Congrats on taking the personal responsibility to convince a pet owner not to breed! Good on you!
There are other threads here that point to why NOT to breed this dog or another.
If you don't know the first thing about the breed, how can you even attempt to improve the breed?
MY suggestion to this pet owner is to
1. ) neuter it
2.) develop a relationship with it other than tying it up in the backyard:
take the dog to a CGC class and then train it to do agility or herding....the n maybe you will learn about the breed! More than likely though, they will give up on this and surrender the dog to a shelter when it is 2 yrs old and untrained!
3.) Take them down to the shelter to see how many 'purebred' shepherds are surrendered when they are 10 months to 3 yrs old.
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How "excellent" can a breeder be that did not have the purchaser sign a neuter agreement?
Unconscionable to not have a contract...eve n worse that your friend wouldn't take the breeder's advice.
Backyard breeders are a 'sore point' when you see so many dogs suffer and rescue groups are over -run with "purebred or AKC" registered dogs!
If you need an extra buck...have a yard sale- don't breed dogs!
Lymphosarcomas - Breeds of dogs that are at a higher than average risk of developing this disease include Rottweilers, Scottish terriers, Golden retrievers, Basset hounds, and German shepherds. Males and females are affected equally. In dogs, there may be a genetic basis for this disease and, in certain breeds, some families several closely related animals have been affected.