Why buy a dog with a pedigree?

The price of a dog with a pedigree and without

It is often said that a dog with a ZKwP/FCI pedigree is much more expensive compared to dogs that have no pedigree at all or possess a document issued by another association or organisation. Dogs with a ZKwP pedigree (Polish Kennel Club, which belongs to the International Cynological Organisation FCI - Fédération Cynologique Internationale) will usually have a higher price, as it is influenced by a number of important factors.

How is a dog breeding kennel established?

Let us start from the beginning – Mr Kowalski wants to establish a breeding kennel for a certain breed. Before he does so, he must usually purchase a suitable puppy – a female. Besides the purchase costs, other important elements include vaccinations, worming treatments, veterinary care, food and so on. Anyone who has had or has a dog knows how many expenses this involves. The next important step towards his own kennel is participation in shows, where further expenses await Mr Kowalski, as he must pay for travel (sometimes abroad), hotel, entry fees for the show, grooming treatments so that our dog presents itself beautifully in the ring. Someone might then ask, why participate in such shows at all if they are so expensive? The answer is simple: for a future breeder, showing their dog in the ring is very important so that the dog or bitch receives so-called breeding rights.

This is not easy, as in the ring in one breed there may be, for example, 10 dogs, and the judge must choose the best one in terms of anatomical structure, appearance, movement in the ring and behaviour.

A bitch receives breeding rights when she receives three ratings of at least 'very good' from at least two judges, including one at an international or club show. A male dog receives breeding rights if he receives three ratings of at least 'excellent' from at least two judges, including one at an international or club show. It should be remembered that a dog that wins does not receive a monetary prize.

Additionally, there are many breeds that must be tested primarily for genetic diseases. In addition to this, there are a number of other tests, including X-rays for dysplasia for example. Moreover, dogs undergo appropriate training, pass psychological tests and work trials. As you can see, ensuring that Mr Kowalski's dog, which is to be a key element of his kennel, meets all health expectations (both physical and psychological) requires a significant investment of time, effort and resources.

In the meantime, the breeder seeks formal approval of his kennel by submitting an application for registration of the so-called kennel name, simply the name of his kennel. A kennel name registered with ZKwP/FCI is unique in the world – no other kennel belonging to this organisation can use an identical or similar name. Registration of a kennel name is necessary so that puppies born in that kennel can receive their pedigree certificate in the future.

When all these requirements are met with flying colours, it is time to choose an appropriate partner for the bitch. The breeder mates his bitch with the best possible dogs from Poland or abroad. The costs of mating vary: usually it is several thousand zloty plus hotel and travel costs for the mating. A pregnant bitch also receives veterinary care, which the breeder pays for.

Birth of a litter

When puppies are born naturally, it is wonderful. It is different if a caesarean section is needed, which nobody will do for free. This is not the end of the birth costs borne by the breeder – other costs include the fee for litter inspection, issuing pedigree certificates for each puppy, vaccinations and worming treatments for the puppies, specialist food and care.

It should be remembered that prices for puppies in different kennels of the same breed will vary. First and foremost, it depends on the parents of the puppies: what achievements and titles they have and what dogs appear in the family tree of a given litter. A puppy may be more or less promising for show purposes, which is very important for a future breeder who acquires such a dog. Litters sometimes include puppies that for certain reasons, such as a broken tail, poor colouring, or bite problems, will be cheaper, which does not mean they are inferior. Such dogs simply cannot be used in further breeding.

Price for a puppy

The elements listed above are the main ones, but still not all factors that affect the price of a puppy purchased from a legally operating kennel that cares about quality.

We often encounter offers to sell puppies for relatively little money, but in such a case we should think very carefully and investigate whether such a breeder really attaches sufficient importance to the health of their dogs, their nutrition, living conditions, level of training, and whether mating and selection of parents for future puppies is well thought through. Moreover, we should examine such offers with doubled attention to ensure that in the future we will not have problems obtaining documents from the cynological organisation confirming that we are owners of a pedigree dog with a genuine pedigree. Many new owners are subsequently disappointed to find that the document they received when purchasing the puppy has no value and are turned away when attempting to register their dog with the cynological club.

In colloquial language, in the context of breeding, we very often come across the rather inelegant term so-called 'puppy mill'. A puppy mill is, in common understanding, a breeding operation focused on quantity rather than quality of puppies. Dogs from such places are often sick, have fungal infections, are infested with parasites and may suffer in the future from various disorders related to their physical or psychological health. Puppy mill operators are also called dog producers, and in such places you can buy puppies similar to many different breeds, starting from sheepdogs, through Dalmatians, Maltese dogs or Labradors – these will usually be dogs 'of the breed type'. And documents issued by puppy mills, although they are often quite aesthetically pleasing and eye-catching, have little in common with genuine pedigrees from the world's largest cynological organisations, including the FCI to which the Polish Kennel Club belongs.

It is worth remembering that the term puppy mill is associated with the quality of bred puppies, their welfare, physical and psychological health and compliance with the requirements set by the so-called breed standard recommended by the FCI. Unfortunately, puppy mills can occur both among kennels registered and not registered with reputable cynological organisations, but the requirements set by ZKwP or FCI for their members are designed to minimise the likelihood of such occurrences.

There are breeders who care more about ever greater successes, including show successes, and prestige. Unfortunately, it sometimes happens that they achieve this at the expense of the dog's health. However, such behaviour by individuals should not deter a potential buyer from purchasing a genuine pedigree dog with documented 4–5 generation lineage. If you intend to buy a dog with a pedigree, it is worth starting by checking membership of a recognised cynological organisation (in Poland ZKwP/FCI), and then examining documentation confirming that the puppies meet certain health expectations and so on.

The difference between a breeder and a puppy mill operator:

• A breeder is a person with passion, an enthusiast and a hobbyist
• A genuine breeder will support the future owner and will be interested in the dog's wellbeing
• A breeder will answer the questions you have about training, care or nutrition
• A breeder only breeds dogs that have breeding rights
• A puppy mill operator breeds dogs that for some reason did not receive such rights
• A breeder sells puppies with a pedigree certificate from world cynological organisations on the basis of which a pedigree can be obtained
• A puppy mill operator cannot issue a pedigree recognised by the largest and most reputable cynological organisations