Picture following ad: “Have a litter of puppies. Will sell to anyone who opens their wallet. No references or qualifications required. I don’t care where the pups end up, and I also don’t care about the welfare of my dogs who produce them. All I care about is money so I can pay my bills”.
Would you hand your hard-earned cash over to this person in exchange for a puppy? Hopefully not. Hopefully you’d keep looking and support someone who possesses a higher ethical standard. Chances are, though, that you will never see such an ad. Puppy millers and brokers, unscrupulous breeders, are skilled salespeople. They post cute photos, and won’t reveal that the pups’ parents live in filth, that they might not be physically or temperamentally sound, that the puppies aren’t nurtured properly and, consequently, might have permanent health and long-lasting behavioral problems.
My definition of breeder is everyone whose dog has whelped. Whether by intention or not, there are now puppies that need a home. Mainly I don’t differentiate between registered kennel club and so-called backyard breeders because there are shitty and fabulous ones found in both categories.
Backyard breeders have a bad reputation with just about every dog pro and a portion of the general public, and without question there are horrible folk who run mixed breed puppy mills, or have mom-dog permanently tied up or locked in a shed and can’t wait to get rid of the puppies, selling them as young as five or six weeks old. However, some registered kennel club breeders, too, are entirely commercial operations with several litters of various ages at any one time. They, too, produce puppies without ensuring that they have enough suitable homes lined up. Of course there are wonderful breeders who also go to dog shows. Their breeding dogs are family members; they hold dear every pup they produce and stand behind them for life. Dogs from ethical breeders don’t end up in rescue. So don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. All I’m saying is don’t stop investigating the moment you see a pedigree. And know that there are equally wonderful breeders whose dogs aren’t registered, some pure bred, others of mixed heritage by intention. Here are a few photos of one of an occasional breeder I absolutely love:
As you perhaps noticed, this person’s dogs are working livestock guardians, but also a cherished companion. In his own words: “I only bred my dogs when I needed to recruit for my own pack so that I could have multiple generations about 3 to 4 years apart. It was never about making money from selling puppies. In fact I've given puppies to people just knowing they would be in a great situation even though it cost me for the initial vet check and shots.” He cares about every one of his dogs for life, socializes the puppies before they leave the farm to all kinds to environments, tries has a list of people who want one of his pups before he breeds. And doesn’t belong to any kennel club. You see more of this wonderful in every way person and his photos on Instagram.com/old.man.farm and facebook.com/olandfarm.
I like to propose different labels. Instead backyard and registered, how about hobby and commercial breeder? Hobby stands for people who care; commercial for breeders for whom dogs are nothing more than a money-generating commodity.
How can a layperson tell in a blink whether a breeder is good or not?
Red Flags:
One single criterium that would prompt me to investigate more closely is if the breeder relies on litters to pay the bills. (All of my favorite breeder friends have a day job.) Chances are that when selling puppies is a person’s primary source of income, somewhere along the line the welfare of the dogs will be compromised. I wouldn’t completely write such a breeder of, but it warrants a deeper look.
Along that line: several litters at any one time. At 4.000 dollars a pup, the going rate since Covid for some breeds, and 10-20 puppies (or more), what an incentive to produce more of the same. The problem is that there isn’t enough time in a day to do right by each puppy.
A screaming red flag is when the breeder drives a good distance to bring the puppy to you. If they insist on delivery at some parking lot, chances are they want to keep you in the dark about how their dogs live.
Always have puppies available
Have multiple breeds or mixes
Switch breeds and produce whatever is trendy at the moment.
Chaff doesn’t deny anyone a puppy. They sell a working line border collie to a couple who works all day, a Cane Corso to a single woman in her 70s with mobility issues, or a Kangal/Tosa mix to rookies in the ‘burbs. True stories. I am not making this up.
Green Light:
Keep the pups until they are at least 8 weeks old. Some jurisdictions stimulate this by law, but it’s rarely sufficiently enforced.
Gently expose the pups to new encounters and situations while they are in their care. Both dogs in the photos were born in a rural environment. Both breeders took a few trips to the city to expose the pups to the wider world. One kennel club registered, the other not.
In that sense, the whelping area should be where the people live. This ensures that the puppies are automatically imprinted on normal household sounds, objects, people, dogs, and perhaps other animals that could be part of the pup’s future, for example cats.
Familiarize the puppies to a collar and leash. Better yet: a harness and leash. Maybe also to a crate although that, as explained in a separate article on this website, isn’t as necessary as our culture deems it to be. A harness and a leash is.
Have a waiting list. That is especially important for breeds or lines with more intense personalities. I am not against producing high drive dogs—there are people who look for, enjoy, and know how to work with them, but a good breeder ensures that they have enough qualified homes available before they mate away instead of crossing their fingers that enough manifest once the pups are born. If not, they’ll sell to unsuitable homes, and we’re right back to the stink pile.
Allow for visits.
The area where the pups are should be clean, otherwise they learn to pee and crap—and consume crap—in their living space. Undoing that ‘dirty’ habit can be difficult.
I once opined that shopping locally was best because of the importance seeing the facility yourself, and meeting mammy and pappy dog. I still think that is a good idea, but depending on where you live and what breed you want good and local isn’t always available. Then it is smarter to shop elsewhere than to support a shitty breeder at home. But you still want to be as involved as you can. Good breeders have a webcam set up you can watch, or make lots of video clips they’ll forward. They also provide plenty of info on parent dogs—their genes are in your pup’s. Aggression to people or dogs, or hyper-activity, is an indicator that what the pup’s behaviour as an adult might be like.
Require you to fill out an extensive form and will check references. If it feels like an interrogation, congrats! you found a breeder who cares. In turn, good breeders provide references and answer all your questions.
Give a contractually bound warranty on health and temperament. If something goes wrong, which can happen even with the cream of the crop, they’ll exchange for another puppy or return all or a portion of the purchasing price because they understand that people don’t want to give up a dog who has become part of their family. I admit I didn’t fact check this, but read years ago in a reliable dog magazine that in Sweden a breeder is responsible for medical expenses for the first three years of a dog’s life. That would put an end to puppy factories in no time.
This contract also insists that, in case the owner can’t care for the dog any longer, she must be returned to the breeder. The very best refund a portion of the purchasing price to ensure that the dog will indeed be returned to them instead of being sold for a few bucks online.
Last, whether you get to choose your pup or the breeder does is controversial. Breeders choosing is okay with me since they know their pups best and are also experienced in placing each one in the best suitable home, based on the extensive form you filled out, but I would want at least input. Their is an emotional vibe that plays a role when I meet pups (and dogs). But that’s me. It might not be the same for you. You might instantly love any puppy.
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