There's no such thing as too many questions. A responsible breeder will be happy to answer your questions about their litter, practices and breeding goals but more so, will be impressed with your due diligence. To a breeder, a big turn off is getting an inquiry that just says “price” so don’t think you're bothering them by asking questions. While the cost may play a part of the decision making, it won’t matter if the breeder cannot help you later or things are not what they should be, so be thorough to ensure it’s a good match to your own goals and ideals. In turn, be cautious of breeders who don’t ask you their own set of questions and only seem interested in making a sale. A responsible breeder will be just as concerned about their puppy homes and setting them up for lifelong success as you are about getting a sound, stable puppy.

It’s a buyer’s responsibility to research the breed, breeder then verify that information to decide what you’re comfortable with. Here are some questions you can ask your breeder, to get you started:

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If you would like to keep the list handy, you can download the PDF.

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General

1. What is your experience with the breed?

2. Why are you a breeder and what are your goals?

3. How many gamprs do you own?

4. What job does your gampr have?

5. Where do your dogs live full time and are they with stock?

6. What stock can each of your gamprs work with?  Are there any that are not safe or trained for certain stock?

7. Are your gamprs kept in kennels, small pens, garage, on a tie-out or similar place full time? If so, why?

8. Do any of your gamprs have health concerns, structural problems or behavioral issues?

9. Can you provide references from previous puppy homes?

10. Are you an AGCA Approved Breeder or working on getting approved?

11. Can you provide references from other breeders who you work with?

12. Do you provide a puppy contract and go by it?

13. Do you agree that placing a puppy creates a lifelong relationship and mentorship, for the life of the dog, and your job is not over after the sale? And that is it your responsibility as the breeder to devote time and to take care of each and every puppy home’s needs when contacted?

14. Are you willing and capable of answering questions concerning raising a gampr puppy, training support, vetting, health issues or other questions I will have along the way?

15. Are you willing to mentor me as a breeder if that is what my goals are?

16. Do you take back possession of or rehome any gampr that in the future doesn’t work out?

 

Previous Litters

1. How many litters have you bred? And who were the parents?

2. How are those litters related to one another?

3. Since genetic variety is extremely important and an overabundance of the same lines are highly damaging, how related are your dogs to others in North America?

4. If high relatedness, why are you continuing to breed certain pairings?

5. How are your litters helping the gene pool?

6. Have any of your dogs, or any puppies you’ve bred, ever had any health problems or structural concerns? If yes, what actions did you take?

7. Have any of those been returned to you for those reasons?

8. Have any needed surgeries or treatments?

9. How many other gamprs have needed to be rehomed? If so, why?

10. Did you take the rehomed dogs back? If no, why not? And if rehomed, who rehomed them?

11. Have you ever refused to take back one of your puppies?

12. Have you received any complaints from previous puppy homes or other breeders?

 

Current Litter

1. Who are the parents of the current litter?

2. May I see a video of the parent’s movement and gait?

3. If the puppy is to be a livestock guardian, and the parents are livestock safe, can I also see a video of the parents interacting with livestock?

4. What are your goals for this litter?

5. What are the desirable traits and negative traits of each parent?

6. Is this a repeat breeding or a first time breeding?

7. If repeated, why did you choose to repeat the pairing?

8. How many puppies have each of the parents had?

9. Can you tell me how these puppies are being raised? Who do they live with, where do they spend their time?

10. What vaccinations with the puppies receive prior to pick up? Will they be current?

11. Have you de-wormed the puppies?

12. Are the puppies micro-chipped?

13. Are both parents AGCA Registered with a pedigree?

14. Do you have a litter certificate? If yes, please review it.  If no, why not?

15. Can the the puppies be AGCA registered? (AGCA Registration may not be available without a Litter Certificate)

16. Do you provide a medical history form and copies of vet records?

17. Are there any limitations on the puppies? (spay, no breeding, required health testing, etc)

18. Have both parents been Embark tested to rule out known genetic issues? If yes, please provide the public health link.

19. Have the parents had any other evaluations such as working/physical evaluations, hip or elbow radiographs? If yes, please provide the test result links.

20.  What happens if I get a puppy and they end up being diagnosed with a lifelong debilitating health issue?

21.  What is the price of a puppy and what payment methods do you accept?

22. How much of that is needed for a deposit and is it refundable?

23. Is the deposit refundable if the puppy or gender preference becomes unavailable?

24. When is the balance due?

25. At what age can I pick up a puppy and location of pick up?

26. What have you been feeding the puppies?

27. Do you work with or know any reputable transport companies?

28. Will you provide a health certificate for interstate travel?