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Choosing The Right Breeder

Maybe Locus Danes is not the choice for you! That’s okay, but because we care about the breed so much, we’ve made a list of things to look for:

 

1.) Look for health testing on the parent dogs. Dogs with health testing will have a webpage with all of their health testing available (like this one). If a breeder cannot provide one, then the dog hasn’t had any official health testing. They may say that the parent dogs have been checked over by their vet and were proven to be in good health, but this means absolutely nothing and should raise red flags. Another type of health testing that may be offered is genetic mutation health testing through a company such as Embark or Wisdom Panel. 

 

2.) Look for a health guarantee. If the parent dogs have had minimal to no health testing, make sure the breeder’s health guarantee covers what their dogs weren’t health tested for (i.e. if the dogs weren’t found to have normal/good/excellent hip ratings, then make sure the breeder covers hip dysplasia in their health guarantee and so on). 

 

3.) Look for AKC registration. Registration isn’t important to most pet homes, but recently “CKC Registered” has become a popular scam. Did you know that CKC (Continental Kennel Club) will register anything that LOOKS like the breed you’re registering it as? Yup. So your “pure bred, CKC registered Great Dane” may be 50% Great Dane and 50% something else... AKC registered doesn’t necessarily mean a good breeder either, HOWEVER, AKC registration 99% of the time guarantees a pure bred dog. 

 

4.) Look for photos of the breeding dogs. This is SUPER important because you want to make sure they are A.) well cared for and B.) nice looking Great Danes. Below is a photo of what a Great Dane should look like. You don’t want to pay the Great Dane price for a Great Dane wannabe, right? 

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Overall, we just don’t want back yard breeders and puppy mills to get the business they need to stay up and running! Hopefully this list can help you choose a proper breeder who cares deeply for their dogs and the puppies they produce, not someone who looks at their dogs as money bags.

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Here are more Puppy Mill Red Flags:

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  • A breeder refuses to divulge the name of his or her veterinarian. (If you are given this information, we’re not suggesting you call and interrogate the vet. At least look up the vet’s name and location to ensure it’s legitimate and the vet is still in practice.)

  • Advertisements are constantly in the newspaper classifieds, on fliers passed out in public places or listed on the internet to buy puppies from the same person or organization.

  • A person holds a sign on the side of the road or camps out near a busy roadway trying to sell puppies.

  • A breeder offers multiple different breeds for sale or “rare” or “new” breeds. Breeding should not be an experiment.

  • The person does not ask you any questions other than money and pickup arrangements. Any legitimate breeder should care who his or her puppies end up with and ensure they are going to suitable homes.

  • The person sells puppies at everyday events, such as garage sales or flea markets.

  • A person claims he or she is selling the puppies as an “agent” for a breeder.

  • Puppies are offered in opposite-sex pairs to encourage breeding.

  • The breeder claims spaying or neutering is not required or unnecessary.

  • The puppies are offered for sale and delivery before they reach 8 weeks old.

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