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Re: [RC] [RC] was: Jack Russels now: puppy selection LONG - BuffyI've been a certified dog trainer for over 12 years now and training for over 20yrs. I've done everything from narcotics, to basic obedience to service dogs for the disabled. AKC is a joke, it is simply a registry. So the fact that a dog is AKC registered doesn't make it any better then one that isn't. The "nice" thing to AKC is they hold sanctioned shows where you can earn titles. I hold in the highest respect some of the breed clubs that are not AKC sanctioned. Such as the JRTCA, and the SV(German German Shepherd registry). The SV requires not only conformation titles, but working titles, endurance test and breed survey for their top dogs. They have very strict restrictions on how many litters and bitch can have and how many they can raise. They do have some faults, but over all in my opinion a far better registry for keeping the breed true. I've kind of missed majority of this discussion, but see it was Jack Russels. I've done agility with several friends who have JRTCA dogs and they are awesome. These people also hunt and show with their registry and have done very well with there dogs. AKC tends to take breeds in and change them, they lose working ability and temperament. Good temperament is what makes ANY dog great. I do believe temperament is 100% genetic and can be greatly influenced by environment. I believe there are some wonderful reg and non-reg. dogs in rescues. Learning how to evaluate temperament and drive is probably the best thing in the world one can do before choosing a dog. I highly recommend www.volhard.com Wendy has some evaluation guides on her web site that are very easy to do and self explanatory. As to finding a good breeder, find one who has a written contract. Make sure that contract is in the best interest of the dog NOT the breeder. Make sure they do health testing, this means researching the breed to find out problems they are known for. The biggest thing in my contract is make sure they want that dog back for any reason for the rest of it's life. That may or may not mean you get your money back, but they will take the dog back. Watch out for breeders who will replace a dog for a health problem, but require you to return that dog first. Unless they will allow you to have it altered and keep it as a pet. Some breeders contracts require the dog back knowing most families don't want to give this animal up after they've already became attached to it. Thus, they don't have to worry about honoring the contract. Ask questions about their vaccine program and feeding program. There have been a lot of changes lately regarding these and some are up on them some are not. If this dog is strictly going to be a pet they should require it to be altered! If it's being sold with breeding rights they should still have restrictions about breeding it. Such as titles and health certs being required before it can be bred. Hope my points made sense, good luck finding your next best friend! Buffy Spellcaster Miniature Horses Beware... They'll cast a spell on your heart! www.geocities.com/spellcasterminis/ Poetic Endings Chinese Cresteds www.geocities.com/chinesecresteds/ Yahoo Messenger ID: Spellcasterminis Aol Instant Messenger ID: PoeticSpells ----- Original Message ----- From: Ridecamp Guest <guest-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 6:33 PM Subject: [RC] [RC] was: Jack Russels now: puppy selection Please Reply to: Nicole nkinsey@xxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ==========================================2. Find a good breeder. Make sure their dogs are AKC registered, and that the puppies are also eligible.I really liked much of this post, but had "issues" with this point that doesn't seem to have been addressed by others yet. 1) Not all dogs are purebreds. There are some fantastic mutts out there. Granted, you might not know what you're getting, and you can't do all your breed research, but you really don't hear about many people having problems with their mutts. :) 2) Not all breeds are AKC recognized. Not being AKC recognized does not make it less of a breed, nor does it make it inferior to AKC breeds. I happen to have one of these, a Cane Corso. And, to go with the research hints, don't always believe the reputation many breeds get, both good and bad. It's been my experience that the "bad rep" breeds are animals I get along with well, while the "everyone loves them" breeds are the types I don't really like. Just like in horses, breed stereotypes don't always mean a whole lot. ~Nicole =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. 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