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Need advice, saw some Brittany pups today...amateur breeder

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NJMarine

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
The wife and I went to check out 9 Brittany puppies today from a first-time breeder (amateur). The sire and dame are both pure-bred with AKC registry and lineage records etc... . Sire is an excellent hunter (did not get to see him, aside from pictures, as his owner lives in Virginia). Dame had a great temperament, obedient, and from what I saw had a high predator drive.

My main motivation was to take my wife to test out her allergies to the breed, along with the possibility of getting one of the pups if we both liked what we saw. Long story short, we both liked the puppies, bonded with one male in particular, but I am having second thoughts. Every piece of advice I have ever read regarding getting a hunting dog starts with "select a reputable breeder" and that makes me wary to pull the trigger on any dog from this amateur. Also, neither dame or sire has been cleared for hips, etc... They could be both excellent, but without that piece of paper it is obviously a disadvantage to buying from an amateur.

I guess I am looking for some solid advice here. We are looking for a family/hunting dog out of this decision and we could possibly have a great experience with a puppy from the litter we just saw. The tougher decision might be to wait a little longer for a litter from a pro breeder, which I would be willing to do, however the wife will not be happy in the mean time.

Apparently it is an unspoken rule that you cannot bring your wife to look at puppies without her expecting you to get one of them. Thanks for any advice you can provide.
 
#2 ·
I had Brittany's all my life from a "pro" breeder and they were all very good dogs. The last Brittany I got came from a first time breeder. He turned out to be not only the best hunting dog I ever had but also the best family dog
 
#3 ·
NJMarine said:
The wife and I went to check out 9 Brittany puppies today from a first-time breeder (amateur). The sire and dame are both pure-bred with AKC registry and lineage records etc... . Sire is an excellent hunter (did not get to see him, aside from pictures, as his owner lives in Virginia). Dame had a great temperament, obedient, and from what I saw had a high predator drive.

My main motivation was to take my wife to test out her allergies to the breed, along with the possibility of getting one of the pups if we both liked what we saw. Long story short, we both liked the puppies, bonded with one male in particular, but I am having second thoughts. Every piece of advice I have ever read regarding getting a hunting dog starts with "select a reputable breeder" and that makes me wary to pull the trigger on any dog from this amateur. Also, neither dame or sire has been cleared for hips, etc... They could be both excellent, but without that piece of paper it is obviously a disadvantage to buying from an amateur.

I guess I am looking for some solid advice here. We are looking for a family/hunting dog out of this decision and we could possibly have a great experience with a puppy from the litter we just saw. The tougher decision might be to wait a little longer for a litter from a pro breeder, which I would be willing to do, however the wife will not be happy in the mean time.

Apparently it is an unspoken rule that you cannot bring your wife to look at puppies without her expecting you to get one of them. Thanks for any advice you can provide.
Click to expand...
It is always a gamble to buy a pup from a unproven breeding. However that does not mean the dogs won't be fantastic. But the fact that they don't have health clearances is a major red flag. One it means the breeder isn't really that responsible to begin with and two you end up taking all the risk. You didn't mention if there was a health guarantee even though there was not health clearances. If there isn't a guarantee then don't even waste another second thinking about it and walk away. Now even with a breeding that has health clearances there is no guarantee your pup will be perfectly sound but it sure stacks things in your favor. Best of luck
 
#4 ·
There are many part time breeders that produce good pups but how do you sort out? For me I like an established breeder who participates in a hunting game. AKC field trials. Hunt tests or navhda. Being active in a group shows me they are training and working towards bettering the breed.

Health is another issue. I prefer a dog with papers so hips are tested and the line is tested and established. Also did the breeder offer any guarantees for clean bill of health?

There are many good backyard dogs but for me I prefer to buy into solid genetics and pay for experience. Heck the puppy ends up being the cheapest part of the whole deal. Birds, training and equipment cost way more.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
Regarding a health guarantee I did not ask, didn't even to know to ask. The owner did not mention anything about one, but I will ask now.

Another issue I had a question about is...isn't there a law in PA (puppies are from PA) about the transfer of a puppy prior to being 8 weeks old? The puppies are a little over 4 weeks right now and the owner seemed to think they would be ready for pickup in like 2 weeks. I didn't want to tell her she was wrong, but I figured I would look into it according to PA laws etc...
 
#7 ·
NJMarine said:
Regarding a health guarantee I did not ask, didn't even to know to ask. The owner did not mention anything about one, but I will ask now.

Another issue I had a question about is...isn't there a law in PA (puppies are from PA) about the transfer of a puppy prior to being 8 weeks old? The puppies are a little over 4 weeks right now and the owner seemed to think they would be ready for pickup in like 2 weeks. I didn't want to tell her she was wrong, but I figured I would look into it according to PA laws etc...
Click to expand...
a good breeder will not let the puppys go before 8 weeks
 
#13 ·
Bought a Britt from my friend who was not a professional breeder and was the best dog I ever owned. Good with the family and hunting but one thing I will say about the breed is they shed a lot. I could watch the hair fall from my dog when she was upset. Had her for 13 years, really miss her.
 
#14 ·
Stick with a reputable and established breeder. This is going to change your family dynamic for the next 12-15 yrs. Put in the time and due diligence now to help ensure those years are as enjoyable and rewarding as possible! Also, I wouldn't even consider a breeder unless you can verify his references.
 
#16 · (Edited)
bloodtrails said:
My lab mix mutt out hunts all these AKC registered high breed spoon fed college educated dogs. Hands down.

You can teach just about any dog to hunt. Don't need papers.
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I love it when I read nonsense like this...if by "hunt" you mean stocked yard birds..sure I guess even a mutt can bump some ditch chickens......But your mixed lab isn't busting ice swimming through 10knt current diving for crippled broadies.....But my College educated spoon feeder is..and by "College educated" you mean , I actually TRAIN my well bred dog and compete that dog then fine, it just shows your ignorance on this subject..........Njmarine, my advice is to ignore comments like Mr. Bloodtrails. You've received solid advice from "real dog folks" who own and train and trial/test various sporting breeds....Bottom line if you're having second thoughts...MOVE ON...they're are plenty of well bred dogs from reputable responsible breeders all over....DON'T RUSH...a puppy is a LONG TERM INVESTMENT...You've asked the right questions on here and are concerned about the right things...I'd pass and find a litter that you're 100% comfortable with, even if it means a little more $$....The price of the dog will be the smallest investment you make in that dogs future...best of luck! and I know I speak for all ....feel free to PM myself, bmelvin, Ruffhills Noblekennels any time.
 
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Discussion starter · #17 ·
DeuceNDucks, thanks for your thoughts. After I posted this originally I got on the phone and talked to 3 local breeders. All were very informative and helpful. Very glad I did talk to them. One lady breeder even said I "made her day" because I was asking the right questions instead of making the easy decision and getting the pup from a random person/amateur.
 
#18 ·
I have been the owner of 3 Brittany's. All of them were from "amateur" private breeders. My first was a female from a great bloodline. Many Field and Dual Champions. When she was about two years old, I took her to a North Jersey Brittany Club shoot to retrieve trial and she came in 1st place. I won't go into long stories about the next two but all I can say is that bloodline is very important. Some "pro" breeders have limited bloodlines which is not necessarily good. You can get a dud from reputable breeder. I saw a high priced Shorthair head for the hills after the first bird was shot over it. All of my dogs were GREAT family dogs and I would not hesitate to make them part of the family. Look at the Sire and Dam's bloodline on their AKC papers. Make sure they have some champions in there and not a lot of repeat breeding. Good Luck!
 
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