The plan, right now, ideally, is for me to buy a puppy next year, sometime, or the year after that. This presumption, of course, is depending on if my classes go well and I successfully acquire an internship of some sort, my friend and I finding an apartment, and if my schedule afterwards isn't too demanding -- problem is, it's all a bunch of ifs right now, and I can't be entirely sure on when the time frame will open.
So my question is what should I do to prepare, should my life allow me to adopt, for owning this breed? Should I start asking and researching breeders now, even though it's probably at least a year in advance, or should I wait? Would a breeder mind if I asked them questions without the intent of adopting right away? Is there anything else I should do? I kind of want to be up and personal with the breed, first, before I bring one home and have no idea what to do. Is there somewhere I can do that?
I have about your time frame---probably one to two years with a lot of "if"s involved, and I've begun talking to breeders so I would say that now is definitely not too early! All of the breeders I've talked to have been super friendly and eager to answer all my questions---as well as understanding of and supportive of my time frame (which I consider super important because it's a sign that they care about the dogs and not the money). So, yeah, I say go ahead and do it.
Regarding meeting the dogs, the breeders should be more than happy to have you come visit (I have standing invitations to come see the dogs of more than one breeder) and you can also see about local meet-ups as well.
Also, as a side note, I would watch the use of the word 'adopt.' It tends to only apply to rescues and if you find a breeder who uses the word then it's a warning sign that that breeder may not reputable.
You should start researching reputable/ethical breeders now. Basically, talk to them, get to know them, and let them get to know you. Good breeders will be happy to talk shibas with you, even if you aren't going to be getting a puppy anytime soon. You could even arrange to meet with them at dog shows too.
It can't hurt to meet individuals now and take a look at some of the activities that people engage in with their Shibas. In NY there is meet the breeds at least once a year. In CA I think there is one also. I know there are a lot of meet ups, often presented by rescue but also participated in by breeders also. So go take a look and ask questions and get a feel for what the breed is about and if you can live with the behaviors that are characteristic.
It is NEVER too early to start researching, contacting, and visiting breeders.
If you start now, you will have a better chance of finding the perfect breeder for you before you are ready to bring your pup home. Plus, most reputable/responsible breeders will have some sort of waiting list, so getting on the list earlier will help your chances of bringing home a puppy fairly soon after you are ready.
So yes, get out there, ask questions, let them ask YOU questions, and just get feelers out there of what you want out of a breeder and out of a puppy. Once you find a good breeder, it will all come together. :)
Casey, with Bella and Nola, hanging out in the mountains of Virginia. I Wander, I Ride
I'd definitely say go for it. Can't really start too soon. As long you're up-front with the breeders so they're not adding you to waiting lists immediately or anything, it should be fine.
All the responsible breeders should be happy to answer your questions and help educate you on the breed (everyone I contacted when I started my search was really great and helpful). Asking if you can visit is fine, because again, they should be trying to help you make sure it's the right breed for you. A couple breeders definitely invited me to visit even though they were no longer breeding, weren't planning puppies any time during my target time-frame, etc.
I'd also suggest checking out the AKC website events calendar to see if there are any events happening near you that will have Shibas. It's a one-stop-shopping type thing to meet lots of different examples of the breed from lots of different backgrounds/environments and see the wide variety of personality differences. At a show I went to I met a breeder with one female who was friendly and excited and jumping all over me, but another of her females just gave me the stink-eye from the opposite side of the expen; wouldn't approach me at all.
Also, depending on the number of breeders in your area and the availability of pups, it might not hurt to get on a waiting or contact list a year ahead of time. I doubt a breeder would be offended if they e-mailed to say "might have pups soon, are you interested?" and you had to reply "not currently, still looking for work/apartment/etc.".
Read as many puppy books as you can. Read as much of this forum as you can. Read other forums (even if they're not Shiba specific, a lot of puppy-preparation seems to be the same across breeds, like leash training, housebreaking, bite inhibition, etc.). Try to find out if there are any Shiba owners or meet up groups in your area and meet people and their dogs (you could ask here or at Dogster - I met a local Shiba via a Dogster post).
So yeah. TL;DR version: Go ahead and start now! :D The sooner you start the more you can learn and you can't learn too much. :)
Wow, this is so good to come back and hear. I've been debating it for a while now -- I've just lost so many dogs already, I want to do everything right this time
@notoriousscrat: ah, yeah, I read that I want to look out for the word "adopt" and I tried not to use it, but it feels so awkward using the word "buy" -- sounds like I'm talking about a toy or something. I'll have to get used to it...
