Two Akita breeders

SunCherrySunCherry
edited July 2019 in Akita (秋田犬)
Hello,

For years I have known that the Akita Inu is my dream dog. I am finally in a position where I can devote so much time and energy to one, and I have finally found two sellers close to me.


My Options:

One person is not a breeder; Their two dogs unexpectedly had a litter of puppies, and they are trying to sell them all. The parents are LOF, and have the papers to prove it. Even though the owners are not breeders, they seem very knowledgeable of the breed and have made a clear effort to socialize the puppies. The litter is taken on walks everyday to parks where they meet neighborhood dogs, the owners' friends' dogs come to their house often to play, and the parents are very calm and affectionate. The puppy price is 1,200 €. The puppies are ready to come home whenever I am ready to take one. The puppy I am most interested in is a long haired Akita.

The other person is a true breeder, and has been breeding for 25 years. However, her puppies are not socialized with other animals at all until they are 8 weeks old. The new litter of puppies was born just two days ago, so I must wait another 2 months to acquire a puppy from her.

My questions:
Am I being irresponsible if I purchase a puppy from people who are not technically breeders?

If the breeder does not socialize her puppies before 8 weeks, should I be concerned? She insists that she is not worried about their sociability and that they will grow to be very affectionate dogs.



Comments

  • KTExtinctionKTExtinction
    I am not the most knowledgeable on Akita breeders, but here are my concerns with the oopsie litter you described. If they are not breeders, why are they keeping two intact dogs around each other that they had no intention of ever letting breed, knowing that without close monitoring that was a risk? Sounds like it was not accidental. Often times, people with accidental litters that are not backyard breeders are more interested in providing good homes for pups. They should be less concerned with making up the cost beyond just what it cost for puppy vaccinations. At least, working for several vets, that is my personal experience (and bias). If they were not planning to breed, they are charging an awful lot for puppies beyond just making up for basic routine care and a fee to make sure they go to dedicated people. Another concern I have would in part depend upon how old these puppies are. “Socializing them” by taking them out all kinds of crazy places where they are exposed to plenty of diseases and are still in the process of building immunity to distemper and parvo seems very very irresponsible to me. Socialization is critically important during specific developmental stages. The breeder has not exposed her puppies to unnecessary health risks knowing that those socialization periods have not come and passed yet. So, my gut tells me you are not dealing with some nice people that had some accidental puppies. I think you have stumbled upon a backyard breeder, and all of the wonderful things they are doing to socialize these pups is in part a way to advertise their immediate availability. So my advice is always to try and stick with a reputable breeder. ALSO, if something does happen to your pup, your will generally have some help/ and take back offers from a breeder. With these other people, you may be out money with no recourse if they have health issues. Just my two cents.
  • SunCherrySunCherry
    Thank you for your reply, the advice is very valuable to me. I agree that it is difficult to see how people so knowledgeable of their dogs could let them accidentally breed. I also find it concerning that they only accept a one-time cash payment for the puppy. However I was attracted to the calm temperaments and friendliness of the momma and dad dog, both of whom were bought from a reputable breeder. And of course it is so difficult to walk away from a seemingly good-to-go litter of puppies.
    I am still in touch with the reputable breeder, and am planning to visit her soon.
    Thank you again, hearing this feedback helps motivate me to wait and make the safest choice.
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