I don't want a show dog I only want a pet. . .
The above is often written to me in an e-mail. It is a question we feel needs to be addressed carefully; and, one that breeders need to make perfectly clear on what the differences are and that JUST because you are getting a“pet” does not mean you are getting an inferior dog.
Many breeders will make you believe that all of their dogs are “show quality”.If so, they are not managing their breeding program well. The best dogs should be show dogs, ones that you want to use in a breeding program; and, this is why they are shown. It is not only a beauty contest; it is a contest to see who has the best dog, the most correct dog (judging from theGREAT DANE STANDARD ).The most correct dog (usually) wins. This dog is also supposed to be the representation of a breeder’s breeding program. There are special once in a life time breedings; and, these may produce foundation dogs that may also have a high number of show potentials.
Now that we have that out of the way here is the skinny on pets vs. show dogs.
No, not all dogs are show dogs. HOWEVER, it is not only looks that make them a winner.It takes the best conditioning, great genes, the correct personality, the dog’s attitude, fantastic handling skills and a whole lot of luck. When you set out to find your perfect pet you need not settle on the ugly duckling. What you need to do is decide what faults you are willing to accept.
What makes a show dog is the willingness to over look small imperfections and her/his willingness to perform.
When judging a litter you start with VERY young puppies. The process does start from birth, and then REALLY takes shape by 8 weeks. You look at the obvious faults: not a showable color (merle perhaps. . .) this is JUST a color, just like your hair. The coat color should not affect a healthy dog, although it will affect a breeding dog. Then there are other things to consider; at that time they do not have their adult teeth, so you hope a good bite then is a good bite at 2 years old ( not always and sometimes when the baby teeth fall out the whole bite changes.This starts at 4 months old. Is this the end of the world? No, but you grade the best bite too.
Then you look at over all body (and this gets more technical). The head type, the topline, what the dog acts like (you want different personalities for different things), eye color -- and this changes too!Even brown eyed babies have a “blue” cast to their eyes when they are little, but TRUE blue eyes will not turn brown.If it is a male, does he have all of his equipment? They should at that age. Though I have seen dogs have one testicle at 8 weeks and both in a couple of months, ALSO, I have seen dogs have both at 8 weeks and then one at 16 weeks! This can be a nightmare! OR, you can have a completely perfect dog that moves horribly; and, you can have a dog with several undesirable traits and have him move like a dream.
Some breeders just “have an eye” for what it takes, and many make the wrong choice and find surprises in the future. For instance, kicking out an elbow, a pacing gait, necks that never "grow", ears that will not stand, an unwanted personality (hates to show),and a terrible topline are a few of the problems.
Around the same time that we are grading pups for conformation (build), we are also performing a complex set of behavior testing.
WHAT YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR: A Pet Owners Guide to Finding a Pup.
Are there health checks on the Sire and the Dam? DO NOT take the breeders word for it. Go to theOFA web sight and look them up yourself. Ask the breeder for copies of this information (they should have it and by the AKC rules should make it available to you). You can do it using the dogs REGISTERED name or the AKC number (be careful to use the correct name. . .) . The breeder should be forthcoming with this information. Hips are a must. Elbows, thyroid, heart and eyes clear would be even better. PLEASE NOTE: Having a CHIC certification does not mean that a dog has passed all of his/her health tests. It only means they were all COMPLEATED. ALWAYS CHECK!
Some Sire owners never test, or only test females. Breeders may not have a choice on what health tests are done on the stud.
Does this mean that your dog will not get any of these problems? Unfortunately no it does not. All Danes carry undesirable problems. Most are polygenic (more then one gene causes it). These problems can still crop up. BUT the more health tests you do the less chance they have for throwing them.
The breeders should be forthcoming with the background history of their own dogs AND willing to share any information they have about known problems in the background.
What does this mean?
When you are looking at a breeding and you know that the grand sire of the sire died of Osteo sarcoma, and the dam’s great grand sire had a thyroid condition, then those are things you need to consider. Does this mean that this is what your dog will get? Most certainly not. All Danes have SOME sort of disease in EVERY line. This is why it is important to document. The only way to get away from inherited problems is to document them and try not to breed to dogs that have the same problem in their direct background.
What else should you know?
You should be properly educated by THE breeder on how to feed, vaccinate and generally take care of your new puppy. They should be willing to talk to you and coach you through the rough spots and be generally up front and friendly.
Does this mean that they should accept phone calls after midnight about a broken toe nail?
NO.
Please have expectations that are realistic.FEW breeders make a living breeding and showing dogs. Most loose money year after year and do it for the love of the breed.They hold “real” jobs and have “real” lives and should not be expected to be super human or to replace your Veterinarian.
Limited registration or full registration?
MOST reputable breeders will not sell a non-show/breeding quality dog with full registration.
Why? To keep you from breeding the dog.If you want to breed, then you do not want a pet.
Undesirable traits will be passed on -- for instance, the poor topline or an underbite.This is why the breeder has passed on this pet pup and this is why it is sold as a pet.
I have also seen the flip side on this, the owner now goes to their veterinarian and he notices that the dog has an overshot/undershot jaw and tells the people that this is unacceptable and to return the dog. If it was a breeding dog: yes.But it is a pet!Some crooked teeth or a slightly off color does not make the pup undesirable -- Just unbreedable.
Most breeders will co-sign all full registration dogs.
Why? To have a controlling interest in the dog and any breeding that you do.
WHY? It is the responsible thing to do.
If you bring a litter of 10 Danes in to the world, you are responsible for them AND any breeding that they do in the future.
WHY? Because there are enough irresponsible breeders in the world, why add to the mix?
To many this seems invasive and they do not want to be beholden to the breeder. Most breeders just want to see how the dog matures; making sure that you have the health checks done and also to offer help you with trouble shooting and placement of the pups. Some want a pup from a breeding and some just want to make sure they made the right decision on the dog.
There are breeders out there that want to control every aspect of the dog’s life, READ your contract. If you feel uncomfortable then don’t get the dog.
As breeders we now require that all owners of full registration pups mentor under us. For more information CLICK HERE
