Below is an example of a typical contract or agreement we have with new owners of German Shepherds from Eagle Hill. We can fine tune these agreements to meet your needs. The first part of the agreement is based largely on the suggested contract of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America; the second part of this agreement contains "Special Notations" that we have found helpful to give guidance to new owners. Other breeders are free to copy and paste any or all of this.
Eagle
Hill Kennel
(Show,
Showable, Companion) (For definitions see below) German Shepherd “Dog” (Dog
or Bitch); further described as: (Registered Name)
Eagle
Hill’s ______________, Call name of _____________
Color:
Black and Tan_____
Litter
Registration No. _DN110424 or _____Coming for puppy_____(AKC Number)
Name
& Regis. No. of Sire: 3X Select
Excellent US & 3X Select Canadian Champion Pinebuck’s Kidd Carson, ROM,
OFA Good Hips and OFA Elbows, AKA Carson; registration number DL77194604
Name & Regis. No. of Dam: Eagle Hill’s Sail Ahead, OFA Excellent Hips and OFA Elbows, AKA Hedy; registration number DN03267202
and
WHEREAS, ,
hereinafter called "Buyer" are desirous of purchasing the animal
described above: NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the sum of $1,4000.00
Dollars, the Seller hereby conveys one _Companion_ German Shepherd _Dog under
the following warranties and conditions and no other warranties or conditions
either expressed or implied.
1. That the above described animal is a purebred dog, registerable with the AKC,
and that a registration application or individual registration has been given to
Buyer as of the date of purchase, or will be sent by the seller to the AKC
within ten calendar days. Companion
quality animals are sold under a limited (non-breeding) AKC registration and
buyer agrees to neuter the dog by the age of 12 months, or within one month of
ownership if animal is over 12 months of age.
2.
That the above described animal may for any reason be returned prepaid to Seller
within 48 hours, or as otherwise agreed in writing, at the time of receipt.
Buyer shall assume full responsibility for the health, anatomical
make-up, appearance and temperament of the above described animal during said 48
hour period. If the condition of the animal has changed in any of the categories
mentioned in the previous sentence, the Seller is relieved of obligation to
return the full amount of the purchase price, otherwise the full purchase price
will be refunded. Any claim of change in the animal by the Seller must be
communicated to the Buyer within 24 hours.
3.
(Showable or Show, only). In the event disqualifying faults for showing as
listed and defined in the Breed Standard are found to be present in the above
described animal, on or before one year of age or within 45 days of the date of
this agreement, in the case of animals of more than one year of age at the date
of this agreement, the Seller
agrees
to _________________________________________________________
(replace, refund)
to
Buyer _________________% of
the purchase price of the animal and the animal shall be
(a) returned to Seller or
(b) retained by Buyer (circle one).
4. In order to receive an adjustment, under the terms of
this Sales Contract, Buyer must return signed AKC papers to Seller before any
adjustment hereunder, if animal is to be returned under the contract’s terms.
Buyer must make animal available to Seller or designee for appropriate
examination, in all cases.
5. This writing including
pages called special notations constitutes the full agreement of the
parties.
WHEREFORE, the above named Seller and Buyer have executed the foregoing contract
of
sale
at ___________ (am/pm)
on
this ___________Day of _________, 2005 at , State of _California____
Sellers:
Peter
& Rhonda Cacioppo
Home:
925-377-6416
Peter’s
Cell: 925-360-5570.
Web:
www.members.tripod.com/EagleGSD
_
Seller,
Address , email address & Phone #s.)
(Buyer, Address, email address & Phone #s.)
Special Notations:
You
should talk to your vet about the possibility of a lepto shot (a lot of vets are
not giving this), also a lyme shot if the puppy will be in an area with a lot of
ticks, and also a Bordetella treatment right before you might put your dog in a
boarding kennel. If you do decide to
give your puppy these treatments it is best to wait until the puppy is a lot
older, perhaps 6 months old. We
believe it is best not to give treatments unless they are necessary as it may
affect the puppy’s immune system. Your
dog can be flown in an airplane without any problems; do not tranquilize him
before the flight.
