Reputable Breeders are the Best – Reputable Breeders, Part 2

Motivations of Reputable Breeders

If you read my last post, you are probably wondering what really makes reputable breeders better/different than other types of breeders. There is so much more to breeding than just doing the minimum health clearances.

What you need to understand about reputable breeders is that they LOVE their dogs. Y’all, it’s on another level. Reputable breeders don’t just love their own dogs, they love their breed and want to protect it. A reputable breeder will never intentionally breed mixed breed dogs. That defeats the purpose of protecting and preserving their breed. The love reputable breeders have for their breed(s) runs very deep and they understand that each breed was developed for a specific purpose.

…And that purpose was/is not to be cute and make them money…

Going back to the breed’s purpose and there being more to breeding than doing the minimum health testing: truly reputable breeders are involved in the Dog World. They are probably members of their national breed parent club and/or local clubs. Their dogs are evaluated to ensure they conform to their breed’s written standard. Many of them compete in multiple venues with their dogs.

However, for most reputable breeders, the dogs are first and foremost pets and show (or obedience, agility, field, etc.) dogs second. As esteemed AKC judge and breeder Pat Trotter said at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show this year:

Not all pets are show dogs, but I can assure you that all show dogs are pets.

Patricia Trotter, Norwegian Elkhound Breeder and AKC Judge

“It’s Not About You”

While these dogs are part of the family, their breeders also spend countless hours training and showing them (or paying a professional to train and show). Reputable breeders don’t breed for the money, they breed to make their next show dog or competition partner. They breed to continue the legacy of their chosen breed, and they breed to preserve, protect, and prolong the life of their breed. This means careful consideration of a myriad of factors when selecting breeding pairs.

Since reputable breeders breed to make their next partner, that means that they breed for themselves, not for you. Additionally, reputable breeders don’t consider themselves to be a traditional business, nor you a traditional consumer. Do not treat them like used car salesmen or puppy vending machines.

The Whole Dog Concept

Continuing on the “more to breeding” thread, each litter has a purpose and goal that the breeder is trying to achieve. For show dog breeders, the goal is to breed dogs that are as close to their interpretation of the breed standard as possible. There are specific physical things that they are trying to improve and keep with each breeding. However, they also have a multi-generational plan in mind for achieving that perfect specimen. Looks are just a piece of the puzzle.

The true hobby breeder is looking at the whole dog: structure, temperament, and health. These are the large pieces of the breeding puzzle that are often broken down into even smaller pieces depending on the individual breeder’s personal preference.

The true hobby breeder is looking at the whole dog.

For performance breeders, the goal is to produce the breeder’s next competition partner for their chosen sport (obedience, agility, rally, hunt tests, field trials, herding trials, etc.). Working ability, temperament, health, longevity, and structure are just as important to the performance breeder as the show breeder. Performance breeders (and show breeders) are looking for AKC, UKC, and CKC (Canadian, NOT Continental) titles on both of the ends of the dogs’ registered names. However, some of the more cosmetic issues like eye color or ear set may not matter as much to a performance breeder since they don’t affect performance.

Versatility

For instance, I am considering stud dogs that compliment Eevee’s lovely structure and will make correct, “to standard” Golden puppies. However, she is a big girl and does not need to be bred to a larger male. Also, I love her confident, can-do attitude, so I don’t want to breed her to softer dog that melts when corrected. I want to breed versatile Goldens that can excel in the show ring, the obedience ring, and in the field. Basically, I want to breed a partner that can and wants to do anything that I want to do and has a good attitude while doing it. Just like her momma.

Reputable Breeders Preserve And Protect

I know I write about health testing a lot, but for some reason it’s such a problem for unethical breeders. And I know I’ve been hammering home the “more to breeding” thing, but you can’t be responsible if you don’t health test your breeding animals.

If the goal is preserve and protect a breed for the future, health testing is mandatory to achieve that goal. No matter what anyone tells you, you can’t preserve and protect without health testing. No responsible breeder wants to breed puppies with debilitating orthopedic conditions or a deadly heart disease – that defeats the purpose of preserving them for the future. Every reputable breeder does the health testing recommended by the breed parent club. If they are not health testing, then they are not a reputable breeder. Period. There is NEVER a valid excuse for not doing health testing.

