Finding a decent breeder

MrsS728

HI everyone! Quick questions....my husband and I want to adopt a puppy this summer, but we are having trouble finding breeders. How have you found breeders in your area?

aggiebug

What breed are you looking into?  

 

If you want to adopt you should go through a breed rescue, you can get a great dog in your desired breed. If you want to purchase a dog, for sometimes a very large amount of money, you would want a breeder.   

 

Finding a good breeder requires lots and lots of research.  I recommend they are AKC certified parents, if the owners show their dogs that is a plus.  Look for hips, and eye certification in the parents if recommended for the breed.  A good breeder doesn't breed and mixed breed dogs ie goldendoodles and pugles. 

 

LuckyAngel07

1) If you're looking for a breeder, that's buying a dog, not adopting. You adopt from a shelter or rescue.

2) Truly reputable breeders will be hard to find and you may need to be willing to travel to get to them. They show their dogs (either in conformation or field), and the dogs should at least be well on their way to attaining "champion" status (or preferrably already have). This ensures the breeder is only  breeding dogs who are the BEST representation of the breed.

Look for breeders who do health testing. This is not just regular veterinary care. For our Boxer, it meant knowing her parents were both OFA certified as healthy in hearts and hips, and there was no history of cancer in the breed line. Any breeder who does not check for congenital defects and breeds anyway is risking passing on these defects, which is where the predominance of certain diseases in certain breeds comes from. It's been poor breeding practice that proliferates the "typical" issues you might see in a certain breed (like bad hips in many large breeds or heart issues in Boxers).

A truly reputable breeder will not breed a dog with a congenital issue. They breed for the sake of the breed, not to make thousands of dollars off the sales of their puppies. The health testing they do on the sire and dam, the vet checks during pregnancy, and paying for all the puppies' initial vet care usually end up costing them nearly as much as they make from the sales of their puppies. They're really breeding to find that next show dog for the ring or field.

Check the FAQs in the board header for more information on finding a breeder if you're dead set on a specific type of dog. If you're open to a variety of breeds, I'd highly recommend going through a rescue/shelter. They can match you with a wonderful dog who can meet your personality wants, might have some training already, and will already be fully vetted (thus saving you lots of money). Rescues and shelters charge a fraction for their dogs that a breeder does, and you can still find lots of little puppies to raise up yourself if that's what you'd prefer. Check out Petfinder.com for a good place to start looking at rescues. 

Djinxs

I agree with PPs on everything, especially health testing. Make sure that a breeder is breeding to the breed standard, too. For example, we got a Newfoundland. Some Newf breeders breed to try and get off-colored dogs (colors that aren't recognized in the standard, like grey and white), then try to sell them as "rare" colors.

Make sure that you find a breeder who will be with you for the life of your dog. A reputable breeder should care a great deal about where the pups are going. A good breeder will be available for questions throughout your dog's life. We ask our breeder all sorts of things, there's a FB group for all the people she's sold dogs to, we send regular updates, she offers advice on lifestages, etc. It's also a good idea to check out their breeding operation if you can. Go meet the sire and dam, even grandparents if you're able. See where the pups will be raised for the first weeks and all that. A reputable breeder will welcome this, a puppy mill not so much.

Something else to consider is that most reputable breeders have a waiting list for their puppies. We waited nearly a year from first contact with our breeder to when we picked up our puppy. Reputable breeders tend to only have a few litters a year and they often already have homes planned for puppies before even breeding.

This ends up being the reason that pet stores and puppy mills and backyard breeders do such good business. They're always breeding and always seem to have puppies, even if those puppies are badly bred and of poor quality. If you're going to go the breeder route and not adopt or rescue, PLEASE be patient and get a dog from a reputable breeder, not just whatever breeder has a dog available. Some reputable breeders will have pups faster than that (sometimes homes fall through or pups are returned to them or the litter is bigger than they thought...), but I wouldn't count on it.

chrisnjay05212010

All the PPs gave great advice. So i just wanted to add in our experience

We are in NY and the breeder for our cane corso was in West Virginia. And we drove to WV to pick up the puppy. My husband did a ton of research online ahead of time and narrowed down the few he liked and then called them.  We even asked for recommendations of people who had their pups and spoke to them.  We weren't as concerned with show quality but more health and personality of the dogs.  A good breeder will spend time answering every little crazy question you may have.  And like one of the pp's mentioned, there was a waiting list for our puppy.

 Whichever route you decide to take- adopting or buying- just do you research and ask questions. 

Caz1221

PPs have given excellent advice on finding a reputable breeder, so I don't have anything to add there, but I do want to reiterate that even if you are set on a particular breed, adoption is a fantastic option.  There are tons of breed-specific rescues all over the country, and they have dogs of all ages (puppy through senior) that need loving homes.  You may have to wait a little longer if you want a puppy, but as PP said, reputable breeders often have very long wait lists as well.  We adopted our second dog from a breed-specific rescue and had a wonderful experience.  Added bonus: he came fully housebroken (he was 4 years old at the time)!  Petfinder.com is a great resource for finding adoptable dogs (and identifying breed-specific rescues) in your area.  Best of luck with your search!

sandollar1010

Again previous posters gave great advice.  Make sure if you go through a breeder, to research the specific breed health issues, and that they are testing for all of them.  I have two standard poodles - one I got as a puppy from a great breeder.  I live in MA and had to drive to NY for her after being on a waiting list, her parents were fully tested for all breed health issues, she only fed high quality food, and had a very strict vaccination schedule.  I have to sign a contract saying that I would adhere to everything she required, and would return the dog to her if I couldn't keep her.  She had great references and I have been a reference for her too.  Also, they should only have one litter a year max.  I liked that the dogs were her house pets and never kenneled.  The puppies were used to normal stuff - doorbells, visitors, garbage trucks etc.  It made the adjustment that much easier in my home.  My second dog was from a breed rescue - and I will absolutely go that route again.  He is perfect for us - he was already housebroken, knew a few commands, and he was neutered.  After having just gone through puppy craziness, he was a breath of fresh air!  Best of luck whatever you decide, but please make sure you do your research - there a TON of bad "breeders" out there.