Puppy Buying Advice – Very Important
After much research and thought you have decided a Shiba is for you. Now your search begins.
GOOD NEWS: Shibas have been accepted to the CHIC program within OFA. Now, when breeders submit health testing (OFA Hips, OFA Patella and CERF) the dog is assigned a CHIC number. Go here: http://www.offa.org/search.html put in the kennel name you are wondering about, choose 'any part of name', choose 'Shiba' and search. To search for dogs who qualify for CHIC Go here: http://www.caninehealthinfo.org/search.html Choose 'Shiba' and search to see the breeders who do health test their breeding animals. Do not believe what you are told - search for yourself to be sure!
Our first advice is NEVER purchase a dog from a PET STORE or PUPPY MILL. To find Shiba breeders in your area search the web. There are various magazines listing breeders such as Dogs USA or Dogs in Canada Magazine (also available online). Advertising in the magazines or on the web does not indicate reputability. The larger ad (full page) may in some cases indicate the opposite. Be very careful. Each breeder should be visited and evaluated by you or someone you trust.
View a puppy where he/she was born. NEVER agree to meet the breeder at a different location. If you go to the breeder’s facility, you should also be able to see the puppy’s Dam and possibly the Sire. If the Sire is not available, a reputable breeder will have pictures and paperwork for the Sire. The dogs you view should be well cared for and odorless. Puppies should be clean energetic and free of disease. If the sire and dam are aloof and shy your puppy will have a high tendency to inherit this behavior.
The pup should be in a clean INDOOR environment. Puppies raised outdoors see very little of human day-to-day life and will be very frightened of house activities (vacuuming etc.). It is much easier for the breeder to leave puppies outdoors all day because they are ignored outdoors..no clean up required. Shiba’s are small dogs and should live indoors with their pack family. Kennel dogs are often unfortunately just that, unsocialized dogs who have no idea of cleanliness. Good breeders are home full time and take their puppies outside for play periods throughout the day. Breeders who work full time outside of the home leaving puppies to fend for themselves for 8 hrs plus should not breed dogs. This is marginally better than a pet store situation where puppies are forced to defecate in their play area.
We are located in a climate (Alberta) where outdoor water is frozen solid 4 months of the year. If you do see outdoor dogs who are kenneled. Take note, do you see heated water containers providing fresh water?? Dogs require water on a regular basis and cannot eat enough snow when in kennels. This is especially true of kibble fed dogs.
Promising or assigning newborn puppies to particular homes is a very dangerous practice. Does the busy noisy family really want the most reserved puppy?? Would a mature person with a quite lifestyle want the most outgoing alpha challenging puppy?? How well would a first time dog owner do with the most Alpha dominant type puppy…not well!! We evaluate our puppy’s temperament tendencies between 6-7 weeks of age and match them to the lifestyle of the family. We also determine whom we will keep to show and carry on our breeding program.
NEVER buy the first pups you see. ALL puppies are extremely cute; MOST but not all will go through the gangly teenage phase. Be objective and try to curb the 'I want one NOW' urge. This is a lifetime commitment…possibly 15 years and an unhealthy dog can cost easily thousands in veterinarian bills.
Make sure you view and study PEDIGREE PEDIGREE PEDIGREE . I cannot emphasize this heavily enough. You are wise to avoid in-bred dogs. Various people have contacted me after the fact regarding odd health issues with their very inbred pets. Examples of inbreeding are full sister/full brother and daughter/father combinations. If you are really interested in learning more about dog genetics read ‘Control of Canine Genetic Diseases by George A. Padgett’. The educated goal of intentional inbreeding is to identify, control and eliminate genetic disease. As a result many dogs are lost. When dog breeders do this for other reasons it is quite often financial (unable to afford new dogs). The other justification may be to stabilize a ‘look’. Quite often this does not have the planned affect. A well-known dog breeder of over 40 yrs shared her inbreeding experience with me. She had a litter with epilepsy and will not inbreed again. Experience is so valuable and often overlooked by new breeders want to experiment.
Genetically Shibas do have issues. Logically, when we breed we get good genes and bad genes. When in-breeding all genetic material is concentrated and the bad gene’s are more likely to match up and produce an ‘affected’ individual’ (rather than a ‘carrier’ if we had out-crossed). Pet owners are the unfortunate ones who often end up with the result. Make sure you see a 5-generation pedigree for your potential puppy and make sure you do not see the same name repeated. I manage an extensive Shiba Database and would be happy to print a pedigree of your potential puppy for you. Just provide me (shibainusnet@shaw.ca ) with two generations (usually sufficient) behind your puppy. An inbreeding co-efficient (click link to learn how calculation is made) is not what you see on the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals database.
Within the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals Database you can search kennel name or partial dog name. Be sure to choose 'breed'. Also, you can view statistics by breed to see the incidents of genetic issues tested for within a dog breed. When you evaluate the Shiba statistics you will note the top two issues within the breed are Hips and Patella problems. Although some do file heart and thyroid evaluations the incidence within the breed is non-existent within the database. Logically, the reason the heart/thyroid and elbow issues are not recorded is: dogs with diagnosable problems are not kept for breeding and therefore not tested. YOU the pet owner CAN file negative results to this database. I strongly urge you, if you have any purebred dog having health issues be sure to have your veterinarian submit results to the database for you. Submitting results for dogs with health problems are FREE. It is my hope breeders can learn more from the results submitted and make better breeding choices being made aware of the health problems.
Below is a list of questions to ask a reputable breeder.
