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Breeder Research
At Darkstone, we believe that making the decision to add a dog to your family is a major decision that should never be taken lightly. This is particularly true when you are adding a 'working dog' to your household. That 15-20 pound puppy will become a 100+ pound bundle of muscle, energy, and personality. Like any other major life decision, you should take the time to do a great deal of research into the breed of dog you are interested in, as well as the breeder you wish to acquire a puppy from. To that end, we feel we should pass on some advice to you, and in doing so, we hope it will make your research process and decision making more enjoyable, and in the end, allow you to come to a decision you are happy with for the long term.
With that in mind, when you are researching breeders, here are some general things to consider:
- What health testing does the breeder do? At a minimum, they should test for hip dysplasia. Either an OFA or a Pennhip test is appropriate, but should only be considered valid once the dogs are at least 24 months old. Pennhip considers a score to be 'indicative' at only 4 months, but also recommends doing another test once the dog has matured. Is the breeder willing to send you copies of health certificates on the dogs? Ask for them....don't take anyone's word. The same applies to registration certificates and pedigrees. Ask for copies prior to making a purchase decision and have a hard look at them. Bad breeders forge all kinds of certificates all the time. You can cross reference heath certificates on the various sites. Many people end up not being able to register their dogs, as they did not bother to check to see that the parents had a valid registration, or evidence that the litter has been registered, or is in the process of being registered.
- Ask for a copy of the breeder's contract long before you agree to purchase a puppy. It will vary greatly from breeder to breeder. You will live with that contract, and the guarantees in it, for the life of your dog. If you do not understand the contract, have someone knowledgeable explain it to you. There is no excuse for not knowing what your guarantees (or lack thereof) are, what your legal rights and limitations are, what the breeder expects from you, if your deposit is non-refundable if you decline the puppy, etc.
- Does the breeder try to sell you a dog on the first conversation? If so, you should seriously consider moving along to the next breeder on your list. In our opinion, no breeder who actually cares about their dogs will sell you a dog in a hurry. They should do as much diligence on you as a buyer, and on the home you will provide, as you should do on them. Sometimes it will take months to gain the trust of a good breeder so that they will consider placing a dog with you. You may have to wait on a list to get a good dog from a good breeder.
- What kinds of pictures of their dogs does the breeder have on their web site? If they have nothing but head shots, that should be a warning sign. The Cane Corso breed suffers from weak structure, particularly in many imported lines. Even if you are only looking for a pet, structural soundness and adherence to the Breed Standard should be a very big issue for you. If a dog is structurally unsound, it may cause health problems later on as the joints and ligaments are overstressed to compensate, and it cannot move properly. You should always be looking for a straight on side shot with the hocks set back and placed vertically (90 degrees) to the ground so that you can assess the top line, rear angulation, and shoulder angulation....just to name a few things. You should also ask for a strait on front shot so you can assess the dog from that angle, as well as a strait on rear shot. Many smart breeders will photograph their dogs from the front, but at a 30-45 degree angle, and often from slightly below the dog. It is a view that hides many of the faults. Get pictures from angles that show the dog's conformation. The breeder should be willing to talk openly about their dog's weaknesses as well as their strengths, as there is no perfect dog. If they refuse to provide appropriate views....that should set off some warning bells.
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Ask for proof of temperament testing if the breeders claim their dogs possess the same. Sound temperaments are something every buyer should be looking for.
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Does the breeder formally assess the personalities/temperaments their litters at 7 weeks, having a third party evaluator assess the temperaments of each puppy in the litter using a standard profiling tool for working or sporting breeds? It is not essential if the breeder is experienced and can assess the puppies accurately themselves, but it certainly is a good indicator. If you are not an experienced home for working breed dogs with strong temperaments, do NOT be asking breeders for dogs with plenty of 'working drive.' They will often be too much dog for a novice owner to handle, and will become a problem in your home. If this is your first Cane Corso or other working breed dog, ask the breeder for a more laid back, less energetic puppy that does not show significant prey drive or dominance traits in its personality.
- Don't just research the parents of the puppies you are looking for. Do your research on the grandparents and great grandparents. The genetics run strong, and often those dogs will contribute as much or more in terms of conformation, health, and temperament than the parents will.
- Ask for owner references from the breeder. If they have placed hundreds of pups, but can only give you a handful of references to call...doesn't that set off a red flag for you? On the other hand, if they have produced a relatively small number of litters, but will provide you with a large number of references...what does that tell you?
- If you are serious about the companion you will have for the next 10 years or more....then be serious about the research. It doesn't matter if it takes months. Do not make snap decisions, or suddenly come home with a puppy because you visited a breeder and fell in love. If the breeder sells you hard or even offers to let you take a puppy away the first time you visit....you should not buy a dog from them.
- You should not be overly concerned about the color of the dog. Any breeder who sells a dog based on color should not be one you buy from. The color does not matter....structure, health, temperament, type, and other more important considerations must come long before color. It should be your last consideration. If someone calls us at Darkstone and tells us they want a "blue Corso," or a "black one," and that is their opening line....the chances they would ever qualify for a dog from us are pretty slim. If the color of a dog is their principle consideration, chances are they are not going to make a great, well educated home for a Cane Corso.
