Second contact with a breeder

Hello all, looking for some advice on the best way to contact a dog breeder. Let me provide some background

Several months ago we decided to get a dog (we're a family of 4 with kids between 7-11). My wife has had dogs but I have not and the kids are very motivated. We discussed this a lot and we're ready. The 1st natural step was to come to EF and there is a ton on info/experiences so thanks to all that have contributed.

Once we settled on the breed we start to look for reputable breeders and have found one ... now the fun starts.

My wife called the breeder explaining our situation and he has a new puppies coming in December/January. hurray!! He was very kind and my wife asked if we could come visit him in 2-3 weeks. He said Yes and just asked that we call 2-3 days before. For the next 3 weeks my wife tried reaching him over phone, email, sms but the guy never responded.

I tried calling him immediately after my wife's final frustrated last attempt and he picked up on the 1st ring... I explained the situation and again he was very kind and said we could visit but that we should call 2-3 days in advance... he told me this last weekend he was at a dog show and that he would be unavailable but that I should call this week. As a test my wife called him immediately after my call and he rejected the call. It was extremely bizarre!

Needless to say my wife is upset but putting the greater good of getting a dog for the family ahead of her frustration any advice on what to say to this guy if he does pick up the phone when I ring him? I'll only know when I call him but any talking points that breeders are usually looking for?

FYI: we're pretty sure he is a reputable breeder. His details are listed here: https://www.schnauzer-pinscherclub.ch/welpen-1.html

Your implying he may not be reputable on a public forum and you still expect him to sell you a dog ????

At the moment it seems that demand exceeds supply, with both breeders and rescues, so many breeders have rather long waiting lists. That means that there is likely to be disappointment for some would-be buyers.

What did you write in your email? Did you:

Give a summary of your family situtation, including ages of the children

Your experience with dogs and with the breed,

Your ideas about raising dogs,

Mention that you have researched both vets and training schools (if you don't already have those), including a 'Kind und Hund' course if your children are young,

Mention permission from your landlord if you have one,

Give a description of your property, including size of both house and garden and security of garden,

Specifically ask for an appointment, suggesting a few possible dates, or indicate flexibility at his convenience

If not, write again with all that. It shouldn't be a long mail, simply a summary to show that you are keen and ready to do the very best for one of his pups.

If you do get hold of this breeder, mention again the above - stressing above all else your readiness to give his pup the very best life possible. Whether it's involvement in dog training, in sports or club life, or just ensuring that his pup is guaranteed an all-around happy healthy life as a valued family member - good breeders want above all else to know that their pups are in the very best of hands. Stress how those hands are yours.

In a competitive situation - which is what acquiring a dog is at the moment - it's not enough to just register interest, you have to somehow stand out from the crowd.

If the breeder is not responding, it may well be that he already has a long enough list and does not want to take the time to assess more people than he likely will have pups for in the next 1-2 years. Dodging your calls is not polite, certainly, but take that as a sign that it might be time to move on.

I would not put all my eggs in this one breeder's basket. It might not be meant to be with this particular breeder, so start contacting other breeders and make inquiries. Also look outside of Switzerland, with the German counterpart (the VDH is the SKG equivalent) also with French, Italian, and Austrian breeders. If you have the means to travel - because a good breeder will require several face to face meetings - look even further afield in Europe.

(Do not, under any circumstances, go with a breeder who ships dogs, uses an agent, or does not require you to travel. First sign of a dodgy battery production facility. These must be avoided. I cannot stress this enough!)

It has always been a bit difficult to get a dog from a Swiss breeder, but now more than ever. There simply are not that many active breeders here.

(IIRC a BLV article, more than half the dogs in Switzerland come from other countries. I mention this to stress that it is perfectly normal to look outside Switzerland, you would be in good company doing so. It just takes a bit more work on your part.)

If this looks to be a long haul project, try to find out if any of the breed club activities are open to the public, and attend those. Doing so will not only educate you to how things work in the breed club, but you also might have a chance to meet other breeders. Networking can help.

Another networking tip: If you meet other owners of this breed while out and about, strike up a conversation, ask who their breeder is. And ask how they went about making contact. Sometimes owners who already have one of the breeder's pups are willing to help you make contact.

