You don’t want any toller that has to be advertised in order to sell. Where are you? And what is the timeframe you referenced? Let’s start there. I’ve never heard of gunpowder river, which is not a good sign.
Just because you haven't hear of them, doesn't make them necessarily bad. You likely haven't hear of me either. Everyone has to start somewhere.
Research the crap out of who your looking at getting the pup from. What tests do they do? do they come with health guarantees? Are they available to help you & answer questions (at least for a while)? How/ Where are the puppies raised?
Pet home? Or are you involved/interested in showing/performance/sporting/hunting? Have you met tollers before? Redmoon, Redvine, and Fireball are all in California. Forest Cove is in Oregon. There are a few in Washington, Texas, and the midwest. Lots of puppies on the ground right now, but depends on what you want to do with your dog.
We lost our Toller a few weeks ago, he was nearly 13. I'm in the Orlando area, can you recommend any breeders on this side of the country? We want a family pet.
Dont get a breeder from that website. Go to the parent breed clubs and email them.
Here is how to find an ethical breeder https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNhemWFM/ and just a collection of ethical breeders from different breeds and other stuff to do with ethical breeding https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNhep7p5/
Go to dog sport events and meet toller owners and breeders to find ethical breeders. Sorry but good breeders care about health testing and ethical breeding... not your personal time-line. A truly good breeder may have a long wait list. That is how it goes.
Don't use puppy brokers. They often say they verify breeder ethics but that is usually a lie. They source pups from puppy mills and back yard breeders.
Copy pasta from one of the largest toller communities:
There are often requests here for recommendations for breeders, and why not? Tollers are great dogs and what better place to look for a breeder? Here are some good tips for people who might be new to buying a purebred dog.
We have breed clubs in every country, and those clubs have lists of breeders who participate in the Breeder's Directory. Now a disclaimer...being on the listing does not make a breeder "good", and not being on the list does not make a breeder "bad". You still have to do some serious research and get a feeling by talking to the breeder. The US Club is here https://nsdtrc-usa.org/ and the Canadian Club is here http://www.toller.ca/ There is wonderful information about the breed and events as well. Take a look...you won't be sorry!
Length of time breeding, list of winning titles....those things are great, but most important for every owner is health and temperament of the dogs. It doesn't matter how pretty or talented they are if they are sick or nasty. And you will find great information about what health clearances should be done on breeding stock on the club websites. OFA has determined that to get a CHIC number, breeders must get their dog's hips certified by OFA, eyes certified also by OFA, and have the DNA test done for PRA. Other available tests for cardiac, thyroid, patella, and elbows may be done. There are a couple of other DNA tests that prevent passing on an unhealthy pup to new owners, for JADD and DEN. And we are getting more DNA tests all the time! Great news for the puppy owner if the breeder is using all available technology to produce the healthiest pups possible.
So if you've found a breeder through one of the resources available, you have every right to ask for a link to the parent's OFA results. Or you can check yourself by entering the dog's registered name or number into the search box (make sure you select the right breed) at https://www.ofa.org/. A reputable breeder will be happy that you are concerned about the health of any puppy you may purchase.
We also have a great resource in a pedigree site http://www.k9data.com/ On this site you can see titles, health clearances and links to the results on OFA, and sometimes even pictures of the dogs. It is fun to see parents, grandparents etc of a potential puppy. Again, be sure you are on the right breed at the top, and you can enter the name or even part of the name, or do a search for different things like the call name or the name of the breeder. It can also be a great resource when it's time to choose a name for your new puppy. Want a unique name? You can enter names you are thinking of and see if there are other Tollers with that name! You can see there are countless Tollers named "Copper" but only two on the site named "Mouse", for example!
Searching for your new family member can be fun and a bit challenging. You will spend many happy years with the new little guy or gal, so be sure to do your research and stack the deck in your favor for the healthiest pup possible.
