When you have decided on a specific breed or even a specific purpose bred mix, there are a few more things to think about while your looking for your chosen breeder.
Honesty & Openness
One of the most important things a breeder can be with their potential puppy owners is open and honest. There is no such thing as a perfect puppy, or a perfect breeder. But having a breeder who is upfront and honest about their dogs, their practices and their knowledge is a huge benefit to you as a puppy owner. Talking to any potential breeder should not feel like you are pulling teeth. If you feel like they may be hiding something, or simply withholding the truth you may want to re evaluate the notion of purchasing a puppy from this person.
Breed Appropriate Health Testing
Unfortunately, no dog breed is clear and free of all health issues. Even with the best and most health testing it is possible that something will crop up. This does not mean you shouldn’t health test, especially for issues that are common in the breed (or breeds) that you are looking into. For purpose bred mix breed dogs – The labradoodle for example. The breeder you are looking into should be testing for common health concerns in labs and poodles even if they are mixing a Labradoodle with another F1 labradoodle. Unlike some people like to believe mixing one breed with another does not negate the health concerns of either breeds. Make sure you thoroughly research your breed of choice and talk to your potential breeder about all health concerns you have come across regarding your breed.
Interest in Bettering Their Breed
Dogs should be bred for a purpose. Be it sport, conformation, or simply to be a great companion. There is always a reason. Ask your potential breeder their reasoning for pairing the potential dam and sire of your hopeful puppy. Breeders should thoughtfully pair dogs, not only to better the current dogs themselves but to continue moving the breed forward to improvement. There are multiple reasons that a breeder could have to be working towards better the breed. This shouldn’t be a topic that they find hard to answer. It simply should be a topic in which their answer leaves you in agreement towards.
Breed Appropriate activities
Each breed belongs to a specific breed group. Some of which are working or companion. When searching for a breed it is highly recommended that you honestly reflect on your lifestyle and choose a breed that reflect this. In doing so it’s very important that your breeder respects these ideals and showcases their dogs to the best of their abilities within each group.
For example it might be impressive that the dam of the litter is very athletic and typically requires long strenuous activities to tire them out, BUT think about what this means for the puppy whom will be living in your house. If you are an active person, looking for an active dog this will be a welcoming behaviour. However, if you choose this companion bred to be your partner while you run a busy household with little time to yourself – this dam, albeit impressive should not be your ideal choice.
Following a Standard
Just like a specific breed group, each breed comes with its own set of specifications which makes it the breed it is. Exaggerating or removing those characteristics not only hurts the breed overall it also changes your dog in general. The farther from the bred standard a breeder strays the less likely your dog will be like the breed you have researched – not only in looks but also temperament and structure. Genetics is a very interesting topic, that many people have little understanding of. To understand how breeding only for one specific characteristic can not only change your dogs behaviour but also their physical traits feel free to look up the domestication of Foxes in Russia. Dmitry K. Belyaev attempted to tame a population of foxes in Russia in 1950. What followed was a very interesting revelation that not only changed the foxes comfort level with humans, but also changed their appearance. Any breeder whom thinks breeding for unique physical characteristics will not change your dogs overall temperament are breeders I highly suggest steering clear of.
Though purpose bred mixes typically do not have a standard per-say, they should still follow some logical thought about their form and function.
Puppy Raising Protocol
Lastly; but definitely not least, as we learn more about the development of our canine companions we are learning even more about the importance of early learning opportunities. There is good information about socialization windows, fear periods and general behaviour concerns that can be linked back to while your puppy is still too young to leave their mother and siblings. It is your job as a potential buyer to do your do diligence of being up to date with some (if not all) of the options out there for breeders who potentially raising your puppy. Things like puppy culture or Early Neurological Stimulation have been proven to increase your puppies chances of not developing behavioural issues. We like to imagine the puppy we are taking home is a clean slate. The reality is the first 8-9 (minimum) weeks of their lives can have a profound effect on the dog that they become. If your potential breeder has never hear of ENS or puppy culture but assures you that they will be raised ‘under foot’ and socialized with all the other beings that live in their house – I personally would be hesitant to agree to a puppy.
A puppy is a life time commitment, given the breed of your puppy ideally they will be a part of your everyday life for 9 – 20 years. An honest breeder, who knows their breeding lines, has true purpose behind their matching of dogs, tests appropriately and does everything available to them to not only place but prepare their puppies is an invaluable resource to anyone searching out a canine companion. If the breeder you are thinking about seems to fall short in any of these topics, it is up to you to choose if you will be okay sharing your life with the potential consequences. There are many incredible breeders who love many incredible breeds of dogs. There is no reason to settle for a sub par breeder and reinforce sub par breeding practices.