Dogs aren’t a way to make a quick buck, they are integral parts of the breeders’ families, and they strive to do right by all of the puppies they produce. First and foremost, this means health testing. It also means:

• training, training, and more training,
• showing in various dog sports,
• raising the puppies using science backed methods,
• temperament testing,
• keeping everyone clean and fed,
• finding the best homes for each individual puppy,
• being ready to take them back if necessary,
• and providing support to their new owners for as long as they both shall live.

Life is a Responsibility

Reputable breeders feel responsible for the little canine lifes that they bring into the world. They put their blood, sweat, tears, and many dollars into ensuring that the lives led by these purest of souls are the best they can possibly be. Most of them don’t even make money on their litters. They are lucky to break even.

Just in case you already forgot: reputable breeders are not traditional businesses, and you are not traditional consumers. You are the forever homes of puppies the breeders will never stop loving. 

“I Don’t Want a Show Dog” Syndrome

My mom used to tell my sister and me to “think before you speak” or “use your brain before your mouth” often when we were kids. What she meant by that was not to just think about the individual words (and not to blurt things out), but to think about what they might mean to the other person. So here’s something I want you to think about before you say it: “I just want a pet not a show dog.”

Think about everything I’ve written so far about true hobby breeders: What do you think you are really saying to them?

You are saying that: 1) their blood, sweat, tears, and time aren’t worth the higher price tag 2) that it doesn’t matter what your puppy looks and acts like and 3) you just want a puppy and any puppy will do.

I have a feeling that most Pet People do, in fact, care about what their puppy looks like and acts like. After all, you chose that breed for a reason, right? If any dog will do, then please rescue a dog in need.

Causes of the The Syndrome

Truly, I understand that sometimes when people say they don’t want a show dog, they just want a pet, they actually mean just that. And that’s ok, but it’s rooted in the perception that all puppies from show dog parents go on to be show dogs. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Show breeders don’t expect their pet families to show.

However, there are people that genuinely don’t care how “pretty” their dog is. They just want a purebred with “papers”. Quality be damned because “it’s just a dog”.

Whether you are the former or the latter, stop saying you don’t want a show dog. It’s rude.

Why You Should Want a Show Line Dog

If you do care what your dog will look and act like as an adult, then you should want a dog from show lines (“line(s)” = pedigree). Odds are that your puppy will not actually be a show dog. Showing is an expensive and difficult hobby. But you should absolutely want a dog from show lines. In most show quality litters, only one or two puppies will go on to be show dogs.

For example, if there is a litter of eight Golden Retrievers, two may go on to be show dogs, and the other six will be beloved pets and/or go to performance homes. As a puppy buyer, you benefit from breedings like this. The puppies have generations of thoughtful breedings behind them. Breedings with temperament and structure being carefully considered.

A Tale of Two Purebreds

There is a story that floats around on the internet in the Dog World from time to time on this very subject. The difference between a dog bred with purpose and dog bred for money is pretty clear. In this story, an owner was taking his 15-year old German Shorthaired Pointer to the vet for benign cyst on his face. He was bouncing around and being a generally goofy GSP. While they were waiting, another GSP arrived. One whose breeder clearly didn’t have good structure or health in mind. This one had severe arthritis, cloudy eyes (cataracts, probably), and was decrepit. The owner of the decrepit dog said to the other owner,

“[Your dog] still a young puppy, not like our old girl!”

”Nah! He’s actually 15 years old.”

“Really? Our dog is 10.”

Y’all, good structure matters. Breed appropriate temperaments matter. Health testing matters. Show breeders pay attention to all of these things.

Purebred does not equal well bred.

Why You Should Get Your Next Puppy from a Reputable Breeder

If the rest of this post didn’t convince you, then here are 10 more reasons to get a puppy from a responsible breeder:

1. Not only will the parents of the litter be properly health tested, but so will the grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, etc. 

Multiple generations of full and verifiable health testing really stacks the deck in the puppy’s favor. If you don’t believe me, check out OFA’s statistics on the reduction in hip dysplasia.

