Should I worry who the dad of my puppy belongs too?

[Janalle]

Ok so here it goes!
Back when I was looking for a doodle, I found a labradoodle that was older and already house broken. The owner had both parents and talked about how sweet and calm they were. She also praised the puppy and said she was sweet, docile etc etc.. So my mom, my kids and I drove 3 hours to go see her. On my way the lady then tells me that the dog was shy when she took her to the vet.. When we got there, she loved the owner but ran away from us and the kids.. The hairs in her back when up.. She was also filthy and had poop in her hair.. It was so wierd.. So she was an instant no no. The house on the outside was also disgusting and she kept us outside of the home.
I was curious about the parents so she brought out her mom lab who was crazy, then she brought out her stud poodle dad who she claimed was well mannered and it too was covered in filth and matted.
So end if that story, we left running from the place.. :-). Oh and she had other pups of different ages.

So then I found another breeder and she is great! She has the mother and is also very sweet. This is where we got Our Sam from. When she sent pictures of the dad, I recognized him from another breeder selling puppies which I know can happen.. Well I decided to dig in about the father and found out his owner is the First Lady who had the dirty everything.. I'm really upset bc I paid a lot for Sam and I'm worried he'll turn crazy like his dad? Sam is a sweet puppy but does show possession aggression with my kids and It worries me..

Should I be upset about who his dad is and where he came from??? Should I express my concerns to the breeder?

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

My personal opinion is not to express anything to sam's breeder, doesn't sound like she did anything wrong.
Were Sams parents health tested? Kind of sounds like a small time home breeder doing it strictly for money.
Since Sam is yours now, just work hard on socializing him and take to some puppy classes so he can be a
great dog. I think a lot of it is in the training. Start early!

Also if you are concerned about health, you could get some pet insurance.

My two cents....

[Janalle]

Thanks! I'm looking into a training program for him.. I've trained him the best I can and have been working in the bone aggression with him and my kids.. He actually snapped at son yesterday.. :-/. I often wonder if it's bc he was the runt and got pushed around and now he is extra protective if some things.. He doesn't do it with his food just certain apparently yummy bones.. :-)

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I agree about the pet insurance - get it now! It seems very likely that your breeder didn't health test the parents (and even with testing, that is no assurance of a healthy pup).

 

I have a 16 month old - take it from me - DO NOT ALLOW SAM TO HAVE BONES AROUND THE KIDS.  Our Peri is awesome with our daughter.  We made the mistake about 6 months ago of letting her have her antlers around while daughter was in the room - she snapped at her. We have eliminated the problem by not allowing bones/antlers/anything high value around when daughter is awake.  They get antlers when she goes to sleep and that is it.  ALso, even though he's okay with food, don't feed him around the kids.  I have heard of so many owners with kids having problems with that. He might be fine today - but not tomorrow. We feed our dogs in the laundry room and don't allow out daughter to go near them while they eat.

 

Good luck - Sam's adorable!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with Allyson completely.

I also agree that there is no point in talking to the breeder.  It is our responsibility as puppy buyers to investigate the parents and ask questions about them before committing to a puppy. Many breeders use studs belonging to other breeders, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. The issue is breeding dogs who have not undergone genetic health testing, regardless of who owns them, and that also always needs to be investigated before choosing a breeder or a puppy. Unless your breeder lied to you about these issues, she has nothing to answer for. 

I firmly believe everyone should have pet insurance for their dogs, regardless of where they came from. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Absolutely....Guinness came from a good breeder who did extensive health testing.  We met his Mom and she shared photos and information on the Dad who was living in a Guardian home at the time (and invited us to call the guardian family).  In spite of that, I'm so happy that we had pet insurance....with the Pancreatitis and the IBS it has more than paid for itself.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Janelle, No reason to worry about where the sire came from at this point. You have a dog that you love and want the very best for him. There are many discussions on resource guarding in the training group and perhaps in the puppy madness group. It's time to research the best ways to handle this situation. Allyson has given you wise counsel in just keeping the kids and dog separate if there is something he wants badly, but you should definitely research the discussions on this site about resource guarding too. With proper training you will have a companion for the whole family. Good luck to you. Sam is adorable! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is perfect advice. 

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Thank you Bonnie:  Couldn't have said it better.

Many Breeders, BYBs or not use other Breeders male as Studs.  Nothing illegal about it.  It usually is done to broaden the line.

 Being "the runt" ( and I hate that term) most likely has nothing to do with his perceived aggression.  There has to be a smallest and largest in every litter.  More times than not, the littlest gets extra care and catches up very quickly with the rest of the litter.

Absolutely, your children should not be allowed around the pup with a bone.  You are asking for failure on your pups part.

Training, training and more training.

[Janalle]

I talked to the breeder today and both parents were tested for health.. Whew! I didn't mention the sire, I left that out.. I feel better.. They also said that they would help train him if I wanted.. :-).

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

"Tested for health" is not the same thing as having genetic testing done. This is not having the dog checked by a vet. This involves genetic testing. You need to ask which tests were done, (Hips? Elbows? Penn or OFA testing? prelim or final? What were the scores? PRA?  von Willebrands? Heart?) If the breeder had the testing done, there would be proof of that, and most reputable breeders are only too happy to show it to you, as it costs them thousands of dollars. Most also post it on their websites. 

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Still get insurance :)  We have it and Peri's breeder health tests extensively and is reputable.  Even with the best tests, you could still have a pup that ends up with hip problems, elbow issues, etc......

[Diane and Alma]

Hi Janalle, I looked at your page. Sam is absolutely adorable!  Lots of owners don't know the parents of their dog and even when you do it's not a complete guarantee.  I would recommend lots of training with a professional trainer.  They gave us pointers on all sorts of things.  When Alma was a puppy we used to hand feed her.  She is so gentle with her mouth.  And maybe she learned her place in the pecking order since even my kids (9 and 11 at the time) would take turns.  But there are certain items that we do not give her - like pigs ears - since she guards them.  Good luck and enjoy the puppy phase.