Dog Search: Breed Advice

[matrips]

So just fyi in your breeder search. Here was our experience in case it helps. We went to the national Bichon Frise website. Not the akc website. Each dog breed seems to have a national club. I spoke with the president of the Bichon club and she was so helpful in answering questions.

 

There were only 2 or 3 recommended breeders for our whole state. The one we went with answered all questions, fed exed me all the parent and grandparent lineage, registrations, and health certificates. Her last litter had been a couple years ago. She obviously didn't breed for income, just for passing along good traits. All her own dogs, living in her house, and all either show or agility champions. When we went to visit, we went into her family room where all the puppies and the parents and other doggie relations were so we could see them all. Preferred to keep the puppies 10-12 weeks to socialize them, begin crate training and house training. She's been a wonderful resource.

 

The one we didn't go with ( a local breeder who was not on the national list but was close to us), laughed and said why would I need to health test my dogs?! She was a backyard breeder with well over a dozen litters during just the three months we were I touch with her that we could see. Definitely did it for the income. When we visited, she kept us in one small part of her house and she'd bring out just one puppy at a time. Never saw the parents. Had puppies ready at 8 weeks to go. Totally different scenario.

[SeaConquest]

So just fyi in your breeder search. Here was our experience in case it helps. We went to the national Bichon Frise website. Not the akc website. Each dog breed seems to have a national club. I spoke with the president of the Bichon club and she was so helpful in answering questions.

 

There were only 2 or 3 recommended breeders for our whole state. The one we went with answered all questions, fed exed me all the parent and grandparent lineage, registrations, and health certificates. Her last litter had been a couple years ago. She obviously didn't breed for income, just for passing along good traits. All her own dogs, living in her house, and all either show or agility champions. When we went to visit, we went into her family room where all the puppies and the parents and other doggie relations were so we could see them all. Preferred to keep the puppies 10-12 weeks to socialize them, begin crate training and house training. She's been a wonderful resource.

 

The one we didn't go with ( a local breeder who was not on the national list but was close to us), laughed and said why would I need to health test my dogs?! She was a backyard breeder with well over a dozen litters during just the three months we were I touch with her that we could see. Definitely did it for the income. When we visited, she kept us in one small part of her house and she'd bring out just one puppy at a time. Never saw the parents. Had puppies ready at 8 weeks to go. Totally different scenario.

 

Thanks. This is good information.

 

This is the breeder we are considering: http://jadestonecavalierkcs.com/welcome-to-jadestone-cavaliers/

 

Her FB page: https://www.facebook.com/jadestonecavaliers/

 

The boy and girl are from two different litters. Both are 16 weeks. The girl she was planning to keep for herself to show, but then changed her mind about having another girl. The boy was growing smaller than is typical because the mother was showing signs of mastitis. So, she bottle fed him from then on. She didn't send him with the others at 12 weeks because she wanted to give him more time to mature.

 

The boy's info:

 

Sire: CH Jadestone Legend Has It

Dam: Chantismere Sandy Shores

 

The girl's info:

 

Sire: CH Angel's Pride Benjamin Button

Dam: CH Bonitos Companeros Lorelei

 

We are leaning towards the girl because she is supposedly more outgoing. She is also more expensive. :/

 

The breeder has been totally forthcoming in answering all of my questions. She is also on the referral list for the Cav Club of Southern California.

Edited May 9, 2016 by SeaConquest

[Kebo]

I suggested a Havanese above, which is what my parents have now.

 

But thinking about it, if I were to buy a purebred small dog, I would think about a Border Terrier.  I like terrier personalities a lot, but they are a little more laid back than some of them are.  And pretty easy to take care of their coats.

 

With spaniels, one of the things I've not tended to like is that many seem to get smelly.  But that may just be the ones I've met - I don't know a lot of them.

 

Our last family dog was a border terrier.  There is a lot to like about the breed -- they tend to be (and ours was) good with cats they live with, friendly, happy-go-lucky, sturdy and reasonably athletic.   They are pretty good with (respectful) kids. They are a nice size (10-15 pounds more or less), and they don't usually bark much. But there are some downsides as well.  They can be very food oriented (as in, don't leave food unattended anywhere, even up on a table).  Their coat should be stripped a couple times a year (or a little bit at a time all year long) -- It was hard for us to find a knowledgable groomer, so I did most of it myself, which neither of us liked.  Ours would slip out and roam any chance he got.  His coat also tended to be bristly and oily with a strong odor even with frequent bathing, so he was not a good cuddle dog.  Ours was hard to housebreak, though the breed supposedly isn't, so maybe we got an unusual one. Oh, and I forgot that he was a relentless hunter of small, helpless creatures (field mice, doves we were hand-raising, orphaned kittens, our backyard chicken)....he had to be watched ALL the time.  He was obsessive about balls and didn't tolerate heat well.  He was a sweet boy, but I would think long and hard, and choose the breeder carefully, if I were to get another border terrier.  

[Incognito]

From my very limited understanding of dog breeding, it is pretty unusual for a serious breeder to have a litter and not have the dogs spoken for before they do it.  I would pause and consider why someone would do that.

 

As far as what breed, I think a miniature poodle would be a very good possibility for you.  The Cav. King Charles or Papillion would be other good options.

[Pawz4me]

From my very limited understanding of dog breeding, it is pretty unusual for a serious breeder to have a litter and not have the dogs spoken for before they do it.  I would pause and consider why someone would do that.

 

As far as what breed, I think a miniature poodle would be a very good possibility for you.  The Cav. King Charles or Papillion would be other good options.

 

You're right that it needs to be considered, but It's not all that unusual for a breeder to miss a point or two on the checklist of what is considered " good" or "bad" breeding.

 

There are timing issues involved in breeding, so sometimes all the "shoulds" and "should nots" get thrown out the window.  I know a really great Shih Tzu breeder (not the one our dog came from) who recently had two litters at once.  Which is often cited as being an indication of a bad breeder.  But it was strictly a timing issue -- she will only breed her females a couple of times, three at the most, and only once a year at the most.  The window was closing for her top female and the stud dog she wanted was available and the planets converged in such a way that she ended up dealing with two litters at once.  But she is a fabulous breeder and anyone who missed a chance to get one of her puppies for that reason alone would have really missed a great opportunity.  So I'd look at the whole package and not let one detail sway me if there's a good explanation for it.

[Scarlett]

My SIL has a little poodle. Not sure if it is toy or miniature. She is very sweet though and sounds like that might be a good match.

 

Cav King Charles looks good for you too.

 

As far as spaniels temperament......mine and her litter mate ( my friend got her) are both very very sweet dogs. No aggression ever. I would agree she leans more toward me but she doesn't snub the other family members. She even took to my Dh and she was almost 7 when he came along. But for your purposes I think she would need more exercise especially as a pup, then what your lifestyle would allow.

[ktgrok]

I LOVE caveliers, but I do think they might get heavy/big to be carrying down stairs all the time. They are very solid for their size.