Once
a month you could give your GSD a topical application along his back of a
pesticide to eliminate fleas and ticks, if he is exposed to fields that have
ticks. There are numerous products
on the market. One of the best and
safest is Frontline (vet only) but pet stores sell others, such as Bio-Spot,
which does work.
Your
puppy has been on puppy dog food and we recommend you continue that until he is
16 weeks old. He has been on Pro
Plan’s Puppy kibble (along with a bit of wet canned dog food, raw ground beef
and at times raw chicken meat (no uncooked bones until he is an adult; no cooked
chicken bones for either puppy or adult), and Dr. Kruger’s).
At 16 weeks, we strongly recommend changing to Pro Plan Adult (the
Turkey/Barley variety, but the other varieties can be used also) as our
bloodlines do very well on that. (thus, do not feed your puppy “puppy” food
after he is 16 weeks old, as it makes them grow too fast in their leg bones, a
reason for GSDs developing the temporary condition called Pano, a limping
condition). Right now the
puppy is getting 1 cup of kibble (1 eight ounce cup!) in the morning and then in
the afternoon and then in the evening (thus being fed three times a day).
At 12 to 16 weeks you could change to feeding twice a day and continue
that for the rest of this life. As
he gets older, he will eat more food each day, thus increase the number of cups
he is fed. However, when he is one
year or older you will have to cut back on his food or he will gain too much
weight. For instance, our older GSDs
eat only 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup in the evening.
Please do not let your GSD get heavy!!
Petco and Petsmart among other pet stores carry Pro Plan (you may have to
ask them to order the Turkey/Barley variety).
However, our dogs have also done well with many other premium kibbles on
the market. If you do use Pro Plan,
please save the weight circles and give them to us as it will help us and also
the German Shepherd Dog Club of America will receive a rebate from Pro Plan
every year. In 2004 they gave the
club $20,000.00, which we used for health and educational programs.
German Shepherd Dogs are subject to toxic gut that is a fatal condition;
Dr. Kruger’s Supplement has been very, very successful in eliminating this
condition in Shepherds that are fed this, according to the breeders we know.
Our web site has more information on this.
Thus, we urge you to use this (hint: shake the container once a week as
the multi-ingredients settle separately) and will offer it, the High Performance
Formula version, to you for $82.95 (it will last 4.5 months for one dog, at the
dosage we recommend as opposed to the higher dosage the container states);
future containers are available from Dr. Kruger’s web site or us (we can hand
deliver if you are near us, as that allows us to see the development in your dog
as the years go on, and to easily answer any questions you may have).
Also, if you purchase from us we do receive profits and a rebate back.
Sprinkle on the puppy’s food and then add some water to mix it in.
We have found that only one “blue (supplied)” teaspoon in the morning
and one “blue” teaspoon in the evening is sufficient.
If you want, you can add a tablespoon or so of wet dog food for a little
more flavor. Also, it is very
healthy to add some uncooked beef or uncooked chicken (never give cooked chicken
bones to your adult dog) to the kibble. Ask
us about this if you are unfamiliar with this “raw diet” method that a
number of people now use. When you
give dog biscuits or snacks, the puppy will appreciate small pieces as much as
large pieces and this will help keep the weight off.
Small pieces of beef hot dogs are good for training purposes.
Limited human food leftovers are OK to use, as a treat for your dog.
You
should give your dog new cold, clean water when you feed in the morning and the
evening. Use of clean, cold water
like this has proved to be one of the items that make for healthy dogs.
We have found over the years that large, good, heavy-duty stainless steel
dog bowls will last forever and are very easy to keep clean and sanitary (they
are cleaned very well by your dishwasher). The
dog catalogs are usually best to order these.
We recommend www.petedge.com .
All
puppies chew even up to the age of 12 months!
The secret is to direct the chewing to items that are OK to chew.
Thus, if they are chewing something one should just tell them No or AHH!
and then give them a chew toy immediately.
Obviously you can not leave a puppy alone in a room where there are items
he should not chew since you will not be around to correct him as just stated.
Another technique for your arsenal of dog training items is to get a
“Toy Box” that is used just for the puppy’s toys.
