03/08/2023
Choosing a good Breeder-
Not all breeders are good breeders, infact most dogs come from backyard breeders and Puppy Mills, because they produce more dogs quickly.
Things to look for-
Temperment you want - do you want a sport dog, a show dog, a family dog? Ideally the parents should have the temperments you are looking to have in your own dog. I would prefer meeting parents, but if you can not meet the parents, there should be evidence of them having the temperment and qualifications you want- sports achievements, videos, service dog work, etc.
Health testing- 'the parents are healthy ' is not enough, for example- at a minimum good GSD breeders test their breeding dogs for hips, elbows and Degenerative Mylopathy, there are other things that are also ideal if they are checking for, including cardiac, eye and pancreas issues. Some breeders are even genetic testing puppies to screen them for health issues which is awesome! Look up the type of dog you want and the most common health issues, the breeder should be testing the dogs for them AND educating you a bit about the dog. Remember- do your research on dogs before you get them, it can save you a lot of frustration, money and heartache.
Socialization- so, so important.
Epigenetics is how your dogs genes are expressed thanks to their lives experience, this starts young at 3 weeks old. Dogs have a critical period from 3-16 weeks which dramatically impacts how they see the world, their breeder should be handling them, exposing them to small amounts of stress, new sounds, textures, sights, smells, people, children, animals, etc so that they are ready to view new things as exciting, not scary.
Questions - you should be asking the breeder questions, and they should be asking you them right back. If they don't care enough about where their dog is going to ask you questions or answer yours they do not care about the dog, which is not a good sign.
Questions I recommend asking
-How old are females when they are bred? They should not be bred during their first heat, big red flag, a sign they just are using dogs as a cash cow instead of waiting for dog to mature
-How often are females bred? Should not be bred every heat cycle, see above
-If I can't keep my dog, will you take them back? Good breeders will always want their dogs back, this is not common, but again most people are not good breeders.
-what do you breed for? Show lines can have more structural concerns because of how extreme body shapes are preferred, make extra sure they are health testing
Other things to look for
-puppies go home at 8 weeks at the earliest, many are holding until 10-12 weeks.
-akc registered parents does not mean that they are good quality, just that they are purebred
-usda certified means that they are a bulk breeder and much more likely to be a puppy mill
-I would also want to see videos of the puppies getting socialized, learning and interacting with the world. It is easy to lie with pictures, someone doing good work is more likely to have videos showing all the work going into their dogs.
-they should be asking about your lifestyle, goals, etc and helping you to choose a puppy, even within litters different personalities pop up.
Just because you saw a cute picture of the puppies does not mean that they are well-bred or well-raised. Most people don't realize that puppy Mills are actually legal and thriving in most of the US, backyard breeders are better but dont give the puppies the start they often need to be successful either. Let's spread awareness of how to choose a good breeder.
Obviously not all dogs are well bred, and there are also many dogs and puppies who are well behaved and need loving homes in shelters. This is not to say not to adopt at all, I heavily believe most people can find the dog they are looking for by rescuing, but for people who will buy from a breeder, buy from a good one. If you can't, I'd recommend adopting a dog.
Picture of several of our dogs and fosters. Every female dog we have adopted or fostered that we got over 1 year old has been bred (intentionally or accidentally) before we got them. That is 3 dogs in this one picture.
