Entirely torn on this one.
My first puppy was shipped to me. I talked with the breeder nearly every day by email, with translator, for several months. My puppy was available in winter, which was entirely not an option for me to travel, since I am a teacher, and my "free schedule" is dictated by my employer...period. My free periods are: summer, 1.5 weeks at Christmas, the first week in April - and that is it...since most CSV puppies are available in winter - it becomes very difficult for the breeder to care for a puppy for many extra months until I can fly. As an owner, I knew I was prepared for whatever walked off of the plane...luckily it was Anthea.
My second dog flew to me accompanied by his owner (he was 11 months, and this method was actually very cost effective because of his size). My breeder and her daughter stayed with me for a week, and we had a very lovely time touring this part of the US. Later, the same breeder shipped my next puppy (different litter) to me.
Last year, I had arrangements to pick up my next puppy from Italy, at the breeder's insistance - it was going to be a very short trip (and costly, if you travel to Europe for less than 2 weeks, it can be quite expensive with the airlines). But, as it turned out, there wasn't a puppy available from that litter - which actually turned out fine, since my Bongo's litter became available shortly after that...he is such a friendly, handsome, gentleman.
In the interim, I flew to Europe, and saw many wolfdogs, stayed with some awesome owners/breeders, and watched a bonitation - but didn't take any dogs home with me.
As a breeder, I insisted all of my new owners come to my house to pick their puppy up - and more importantly, meet my other adult dogs. As an owner in the US, I see so many potential problems with many people that contact me...it is very risky business to ship a puppy here.
But, I don't know how much that risk is decreased by briefly meeting the owner when they come to pick up their puppy, as opposed to contacting the new owner by email for many months (and also asking for references to experience)...people can be very good at lying, or hiding their true ability to handle this breed - having the time/money to travel and meet the breeder doesn't mean they are any better of an owner - only that they have availability and money.
As far as the actual flying...being shipped as "cargo" (alone) is sometimes a less stressful method for the dog. Cargo companies find the shortest, quickest route for the puppy - if there is a necessary layover (single, direct flight is always better), many companies (I've been very happy with KLM) offer a highly trained staff at a "pet hotel" - they also deal with animals such as tigers and elephants. Unless a puppy is very, very small, in most cases, it is too big to fly with the owner in the passenger area - most airlines say the conditioned, quiet area of the cargo hold is less stressful than the passenger area to a puppy. So instead, the puppy is flown in the same area of the plane as if it were "shipped" - but often with longer wait times, since it must accompany it's owner's flights - which can have very long gaps of waiting time.
I think the biggest risk to plan for in sending a puppy far away is - what if things don't work out? Is there someone that is willing to rescue the puppy? Or will the new owner or breeder pay to ship the puppy back across the ocean?
I am really grateful to the breeders who took a risk with me...but I don't think I would go as far as to recommend sending a puppy here either, unless there was a way to verify if someone would give a good home, even if it causes problems for me....hopefully, a US breed club will eventually be able to help new owners and breeders to come to a happy, comfortable situation - and also lend support if there are problems. I never paid even close to US$4,000 for a puppy. Massimo, I think some breeders you are
very close with have agreed to send puppies only on trust - and luckily, it turned out very well.
As far as asking about price in the first email - I think there are some cultural differences. Americans see asking about price first as a sign of respect - "I know how much money I can afford, so I will ask the breeder - if I can't afford the breeder's price, I don't want to waste the breeder's time, it's rude." Bargaining, or talking down prices (with the exception of houses and cars) is a very strange concept for us - the first price given is what we consider the final price. I think asking about price in the first email is offensive in Europe? Or maybe I am wrong?
Marcy