2. The mother of your puppies will be in optimal condition.

Reputable breeders make sure their breeding females are in just the right physical condition for breeding. They feed quality food that is conducive to good fertility and has nutrients that both she and her unborn puppies need. Breeding females are kept clean, comfortable, and happy. AND reputable breeders nearly always have a good theriogenologist (reproductive vet) overseeing her care.

3. The breeder will be there for you if something does go wrong.

Health testing can’t guarantee a healthy puppy, so if something does happen, the breeder will be there for you. Most provide a time-limited health guarantee within their contracts to refund the price of the puppy. They will also help you navigate through the new world of managing your dog’s condition, whatever it may be.

4. Reputable breeders provide a lifetime of support for you and your dog.

It doesn’t matter what the question is, you can ask and they will be there for you. From food to training to sleeping arrangements, they will answer any and all of your questions. The purchase price includes a lifetime of 24/7 support.

5. Each litter is carefully planned well before the puppies are born. 

Remember what I said earlier about breeders having goals? Most breeders plan their litters out months to years in advance, keeping an eye out for the perfect stud dog for their girl. They take deep dives into the pedigrees of the stud dogs they consider and they ask other people that have bred to the dog about their puppies. Reputable breeders consider the smaller pieces of the puzzle within the bigger ones. They consider longevity, early cancer deaths, allergies, etc. when thinking about the health piece. For the temperament piece, they consider confidence, drive, working ability, attitude, how the dog takes a correction, how the dog interacts with other dogs and people. The list continues.

6. Health is not the only consideration.

A truly good breeder will not just take two fully health tested dogs and breed them. Like I said earlier, reputable breeders consider temperament, structure, longevity, etc. in addition to health. They consider the health and longevity of common ancestors, siblings of ancestors, and offspring of other dogs in the pedigree, not just the parents.  

7. They raise their puppies to be robust and confident.

Starting with ENS (early neurological stimulation) or something similar, reputable breeders work hard to expose their puppies to as many sights, sounds, smells, people, and animals as they can before the puppies go home. A puppy from a reputable breeder is much less likely to fear their new world than one from an unethical source.

8. They do their very best to make sure that each puppy goes home with the best family for that puppy. 

That means temperament testing the litter at around 7 weeks. And yes, it means they will probably choose which puppy you get. They want to make sure that the bossy high-drive puppy goes to the experienced home and not the first-time dog owners with little ones of their own. Reputable breeders also know their puppies better than anyone else. After all, they planned them in advance and raised them for 8+ weeks before sending them home.

9. The dogs will be beautiful examples of their breed. 

Whether you want to admit it or not, when you see a well-bred dog walking down the street, it turns your head. When you get a puppy from a reputable breeder, suddenly YOU become the person with the dog turning heads. You develop a deep sense of pride knowing that you have a beautiful dog and that your dog looks how that breed is supposed to look. This is the very definition of “breed type.” Reputable breeders breed to their breed standard and they will never breed fad dogs, like blue Frenchies or “English Cream” Goldens.

10. Reputably bred puppies cost less than designer dogs and puppy mill puppies. 

Many people just assume that dogs from a show or performance breeder cost more than puppies from any other source, but this is not true. Remember those scummy BYBs I mentioned? Many of them charge $5,000-$10,000 OR MORE for their poorly bred puppies. Most show breeders of Golden Retrievers charge $2,000 to $4,000, depending on the region of the country. Recently, I saw a Pet Person asking if $14,000 was just the “new normal” for Golden Retrievers on a Golden forum website. The answer was a resounding “NO!” from the rest of the membership. The saying “You get what you pay for” isn’t always true in dogs anymore. Although it probably is true if you buy a $300 Golden off of Craigslist…

Reputable Breeders for the Win!

I sincerely hope that I’ve convinced you to get your next puppy from a responsible breeder. Their considerations for breeding go beyond checking a couple boxes and trying to make money. Because reputable breeders don’t care about the money. They care about the dogs.

Stay tuned for the rest of the series. I’ll discuss how to find a responsible breeder, how to contact them so that your email doesn’t get deleted, and how to increase your chances of getting a well-bred puppy. In the meantime, I hope you will spend some time researching the different breeds and deciding which breed is right for you, your lifestyle, and your circumstances.