Does anyone have a Pointador?

gettingready

Shitzu x Poodle=ShitPoo

tealady

Bulldog x shihtzu = Bull Shiht. Another "designer" dog

bmthmark

Over the last year I have noticed a massive increase in the amount of cross breed puppies.
Its all down to the fact that anyone can make quick large amounts of money. If you think about it, some of these designer pups can reach £1k each,
thats a potential £6k profit (cash) for 8 weeks of looking after them.
Something needs to be done as its completely wrong and most of the time these so called breeders have no interest in the puppies.

I have a 6 month old cocker spaniel, I researched for months until I found the right one.
I was interviewed by the breeder, when I mean interviewed I mean full on questions and she wanted to see me and my family before she agreed.
I was able to see both mum and dad dog in their home environment. I got the pup when he was 9 weeks old and I was able to visit whenever I wanted beforehand (so he got use to me). The breeder was kennel club registered and we got the full family history of the puppy. The puppy had his vet vaccination certificate and when we took him we were given a puppy pack. By the way no money was exchanged until we finally took him home. 6 months later I have a lovely gentle puppy who is adored by everyone and is just the most amazing dog.
I am a firm believer that the first 8 weeks of a puppies life is crucial to the behavior of the dog as they get older.

The point of my post is please don't just jump at the first one you see, do not fill the pockets of dodgey breeders who want to make a quick £, make sure yo are questioned and that you quiz the breeder.

Good luck

mac.d

krlyr wrote: »

How about looking at rescues for some Lab crosses?

This x 1000.

Even if you are after a particular type of dog. Please always consider looking at rescues first. Your dream dog might just be sitting there waiting for you.

Mojisola

bmthmark wrote: »

I have a 6 month old cocker spaniel, I researched for months until I found the right one.

I was interviewed by the breeder, when I mean interviewed I mean full on questions and she wanted to see me and my family before she agreed.

I was able to see both mum and dad dog in their home environment. I got the pup when he was 9 weeks old and I was able to visit whenever I wanted beforehand (so he got use to me). The breeder was kennel club registered and we got the full family history of the puppy. The puppy had his vet vaccination certificate and when we took him we were given a puppy pack. By the way no money was exchanged until we finally took him home. 6 months later I have a lovely gentle puppy who is adored by everyone and is just the most amazing dog.

If only all breeders followed this good example.

A friend has just bought a Yorkie pup - she contacted the breeder who said that there was one puppy left unsold. When she went to see the pups, the breeder said she could chose whichever one she liked because the other buyers had paid online and wouldn't see the pups until the day they arrived to collect them!

bmthmark

Mojisola wrote: »

If only all breeders followed this good example.

A friend has just bought a Yorkie pup - she contacted the breeder who said that there was one puppy left unsold. When she went to see the pups, the breeder said she could chose whichever one she liked because the other buyers had paid online and wouldn't see the pups until the day they arrived to collect them!

So sad to hear these stories
I know I was very lucky but I must say I did wait for months, I researched the breed and I saw lots and lots of puppies.
I had many bad experiences, one I always remember was visiting a house and was told to go to the back garden. In the garden they had a cage made out of wood with 6 puppies in it. The puppies were freezing and shivering (It was winter time) they had no heat or shelter. They were soaking wet as and you could tell that they had just been sprayed down with a hose. There was blood on the floor from one of the pups poo. I was asked no questions and the bloke said I could pick anyone and take it now. I questioned the blood and he said one of them must of ate a bone??
Obviously we walked away and reported him, but I'm not even sure he could be done for anything as he may not be doing anything wrong. To me its just cruel and a horrible start for the pups.

There are good breeders out there, it just takes time to find the right one and you may have to travel. The breeders number one priority should be the puppy and money should be an after thought.

I just wish people would stop buying from the bad ones at a cheap price as its just encouraging them to continue. I also wish the government would make it harder for them.
The dog could be with you for 15 years so spend a good few months researching.

Mojisola

bmthmark wrote: »

I also wish the government would make it harder for them.

I think it should be controlled by law as well.

lincroft1710

Scottish Terrier x German Shepherd = Scottish Shepherd

OP plenty of rescue dogs need homes. Please don't encourage creation of these faux breeds

Teaandacrunchie

I didn't get any alerts for replies sorry! Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Some of those cross names made me giggle.

I'm not sure how to quote specific replies but re getting a rescue, I'd love to but we have two young children and it worries me getting an older dog that we don't know the history of. We have a busy house with lots of children in and out all the time and I need to be sure that the dog we have is going to be safe around not just mine but all my friend's children as well.

Our lab was a pure breed, KC registered, hip and eye scored etc etc and he had joint problems from a year and it was devastating to watch him at the end as his body failed him and the only medicine to control his pain burned his insides away and I feel that a cross would be less likely to have those problems due to the larger gene pool. It's not that we want a 'designer' dog, far from it. There are just character traits that we really like in both breeds and we are just looking at all options.

We would never ever buy from a disreputable breeder and are definitely going to do our research, hence my question in here. We're not going to get a pup until September as we are away on holiday and I don't want to get a puppy we are not going to be there for it, this isn't a whim purchase of a cute dog. It's been 13 years since we have done this and are trying to find out as much as we can and I thought this might be a good place to try.

mac.d

Aw I feel for you with your old lab. My boy is 8 and I know I'm going to end up going through the same pain and heartache as you did, the only difference being we 'rescued' him from his original owner when he was about a year. He's been through so much already and I dread to think what'll happen when his already stiff and sore legs get worse.

The pitfalls of pure breeds aside, please consider having a look at the Dogs Trust or RSPCA/SSPCA rescue centres online to see what is available near you, before you go ahead and look at buying.

The dogs in rescue centres are not all older dogs, and they will be clearly marked as suitable for kids/young families. If they are rehoming a stray they don't have any history of, they will say that or at very least say not suitable for people with kids.

Anyway, even if you end up buying a cross breed, good luck with whatever, hope you end up with a lovely dog for your home.