You’ve decided to purchase a dog from a breeder. Before you choose a breeder, here are some facts that you may want to consider first. First and foremost, never buy a dog from a pet store! Pet Stores are not breeders. Most puppies in pet stores are bought from distributors and disreputable breeders and are born in puppy mills. You are asking for trouble when you purchase a dog from a store.
There are good breeders and bad breeders. You have to do your research. This article is to help you determine what a good breeder is. A good breeder will specialize in only one or a couple of breeds of puppies. They genuinely care about their dogs. Their facilities are clean. They have contracts with specific provisions about health, spaying/neutering, and care. They will carefully screen any new prospective pup parents. A good breeder will always allow prospective parents to see their facilities and the mother (dam) and father (sire).
They want to see pictures of your puppy as it grows and encourage you to come visit as your dog grows up. They don’t advertise their puppies as being on sale or as a good present to buy. They won’t sell a puppy younger than seven to eight weeks of age. Good breeders will have pedigrees, references, and will offer you registration papers for your pup. Good breeders don’t have an insane number of dogs and puppies on their property. And finally, a good breeder doesn’t keep their dogs in cages 24/7 and breed the dam until death.
Bad breeders, on the other hand, are the total antithesis of a good breeder. Because of their poor breeding practices, you may find dogs that are nervous, aggressive, listless, and/or do not look like the breed standard. Stay away! Bad breeders don’t care about the dogs or the puppies. They only care about the dollar. The most important thing is to do your research and go with your gut! If you meet with a breeder, get their references, and still aren’t comfortable with the situation, go find another breeder. Finding the right dog for you is worth the time and effort of doing research. Good luck with your search!
Robin is a canine specialist and owner of F.Y.D.O.LAND. All questions and comments can be directed to fydosforum@gmail.com.
