LOCATING/PURCHASING A QUALITY GSMD PUPPY
Locating a quality breeder is not easy but by contacting the breed club you shuld be on the right tract. Most reputable, responsible breeders have websites but be careful.
The breeder should be open and friendly and answer your questions promptly and probably tell you must more on the breed. This is the first indication that you have found a quality breeder, his/her knowledge and experience of the breed, all health screens needing to be done, giving lifetime support and advice. This breeder will inform you of good and bad things. Within our breed club ALL Swissies are part of the family, do not live outside and ALL puppies are born and reared in the family homes, not outside in kennels and certainly not outside in stables at a very young age. Puppies reared in the family home are very well socialised, used to the comings and goings of the busy household, the noises, smells etc. This goes a long way for a puppy when it takes the next step to it’s permanent home at 7.5-8 weeks old. The puppies need stimulation, toys, game and interaction with all family members on a regular basis. Shut outside in a kennel or stables that so called breeder wont possible know each puppy individually and certainly would not pick up on anything serious. A litter reared in the family is what everyone wants they interact all through the day, whereas puppies outside are bought in occasionally not used to the home and outside all they hear are birds, horses and outside smells. Couped up in a kennel or stables for hours on end is not our idea of rearing puppies and should not be the case for all families and couples seeking to own a Swissy. Only purchase from home reared breeders. Puppies can play outside supervised with toys and other stimulants and around other animals.
When you visit the breeder to meet the mother, sometimes the father but mostly the father/stud dog lives somewhere else or abroad but the breeder will have photos and copies of all his health screens and any temperament test he has gone through, to show prospective new owners. The breeder should show you all the health screens,i.e. HD ED and OCD x-rays and all certificates relating to them. BVA/KC Current Eye test certificates should be produced and maintained and carried out yearly til 7 years old. A Heart Test (optional as Swissies don’t suffer with heart problems) should be shown and this is only done once. Swissies are large dogs, Epilepsy is the main disease followed by OCD (shoulder dysplacia). All breeders within the club provide a comprehensive puppy pack, contract, insurance, KC registrations with breeding restrictions, 5 Generation pedigree, food, goodie box. The pups are microchipped and vetchecked at 7 weeks old. Within our club they are PAT tested by qualified Assessors at 7 weeks old the breeder will explain this. We advise and recommend that all puppies MUST be vaccinated from 8 weeks preferrably in the new home with their vets but any puppies that stay with the breeder from 8 weeks, will undergo both vaccinations along with regular worming and Frontline combo treatment. The breeder will be there for the lifetime of the puppy and for the owner for advice and help. The Comprehensive puppy pack will contain all information pertaining to the crate training, diet, information on the breed, socialising, training, fear periods, vaccinations, Pets Passport etc. The parents should be either HD A or B from abroad or total score of 14 and below for the UK. ED and OCD should always be Free, in the UK Grade 1 is accetped.
A reputable breeder will be on the new owners case for days and weeks once the puppy goes to the new home wanting to know weights, how the puppy is settling in and that the vets are happy etc. Training starts the minute you get the puppy home, no puppy is completely trained before 2 years old. These are big dogs remember.
