Why is a Nice Pedigree Such a Big Deal?
I am only looking for a pet.
I have no intentions on showing.
I just want a healthy happy puppy.
I do not even understand pedigrees. Who cares?
Read Below to Find Out Why an Impressive Pedigree Does Matter.
One of the most common questions I hear from people is this: I only want a
pet. Why should I care about the puppies pedigree? There are many reasons
why an impressive pedigree makes a difference. The puppy that you decide to
purchase comes not only from the breeder that you buy from. That puppy comes
from the breedings of all the other breeders on your puppies pedigree. The
farther back you go, the less significant that breeders influence is, but
the results of years of breeding influences the health of your puppy in either
a positive or a negative way. Not only does it reflect the health of your
puppy, it also helps determine the disposition of your puppy.
In order to finish a dog as a champion, that dog has to be judged by several
different judges at several different shows. In order to win over the judges,
that dog has to have more than just certain physical qualities. The dog also has
to have a great personality. A dog's temperament is not only influenced by the
way the breeder raised the puppy or the way the owner finished raising the puppy
into a dog. The temperament also has a lot to do with the temperament of the ancestors
of the puppy. Great temperaments are inherited a lot more than most people realize.
Show dogs that strut their tails high and proud and are the star of any room they enter
do not get that way as a result of improper breeding. It takes skill you can only get
from years of experience to produce a show dog.
Another important reason for seeking a puppy that has an impressive pedigree and perhaps
much more important is this: Dogs do not become champions if the person that is behind
that dog is not respected by his or her peers. This is important. In order to have a
reputation that allows you to win over the judges, you cannot be the type of person that
does not stand behind your dogs. Think of it this way. If you are know as the type of
breeder that does not pay for vet bills or replace puppies that have genetic defects, the
word will evidentially get around. You will be know as a back yard breeder, and you will
not have enough respect to finish any champions. When you see a pedigree that is loaded
with champions, you are seeing years of good breeding and experience. Good breeding and
experience reflects how healthy your puppy will be. It also positively influences the
temperament of your puppy. Reputable breeders spay and neuter breeding dogs that produce
genetic flaws. They do not want to pay for the genetic defects. They do not want to have
to deal with flaws. Why go through all the trouble and expense of finishing a champion if
that champion is going to reproduce offspring that have genetic flaws and health problems?
Respected breeders do not do that. Backyard breeders that just buy any dog they can find
that is registered and cheap are the type of people that do not care about what they are
producing. They just want to have puppies that they can sell at the flea market or in
the newspaper for a few hundred dollars so they can make some money. They are not concerned
with genetic problems. As long as they can sell the puppy, that is all that matters. They
do not have to worry about vet bills that accumulate 6 months later because they do not
provide or stand by health warrantees. They continue to breed dogs that produce genetic problems because
it is profitable to them. Once the puppy leaves, the headache is someone else’s. Reputable
breeders do not operate like this. They stand by their puppies. Therefore, it is in their
best interest to raise only healthy puppies. When a person raises a dog for a year only to
find out 6 months later that the dog is producing unhealthy litters, this is devastating.
That dog that you spent time on training, feeding, and loving now has to be spayed or neutered.
If you are the type that only throws a dog in a cage strictly for breeding purposes, this is not
that big of a deal. It would be easy to just discard the dog and get another one, but to a good
breeder, it really is devastating. This is why I am extremely selective when I am in the market
for a puppy. I look at pedigrees and analyze them. I want to know what I am getting and who
I am getting him or her from. You should feel the same way even if you are only buying a pet.
This pet should be extremely important to you as well. Maybe not in the same way as it is for me, but
your family members health should be a strong concern. I hope this has answered your question and
has given you a reason to respect the CH in front of a dog's name on a pedigree.
(Puppy mills are everywhere. Click here to learn how to spot one.)
ueysdachshunds@aol.com