BUYING A SIBERIAN HUSKY PUPPY
If you decide that a rescue dog isn't for you and that you would like to purchase a Siberian Husky
puppy from a breeder, you will need to be extremely careful as there are many more bad
breeders out there than good ones.
There are hundreds of Siberian Husky breeders in the UK. Like most breeds the quality of dogs &
breeders varies widely. A small proportion of breeders in the UK are reputable and responsible
but most, unfortunately, are not. To the inexperienced it is often difficult to tell the difference.
Many breeders, have websites. How can you tell from the website what kind of breeder they are?
Check this article out: www.kaylenbergsiberians.com/BreedersOnline.htm
These are some of the indicators you can use to check breeders out:
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Are the dogs being bred Kennel Club registered and are the pups KC registered. KC
registration is not a 100% guarantee, but it is a strong indication that the pedigree of
your dog is accurate and honest. If the mother, father or the pups are not KC
registered, beat a hasty retreat at that point. Note: there are other dog registration
organisations in the UK but their registrations are not worth the paper they are
written on. If it ain’t KC, don’t buy it!
Do the breeders work and/or show their dogs? If not, why are they breeding? Most
good breeders breed litters to improve their teams either for the showring, the trail or
both. If they are doing neither you have to assume that their main motivation is cash!
- not the best reason for breeding dogs
How easy do they make it to buy a puppy? If you don’t get the (friendly) third degree
about your knowledge of the breed, the security of your house and garden etc, it is
unlikely that they are a responsible breeder. Will they let you see the mum and dad
and all their other dogs? You can learn a lot from the condition and temperament of
the adult dogs in a breeder’s kennel. More often than not the breeder will have gone
“outside” for a mating, so they won’t actually own the stud dog, but they should be
able to show you pictures, pedigree and health certification for the dad as well as the
mum.
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Have the appropriate health tests for the breed been carried out on the
parents? Although as a breed, the Siberian Husky is very healthy, all responsible
breeders will screen their dogs for hereditary defects. In particular they should be
checked for hip and eye defects. Ask if the parents of the puppies are tested and ask to
see the results.
How old is the mother and how many litters has she had? No bitch should be bred
before the age of 2 years or after the age of 7. There should be at least a year between
successive matings and no bitch should have more than three litters in her lifetime.
Was the litter planned or was it “accidental”? If you are told that the litter can’t be
registered because the mating was “accidental” and the bitch was too young/too old
etc etc etc, walk away. Post mating contraceptive injections have been available from
vets for years and there is no excuse for “accidental” matings. It is surprising how
many bad breeders have “accidental” mating after “ accidental” mating.
Will the breeder expect you to sign a contract of sale in which you undertake to return
the dog direct to the breeder if for any reason you cannot keep it, and in which you
acknowledge that the dog has breeding/export restrictions on its KC papers and
cannot be bred from without agreement from the breeder? All responsible breeders
will insist upon this for the protection of the dog.
At what age will the breeder allow you to take your puppy home. No puppy should be
rehomed until it is at least 8 weeks old. This is crucial in terms of the important
lessons the pups are learning from their mother at this stage.
If you cannot tick ALL these boxes with a breeder, walk away and look elsewhere. In our opinion
every single one of these conditions is crucially important in finding a good breeder.
Mick Brent
Dreamcatcher Siberian Huskies
The Siberian Husky Welfare Association (UK)