Purpose Bred Dogs

08/16/2024

Adopt don't shop. Why are we telling people that this practice supports backyard breeders, pet stores, and puppy mills?

A person buys a dog from a pet store, backyard breeder or puppy mill without knowing it, They take it home. That entity has gotten their money and they do not provide mentorship, or support in anyway.

That puppy grows up becomes more challenging than the owner anticipated or whatever the reason and it goes to a rescue or shelter.

A year later the kids want a dog, the wife wants a dog, somebody wants a dog and they go back and they get a puppy the same way they did the first time.

Again the backyard breeder, pet store or puppy mill makes their money. They actually make more money the faster dogs turn over in homes. They have zero incentive to breed physically and emotionally sound dogs.

Had that family bought a dog from a reputable breeder they would've received support on how to raise the dog and had a place to return the dog should it not work out.

Shelters and rescues never would've been involved.

If the reputable breeder had too many dogs returned for whatever reason, they would stop breathing because they need to care for what they already have.

The backyard breeders, pet stores and puppy mills just repeat the process over and over with zero responsibility.

There is an idolized view of having a dog that is all joy. When that doesn't happen, instead of people looking at themselves and asking why or looking at the breeder and asking what did this breeder produce and was it best suited for life in an urban home they typically surrender the dog, and try again. They get the puppy from same place and they often end up with the same result. The cycle perpetuates itself over and over again.

This provides a tremendous income to backyard breeders, pet stores and puppy mills. And let's be honest to some bad rescues as well.

Adopt if that is your choice, but research the rescue or shelter and make sure they are reputable and doing a good job and honestly describing the animals they have for adoption. They should take back pets if they do not fit well in your home.

Buy, if that is your choice, but research the breeder make sure their genetic health testing is on OFA which is a third-party verification source. Verify that they provide mentorship and will take the puppy back should anything happen.

If we all take a stand we can change the overpopulation problem. It takes education. Be part of teaching people how to find a reputable rescue, shelter or breeder. Be a part of teaching so we can affect change for the better.

07/27/2024

Please support Rebekah Piedad

Last night we evacuated Rebekah Piedad of Yes Dog from her lovely Lupine Lodge Home and Board and Train facility.

Rebekah is a KPA CTP who offers an amazing opportunity for reactive/aggressive dogs to board with her and rehabilitate at their own pace. She does amazing work and I have referred several clients to her. In fact one of the 4 dogs in my car last night was a dog I referred to her.

Rebekah's home and Lupine Lodge are under evacuation orders due to the Park Fire.🔥

It was about a 3 hour drive for me to meet at our meet up point Kat Camplin's home. Rebekah is normally 30 ish minutes. The traffic leaving her area was so bad I beat her to our meet up!

2 dogs were delivered to their owners and the other 2 dogs and Rebekah with her dogs are safe.

As you all know living out of your home is expensive.

We are asking that if you can help please do. We are trying to use her Venmo for the donations to help support her as other platforms charge fees.

Please if you are able to donate use the term Fire to help her know what that monies are for.

I just want to say evacuating with six large breed reactive dogs from a fire is incredibly difficult. Rebecca handled this with tremendous skill and professionalism and every dog is safe, secure and has been taken care of extremely well. She is committed to staying with the dogs who cannot return to their families and continuing to work with them. Any help she receives will help her to take care of these animals and get back on her feet due to the expenses this is going to cause.

Thank you so much I know we have an amazing community and that she will get tremendous support.

04/21/2024

Dear dog food manufactures please if it says duck duck goose on the bag only use those proteins.

Yesterday I decided to switch a dog to duck to test an allergy theory. I thought I would feed this dog duck duck goose I read the ingredients.

3 of the first 5 ingredients are turkey. Nowhere on the bag does it say gobble gobble gobble.

03/28/2024

This beautiful puppy is a pretty high energy field bred labrador. Her mom has now taken eight lessons and I am so impressed with what a fantastic dog trainer she is. I absolutely love being part of putting the joy into the dog/human relationship.

03/06/2024

I love my career!

01/06/2024

Doodle hate. What’s it really doing for us?

