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I had an great airedale terrier that recently passed away after 12 years and wanted to get another one from a good breeder. I have never purchased a puppy before (I inherited my last one from my parents when they retired and moved away) and I was wondering what to look for in a good breeder, what questions to ask, etc.. I've looked on some breeders websites and they show the pedigree and championship lineage which is fine but most seem to have that. Plus, I'm not really sure how many awards really matter. I'm just interested in another great pet not a show dog and I'm not looking to breed them. Any tips on finding a good breeder with good dogs?
Sorry for your loss.
I would start by searching for an Airedale breed club in your area and see if they have breeder referrals. Also, make sure the breeder screens their breeding stock for genetic diseases.
Also look into breed specific rescues like rescueme.org which lets you get alerts from lots of states. There are always young dogs available as well as adult dogs who are perfectly healthy but need to be rehomed for various and sundry reasons.
Most are house trained as well as leash trained. Some foster parents can tell you if they are good or bad with kids, cats, other dogs, etc.
go to some dog shows and also check out the breeder refferals on the breeds web page. A good breeder also will do health testing. Do be careful when on the internet since some breeders steal pages and just paste them online.
Go to a few dog shows for that particular breed and ask around.
If there is a local Airdale club around, they'll let you know when and where.
Believe me, you will find out real quick who has good dogs and who doesn't.
Breeders love to gossip!
I agree with this and would like to add that when you do talk to breeders tell them you are looking for pet quality not show as breeders always have pet quality as not every puppy born in a litter is show quality and pet quality can be something as minor as a retained testicle in a male ( My Dazzle was pet quality due to that) If it was not for that he would have been show quality and she would have sold him for quite a bit more.
Also by meeting breeders at a show you can see their dogs and notice things like temperament of their dogs which is important. If you are out and see an Airedale don't be afraid to go talk to the owner and meet the dog ( most dog owners enjoy talking about their dog) and if you like what you see ask them who the breeder was.Breed rescues are also good places to check as many great dogs end up in rescues!
OP, contact the Airedale Club of America. They should have a website, but if they don't, the AKC will put you in touch.
The Airedale Club will have a puppy placement person who can tell you where every litter is in the country (belonging to club members). They can tell you who breeds Airedales in your state. They can tell you how to contact Airedale Rescue run by the Airedale Club, so it will be a legitimate rescue.
There is a website that lists all AKC shows. Find the ones closest to you and go and see the terriers. There might or might not be Airedales, because they are fairly rare, but there will be plenty of terrier people who know all the other terrier people and someone will be able to recommend a good breeder who specializes in temperaments as well as correct structure.
You can ask a professional terrier handler about obtaining a dog. Be sure to tell them it is a pet you want.
The entire show dog world runs on a very efficient grapevine. People know what is going on and how to contact each other. What I am suggesting to you is how serious dog people find dogs and it is very expected. You won't be annoying anyone. Although, don't ask as they are standing there waiting to go into the ring.
Aside from showing their dogs and their breeding stock being titled, they'll have them temp tested at the very least, preferably CGC certified. They also won't have puppies available. You'll need to be pre-screened by them and they'll put you on a waiting list if you're approved. Make sure you ask about all genetic health testing that any breeding dogs have had and check those test results out yourself, don't just take their word for it. If they're not genetic health testing, they shouldn't be breeding, period.
Buying is VERY time consuming and takes a lot of work on your part if you're going to reputable responsible breeder. If the breeder doesn't go through all of this, they're no more than a glorified backyard breeder - RUN!
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