Buying A Havanese - Havanese Fanciers of Canada

Registration Matters

Why a CKC registered puppy? Or What unscrupulous breeders won’t tell you. Havanese puppies are expensive and you “just” want a pet, so, can you get an unregistered puppy to save money? .

For many potential puppy buyers it is an innocent question from an uninformed person. So the key is education. Here we will try to tell you about some of the fallacies and myths about registration and pure bred puppies and petsWhile some health conditions occasionally occur, the Havanese remains a healthy little breed with a life expectancy of approximately 12 to 15 years.

Our HFC Club Members

The Havanese Fanciers of Canada Breeding Members go through a thorough check upon application. There are required health tests they must perform. They must abide by all CKC and HFC policies in breeding and owning. They must give non breeding and breeding contracts to new owners. Use a HFC Breeder whenever possible. Visit our Havanese Breeder page to see our listing of all our Breeders across Canada. https://havanesefanciers.ca/breeder-and-member-listings/

About Pet Store Puppies

What are possible issues with pet store or non CKC breeder puppies

Is there a chance you have a nice pet, yes…… but surely not as high as if you went with a quality breeder that cares about every life they make.

For many potential puppy buyers it is an innocent question from an uninformed person. So the key is education. Here we will try to tell you about some of the fallacies and myths about registration and pure bred puppies and pets.While some health conditions occasionally occur, the Havanese remains a healthy little breed with a life expectancy of approximately 12 to 15 years.

Everyone knows of someone who has a pet store dog that turned out to be a terrific pet but there are many more which do not and end up returned, abandoned, in a shelter, or sick and a constant heartache for their new family.

Stores operate for profit. Period! If they don’t make profit, they close. In order to make profit they have to sell and the more they sell, the more profit they make. Almost all puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills where the adults are usually kept in small cramped cages, they are bred until no longer needed and then disposed of, they usually get substandard medical care.

As for the puppies, they aren’t properly socialized during the important growth stages to ensure a healthy well rounded dog, the odds of health problems increase as they are bred solely for money and the health testing of the sire and dam would cut into profits, if there is a warranty, it is usually limited in what it covers, and there is no personal relationship developed with a breeder when things go wrong.

The notes below outline some of the issues you may be facing now or in the future with a pet store puppy.

DISADVANTAGES of a Pet Store Puppy	WHY DOES THIS MATTER
Parents are likely poorly bred	Poor parents produce poor offspring; quality gets poorer with each generation.
Parents are not well raised	They are breeding machines not part of a family
Parents live in poor conditions may be in cramped unsanitary quarters	May be in poor health and have diseases that may be passed along to their puppies
Parents are not CKC registered	Registration is the assurance that a dog is purebred
Moms are bred too early	Moms may be bred as early as 6 to 9 months of age when they are still puppies themselves and unable to properly care for puppies
Moms are bred too often	Mothers do not get a chance to fully recover before being bred again, litters may not be as healthy or have as strong an immune system as from a healthy Mom which may lead to more illness and disease
Parents are not health tested	There are many conditions in dogs that are genetic and heritable. Without health testing, you have no idea what is in the background and what may have been inherited from the parents. What if both parents have cataracts or luxating patellas. Odds are very high that your puppy will be affected as well. Health testing greatly minimizes this.
Parents are not carefully selected	Any male and any female can make puppies, but that does not mean they are the best match for each other.
Potential temperament issues	Temperament issues tend to get passed on. A timid Mom bred to a timid Dad will likely produce even more timid puppies.
No pedigree information	You don’t know any background on your puppy
No CKC registration papers	no assurance a puppy is purebred
Extra charge for registration papers	Commercial breeders know that few pet owners will want to pay more for papers. It may be an attempt to hide the fact that parents are non registered, and that puppies cannot be registered even if you want to.
Puppies taken away from their Moms too soon	Pet stores know that puppies sell the best and fastest to impulse buyers when they are at their cutest and most endearing stages, usually between 8 to 16 weeks. Factoring in shipping and transit time, and any quarantine periods needed, the only way 8 week old puppies can be in a pet store window is if they were removed from their mothers early.
Puppies weaned too early	The Havanese is a breed that matures slowly. It is quite common for Havanese Moms to nurse their babies till 7-8 weeks of age. Puppies weaned too early may not develop as well as they could otherwise and may miss out on lots of good things from Mom
Puppies not raised adequately by their Moms	Mom is not only there for nourishment, she also provides the puppies with all sorts of training and lessons which are a lost opportunity if the puppies don’t get that time with her.
Puppies are not socialized	improperly or non socialized may lack many social skills, be harder to train, have temperament issues and may develop behaviour problems
Puppies have not started housebreaking	The longer a puppy is allowed to soil his bed or crate , the harder he may be to housebreak, in some cases almost impossible
Puppies don’t always go to the right home	Pet stores will sell anyone a puppy if they have the money. Puppies are not carefully matched with their families to ensure the best match possible in the way of temperament and lifestyle
You don’t get to see the parents	Parents are a pretty good reflection of what the puppies will be like in many ways both in personality and physically. Meeting the parents gives a good idea of what to expect.
You don’t get to meet the breeder	The breeder should be your source of information about the breed and about the parents and about the specific puppies. Who do you call?
You don’t get to see where or how the puppy was raised	It’s easy to imagine your puppy was born and raised in a warm kitchen with love and attention … but in the case of a mill puppy, it is likelier to have been a small cage in a dark, dirty, bug infested barn
Limited resources	Pet store may be able to answer basic questions about general pet care and sell you beds, and toys and food, but can’t help with more important questions or concerns or with breed specific information. May refer you to a book but they won’t put you in contact with the breeder. Then what?
No commitment	commitment ends when they get their money and you get your puppy
Vicious circle	Each puppy bought from a pet store means that more dogs will end up in puppy mills living in poor conditions, more poor quality puppies will be produced, more dogs with problems will be born, and more dogs will end up in rescue situations and the more the breed will suffer.
Pass the buck	When no one takes responsibility, it is more and more work for the reputable breeders and breed clubs to clean up the mess that others have created. Halting the problem is the best solution.

