have a good understanding what you want.

Not all performance breedings will be for all owners. Many times there will be breedings that require that you have put a MACH, MH or OTCH on a dog. There can be breedings also where only experienced performance homes are considered - meaning you have more than a couple of novice level titles on a dog and you plan to show multiple events. Then there are breedings for performance homes and pet homes who plan to do serious therapy work. You... get the idea.

Additionally, not ever breeding results in a pregnancy. I'm not sure if you have a preference for a male or female but if you do there can be litters with only one sex or not enough of one to meet the requirements of future puppy owners. I did, although my male gets along with every dog he has ever met, (male or female) I wanted a female.

So... it can take up to two years to get a puppy. It took over 2 years for me. There were non pregnancies on breedings I was interested in and then some were not the right time. In the end, if you pick a breeder you have a good relationship that picks the right puppy for you, you'll have a great one

Not too soon at all. I was on serious search for 18 months before I got to Breeze's breeder and litter, and then still had to wait for them to be born, and then initially there were not enough pups for where I was on the list (thank you drop-put reservation!)

I have a couple of people on my list who will have been waiting for a year for Breeze's pups once they get here!

With your Vermont location, the other event you should consider attending is the Canadian National Specialty. It is Labour Day weekend just outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia and is being hosted by the Maritime GRC. They are starting to post information on the event on their club website. There will be a WC/I/X test on the Friday, National SPecialty Conformation and Obedience on Saturday, and REgional Specialty Conformation and Obedience on Sunday.

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Shelly & the Sterre Goldens
"Breeze" HR Trowsnest Sterre Autumn Breeze Can. SH WCX, Am. MH CCA
"Winter" Can/UKC Ch. Amberwood Winter Wonderland Can. SH WCX CD VCI, Am. SH CD WCX CCA VC, 2007 GRCC Nan Gordon Trophy
"Butch" Sterre Badlands Outlaw JH WC (Ch ptd), Am JH
"Bonnie" Sterre Texas Bluebonnet JH WCI, Am JH
"Wings" Sterre Widgeon on the Wing
"Chrissy" Halfmoon Embellishment (Cavalier)
"Juniper" Amberwood Northern Exposure CD RNCL (Apr15 2002-Feb12 2013)
http://www.sterregold.net

I agree, it sounds like a long time but it's really not if you back yourself into it. I already have a few people who have expressed interest in puppies out of Smooch and she is only 10 months old and I've never bred anything before. But I think it's great if people can plan, the breeder may even take your desires and goals into account when selecting a stud dog...so it's really a win win, the breeder gets a great home and you get the puppy you want.

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It depends on what you are looking for in a puppy. If you are wanting a special breeding of certain lines for a performance or show puppy, then making contact with a breeder a good amount of time in advance may make sense.

If you are just looking for a companion puppy, I don't think it is at all neccessary to make contact with a breeder 2-3 years in advance. Personally, as a breeder, I cannot tell you exactly what breedings I will be doing that far in advance. I will have young dogs that will need to have clearances done and shown before they would be used in our breeding program and within 2-3 years, many of the dogs that I would be using in our breeding program now, would be retired. This would especially hold true for the girls who tend to typically have a few litters and then are retired. I may have ideas about breedings that I would like to do, but I don't announce any breeding plans until all the ducks are in a row, so to speak. Too many things can happen in that amount of time and there are too many variables.

If you are certain that you are not going to be ready for a puppy for 2-3 years than my suggestion is that you wait until closer to 6 mos to a year before contacting breeders. This does not mean that you cannot start doing research and checking out different breeders that you like.

People who are interested in a puppy have a tendency to think that they are the only ones that the breeder needs to speak with. This, of course, could not be further from the truth. Many breeders have full time jobs outside the home, have children/families, have their dogs to take care of, many are out of town on weekends for shows and competitions, have questions/help needed from families who already have their dogs and then if they are actively breeding will have families that they are dealing with who are getting a puppy from the next litter they are having. There are only so many hours in the day. So patience is important and especially with companion puppies, that is a long time out for a breeder to be able to give you specific answers to your questions and their breeding plans.

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[/SIGPIC]

From advice on another thread, I am wondering how far I need to go in obedience with my current recue dog (the most recent of four). None of the others have gone through formal training. He is in beginner now and doing well. I hope to go through advanced beginner next, perhaps it will take me a few times before I can move on to novice. Does this sound like an appropriate plan? OTOH I was thinking about doing agility with him for confidence building. Would one be better than the other? He is a bit timid around people (not dogs) but has come along marvelously. I can take him to farmer's markets, craft shows, outdoor malls, and dog festivals with no problems or shutting down. p.s. His timidity may be due somewhat to the fact that he is blind in one eye. He was also a stray.