What are the good traits of your breeding dogs?
Your breeder should be more than happy to give you intimate details about their dogs’ behavior. You should not get answers like “Bailey loves belly rubs” and “Riley loves to go for walks” and “Turbo goes crazy for bacon”
Duh, duh and duh. I have never met a dog that didn't like belly rubs, walks and bacon. )Well I've met dogs with psychological problems that didn't like belly rubs and/or walks but we should expect to be talking about normal, healthy and well-balanced doggie individuals) and all dogs love bacon. It must be a requirement of being a canine. Oh and peanut butter. I wonder if they'd like them together?
You should recieve detailed responses about each individual dog/bitch or at least the ones that are being bred within the next year. The dogs should all be described differently (because they will be different in reality) and you should sense a real love and appreciation for the dog in the breeder’s words and tone. The tone and love should be apparent even via email. The dogs should also share a few specific traits as well. You should be able to narrow down your choice of mother based on temperament and what type of dog you’re looking for.
What are the faults and/or limitations of your breeding dogs?
You should expect an honest answer. The breeder should not be evasive or ignore your question. The breeder should also not exclusively discuss physical appearance. A breeder might not be willing to breed dogs with temperament faults and so that can be a valid answer (and a good one, frankly) but these breeders will have dogs with limitations. One dog might be perfect for the active owner, for example, but too high-energy for a very busy household. The pros of a dog can also be the cons. These should be listed as the “limitations though they are pros” or otherwise stated as such.
Remember that all dogs have faults. A breeder will match dogs together to balance out and complement one another’s pluses and minuses. If a breeder refuses to admit to faults then he/she must be hiding something terrible. This means either really bad dogs or the breeder is far too prideful. A breeder that can't stand to admit fault or recieve helpful criticism is a breeder you don't want dogs from. A breeder is a professional that should constantly be learning and growing, even after 30 years of breeding.