And I'm relieved to hear that reputable breeders won't mind me visiting their dogs. The last shibas I met in person were maybe 10 years ago, and they were people aggressive. I know Shiba can be aloof, but these guys were aloof and ill-tempered -- they even bit the owner's mother -- and I don't want the last shiba I remember being this sort of antisocial terror -- I still have to get my bearings with the breed, so it'd be nice seeing shibas and their owners in action...I'm taking notes as we speak on key words, socialization...
and maybe I'll drop by the local book store one of these breaks and skim/note in some puppy books, like you said, Anna. ==
Thank you all! This forum has just been so insightful and helpful!
Also, I'm a bit hesitant to start a new post about it since it's still relevant to my topic -- If the moderators would like me to, I will, but I feel like I'm spamming already -- but if anyone could give me some breeder recommendations for the MO/IL area (close to St.Louis, maybe, but I'm not really resolute on that area, so...) or knows about, maybe, some events in this area regarding the breed, that would be awesome!
I'll, of course, be looking myself, too xD And I intend to contact Hi-Jinx, J-Ann, and Godaikoso (from the topic about IL/WI -- my stepmother's family lives there, so that's also an acceptable distance) when I have the chance to wrangle up some good questions, but if anyone has any more, I'd thank you for the recommendations. I'll be bookmarking this topic and many more :)
@munovice Those three breeders you listed are wonderful :) I've personally talked to all three of them a WHILE back and I'd be happy to get a dog from any one of them :) Good luck.
You've got good advice on this, and you're doing the right thing by starting your research now. I would say though, not to be discouraged by people you don't get quick responses from. I emailed a lot of breeders and some only responded if they knew I was looking to a get a puppy relatively soon (within the year) and some didn't respond at all but took a bit of prodding to get responses from, and a few were even good! Most people seem to get better responses by phone, but I emailed because it didn't seem to make sense to call people when I was still a ways away from getting a dog.
Just be patient, and not put off entirely if you don't get quick responses. :)
I'd also suggest, to help aid your chance of getting e-mail responses:
Provide as much information as possible. All of my initial e-mails contained like an 2 page essay describing myself, my living situation, what sort of research I'd already done, and then asking "Do you think I'm a good match for a Shiba?". (I was super paranoid that, despite my research, maybe a Shiba wouldn't do well in an apartment or whatever, so I figured I'd let the experts judge it much more objectively than I could.) Every single breeder I e-mailed responded to that. Once I was confident my lifestyle will work for a Shiba, I edited it a bit to be "are you expecting puppies any time soon?" but it still contained the essay about myself.
Again, I got a response from nearly every breeder I contacted. Some took a few weeks to respond, some responded later that same day, but they still responded. I think it helps to do that sort of thing so they know you're seriously considering getting a pup at some point, are seriously taking into consideration the amount of work needed, and aren't just impulse shopping or screwing around with a "I want a cute puppy" attitude.
Some of the responses were very brief (just a simple "yes your situation sounds like it would be fine for a Shiba, so long as it got exercise" or "sorry, we're not expecting puppies") but after that initial response I was still able to ask further questions and get them answered.
@shibamistress: oh, yeah...That's when it gets awkward. I have no problem being patient, so much, but it makes me paranoid. I start thinking "oh, am I bothering this person? They haven't responded." I mean, I know they've got more going on in their lives, so patience is totally not an issue since, as I'm not really a potential buyer just yet, I'm probably not too high on the level of importance...I'll try not to assume that they got annoyed with me, though, if they don't answer for a while -- lol that's what usually gets me discouraged. I guess I've got to be more aggressive haha
@Anna: Thank you! for this because I was just here wondering what I would even ask the breeders I picked out. I know I would look more knowledgeable about breeders and picking the right choice and everything if I had questions prepared, but all of the questions I got ready were answered within the site, so they probably weren't very good questions at all...
But, yes, maybe a brief summary about what I already do know might be a good start...or maybe a mix, once I finally figure some questions. Again, I really don't want to bother them, and I know they're probably all busy...Just got to find the courage =_= networking is important.
I like the brief summary idea too. I did it as well, because I had a very specific situation: two Shibas that have to be separated, and I was looking for a male Akita puppy to live with the female Shiba. I wanted to explain my situation, to find out if they had dogs with the right temperament to join our pack. Unfortunately I got a lot of not helpful or no responses (like Shibas and Akitas can never be together) but I was able to find a few good breeders who were also responsive. It just sometimes takes awhile.
@munovice You can also check the finding a good breeder thread on here. Once you've got the initial contact, there's a lot of questions in there you can ask (like temperament, socialization, health checks, family history, etc.) to be sure they're really reputable.
