I always asked questions about the parents and the health of their line. I.e. How big are the parents? Can I see them? How long do their dogs generally live? Are they healthy? Are there any health issues in their line? If you prefer a certain size maybe you should so how big they will get. Are they AKC registered?
What I actually paid attention to is what the breeder did or didn't ask me. Reputable breeders asked me many questions about myself, my lifestyle (hours I work/am out of the house), if I have other pets, how long my previous dogs have lived, etc. Other breeders didn't care to ask any of that they just wanted me to buy the dog. When I researched those it turned out they operated puppy mills, were selling sick dogs, etc. another red flag for me - and I could be wrong because it does seem important for new owners to know about this but I've found only people selling sick dogs were mentioning it to me - were breeders who emphasized hypoglycemia could happen. Every time I looked up those breeders I found complaints from people who purchased dogs that died a few days later. They said they had proof from their vets that their puppies died of something else but the breeders would insist it was hypoglycemia and it wasn't covered under the health guarantee. I agree people should be aware of the signs but in my experience only the backyard breeders were mentioning it to me. |