WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A BREEDER?

We, at Windy Pine, would like to offer some advice when looking for a quality, ethical breeder.  Here are some items to consider with corresponding with a breeder or when browsing the hundreds of Cane Corso Breeder websites.

While many breeders say they are breeding to better the breed, what do they do to prove that?  Do they show their dogs?  Do they put working titles on their dogs?  Do they hip/health tests?  Do they temperament test their dogs?

A reputable breeder is breeding for the betterment of the breed and not their pocketbook, they spend thousands of dollars showing their dogs and putting various other titles on them to prove they are worthy of being bred.  Also if you are looking for a show quality puppy, how does a breeder who does not show their dogs really know what they are looking at for a show quality puppy.

What is hip/health testing?  Many unscrupulous breeders like to put PennHIP Certified or simply No DJD for hip testing results.  What do those words mean?  Your guess is as good as mine.  An honest breeder will give you exact scores of their dogs, an OFA Rating or a PennHIP score with a .??/.?? and/or Percentage ranking in the breed.  Also there many more health concerns with the breed than just hips and a breeder whose sole focus is on one health issue maybe lacking in other areas.  Look for a breeder who does a variety of health screenings on their dogs, such as OFA Cardiac, OFA Thyroid, CERF Eye Evaluations, Elbows, etc...  Most OFA health testing results can be verified at offa.org (some breeders/owners choose to opt out of publicizing their results), be sure to verify any results that your breeder states they have.

How many litters is this breeder producing?  I don't like to say there is a certain litter amount that justifies a good breeder from a bad, but any breeder who has multiple litters and I mean 3+ on the ground at one time, in my opinion is doing no good service to the breed.  Even if each female only had 8 puppies a litter that is rearing 24+ puppies at time, do you want to purchase a puppy from someone who is spread so thin with raising all those puppies to not be able to properly socialize and raise your puppy? A breeder out to better the breed is having a select few litters a year, to produce their next top dogs, if doing the best pairing for each breeding there is no need for multitudes of litters a year.

Does the breeder only breed to stud dogs they own?  Most of the time, the best match for each dog in your program is not necessarily another dog sitting in your backyard/kennel.  If truly breeding for the best with each litter, you are usually looking around at all studs.

Is the breeder retaining puppies from their litters?  A breeder’s main objective should be to create that illusive perfect specimen of the breed, if they are not retaining puppies back how can they be accomplishing this goal?  While I do realize most breeders do not want to have 30+ dogs in their yard, really that is not feasible to be giving each dog the time and attention it deserves, a reputable breeder  will sell a few promising puppies on co-owns with strict policy's on the breeding of that dog in the future if it should develop to its potential.  A breeder who is selling all of their puppies and purchasing/borrowing adults instead isn't bettering the breed at all, they are making a profit of not having to raise the dog and not being able to breed it for 2+ years.

How many puppies in this litter are show quality vs pet quality?  Realistically there are only a couple, at most, of show quality puppies in most litters.  Yes, occasionally you have that litter that is really just outstanding and there are a handful of potential show dogs in there, but for the most part that is not the case.  Make sure the breeder can tell you the faults of each of the puppies, they should be able to point out any structural faults such as lacking rear angulation, straight in the shoulder, lacking chest or posternum, and also head type wise is the head to muzzle ratio correct, does the dog have correct eye shape.  If this puppy is show quality they should be able to explain why they think this dog would do great in the show ring.

Do they seem to be selling you a puppy like a used car salesman?  A breeder should not need to be pushy about selling you a puppy, they should be proud of what they have accomplished within the breed.  If they do not currently have puppies available it should not deter them from speaking to you about the breed.

How young are they breeding their dogs?  There is almost no reason any dog needs to be bred, but especially a female, under 18 months of age, they have not had time to do full health testing on the dog, or prove it worthy of breeding.  Ideally a male dog should not be used in breeding until he has reached at least a year.  How many litters has the female had?  How old is she?  A reputable breeder is not back to back breeding their bitches every heat cycle pumping puppies out of them.  They have more concern with the welfare of their bitch than that.  Remember, every time a litter is whelped there is a chance of complications with the mom and the puppies.

Will the breeder let you see a copy of their contract and meet their dogs before you place a deposit?  There is no reason why you should not be able to review the contract and meet your future breeder’s dogs before sending them a deposit, if this is required run fast!

Remember don’t rush to purchase a puppy from the first breeder you come across or even the first breeder that sounds wonderful, find a breeder that is breeding for the betterment of the breed.  Most likely you will have to wait for that perfect puppy, because a reputable breeder does not have litters on the ground year round.

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