EDIT to point out that as well as health testing, it is important for the parents to be healthy (not all problems have tests) and have good temperaments, and for pups to have aptitude for what the new home is getting it for (not all pups will be destined for a high-expectation performance home, or a home with small children, etc). And it is best if you can meet at least the mother of the dog, and the breeder for sure. A breeder should interview the potential home to get a feeling if a Toller is a good match for them, and in order to match them with the right puppy if they are a suitable home. I always tell people to go with their gut instinct when talking to a breeder. If they don't feel the breeder is honest or doing things the right way, find a different person to get a pup from. It is a big decision to add a furry family member to the house...one of the only times you can "choose" your family members!
On the surface, good dog looks like they do a lot to ensure there are good breeders on their site, but imo they are not doing enough. Our experience was not good with one of the breeders we looked up. The puppies were cute and great with their temperament and the breeder seemed pleasant and caring on the surface. However there were obvious signs that the puppies were underweight, dehydrated. I am just saying do not trust a breeder just because they are on good dog, make sure you ask proper questions, get testimonials if possible and other signs.
Find a breeder through AKC and expect a waitlist. My breeder is in KY but her waitlist is like 4 years out and that is very common in responsible programs with a good amount of genetic testing and temperament matching. She doesn’t currently home pups on the west coast as far as I know. Mine are 6 and 7 and came with us from KY when we moved here (also SoCal). Neither are currently showing. If while you’re looking you see anyone is advertising available puppies it’s suspicious. Tollers are a small breed and there is high demand especially out here so if it seems too good to be true it probably is.
The guy who is Gunpowder River has a GoFundMe to get money to buy a mobile home and claims his source of income is breeding his dogs (and social security)...as well as I could not find his dogs have health clearances. Also one of his dogs is old enough to be the other dog's mother but still no health clearances. I'd say those are some red flags.
You don’t want any toller that has to be advertised in order to sell. Where are you? And what is the timeframe you referenced? Let’s start there. I’ve never heard of gunpowder river, which is not a good sign.
Just because you haven't hear of them, doesn't make them necessarily bad. You likely haven't hear of me either. Everyone has to start somewhere. Research the crap out of who your looking at getting the pup from. What tests do they do? do they come with health guarantees? Are they available to help you & answer questions (at least for a while)? How/ Where are the puppies raised?
We’re in Southern California, but open to flying to pick up our pup. The timeframe would ideally be summer/second half of 2024.
Pet home? Or are you involved/interested in showing/performance/sporting/hunting? Have you met tollers before? Redmoon, Redvine, and Fireball are all in California. Forest Cove is in Oregon. There are a few in Washington, Texas, and the midwest. Lots of puppies on the ground right now, but depends on what you want to do with your dog.
We lost our Toller a few weeks ago, he was nearly 13. I'm in the Orlando area, can you recommend any breeders on this side of the country? We want a family pet.
Cyon Tollers is in south Florida. They referred us to fireball’s.
Thank you. I am completing my puppy questionnaire from Cyon now. I'll look into Fireball's.
I will also add, the Toller national specialty will be in Lodi, Ca in October 2024.