- Take your search out of your local area. It's nice to potentially buy a dog from a breeder close to you, but depending on where you are located, the probability of finding a great breeder living next door is pretty small. That is the simple reason bad 'back yard' breeders exist and prosper. People just want the purchase to be convenient. You buy a jug of milk at 7-11 because it is convenient. But that jug of milk does not have a personality or a temperament, lasts about a week instead of 10-12 years, and doesn't suffer from ill health if its genetic makeup is poor. Dogs are not a convenience or impulse purchase item.
- Price is an issue for most people. However, price is not an indicator of the quality of the dogs or the breeder. Some notoriously poor and unethical breeders charge a huge price, and some very good breeders charge a moderate price. The motivations of various breeders are different, and it is often the reason they price as they do. However, if the price is cheap....something is wrong. You don't get great dogs at a bargain prices....in any breed. Don't make the mistake of correlating the price tag on the dog with the quality of the breeder or their stock.
- Do not base your opinion of a breeder or their dogs on what is said about them on breed specific or other "bulletin boards." Most of the people posting about their puppies/dogs or experiences with breeders are novices. What qualifications do they have to assess the merits of their puppies or adult dogs? Just because they in their ignorance are happy with their puppy does not mean many others are very disappointed with the breeder that supplied them. Conversely, we often see very good breeders being slammed and even libeled on these BBs because some owner wants to try to pressure them publicly to get a non-refundable deposit back, or to give them a different puppy, even when their contracts very clearly do not allow them to do so. There are always two sides to every 'public' story, and in most cases, the good breeders will not even respond publicly to those types of people. Very poor or large commercial breeders who make a living from selling dogs will also often post 'anonymously' on these BBs, in fact, some of those breeders own or sponsor those boards, to try to discredit good breeders or whoever they feel is competition, just to try to sell more puppies themselves. The information garnered on these public forums is largely worthless in most cases. Do your own research.
- If a breeder tells you that they own or breed the only 'true' Cane Corsi, they should be avoided at all costs. If they are either that ignorant or that arrogant, they are best to be avoided. The same goes if they tell you that their dogs are 'fault free' or 'perfect.' There is no such thing as a perfect dog. They are either ignorant or believe you to be in selling you that story.
- If a breeder tells you that the only real or good Cane Corso are those imported from Italy, again, they are either ignorant, arrogant, or trying to sell you a dog from their imported lines. We have nothing against imported Corsi in any way, and in fact, many of our dogs are 'hybrids,' being bred between long established American lines and lines imported from Europe. Both continents have their strengths and weaknesses, and both produce both great and poor dogs. Frankly, in relation to imports, please just consider the following:
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If you were a European breeder with great stock, would you send your best products overseas where you will never see them again, and lose any ability to use their genetics? Not likely. We certainly would not. The bulk of the dogs being imported to the US are far from the 'best' Europe has to offer. It takes many years of building up trust with a top European breeder for any North American breeder to expect to receive their top grade dogs, and vice versa. Many people importing dogs have no idea what they are doing, and just import because it seems more 'appealing' in some way.
- As a rule, import Cane Corso differ in 'type' as much as American dogs, if not significantly more. You see everything from the old world 'rustic' type of Cane Corso being imported, to the 'hyper or boxer type,' to those that look like small Great Danes, depending on the lines. The idea of imported European dogs being more true to type than American line dogs is nothing more than fiction propagated by those who have built their kennels around imported lines.
- As a rule, the Cane Corso imported from Europe tend to have weaker structures than the American bred lines. This is particularly true in relation to the 'rears' of the dogs, with the imports lacking significantly in relation to their rear angulation and curve of stifle. They are traditionally very straight in the rear, which impacts their ability to drive properly with their rear movement. The top lines of the import dogs are often typically weaker, with the dogs being higher in the rear and broken behind the withers. Many imports, particularly the females, also tend to lack in bone mass.
- If a breeder insists upon spending your time talking about 'breed politics,' or bashing one breed Club or another, they are probably not someone you should be spending your time with. The same goes for the old argument about 'which Breed Standard' is best. It is a redundant argument now that the AKC has adopted the CCAA Breed Standard as the AKC Standard for the USA.
- The breeder you talk to on the phone should not be spending your time running down or talking badly about other breeders. They should be focused on their own breeding program. If they spend their time running down other breeder's stock, then it is a sure sign they do not own top notch breeding quality dogs themselves. Remember the old adage: "It is easier to try to pull others down to your level than to rise and stand above the rest." Their product should stand on its own merit.
- A few final points:
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Never, ever buy a puppy from a 'pet store.' They are mostly supplied by puppy mills that care nothing about breeding quality dogs, and care even less about the health of the dogs or their temperaments.
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Never, ever buy a puppy from any breeder who advertises their puppies for sale in the local classifieds or 'bargain finder' press. They are either puppy mills or local backyard breeders making a quick buck.
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If you are looking for a 'companion' quality dog, please consider adopting a dog from your local or national rescue organization. They make wonderful family dogs, and have been carefully screened.
We hope that this guidance is helpful to you. Good luck in your research on the breed you are interested in, and the various breeders you will encounter. Take your time and do it right.....it is a decision that will impact your life for a long time, for better or worse.
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