Dog Breeders

Limited Litters Each Year

One or two litters a year is the maximum any responsible breeder should anticipate taking care of each year. Careful breeding requires a lot of time and energy. Puppies are a lot of work, requiring constant time and attention during the first few weeks of their lives. If a breeder tells you he has more than two litters a year, ask if he has help with the puppies.

Dedicated breeders generally work with just one breed. Your radar should go up if the breeder works with several breeds.

Breed's Club or Organization Association

A responsible breeder will be active in their breed's local, regional or national clubs. Most work with rescue groups, providing financial, foster, training or placement assistance.

Applications, Contracts and References

Expect to go through a detailed application process, including an informal telephone interview and meetings with your family. Responsible breeders require a written contract with duties and responsibilities clearly spelled out for both parties. Don't be surprised if the breeder even askes to come to your home and to stay in touch after you have taken your puppy or dog home.

Ask the dog breeder to provide client references. If the breeder hesitates, be wary.

Evaluation and Puppy Placement

Good breeders know how to evaluate puppy temperaments to ensure each puppy is placed in the right environment. Aggressive, dominant and submissive puppies should be placed with families who have experience raising and caring for dogs. The dog breeder should match placement with temperament and discourage novices from breeding their puppies. A responsible dog breeder will insist on taking any dog back that an owner cannot keep, no matter the reason.

Responsible dog breeders will not separate a mother from any puppies less than seven weeks old, preferring to keep puppies until they are 12 weeks old. Puppies should also spend time with their mother inside a breeder’s family home, learning how to socialize with people. Those raised in pens will lack the skills needed to fit in with human companions. Puppies should be socialized with male and female adults, children and other pets.

Books and Training Recommendations

Breeders will know the best books written by breed aficionados. Some may also provide written materials for those who acquire a pup from them. These materials may include:

• Vaccination and health history
• Dietary requirements
• Training procedures

Quality dog breeders want your relationship with your new pup to be successful and can recommend quality trainers to ease the transition.

Vet Care

Vaccines, heartworm and flea preventatives should have been administered according to the age of the pup. Many families don’t intend to breed their dogs. Responsible breeders will insist on the spaying/neutering of the pup within a specific timeframe in their contracts and they will follow up to make sure the surgery has been performed. Sires and dams should also have been tested to ensure they do not pass on genetic disorders. Ask to see the test results. There should be no problem with this request. If there is...

Dog Breeder Support After Placement

A responsible dog breeder will make herself available to adopting families by telephone or email, answering questions and needs as they arise.

Lineage

Ask for information about the mother and father of the litter, and if you can meet them and other offspring. A good breeder will be able to provide background information about the litter’s mother and father, as well as the grandparents and even great grandparents. There should be no problem with meeting both parents, unless of course the sire is not owned by the same person as the dam, and lives outside of reasonable driving distance. This is often the case when choosing a popular champion stud to sire the litter.

A responsible breeder does not breed a dam until she is at least two years old and not more than once a year; less often is even better. Breeders who care about their dogs see them as family members, allowing them to spend most of their time in the family home.