I've read many contracts during my time in minpins. I've listened to many friends and people that are looking for pups tell me about so and so's contracts.

I'm not sure I'm correct in my thinking but I'm going to talk about this anyway.

Contracts are between the breeder and the buyer, some are simple and to the point, some are very complicated so read those carefully. If you can live with everything in the contract, then go for it, but if you can't, go look somewhere else.

Breeders want to ensure that their puppies are taken care of and a good breeder will require that their pups are returned to them at any time in it's lifetime if the buyer can no longer keep him or her for any reason. They will require good care etc..

The breeder has the RIGHT to decide if their puppies go on full registration or limited registration if you are using AKC. The breeder knows it's standard, knows who in it's litter fits the guidelines close enough to be a show pup or a breeding pup. Most breeders will limit breeding on the pups that still make wonderful PETS and COMPANIONS, but don't fit the blue print quite enough to be bred. A good breeder only wants the best to be able to produce. It is unethical to register a pup that has been put on limited with AKC, into another registry so you can breed them. You picked that breeder for his or her knowledge, rely on his or her judgment on whether that pup should be bred or not.

Some breeders want or seem to want total control over the puppy after the purchase. They will have in there you can only breed to whom they say, when they say and or when the dog finishes it's championship. The dog may hate showing, so may never finish and they'll stick to the contract that the dog can never be bred because it didn't finish. They want the champions under their belt to say they produced x number of champions, but many dogs that never finished or were even shown, went on to be top producers in our breed. Some dogs are finished AKC champions by whom was on the end of the lead, or who their breeder knows if the breeder handles the dog, not because of it's quality at all.!!

Some breeders will want to stay on the papers forever as co-owner to PROTECT their bloodlines and keep you under their control. Their contracts give them the right to take back the dog at any time you decide to do something they don't agree with. Some will sign off as co-owner only after you've completely all their requirements. Showing until it's finished, puppies back, obedience, health testing, could be just a few of the regulations some breeders will require.

Sometimes a breeder will offer you a reduced cash price for a puppy back. Again there will be contracts and in this instance agreeing to the stud at least is an acceptable agreement. They may or may not want you to limit the whole litter except for what you keep and they take as their pick. Again, this is pretty acceptable, but discuss fees and what if's well before hand and have it all in writing.

Sometimes you can find a friend and get a nice show/breeding dog and give them a couple pups back for the dog. I don't think whole litters is right. I think that is a bit to much, the owner should be allowed to keep something for all the care and love they gave the dog and the puppies.

Checking references, home checks, talking to your vet is also just some of the things some breeders will require. All are acceptable if you want a well bred healthy puppy.

Blues are known to loose their coats. Alapecia it is called. Other colors can also be affected but not to the degree that is a blue is. Most breeders give you a 1 year guarantee on coat or none at all. If you are just wanting a pet and realize this from the get go, then that is OK, but if you purchased your blue for breeding, then you want one with a full coat that will keep it's coat. So you want the coat to be quarnateed for at least 3-4 years, as that is when the coat problems normally start.

With so many tests being offered now, it's up to the breeder to decide whether to do them or not. Legge Calve Perthes, Patellar Luxation, MSP-VI, to name a few, all should be asked about at least..

What the BUYER needs to realize is that signing that contract or agreeing in any form to any agreement and taking the puppy home makes you responsible to follow through with the agreement. Life happens, if you get ill, income changes, discuss this with your breeder. Most breeders will gladly take the dog back if you can no longer keep it and many just want a loving pet home for all their puppies anyway. Some may agree to spay / neuter if it's not already done and letting the pup/dog stay with you. If you refuse to follow through with the agreement, beware, breeders talk and things have a habit of getting around the internet with the facts changed many times over. Sooner or later you are going to find it hard to purchase because the word is out you shafted a breeder, rather you were in the right or not.

Today, a lot of breeders trade and barter. As long as the person that receives the puppy keeps up it's end of the agreement, then they have the right to do what they want in absence of a signed contract.

You have to trust the person who is getting your puppy, you have to trust the person you are getting your puppy from. That is basically what is all boils down to. If one party has ethics and the other doesn't, then there is going to be nothing but trouble!

NOTES:

Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease (LCP) is a disorder of hip joint conformation occurring in both humans and dogs. In dogs, it is most often seen in the miniature and toy breeds between the ages of 4 months to a year.

LCP results when the blood supply to the femoral head is interrupted resulting in avascular necrosis, or the death of the bone cells. Followed by a period of revascularization, the femoral head is subject to remodeling and/or collapse creating an irregular fit in the acetabulum, or socket. This process of bone cells dying and fracturing followed by new bone growth and remodeling of the femoral head and neck, can lead to stiffness and pain.

LCP is believed to be an inherited disease, although the mode of inheritance is not known. Because there is a genetic component, it is recommended that dogs affected with LCP not be used in breeding programs.

What is Patellar Luxation? The patella, or kneecap, is part of the stifle joint (knee). In patellar luxation, the kneecap luxates, or pops out of place, either in a medial or lateral position.

Bilateral involvement is most common, but unilateral is not uncommon. Animals can be affected by the time they are 8 weeks of age. The most notable finding is a knock-knee (genu valgum) stance. The patella is usually reducible, and laxity of the medial collateral ligament may be evident. The medial retinacular tissues of the stifle joint are often thickened, and the foot can be seen to twist laterally as weight is placed on the limb.

MPS VI disease is due to an arylsulfatase B deficiency and has been reported in Siamese and domestic shorthair cats, as well as Miniature Pinschers, Miniature Schnauzers, Welsh Corgis, and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. A DNA based test is available to screen Siamese cats, in other cats an enzyme activity test is required (metabolic screening). Similarly, a DNA test has recently been developed for Miniature Pinschers with MPS VI.

In mucopolysaccharidosis, certain large sugars (polysaccharides) of the body are not properly broken down. In MPS VI, the deficient enzyme is arylsulfatase B, which is responsible for degrading dermatin sulfate. MPS VI is autosomal recessively inherited and has been seen in humans, cats and, more recently, dogs.

Clinical Signs:

. The ensuing cellular accumulation results in skeletal deformities, including defects in the sternum, vertebrae and particularly the hip joints. To varying degrees they may also experience corneal cloudiness and facial dysmorphia.

The discovery of a disease-causing mutation in the arylsulfatase gene in Miniature Pinschers enabled the development of a DNA test which allows the identification of MPS affected, carrier, and normal (clear) animals. Affected Miniature Pinschers have not only been found in various states in the US, but also abroad. Thus, it is believed to be more wide spread and under-diagnosed than previously thought.