12/28/2023
âI donât want a show dog, I just want a petâ or âI just want a cheap Labrador, not an expensive oneâ
This is one of the most pervasive sentiments that puppy buyers, especially families, express when theyâre looking for a dog. What they really mean, of course, is that they donât want a show BREEDER â donât want to pay the high price they think show breeders charge, donât want to go through the often-invasive interview process, and think that theyâre getting a better deal or a real bargain because they can get a Lab for $300 or a Shepherd for $150.
I want you to change your mind.
I want you to not only realize the benefits of buying a show-bred dog, I want you to INSIST on a show-bred dog.
And I want you to realize that the cheap dog is really the one thatâs the rip-off.
And then I want you to go be obnoxious and, when your workmate says sheâs getting a puppy because her neighbor, who raises them, will give her one for free, or when your brother-in-law announces that theyâre buying a cheap puppy for the kids, I want you to launch yourself into their solar plexus and steal their wallets and their car keys.
Hereâs why:
If I ask you why you want a Maltese, or a Lab, or a Leonberger, or a Cardigan, I would bet youâre not going to talk about how much you like their color.
Youâre going to tell me things about personality, ability (to perform a specific task), relationships with other animals or humans, size, coat, temperament, and so on. Youâll describe playing ball, or how affectionate youâve heard that they are, or how well they get along with kids.
The things you will be looking for arenât the things that describe just âdogâ; theyâll be the things that make this particular breed unique and unlike other breeds.
Thatâs where people have made the right initial decision â theyâve taken the time and made the effort to understand that there are differences between breeds and that they should get one that at least comes close to matching their picture of what they want a dog to be.
Their next step, tragically, is that they go out and find a dog of that breed for as little money and with as much ease as possible.
You need to realize that when you do this, youâre going to the used car dealership, WATCHING them pry the âAudiâ plate off a new car, observing them as they use Bondo to stick it on a â98 Corolla, and then writing them a check and feeling smug that you got an Audi for so little.
It is no bargain.
Those things that distinguish the breed you want from the generic world of âdogâ are only there because somebody worked really hard to get them there. And as soon as that work ceases, the dog, no matter how purebred, begins to revert to the generic. That doesnât mean you wonât get a good dog â the magic and the blessing of dogs is that they are so hard to mess up, in their good souls and minds, that even the most hideously bred one can still be a great dog â but it will not be a good Shepherd, or good Puli, or a good Cardigan. You will not get the specialized abilities, tendencies, or talents of the breed.
If you donât NEED those special abilities or the predictability of a particular breed, you should not be buying a dog at all. You should go rescue one. That way youâre saving a life and not putting money in pockets where it does not belong.
If you want a purebred and you know that a rescue is not going to fit the bill, the absolute WORST thing you can do is assume that a name equals anything. They really are nothing more than name plates on cars. What matters is whether the engineering and design and service department back up the name plate, so you have some expectation that youâre walking away with more than a label.
Keeping a group of dogs looking and acting like their breed is hard, HARD work. If you do not get the impression that the breeder youâre considering is working that hard, is that dedicated to the breed, is struggling to produce dogs that are more than a breed name, you are getting no bargain; you are only getting ripped off.
By Joanna Kimball
Here at Peyton's Labradors we are a small hobby breeder of pure AKC English Labs, we strive to breed
