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What is a "Reputable Breeder"?
When searching for a puppy I am sure that many of you have come across this term, so what exactly does it mean to be a reputable breeder and why should you buy from one?
Breeding has fallen between the cracks in Canada and many other parts of the world; there is no regulating body that forces people who breed to do so with ethics and the health of the dogs they produce in mind. The result of this is that the health of the dogs suffers and unfortunately the people that buy the dogs are on their own left to deal with a dog with a multitude of health problems, there is no consumer protection. The Canadian Kennel Club does have rules for members to abide by and codes of ethics but only breeders who are members are susceptible to the consequences for violating these rules. Personally I feel that breeding, like all other businesses, should be regulated and a standard adopted to protect the puppies and the buyers, after all if you bought a pair of jeans and they fell apart after only wearing them two times you would expect that you would get your money back or they would be replaced.
A responsible breeders motivation for breeding is to produce sound healthy dogs that are good representatives of their breed and to continue to make the breed better; they are not in it for the money. Because there are so many people producing puppies indiscriminately, reputable breeders can’t make a profit because then they would never be able to sell their pups. When a reputable breeder decides they want to breed a litter they first look at the dogs they are matching, do they share any common faults? Faults are something that you do not want to re-produce such as a dog that is too tall, they don’t want to re-produce faults because then they are not doing anything for the breed, after all people that like Shih Tzus like them partly because of their compact size, what good would it do to produce puppies that aren’t the correct size for their breed?
It is also a responsible breeders motivation to produce sound healthy pups. They achieve this through testing of their breeding stock. Because they have studied the genetics in their dog’s family and the breed in general and then have certified their own dogs on top of that they usually provide a written guarantee against these defects. Reputable breeders would want to know if a genetic defect pops up so that they can alter their breeding program to avoid the problem from happening again and this is why they will not sell to pet stores, they would loose track of their puppy buyers and not to mention they would not have a choice in were their pups ended up.
Reputable breeders are involved in the dog world, they show their dogs in conformation which is a sport to confirm that the dog is of proper breed type and should pass on it’s genes to the next generation. Many compete in obedience or other performance events to prove their dog’s workability. Reputable breeders will also require that if in the event you cannot keep your dog that you bring it back to them so that it doesn’t end up in a shelter, they really are in it for the long hall.
When you go and look for your next pup it may be wise of you to look into who you are handing your money over to, is it someone who spent any time or money on the litter? Or is it someone who just put to dogs together and it’s all profit from there? There are many places to get a dog but I feel there are only two, a reputable breeder or a rescue. Think before you write that next check.
© Canadian K-9 Information 2003
