# Time to contact breeders?



## danecolor (Nov 22, 2010)

hi all, 

it has been a while since i have posted. things have been very busy but i have been lurking and reading frequently. 

i wanted to get a general idea of when it is best to begin contacting breeders. i will be hoping to get a great dane puppy in the next 2.5 to 3.5 years after i am out of school. is it still too early to contact breeders about puppies? if not, what does one say initially when contacting a breeder this far in advance?


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

It doesn't hurt to start looking early. A lot of breeders have wait lists anyway. 
I would contact them, tell them your time frame, ask if they have any litters planned around that time. (trust me, breeders sometimes have litters planned or anticipated several years in advance!) and the ask all the questions you feel necessary. (there's another thread abut this that was posted this week) 
I actually think it's best to do the research ahead of time- it's so much easier to make a responsible, sound decision when getting caught up in the excitement and bringing a puppy home prematurely is not an option!


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Linsey gives good advice. Another approach would be to simply get to know some breeders in our region and see who you like and trust and who you don't. It's like the difference between networking and job interviewing. They're similar, but you're not going in with a list of questions (most of which breeders have heard before and have answers ready - whether they're true or not). Rather, you're just getting to know different breeders, hearing their philosophies, and learning from them. You've got the time.


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## eternalstudent (Jul 22, 2010)

Being that a good breeder will only breed from a bitch every 2 ish years, you need to plan early. I know my breeders started taking orders for the dam's next litter when she was carrying my puppies litter. (hope that made sense).

So no I think it is good to look early and spend the time trying to find the best fit for you. It is also sooooooooo much easier if they don't have puppies around when you go see them and get all puppied eyed and fall for them and go yes yes yes


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I agree with Linsey, but it doesn't always take so long. I understand your situation because you are looking to get a pup in a couple of years but we were looking for one NOW when we got Buck. We had researched blueticks and had decided that a bluetick was exactly what we wanted and I took about 3 months to find a breeder. Now, understand that finding a breeder was what 90% of my time went into. Hahaha.

We did get lucky though. We happened to find a GREAT breeder who was breeding two amazing blueticks the very next weekend. He had been planning this litter for several months and I happened to catch him at the right time. He had JUST opened up the "slots" for deposits so we sent ours in and got (technically) 2nd pick but the first pick wanted the only female so we got the pick of the litter (since we did not want a female). We only waited one week longer than the gestation period and the first 8 weeks before we got Buck. Had we not happened to find Buck's breeder then we would have had to wait AT LEAST another 6 months. There was no way I was going to get another pup from another breeder. I was willing to wait as long as it took to get a pup from Buck's breeder. I will never get a bluetick from another breeder. 

Anyway, if you are looking, you might find a great breeder fairly quickly or it could take a while. If I were you I would start looking now. Dude is only 8 but I'm already looking for a dane or neo breeder. You never know. You could put your name on a wait list now and not be able to get a pup until 2 years from now.


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

Another thing to do is go to some local dog shows and see some Great Danes (and breeders) in person. Even if you don't go for a show Dane, it's a good thing to be able to ask questions and meet some possible prospects.

When I was looking for my first puppy (15 years ago) someone suggested I go to the Westminster dog show and see some dogs down in the benching area. It was kind of a crazy scene, with dogs of all stripes in one large area, but also very cool in that you could mingle with the dogs up close and ask any and all kinds of questions to the breeders/handlers. I did end up finding the breeder of my Black Lab there--- not that I was looking for a show dog, but because I ended up talking with the breeder for over an hour about dogs, and my instinct told me that he was a good fit for me and what I was looking for in a dog. (It also didn't hurt that my future pup's father was laying right next to us, looking absolutely gorgeous!)

Fast-forward to 3 years after my Lab died. I knew the breed I was looking for (Dogue de Bordeaux), so did a lot of research. By that time I had already found the breeder I wanted to use, and had been in contact with her for over a year--- but it just wasn't the right time for me to bring a puppy home. But, I did go back to Westminster and check out the Bordeauxs there--- just to ask more questions, and, well, to play with some big Dogues!

In short, it's never too early to gather information...


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## splitnightsky (Jun 20, 2011)

I contacted a breeder a year early before, only to have it end in nothing when the breeder moved _and didn't remember she had me waiting._
I finally contacted her, worried that she had rejected my chance, only to hear her say that they had moved to the other side of the country and didn't plan on breeding for a long time.
eesh. but, I asked her if she knew anyone who was planning on having a litter, and she mentioned looking at the kennel club for my breed.
sure enough, that's how I found Scorch. there was no waitlist and the mom had just been bred. thankfully this one worked out.
I was definitely thinking that I would never contact a breeder so far in advance again.

then again, a friend of mine who breeds beagles has already received my slot for a puppy to be born next winter (well, if the dam stands).
she has a waitlist longer than my arm because they are hunting beagles, so I have to get in early if I want one.

so I guess it depends on the breeder. usually they'll have something on their website (if they have one), and like PuppyPaws said, it doesn't hurt to ask


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I had that experience too. Last winter I contacted a woman about a dane puppy and, after asking me a bunch of questions, she told me that she thought we would be a great home for a dane and that she was excited to find a home that she was so confident in... I never heard from her again. After that experience, I have decided that, should I do that again, I will keep in semi-constant contact with the breeder to make sure I am not forgotten or cast aside.


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