It can be any type of container that holds around 10 toys (no more or
they get confused) and that he can reach into to get a toy anytime he
wants. The procedure is that every 3
days you should pick up the toys that have been scattered around the house and
put them back into the box; that way he will quickly learn that he should only
chew items that have been so designated as his toys. If
you notice the puppy has started chewing on furniture, purchase some
Grannick’s Bitter Apple at www.petedge.com
or Petco or PetsSmart and spray it on the furniture, as we have found they will
not like the taste of the furniture then.
You
should clean your GSD’s ears once a month with the liquid version of R-7 ear
cleaner, available at the pet stores or pet catalogs; we recommend you purchase
the 16 oz container as it will last a long time. Pour some cleaner in the ear;
massage the ear, let the dog shake the bulk out, let it alone for 2 minutes,
then use a Kleenex with the tip of your finger to take out debris from deep in
the ear. This will prevent your dog
from getting any ear infections and thus trips to the vet.
If you ever notice your dog shaking his head, the dog probably needs you
to clean its ears!
Once
your puppy has grown a bit and has an adult’s coat, at around 6 months, you
should brush it every 3 days with the special GSD rake/brush we are giving you
(before that use a normal dog brush). We
have found this double rake, offset, metal brush the best to handle the double
coat of a GSD to keep it looking good and to keep the coat healthy.
Before brushing it is best for the coat and for efficiency to lightly
spray the coat with water using a spray bottle.
Please don’t press hard though since that could be painful to your dog.
This will cut down on the hair in the house, also!
GSDs normally do not need to be bathed more than twice a year because
their coat repels dirt and they will keep themselves clean by grooming
themselves. When you do bathe your
dog, the important thing is to remove all the shampoo.
A water hose outside works fine.
You
should look at toenails every month or so and trim if they appear to be too
long. Try and purchase a very good
quality cutter from a catalog or your local pet store and it should last a long
time.
We
recommend that you delay neutering your male puppy until he is 10 to 12 months
old as we have found that they may not develop their masculine looks as well if
you neuter early. Items such as a
deep chest. Female puppies can be
spayed before their first season which could be as early as 5 months of age.
Umbilical hernias do not have to be fixed; we have never had any adverse
health problems because of them.
We
make every effort to eliminate hip dysplasia in the breed by using only OFA
Certified Sires and Dams but it does still pop up at times.
While it is unlikely that your GSD will ever be affected by this
condition, we offer a refund of your purchase price if it should happen and you
can keep your GSD. Some vets are
unfamiliar with how top AKC show bloodlines are built and confuse our sloping
backline with other concerns. Our
dogs can herd cattle and obtain Agility titles and thus are built like the
athletes they are. Please call us if
your vet has any concerns with the dog’s hips.
For the health of your dog, we do ask that you not allow it to do a lot a
jumping onto hard surfaces or participate in competition Agility until it is 12
months old as it takes that long for a GSD to grow up to handle such strains.
We
cannot urge you strongly enough to keep in touch with us regarding the growth
and development of your new puppy. While
veterinarians are useful in many areas of a dog’s life, the Breeder/Exhibitors
are the ones who have “been there done that” when it comes to the
development of this specific breed. The
German Shepherd Dog is unique, and as such, has unique growth patterns and
health issues that many vets are not familiar with observing.
Immediately
contact us if the puppy’s ears are not fully standing at the age of 7 months.
It is the buyer’s responsibility to have the puppy’s ears taped by a
veterinarian if necessary, though if you are near we can do it for you, meeting
you at your home or a point in-between.
If taping is needed, do not delay the taping as it is much harder to get
good results if there is a delay.
Our
puppies are raised underfoot, socialized with other dogs, extensively handled,
and exposed to a variety of conditions. To
ensure your puppy’s temperament remains as sound as the day it leaves our
home, once your puppy has had a few vaccination shots, take it places as often
as possible. Allow a variety of
people to pet your puppy (children, elderly, men, women, ethnic races).
Give strangers small food treats to give to your puppy.
Introduce your puppy to other FRIENDLY dogs of various breeds.
A young dog should be seeing new people and events every few days to be
properly socialized. However, be
very careful to protect your puppy from unpleasant or traumatic experiences,
such as taunting by children or being assaulted by an unfriendly dog.