Anytime a client or friend comes to me and asks about what breeds may work best for them. We discuss the pros and cons.

Doodles have pros and cons. Every breed or Mix has pros and cons.

If you are a doodle owner, you are inundated with negativity towards the dog you love.

I know,  I know we’re all reputable breeders, and we’re just trying to protect the world from the evils of…wait a minute doodles aren’t evil. The people who own them are not evil, and the breeders are no different than any other group of breeders breeding dogs. Some of them are doing a fantastic job. Some of them are in it for the money, I’m going to tell you a secret… That is just like purebred dog breeders. Some of them are doing an excellent job, and some of them are in it for the money.

So what is the hate campaign really accomplishing?

We are proving to the world that reputable purebred breeders are not a welcoming community. We are proving that attending Dog Shows, or sports is not for the faint of heart. It is not a fun place to be, but rather a place where there are lots of people who will judge you negatively, speak badly about you and denigrate the things you love most in the world.

Is that really what we wanted to do?

Is that really how we’re going to attract people to sports and the potential ownership and support of purebred dogs?

Can we do better? Absolutely.

Welcome new people no matter what dog they own. Work on educating people how to care for their animals no matter what breed they have or mix there of. Welcome them to your sport. If they come to a dogshow and talk to you about their wonderful dog at home that is a doodle and their interest in showing help them find a breed that is recognized an eligible to show.

Take some of the good lessons from doodle breeders. What are those? Kindness to people looking for a dog. Accessibility to knowledge and conversation with the breeder. Marketing of your dogs and your program.

What are you choose to become accessible and help others please stop the Doodle hate it’s not looking good on us.

07/13/2022

We have long discussed the value, or lack thereof of temperament testing puppies.

New studies have come out with good depth that tell us more about why puppy aptitude testing is not doing what we through and how we can best prepare owners to help their pups be the best they can.

The best part is science is the ability to take what works and make it better and take what does not work, or even may cause damage and toss it aside.

Check this out if you breed, rescue or have a puppy. You just may be surprised.

https://shoppuppyculture.com/blogs/blog-posts/whats-the-significance-of-puppy-testing-shifting-your-lens-for-better-results?fbclid=IwAR1lLN8QliEDD3Tr2eosUK13RxmbByLV6IvMPT8t-qLvnGdeU4gfpMGRB-8

We talk about puppy assessment tests (PAT) in Puppy Culture, but a couple of studies have come out since the film that bear discussion. They confirm what we state in the film - that puppy testing is useful as a diagnostic, but not as a predictive tool. In a recent and fairly deep study, early temper...

10/19/2021

Super excited for this amazing group of puppy experts to share their knowledge on puppies. Wonderful opportunity to enjoy an educational 3 day seminar from your home with access for a full year! Puppy owners will love the content designed to help them build successful relationships with their pets. Join us!

07/24/2021

Purebred dogs are history and art. They are beauty and brains. They are living, breathing conduits to our past and to our future. They are our heart and our soul…and they are so much more.

01/12/2021

Supporting dog breeders and responsible dog ownership. Good Dog is on a mission to build a better world for our dogs and the people who love them by educating the public and advocating for dog breeders. The Good Dog Pod will help us achieve our mission by providing dog breeders and the public with t...

10/05/2020

They found the old Cocker Spaniel named Buddy on Craigslist. Soon, they fell in love with the breed and he guided them into a whole new world of dog shows.

08/01/2020

07/07/2020

Great Breed Seminars. If you want to learn here is an awesome opportunity!

https://www.akc.org/public-education/akc-education-webinar-series/?fbclid=IwAR35ExmWf8G5KF7u3YOqTdAXzGya4vRfpjJK3Uq2CFSIveQePTVcJtIUQ8g

The last Wednesday of every month will bring a new topic covering misconduct, making your show an event, social media and marketing, tax laws and much more. There is no limit to the number of club members that may attend. During the webinars, you will be able to ask questions and participate in open...

06/14/2020

When looking for a purebred dog health testing matters. OFA is where health records are usually kept. If the breeder says they don’t have them there for some reason but “really my dogs are health tested” that is a HUGE red flag. OFA teaches you how to read the numbers on their website.