1. Do you breed other breeds? If you find a kennel with a number of different breeds you can be sure they are doing this for financial gain. The majority of focused reputable breeders choose one breed only. Visit the breeder to ensure the dogs are happy and well looked after.
2. Do you provide a written contract guaranteeing the health of your puppies? (Against hip dysplasia, eye problems (glaucoma), Patella luxation) This guarantee should be valid for 5 years as genetic defects arise most commonly between 3 and 5 years.
3. Do you have references? (Puppy owners AND Veterinarians who have examined your dogs?) A long relationship with a veterinarian is usually a positive (unless related or a vet not practicing).
4. Do you show your dogs? (Obedience or conformation). (Note: this does not guarantee good health). How the Ch. was obtained is also important. Many Shiba’s are shown against one other (owned by one breeder), and one point at a time gains Ch. status. Some Ch. dogs are more worthy than others. Do not be impressed by multiple Ch. dogs unless you know 'HOW' they achieved their status. Also, the judging practices at dog’s shows are very much like figure skating. There is little or no consistency throughout a 3-day show with 3 different judges. A breeding program based on show wins (going to the #1, #2 winning Shiba etc.) is a very dangerous practice. A good breeder will evaluate pedigrees and ancestor health etc. to make educated breeding decisions.
5. How many litters do you have a year? (Should be 1 litter per female per year. The majority of reputable breeders have an average of two or three litters per year)
6. Have your Shibas been x-rayed for Hip Dysplasia? If so may I see his/her CERTIFICATE? (Should be done when breeding Shiba Inus are 2 years old). It is possible to search the OFA Database. If you know the kennel name you can verify whether or not the particular kennel being researched does any OFA testing.
7. Are your dogs registered? May I see the Certificate? (All purebred dogs should be registered if the breeder is a Canadian Kennel Club member, at no extra expense to the buyer). Beware; other registries exist who will register anything. Some use the CKC initials such as the Continental Kennel Club. These clubs will register any crossbreed you care to invent. These clubs also hold shows and becoming a Ch. is a very simple process through them. The American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel club are the only true Purebred dog registries in North America.
8. How many generations of dogs has a breeder owned and raised? This is an indication of whether the breeder is moving forward in a breeding program with a goal in mind. A breeder who does not keep what they produce may indicate inferior quality animals or a goal to make $$$ rather than move ahead in a breeding program. Ideally a breeder wants to keep a puppy to show and move ahead with their program.
9. Ask to see a 5 or more generation pedigree on the puppies available. Ask for the inbreeding co-efficient (COI) on the puppy you will receive. Discuss this practice with local veterinarians, as they see the outcome (animals with a multitude of health issues). Then decide whether you find the practice ethical. Personally, I do not, others may, research this subject before making your decision. Most importantly, if you do decide to purchase a very in-bred puppy, demand at least a 5-year health guarantee to protect yourself. This contract should include specifics detailing every possible health scenario your puppy may face and who will be responsible for costs.
10. Where are your puppies raised? The Shiba should be raised indoors, with constant human contact and all the noises associated with living in a home. Puppies raised outdoors or in kennel type situations may be very anti-social and frightened. Puppies should also be crate trained at night. There is a huge difference between ‘large cage’ trained and ‘crate trained’. Dogs who have never been in a crate (plastic vari-kennel or similar) at night are very very LOUD. They truly think they are going to die because they were never trained.
11. When visiting a breeder you should not be asked to assist in day to day dog chores. Believe it or not some breeders require help maintaining their dogs and rely on visiting public for assistance. A bit odd, yes!
12. You may be shown a pedigree for a litter but not registration papers. Be sure you see registration papers to verify pure-bred status and ownership.
13. Some breeders have a 48-hour clause (ordering you to take your puppy to a veterinarian) in their puppy sale agreement (or the guarantee becomes null and void). This is another very questionable practice (trick …a way of getting out of the whole contract). All of our puppies visit our veterinarian at 8 weeks of age and you do NOT have to go to a veterinarian until 4 weeks later, when the puppy has a 2cond puppy vaccination. We have to be the first to know whether our pups have any health issues. If a disease process begins after you take your puppy home, the incubation time will determine 'Where' the disease was contracted. Taking puppies to a veterinarian unnecessarily is not recommended (your puppy may contract a virus).
If a proven (veterinary diagnosis) genetic health issue arises we would refund up to the purchase price of your puppy to a veterinarian to care for your dog. We never demand your dog be returned (this is another trick breeders use to not follow through on contractual obligations, they know you will not return your pet to have him/her killed by the breeder). If you prefer to return your puppy, this is optional. Depending on the genetic condition a puppy from different parentage may be an option.
A MICROCHIP OR TATTOO????? Which is your breeder using? Ideally Microchip. Contact local shelters and veterinarians and research the recovery rate of dogs with either identification method. Tattoos are $10 when compared with a microchip $50. We only Microchip.
Breeders who care about the puppies produced are also available to answer questions throughout your dog’s life. A breeder should be as happy to discuss anything Shiba related whether or not you intend to purchase a puppy.
Also ask breeders if they Rescue or have ever re-homed a Shiba who was not originally from their kennel. Rescue can be inconvenient and time-consuming as well as rewarding at the same moment. Recently a young Shiba was euthanized at the Edmonton SPCA because he was deemed not adoptable and may bite. The rescue organization involved was Shiba Inu Canada and no one from the organization evaluated this 1 yr old black and tan male. I would have immediately picked up the dog had I been contacted and not assured by Shiba Canada that members within the club were handling the situation.