Things may be great now, but what about in 3 months, a year or 5 years? One of the disadvantages of purchasing a puppy from a pet store may be exactly the situation you’ve found yourself in right now; that brought you here… Searching for advice and help.

Responsible breeders have a commitment to each and every puppy that they sell and that commitment is for the lifetime of the puppy.

Caring breeders screen their puppy buyers to find out whether each home is suitable. Caring breeders provide lifetime support for their puppy buyers, answering questions about anything from nutrition to grooming to behaviour. Caring breeders provide a support system. We want to know where the puppies we’ve so carefully bred will spend their entire lives … consequently; caring breeders would never, ever consider selling their puppies to a pet store.

Breed clubs and reputable breeders care about the breed first not about money. They care about the future of the breed, and strive to preserve it and protect it. Knowing the poor breeding practices behind pet store puppies, and the detriment those have to the dogs in particular and the breed in general is the main reason why buying from pet stores is so strongly discouraged.

Why a CKC registered puppy? Or What unscrupulous breeders won’t tell you. Havanese puppies are expensive and you “just” want a pet, so, can you get an unregistered puppy to save money? .

Questions to Ask your Breeder

When doing your research on buying a Havanese puppy. The questions below may be helpful in making you comfortable with your future breeder

Are adult's eyes checked every year?

Answer:

Havanese are a breed susceptible to heritable cataracts. An annual eye exam is quite inexpensive. HFC breeders must check breeding parents annually but many breeders do not do this.

Does the Breeder have health testing record for the puppy's parents?

Answer:

With any breed or pedigree there are occasional problems just as there are in humans. Even if there has been a problem in the background of your puppy, your puppy could be just fine but you should be aware of any history.

Can you see a contract before committing to a puppy?

Answer:
A good breeder will have a contract that protects the puppy and the owners. Are the guarantees meaningful? A contract may say that a replacement puppy will be given in the event of a health problem. Is this a replacement or is it in addition to your present puppy. Are you really willing to give up your puppy if a genetic or health problem should occur?

Does the breeder have a non-breeding clause in the contract?

Answer:
Not having this clause may indicate that the breeder does not care what happens to the puppies after they leave the breeder’s home.

Can you meet the parents of the puppies?

Answer:
Is the puppy’s mother a good one – calm and appropriately concerned for her puppies. If the puppies are under 6 weeks of age the breeder may ask you to wait until they are a bit older. The puppies father may not be owned by the breeder and may not be available. Breeders often use other breeders stud dogs to keep their lines free from close breedings to related dogs

Has the breeder asked you questions and demanded to know that you can properly care for that puppy?

Answer:
A breeder may interview you, as much or more than you interview them. A good breeder will have an application process and an interview with you to see if you are a good fit for their puppies.

Are the registration papers in order

Answer:
If the puppy is not properly registered then there is no guarantee that the puppy is actually a purebred no matter what it looks like. When buying a puppy it will not likely have its own registration, but parents and the litter should be registered. Once you take possession of the puppy the puppy will be registered either in your name or on joint ownership until the contract requirements are fulfilled.

Are the puppies living in a home where they are handled and loved by people and what does the breeder do to ensure proper socialization?

Answer:
Do the puppies seem well socialized and used to people. Do they like to be handled and appear to be comfortable with visitors

Is the breeder supporting the placement?

Answer:
Will the breeder be available to you for questions. Will the breeder take back the puppy if things do not work out. These details should be in your contract.

Does the breeder make you feel comfortable?

Answer:
A relationship with your breeder is important. You are not only buying a pure bred Havanese but you are also buying a breeder who will support you throughout the life of your puppy.

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