To not know what to ask dog breeder?

[awkwardusername]

We are going to visit a litter of puppies in a couple of weeks and we don’t know what to ask!
We are looking for a bitch and we have been speaking to the breeder since mating occurred; the litter consists of five of each! The breeder is KC registered and has provided paperwork for both mum and dad.

We aren’t sure what we should ask, what we should take with us or what the breeder might ask us! We have lots of detail about our lifestyles before we were added to the waiting list (German shepherd) so just need some advice.

Posting here for traffic but also not sure if we are being ridiculous to not instinctively know what to ask or expect!

How many litters the bitch has had? What support is available for you after you take the dog home?

This might help:

kb.rspca.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Smart-Puppy-Buyers-Guide-July-2016.pdf

And this:

www.petplace.com/article/dogs/pet-care/16-questions-you-should-ask-the-breeder/

Also, post in the Doghouse forum on MN for lots of knowledgeable replies.

With it being a German Shepherd, I'd insist to have a look at the parents' hip scores.

@echt

This might help:

kb.rspca.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Smart-Puppy-Buyers-Guide-July-2016.pdf

And this:

www.petplace.com/article/dogs/pet-care/16-questions-you-should-ask-the-breeder/

Also, post in the Doghouse forum on MN for lots of knowledgeable replies.

Thank you! I’ll repost in the right section, sorry!

To expand my previous answer, here is a link with some genetic diseases a German Shepherd should be tested for:
www.pawprintgenetics.com/products/breeds/133/

As for non-genetic questions: Where are the puppies raised? How are they socialized? What kind of checks will they have before going to their homes? What happens if you need to rehome the puppy?

Not necessarily important questions, but ones I would ask: Do you get to choose the puppy, or will the breeder match you to one whose personality fits? Do they charge more for a specific sex or caracteristic (this latter one is important, as some "exotic" caracteristics are deletery, aka bad, and pricing up pups with those exotic caracteristics might mean it's worthy having them, despite their health). I also don't believe females should be pricier because presumely both males are females should be fixed and therefore a female wouldn't bring you a bigger return should you breed the pup, but that's just me.

You might want to ask MNHQ to move this to the Doghouse - there's less traffic, but most people who see your post there will have good advice to give.

@InTropicalTrumpsLand

To expand my previous answer, here is a link with some genetic diseases a German Shepherd should be tested for: www.pawprintgenetics.com/products/breeds/133/

As for non-genetic questions: Where are the puppies raised? How are they socialized? What kind of checks will they have before going to their homes? What happens if you need to rehome the puppy?

Not necessarily important questions, but ones I would ask: Do you get to choose the puppy, or will the breeder match you to one whose personality fits? Do they charge more for a specific sex or caracteristic (this latter one is important, as some "exotic" caracteristics are deletery, aka bad, and pricing up pups with those exotic caracteristics might mean it's worthy having them, despite their health). I also don't believe females should be pricier because presumely both males are females should be fixed and therefore a female wouldn't bring you a bigger return should you breed the pup, but that's just me.

You might want to ask MNHQ to move this to the Doghouse - there's less traffic, but most people who see your post there will have good advice to give.

Thank you so much! I’ve reposted in the Doghouse forum so hopefully someone else will also be able to help, but everything you’ve said is so helpful I know that the breeder matches the puppy to the family (is this a good thing or a bad thing? I’ve read mixed reviews!) and we’ve seen the hip and elbow scores which is hopefully a good sign! This is the second litter for the bitch, and they kept another bitch from her first litter but they haven’t decided if they’re going to use her for breeding yet!

I've always had shepherds and my current one is 2, my wee (massive) angel. Also ask about any aggression in the line x

Are they working line shepherds?

GSD are amazing dogs when well-trained, but beware that from the most adorable little pups they grow huge very quickly and the bouncy, nippy puppy stage can be quite scary with sich a large dog. My daughter's best friend got a GSD and he was really frightening when running and jumping and "mouthing" at you at full speed. They are very trainable though and he is much calmer now as an adult I am told.