How to Find and Purchase a Show Potential Puppy

Congratulations! You have decided to try your hand at showing dogs. Hopefully by now you've done the research and you have decided on the breed of dog that you wish to purchase. Here are some general guidelines to help you find your rising star.

Start your puppy search by attending a few local dog shows. If your chosen breed is uncommon, you may want to find out ahead of time if there are any entries in that breed before you go. Contacting the show secretary of the club who is holding the show is the best way to find out which breeds are entered. Once at the show, don't bother the exhibitors until AFTER their ring time. Before then, they are likely to be busy preparing for their time in the ring and they may be too rushed to speak to you. Many breeders have business cards that they can hand out to you that list their website address, email, and phone number.

The other option is to contact that breed's parent club. A list of parent clubs by breed is available on the American Kennel Club's website. Many good breeders are members of their breed's parent club, and most parent club's websites have a breeder referral page. Keep in mind that the best breeder may not be in your state; be prepared to travel across state lines or even across the country to get your puppy.

Contact the breeder and let them know what you are looking for. Be specific on your goals for the pup, and be prepared to encounter skepticism. Breeders are contacted all the time by people who say they want to purchase a pup to show, and very few of these people actually end up showing the pup they buy. Good breeders are not likely to part with the pick of the litter to a dog show novice that they don't know.

You can maximize your chances of getting a good quality show puppy by being flexible in your demands. Most breeders keep the best bitches in a litter for themselves, so be willing to accept a male dog who shows potential. Don't be too set on the color of the dog you are looking for, as that can make your wait longer. Let the breeder know that you have attended AKC conformation shows, read books, researched, spoken to people who show their dogs, and are prepared to take the pup to handling classes and puppy matches. Communication is key in this process!

Be prepared to co-own the puppy that you are purchasing with the breeder. This means that you and the breeder will both be listed as owners of record on the dog's registration papers, and both of you must sign for the dog to be bred or sold. Make sure the terms of the co-ownership are clearly spelled out in writing before you sign the contract! Co-ownerships can be very simple, and they can be very complicated. Sometimes, the breeder will sign off on the co-ownership once the dog has finished his championship, leaving you as the sole owner. Other times, the breeder may be expecting use of your dog for breeding purposes, or she may be intending to show the dog after he has finished (earned his championship). The breeder may wish to retain some say over who the dog is bred to, and they may prohibit the sale of the dog by refusing to sign off on the sale.

Once you have found a breeder who is willing to sell you a show potential pup with terms you consider reasonable, be prepared to wait. Good breeders don't breed that many litters, and there might only be one or two show prospects in each litter. Keep in touch with the breeder, but don't be pushy or demanding. They are doing the best they can to produce good pups, and these things don't happen overnight. Again, good communication is the best way to avoid problems in this process.

Good luck on your search! Finding the right puppy is the first step, but you still have a long way to go before you step foot into the ring.