Not sure how to interpret an OFA Number? Find out how to read them below for this week's !

05/11/2020

Cockers Grooming Webinar with AKC breeder of merit & All breed Professional Handler Linda Pitts !
Check more info at www.thegroomingland.com

04/17/2020

Barbet: French Water Dog, NOT a Doodle Judy Descutner joins host Laura Reeves for a conversation about Barbet, the newest member of the AKC sporting group, in our continuing series for rare breed month on Pure Dog Talk. “Being asked if they’re a doodle is a really good gateway to the fact that t...

01/17/2020

Ever wondered what all those letters mean after a dogs name? Well here is a great explanation.

Kuiper earned 3 titles today; he's now Farseer Out of This World DCAT CR CGCA TKN!
Have you ever wondered what the alphabet soup before/after a dog's name means? Here's a pocket reference for some of the most common titles. Two things to note: In general*, if a title appears before a dog's name, it is a championship title. Also, you only list the highest title earned in the same category, e.g. Kuiper earned both CGC and CGCA today, but we only list CGCA.
Agility
NA/OA/AX/MX: Qualified 3x in novice, open, excellent or masters level in "standard" agility with the teeter totter, A frame, etc.
NAP/OAP/AXP/MXP: Same thing but slightly lower jump heights ("preferred")
NAJ/OAJ/AXJ/MXJ: Qualified 3x in novice, open, etc. in "jumpers with weaves," i.e. only weaves, jumps & tunnels.
NJP/OJP/AJP/MJP: Preferred jumpers with weaves
MACH/PACH: Agility champ, preferred same (Qualified 20x in both standard & jumpers masters same day, accumulated 750 speed points)
Canine Good Citizen
CGC/CGCA: Basic & advanced tests of "can dog exist in polite society."
CGCU: Urban (focused on city life)
Conformation ("show dogs")
CH/GCH: Champion & Grand Champion. Dog deemed worthier than many others per breed standard and/or judge's whims.
Competitive Obedience
BN/CD/CDX/UD: Qualified 3x in beginner novice, novice, open, or utility obedience (associates, bachelors, masters and PhD)
UDX: Qualified in both open & utility same day 10x
OTCH: Obedience champ (total 3 first places in open & utility, plus 100 OTCH points; you beat a *ton* of other dogs)
FASTCAT
BCAT/DCAT/FCAT: Dog ran some, a lot, or a whole lot of 100-yard dashes (mini-lure coursing)
Rally Obedience
RN/RI/RA/RE/RM: Qualified 3x in novice, intermediate, advanced, excellent, master level
RAE: Qualified advanced & excellent same day 10x
RACH: Rally champ (Qualified 20x in advanced, excellent AND masters all same day, got a bunch of high scores)
Tracking
TD/TDX/TDU/VST: Passed tests for standard track, older/longer track, city track, multiple surfaces under 2 judges
CT: Champion tracker (earned TD, TDX & VST)
Trick Dog
TKN/TKI/TKA/TKP/TKE: Met requirements for trick dog novice, intermediate, advanced, performer, elite

* (This is for AKC titles. UKC titles always come before the name.)

12/27/2019

Thank you responsible breeders.

There sadly isn't much of a voice for responsible breeders. They often get grouped into the category of backyard breeders or puppy mills, but they are so much more than that. Thank you responsible breeders. Thank you for not being part of the problem, but actually being part of the solution. I can guarantee you that if every breeder followed the guidelines of responsible breeders, "overpopulation" would not be a concern.

It pains me to have clients who come in and are so stressed and concerned about their dogs having one hair out of place. They worry we will judge them because they show and breed dogs and in the past they have been harrassed by the public. I usually just laugh and ensure them that a little dirt means they are loved and having a good time outside. Trust me, I have an English Setter and keeping him show quality groomed everyday would be torture to me and him. They are expected to always be perfect in the eye of the public, because if not a snood comment is likely to be made about their purebred dog. I, and even the clinic I work at, have been harrassed twice this week for supporting responsible breeders. I can't imagine the harrassment some breeders face, I know a few that try to keep the fact that they breed hidden from the public because they are scared of what the public will think.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good mixed breed dog. I work with tons of them everyday and care for each and every one of them the same. Each day I come home and worry about every mixed breed dog I treated that day the same as every purebred dog. I support shelters everyday at work and there are many situations where a rescue dog may be the best fit for you family.

