This is one of the most common things I hear when I mention looking at a purebred dog. Now when I say purebred I mean purebred, registered and from a responsible breeder. So why purchase a purebred dog from a responsible breeder?

Here is my list of reasons why:

  1. Responsible breeders do not have dogs that end up ‘in the system’. By supporting good reputable breeders you support breeders who are not adding to the issue of over population. Responsible breeders puppies go on contracts. The puppies always come back to the breeder. The dogs will not se a rescue or a shelter in their lifetime. They also sell on a non breeding spay neuter contract. All dogs will not be bred. Good breeders only ever sell dogs who stay intact to people they either have a good relationship with and established breeders themselves- or on a co own contract so they have control of the future of the dog an any breedings.
  2. Health testing- reputable breeders do all health testing appropriate for the breed on all breeding dogs. This helps insure things like Hip Dysplasia which can be a painful and costly disorder are kept at bay in their breed. For breeds prone to issues health testing insures that only dogs with less chance of issues are bred helping breed out issues. Breed club websites usually have a list of common issues for the breed and will list tests available. Common tests seen in many breeds are CERF (eyes) and OFA (hips, elbows, patellas, etc). Test results should be available from the breeder and can be verified on line with the testing area. Many breeders provide copies of the testing for interested puppy buyers. There’s many stories out there of people who buy a puppy from someone who seems nice and loves their dog to have their puppy develop HD at age 1-2. health testing helps prevent that. Which help prevent costly issues for you a puppy owner down the road.
  3. Health guarantee. And by this I warn you read the fine print. Reputable breeders will guarantee against genetic issues for a period of 1-2 years. Many puppy mills out there offer a guarantee but read the fine print and they actually don’t cover anything! The health guarantee should cover against the major issues that can be tested for.
  4. Support. A good breeder will be there to answer your questions and support their puppy owners. They will have knowledge of the breed and a community with in the breed.
  5. Performance- A good breeder proves their dogs in the the ring. This means conformation, obedience agility, flyball, therapy work. This shows several things in the breeders dog. Soundness- a dog who can show in the conformation ring is constantly being seen for soundness. A dog who does agility for years is a dog who stays sound. A dog who does obedience shows it’s trainability and temperament.
  6. Place puppies with the family. Breeders should place the best puppy for the family with them. This means color isn’t what chooses the puppy. But the puppies temperament. Families looking for a performance dog get the puppy with more drive. The family looking for a family pet gets the more gentle easy going puppy. This gives the best chance that the dog will fit your family.

How to find a reputable breeder:
Here is a check list of what a good breeder should do for their breeding

Good responsible breeders should do the following:

  1. Breed REGISTERED dogs with a legitimate registry. The big ones being AKC/CKC. however some breeds are not in those registries. Some say like the Jack Russell have their own group but do not participate in AKC. No matter what the registry should have a history and be accepted as the main registry for that breed.
  2. Prove their breeding stock in the conformation ring/performance ring. Some dogs will do both. IE. Flyball and a few conformation shows. Or Obedience and conformation shows. This helps show temperament, and conformation meets the standard for the breed.
  3. Health test their dogs. Most breed clubs have lists of the common health issues with a dog- and tests available on their websites. The breeder should do all reasonable tests available for that breed’s issues this includes OFA for hips/elbows etc, CERF for eyes, BAER for hearing , DNA tests etc.
  4. Not breed dogs before 2 years of age. This helps insure health issues have a chance to be apparent as well as allow the dog to fully mature. This is most important for the females.
  5. Breed for better quality each litter. To better the breed not just produce more puppies.
  6. Responsible breeders do not breed large amounts of litters. each litter may take over a year to plan. 1-2 litters a year is average for most responsible breeders this insures the puppies receive the attention they should.
  7. Dogs live in the house with them not just in kennel situations. Some breeders may have dogs living with families outside of their own.
  8. Stand behind their dogs with a guarantee. This should cover anything genetic/structural/behavior for 2-3 years at a min.
  9. Match puppy to the right home NOT just what ever puppy you think is cutest. They will do behavior testing to see which puppy suits which family personality and energy levels best.
  10. Have pups go on a non breeding contract. Good breeders only place intact dogs with homes they know well and on Co own agreements. This way they always have control on what’s happening with that dog and helps insure no litters are produced.
  11. Answer your questions, are educated about the breed and are willing to let you come see where puppies are raised.
  12. State in their contract that all dogs must not be sold and come back to the breeder. Good responsible breeders don’t allow their pups to end up in the pound or in rescue and will help their puppy family if life changes occur requiring rehoming.