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I empathise, I truly do. The decision to bring a puppy into the family is a highly emotional one. You prepare the family for this big step, all ready to go... then find that actually getting the puppy is more difficult than you imagine. It's tough.

Please, if you are rejected by one particular breeder don't take it personally, as it is often really down to supply and demand. Just try to move on. It will be tough on the children, so do try to manage their expectations as best you can.

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Don't let this get you down, just keep trying other breeders. You will find your pup, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Wishing you all the very best.

where did you read I implied he is not a reputable breeder?

I literally wrote

we're pretty sure he is a reputable breeder

I also wrote earlier

Once we settled on the breed we start to look for reputable breeders and have found one

I met someone who imported their new pup from the UK.

this is good advice. We will be more direct/open... we were being cautious so as to not "scare him off"

My wife put it down to him only wanting to talk to men not women... what's interesting is my wife speaks perfect German and French... I spoke to him in English and he replied very amicably which of course made my wife even more upset. I wish he's just say that there is a long wait list and I should come back in 2 years if that is the case

You are right we were hoping to make the logistics easier for us but we will look in neighboring countries

This is great advice. the 2 dog owners we met walking around both brought the dogs from abroad... specifically England

I’d walk away, as much as you want a dog if the breeder can’t be bothered to even answer the phone then find another one who will treat you well. Our breeder is always available on the phone and WhatsApp even 3 years on.

and then said he never answered his phone calls.

Switzerland is fairly incestuous at the best of times, i guess the Schnauzer & Pinscher club is no different and if fairly small and exclusive. If you piss this breeder off by mentioning him, explicitly, by name, you may piss all his friends off too, resulting in not being able to find your dream dog.

That is how i read and interpreted you post, you may of course read it differently

Be aware if you buy a dog in U.K. - since Brexit things have got more tricky. If you fly a puppy in to Switzerland below a certain age from U.K. (12 weeks?) they don’t need a rabies shot. But if you drive, France require even puppies to be rabies vaxed and there is a 3 week wait between having the shot and being allowed to take the dog to France - hence the puppy could be 15 weeks before being allowed to drive into France.

Hi Naza,

We got our miniature Schnauzer from a reputable breeder here in Switzerland about 3 years ago. I can pass on the details if you would like?

thanks bosco, if you could send me the details by PM that's be great

Good point, on a related note, an acquaintance recently sold a puppy from Switzerland into Italy. What a nightmare. It seems the EU knows how to be a royal pain when it comes to importing puppies.

To the OP, finding a purebred puppy from a reputable breeder often takes time. I hope your search goes well!

Circling back after several months

the breeder @bosco recommended came through! She only spoke German, we only speak English, French and Spanish so Google Translate was great for the initial whatsapp messages.

We finally met the breeder face to face back in October and she put us on the waitlist (3rd in line). She had her daughter there who spoke a little bit of English - life saver She explained the whole process to us.

Finally she messaged us shortly after Christmas that she expects puppies in about 9 weeks so now we are anxiously awaiting but we're encouraged we can go and see the puppies at some point late Feb. Then there is another 3 wait month...

keep you posted but just a shout out to Bosco for the tip and of course to everyone else that provided tips!

Difficult to advise if we don't really have the full story......

wasn't looking for advice (was only giving an update) but yes you are right I should've said I only speak French, English, Spanish... and as it were my wife was not in Switzerland at the time.

Glad to hear that you found someone! It’s difficult work being a breeder, now that I have a litter and am trying to place puppies for the first time, I can be more sympathetic of those who have a hard time coming across as super polite at first! The number of calls I get from people acting entitled or just plain rude is incredible. Not at all saying that’s how you guys were coming across, just that it’s quite easy to suddenly get a bit cold and snappy on the phone as a sleep deprived breeder dealing with all kinds of people with all kinds of motives and struggling to separate the good from the bad to find the best homes for the puppies. When someone recently told me for the fifteenth time in as many minutes that they’ll never abandon their dog, I started to look for excuses to get them uninterested in my dogs. That’s a wonderful sentiment, but if they felt the need to say it so much when I was clearly asking polite and normal questions for a breeder, well, I start to get suspicious. They’re probably nice people and they probably would take good care of one of my dogs, but several little things they said add up to me being very wary of it being a truly good fit. It’s complicated business!