However, there is nothing quite like a dog from a responsible breeder. That dog comes to you from a loving breeder who invested so much time, emotion, funds and research into each puppy that it would shock you. They spend their lives conserving a breed and making it better. That breeder can tell you everything about their personalities, what their traits and quirks will be, and what they were purposefully bred to do. They care about the placement of each puppy, often placing them into the homes themselves based on purpose and personality of each puppy, rather than letting the new owners pick out which one looked cutest online. These puppies go into homes fully vaccinated, with all required health clearances needed. They go into homes already house trained and crate trained to ensure easy transition for the new homes. These responsible breeders keep track of the puppies until they grow old and pass. They want to know about each and every health concern that they have throughout life so that they may alter their breeding program to avoid health concerns in the future. These breeders even make you sign a contract saying that if you can't keep the dog, no matter the age, you will return it to them so that the dog does not end up in a shelter. The list goes on and on.

The next time you meet a RESPONSIBLE breeder, thank them, ask them about their breed, and buy them a drink (trust me they need it 😉).

12/20/2019

Why do I want a purebred dog? Because I want a puppy whose parents have been carefully selected for health—and who have gone through a series of gene

12/19/2019

OFA is an 3rd party unbiased registry for all dogs health testing. You can go there to determine what testing the parents of the dogs you are considering purchasing should have and have had. If a breeder tells you they do not register their tests with OFA or PENNHYP RUN, RUN FAST that is a clear sign of a backyard breeder.

Wondering what tests your dog should have? There are a number of sources available to determine the best test.

We suggest talking with your vet, our CHIC program, and the national club for your particular breed. 🐕

09/23/2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6CSNCXNvTk&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3NTX4BoiZKLcei8RwF-FPh-plRhDfjsQBz_0MyeIsVA0XjrTr1h0SFhe4

08/03/2019

Purpose bred dogs differ from purebred dogs in the intent behind the breeding. Purebred dogs are often nothing more than an opportunity to create a means of making a product to sell.

Purpose bred dogs are carefully selected from two parent dogs whom breeders who have selected after investing time, money and their hearts in learning all they can about the breed they are breeding. This includes mentoring from experienced breeders and showman/sportsman, reading, seminars, studies of pedigrees and photos of historical compilations. Purposeful dog breeders are doing their best not just to produce puppies but to produce puppies who are good representatives of the breed, have solid temperaments and are physically healthy. They follow the recommend genetic health testing available for their breed to help insure they are producing the healthiest puppies possible.

Rescue is important. The latest numbers from AKC and SPCA and Humane Societies show that 40-60% of dog’s come from backyard or puppy mill type breeders, these are not necessarily even purebreds. Only 3% of the dogs produced in America are Purpose Bred. These are the breeders who have contracts that include no breeding spay and neuter clauses unless you your your dog in confirmation or sport to get a good third party assessment by non biased judges as to their ability to produce quality puppies who are good representatives of the breed. They have clauses in their contract stating that you must return the dog to them if you for some reason cannot keep the dog.

Not every person will choose a Purpose Bred dog. We want to help you learn how to find one if you choose to do so. There is a lot of confusion on websites and a lot of slick salesmanship surrounding the emotional decision of buying a puppy or adult dog. As a trainer of over 35 years who works in both the show/sport/breeding world and the rescue/shelter world I see both sides of owning dogs. The part I find most troubling is the owners looking for physically and temperament sound dogs who get fooled by bad breeders looking to make money. They end up with dog’s needing thousands of dollars if not 10s of thousands in medical or training and anxiety behavior modification and vet visits when all they were looking for was a happy family member.

We are here to help end the challenge of knowing how to find a quality Purpose Bred Dog Breeder. We are here for you.