These can have lasting negative effects, which can be difficult to
overcome. Good dog parks are very,
very beneficial for your dog to be at ease with other dogs; you might start your
puppy in the small dog section. Just
protect him from aggressive, intimidating type dogs by standing in front of your
puppy if such a dog approaches.
German
Shepherd Dogs are very intelligent dogs with high drive.
Responsible owners channel this intelligence and drive in the proper
direction with adequate love, attention, and training.
Bored, lonely, and/or neglected GSD’s can become highly destructive
and/or aggressive. The most adjusted
dogs are dogs that live in the house with you while you are home including while
you are sleeping at night. We
strongly recommend that you put in a “dog door” so that the dog can come and
go as needed. We have found that
with a German Shepherd Dog in the house, nothing else will come through that dog
door but your dog! Petco and the
catalogs have permanent installations or “dog doors” that can be put in
sliding glass door situations. One
hint for your puppy: all puppies chew, chew and chew on things…so protect your
furniture and other items!….give your puppy items to chew on….usually best
to just leave a few of his chew items out at any particular time so he realizes
that just these items can be chewed……all of his other toys and chew items
can be kept in a large box in the living room (you should pick up the items and
put back into the box every 3 days) and he will take items out by himself as he
desires.
We
recommend that you enroll your puppy in an obedience class by 4 months of age,
or preferably earlier. We have found
that the classes offered by almost every city for a nominal fee (approximately
$125 for 8 lessons) work very well, as opposed to expensive private type
lessons. Also, many public libraries
and all large bookstores have very good training books available; some libraries
have tapes that can be borrowed.
Furthermore, we will supply you with some written information on training
and housebreaking. Never hit your
dog. Remember the puppy is just a
little baby right now so the puppy cannot hold his bodily functions very long;
the puppy wants to do what you want but it will take him awhile to figure out
what you want!
We
wish you and your puppy the very best. Give
the love, care, and attention your puppy deserves and you will be rewarded with
a loyal, devoted, and beautiful companion for many years!
Please drop us a note and photo (attachments to emails are great, and we
will possibly put them on our web page!, www.members.tripod.com/EagleGSD
) of your puppy every so often. We
are concerned about and enjoy knowing how puppies from our breedings are
developing. Feel free to call us
with any questions or concerns that arise regarding your puppy. (A quick call to
your breeder can sometimes save you unnecessary vet expenses!)….Once again,
please call us.
When
you run across other families that will make great homes for other GSDs feel
free to give them our name, phone number and web site!
In particular, we love to place our puppies in homes of retired folks,
who have lots of time for our babies!
DEFINITIONS:
Companion
or Pet: a companion animal purebred and AKC registerable, that is sold as a pet
with no warranty that the dog will be show quality or breeding stock.
This category still has the same great personality/temperament of all our
puppies and still looks very good.
Showable:
a puppy or adult that goes beyond and above the definition of a pet dog. This
animal must be free of all disqualifying faults. This dog is in no way
guaranteed to win in the show ring unless this is agreed to in writing in this
contract at the time of execution. It is understood that, with proper care on
the part of the buyer, in due time the dog should be of acceptable temperament
and structure, and should embody the basic standard of the Breed.
In many cases, it is not determinable whether a dog is finally showable
until a latter date, as an example all of the permanent (as opposed to their
puppy teeth) teeth do not come in until much latter.
Thus, in some cases dogs sold as Companion or Pet at 8 weeks can develop
into Showable. Neutered or spayed
dogs cannot be shown in the AKC Conformation ring but can be in AKC Obedience,
Herding, Agility or Tracking competitions.
We can refer you to breeders in your area to evaluate your dog after he
reaches 9 to 12 months of age. Also,
we urge you to participate in the just named Performance sports with your dog.
Show: an animal that has all of the qualifications of showable plus being one
that, with proper handling, can and should win in the conformation ring. If
there are any further guarantees they must be in writing.
This is the most difficult to pick out as in our breed the dog does not
obtain his final body structure (including his final version of his extended
gait and his sloping topline) until much latter, perhaps 12 months.
Signed:
Sellers:
Buyers: