Some pet owners make use of available Dog Magazines when searching for a puppy.
Space is also limited in such magazines so knowing the "keywords" or "catch phrases"
will educate the consumer into becoming a more discriminating buyer.

With little effort one can become "savy" on how to work through a classified advertisement -
be it in a newspaper or magazine. "Catchwords" like those below are things to watch for :

"Pure-bred Pedigree"
If this statement appears along without mention of a Registry (such as KUSA) chances are
the breeder is not knowledgeable. Registering a dog through such an organisation as KUSA
guarantees that the dog MUST be pure-bred.

"Pick of the litter"
This is another indication of a breeder who is not knowledgeable. Ethical breeders breed
first and foremost for themselves. They do not let "pick of the litter" go to champion
dog homes nor to inexperienced buyers. These dogs are usually kept or sold to other
ethical breeders and never sold through the newspaper.

"Champion Quality"
No puppy can legitimately be termed "champion quality". All puppies have the "potential"
to become champions but the determination of "champion quality" cannot be made until the
dog is older.

"Imported Bloodlines"
No matter what area of the world a dog comes from there are always problems. No country
produces 100% perfect bloodlines. The full range of potential problems from health to
temperament exist everywhere. Just because a dog is imported does not mean that the
quality is superior.

"Registered"
This can imply two things:
1. The dog is Registered with the Kennel Union or
2. The dog is registered with another registry. If a dog is simply marked "registered" it is the
    buyers responsibility to check further and discover which organisation contains the dog's
    registry, and if that registry is accepted in National or International dogdom.

"Extra large"
Any catch-phrases such as "tiny", "extra small", "extra large"etc are signs of an irresponsible
breeder. For KUSA registered dogs there is only one written standard for a breed and anything
that deviates from this standard is incorrect. Irresponsible breeders are interested in only one
thing ... money. They could not care less about the health or eventual welfare of their animals.

"Rare Colour"
All KUSA registered breeds have a standard which has acceptable colours. Responsible breeders
do not price puppies by "colour". They are priced for quality - not "colour". If a colour is being
offered that is not mentioned in the standard, chances are that this colour may reflect an impure
breeding.

"Champion Bloodlines"
This is not a guarantee of anything. The buyer should find out exactly what the breeder means
by this. Some breeders consider one or two champions somewhere back in the pedigree as
"champion bloodlines". Most breeders believe that it takes more than a few champions in a
bloodline to make it a "champion bloodline". Furthermore, the term "champion" only denotes
that an animal obtained its championship through the organisation to which it is registered.
It does not guarantee that the animal has been tested for hereditary health problems.

So what are the good phrases?
Space is always limited in newspaper classified advertisements. As a result it is difficult for
breeders to say all that they might like. Catch words like those below will sometimes indicate
the presence of a responsible breeder.

"Approved homes only"
This indicates a breeder who is concerned about  the puppies future welfare. After being
contacted, responsible breeders ask the buyer questions about his/her home, lifestyle and
knowledge of the breed. They are less concerned about "money" and more concerned
about the puppy's future home.

"HD free etc"
This is a sign of a conscientious breeder who has tested the parents of the pups for
hereditary health problems. Be aware that even with these tests there is no guarantee that
a puppy cannot come up with these defects... only that the chances are better than average
that it will not.

"Show potential"
Some of the good breeders substitute "Show quality" with "Show potential". By substituting
the term "potential" instead of "quality", buyers are keyed into the fact that young pups cannot
be accurately evaluated for future show careers. It is more honest to predict the possibility of
good future potential in the conformation ring than to claim "Show quality"at an age when it
is simply impossible to determine such a thing.

Terms that can go either way:
"Guaranteed"
Both irresponsible and responsible breeders have been known to use this phrase . A simple
phone call will allow you to find out exactly what is being guaranteed. Always check out a
breeder who uses this phrase to make sure you are dealing with a responsible breeder.

Other things to consider:
No dog should be sold under the age of eight weeks. Breeders advertising pups under this
age should be avoided. Shots and de-worming are something an ethical breeder will do as a
matter of course and usually do not need to mention such things in an advertisement.

Buying dogs online

The onset of the computer age has brought with it many new conveniences. One of those
conveniences is the posibility of purchasing pets on-line. As in all such transactions involving
a purchase the buyer should be knowledgeable enough to beware.
On-line services such as AOL have provided areas for free advertising. In such places, look for
breeders who write more than one or two sentences.
Please be aware that such places have opened a new realm for the commercial breeder as well.

Look for the following phrases:
"Master card/Visa accepted"
Please be aware that this may indicate that the breeder is in the business of producing puppies.
Only businesses have the ability  to take credit cards.

"Member of Club"
A possible sign of a responsible breeder is one that is a member of the local All Breed Dog Club
or Breed Club. However, membership in such an organisation is not a guarantee of anything.
There are good responsible breeders who are not members of any clubs

In Summation.....
The best consumer weapon available is KNOWLEDGE. Buyers should carefully research the breed
in which they are interested and then even more carefully check out the breeder. Sometimes  the best place to purchase a puppy is NOT through advertisements but rather through word of mouth by
responsible breeders.