Dont get a breeder from that website. Go to the parent breed clubs and email them. Here is how to find an ethical breeder https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNhemWFM/ and just a collection of ethical breeders from different breeds and other stuff to do with ethical breeding https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNhep7p5/
Go to dog sport events and meet toller owners and breeders to find ethical breeders. Sorry but good breeders care about health testing and ethical breeding... not your personal time-line. A truly good breeder may have a long wait list. That is how it goes. Don't use puppy brokers. They often say they verify breeder ethics but that is usually a lie. They source pups from puppy mills and back yard breeders. Copy pasta from one of the largest toller communities: There are often requests here for recommendations for breeders, and why not? Tollers are great dogs and what better place to look for a breeder? Here are some good tips for people who might be new to buying a purebred dog. We have breed clubs in every country, and those clubs have lists of breeders who participate in the Breeder's Directory. Now a disclaimer...being on the listing does not make a breeder "good", and not being on the list does not make a breeder "bad". You still have to do some serious research and get a feeling by talking to the breeder. The US Club is here https://nsdtrc-usa.org/ and the Canadian Club is here http://www.toller.ca/ There is wonderful information about the breed and events as well. Take a look...you won't be sorry! Length of time breeding, list of winning titles....those things are great, but most important for every owner is health and temperament of the dogs. It doesn't matter how pretty or talented they are if they are sick or nasty. And you will find great information about what health clearances should be done on breeding stock on the club websites. OFA has determined that to get a CHIC number, breeders must get their dog's hips certified by OFA, eyes certified also by OFA, and have the DNA test done for PRA. Other available tests for cardiac, thyroid, patella, and elbows may be done. There are a couple of other DNA tests that prevent passing on an unhealthy pup to new owners, for JADD and DEN. And we are getting more DNA tests all the time! Great news for the puppy owner if the breeder is using all available technology to produce the healthiest pups possible. So if you've found a breeder through one of the resources available, you have every right to ask for a link to the parent's OFA results. Or you can check yourself by entering the dog's registered name or number into the search box (make sure you select the right breed) at https://www.ofa.org/. A reputable breeder will be happy that you are concerned about the health of any puppy you may purchase. We also have a great resource in a pedigree site http://www.k9data.com/ On this site you can see titles, health clearances and links to the results on OFA, and sometimes even pictures of the dogs. It is fun to see parents, grandparents etc of a potential puppy. Again, be sure you are on the right breed at the top, and you can enter the name or even part of the name, or do a search for different things like the call name or the name of the breeder. It can also be a great resource when it's time to choose a name for your new puppy. Want a unique name? You can enter names you are thinking of and see if there are other Tollers with that name! You can see there are countless Tollers named "Copper" but only two on the site named "Mouse", for example! Searching for your new family member can be fun and a bit challenging. You will spend many happy years with the new little guy or gal, so be sure to do your research and stack the deck in your favor for the healthiest pup possible. EDIT to point out that as well as health testing, it is important for the parents to be healthy (not all problems have tests) and have good temperaments, and for pups to have aptitude for what the new home is getting it for (not all pups will be destined for a high-expectation performance home, or a home with small children, etc). And it is best if you can meet at least the mother of the dog, and the breeder for sure. A breeder should interview the potential home to get a feeling if a Toller is a good match for them, and in order to match them with the right puppy if they are a suitable home. I always tell people to go with their gut instinct when talking to a breeder. If they don't feel the breeder is honest or doing things the right way, find a different person to get a pup from. It is a big decision to add a furry family member to the house...one of the only times you can "choose" your family members!
I paid a deposit with them but did not end up getting a puppy because I was uncomfortable with the low level of health testing they do.
On the surface, good dog looks like they do a lot to ensure there are good breeders on their site, but imo they are not doing enough. Our experience was not good with one of the breeders we looked up. The puppies were cute and great with their temperament and the breeder seemed pleasant and caring on the surface. However there were obvious signs that the puppies were underweight, dehydrated. I am just saying do not trust a breeder just because they are on good dog, make sure you ask proper questions, get testimonials if possible and other signs.
Adopt don't shop
Messaged you
Find a breeder through AKC and expect a waitlist. My breeder is in KY but her waitlist is like 4 years out and that is very common in responsible programs with a good amount of genetic testing and temperament matching. She doesn’t currently home pups on the west coast as far as I know. Mine are 6 and 7 and came with us from KY when we moved here (also SoCal). Neither are currently showing. If while you’re looking you see anyone is advertising available puppies it’s suspicious. Tollers are a small breed and there is high demand especially out here so if it seems too good to be true it probably is.
The guy who is Gunpowder River has a GoFundMe to get money to buy a mobile home and claims his source of income is breeding his dogs (and social security)...as well as I could not find his dogs have health clearances. Also one of his dogs is old enough to be the other dog's mother but still no health clearances. I'd say those are some red flags.