How to tell if the mother boxer is being overbred...

saraemilyroy · #1 10-25-2009, 08:00 PM

ok so we are looking for a boxer and stumbled upon these beautiful pups for 400$ on an online site.they have posted picstures of the parents and the mothers picture kinda scraed me as to is they are over reeding this poor thing.We are true animal lovers and find it a little difficult to actually purchase a dog from a breeder, but we are in love with boxers and would love to get a puppy, and there arent many puppy boxers at the local animal shelter

so heres the pic of the mother...we would love any info ir help or suggestions!
we are located in montreal qc

Im trying to post the link for the pic it isnt working.so ill describe what she looks like.basically it is her teets....they are EXTREMELY big, possible from milk i suppose....however the are so low they are half way to the ground.
i have seen mother dogs before but never with teets like this.
is this normal?

thanks

**Jan** · #2 10-26-2009, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saraemilyroy

they are EXTREMELY big, possible from milk i suppose....however the are so low they are half way to the ground.
i have seen mother dogs before but never with teets like this.
is this normal?

thanks

It sounds a little excessive, but maybe not uncomman when she has just had pups. More importantly ask how often she is bred and how many times has she been bred. She shouldn't be bred more than once a year for a total of about 3 times. Anything more is excessive.

It is also very important that she and the sire have had the appropriate health testing done for hips, heart and thyroid problems. They must also be willing to show you the results as proof. If they can't do this, look elsewhere for your pup.

Good luck!

**gmacleod** · #3 10-26-2009, 07:48 AM

It isn't entirely clear from your post whether you're able to actually buy a puppy from this breeder via their website, or if this is just advertising and they'll do their own screening of potential new owners who can just express interest via the internet. *If* its the former, I'd be extremely wary of the breeder - no responsible person would make puppies available that way, and if that irresponsible in respect of choosing new homes, I wouldn't hold out much hope of responsibility in other areas (quality of breeding stock, general breeding practices, health screening of breeding stock, etc).

As Jan notes, the most important thing is proper screening of the breeding stock for genetically inherited diseases common to this breed (cardiomyopathy, aortic/subaortic stenosis, hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism). You should see the parents' test results for those conditions long before you ever see a puppy (who can resist a cute boxer puppy?). If those tests haven't been undertaken - take a pass and look instead for a responsible breeder, who has proper concern for the health and wellbeing of the breed.

Draymia · #4 10-26-2009, 09:20 AM

As stated above.....No ethical breeder will just sell their pups over the internet.

Sadly, anyone can call themselves a "breeder", but an "Ethical Breeder" is whole different world. I consider those who just breed for the $$$$ as Unethical Breeders. Please do not give them your money. It is not easy to find a well bred, health tested litter, but well worth the time and effort.

Have you checked with close Rescues? Although they rarely get puppies, they do have youngsters on a regular basis.

saraemilyroy · #5 10-28-2009, 05:45 PM

thankyou everyone!

it was through a classifieds site...************ to be exact :P

we have actually found a ckc breeder and we will look into this more!

we are very excited to get a pup.

we always keep our eyes open for shelters, but boxers are quit hard to come accross...expecially pups!

so we will do the right thing and buy from a real breeder not some backyard breeder...we would hate to contribute to that.

just curious what the average price range would be? the ckc breeder told us $1200.I suppose this is standard price?

**Jan** · #6 10-29-2009, 07:05 AM

$1200 is not out of the way. That is what I paid for Moto and he is white. The coloured boxers I believe cost more.

BxrMommieNAZ · #7 10-30-2009, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saraemilyroy

thankyou everyone!

it was through a classifieds site...************ to be exact :P

we have actually found a ckc breeder and we will look into this more!

we are very excited to get a pup.

we always keep our eyes open for shelters, but boxers are quit hard to come accross...expecially pups!

so we will do the right thing and buy from a real breeder not some backyard breeder...we would hate to contribute to that.

just curious what the average price range would be? the ckc breeder told us $1200.I suppose this is standard price?

You can also do a google search for a Boxer rescue in your area. Most states have at least one, and that's all they have are Boxers and they can typically tell you their temperament, they work with them on a few manners, etc before they're rehomed as well. Many don't have puppy puppies but they have ones between 6 months and 2 years old many times and when it coems to Boxers IMO that's still a puppy for sure. Just an alternative to a shelter.

EAO76 · #8 10-31-2009, 01:32 PM

There is a boxer rescue in Canada that brings Boxers from the Los Angeles Boxer Rescue (where there is an overwhelming over population of homeless boxers) to Canada to find them good homes. Maybe you could look into that.

OilSands Mom · #9 11-13-2009, 05:13 PM

Kota is from that rescue organization and has been living with us now for over a year. Awesome people!!! Must admit though he must have thought he entered an alternate universe when he saw snow for the first time! lol My LA boy got Alberta Acclimated in a BIG hurry.