Knowing If You're Buying from a Responsible Breeder

Knowing If You’re Buying from a Responsible Breeder

Rowel Miranda

20 January 2021

For some time, you may have considered getting a dog of your own. If so, you probably decided that you would go to a local animal shelter to get one, or even go to a breeder’s home to get one from there. That’s great news! Getting a new companion is a delightful experience. The thing is, you might want to do a bit of research and insight before getting one proper. This is because there is quite a handful of information to know behind the scenes of the breeder and the animals that they are breeding, specifically the way how they were raised and the legality behind obtaining them.

But first and foremost, you’d definitely want to know what a dog breeder is. Essentially, a dog breeder is an individual who breeds dogs to have the dogs produce specific traits and characteristics in their offspring. Without human intervention, dogs can breed naturally where the characteristics are determined by natural selection [1].

To help with choosing a dog from a breeder who you know is trustworthy and responsible with their dogs, here are some important things to consider whenever you’re buying from a breeder.

First, you should visit the breeder’s home or wherever the dog was taken care of. The American Kennel Club [2] suggests that ethical breeders will let you into their home to allow you to get a sense of how the dog was treated and raised. Additionally, they will also be allowed to visit your home to evaluate the quality of living there so as to ensure the acquired pet will be in a responsible owner’s hands and the owner will be knowledgeable about what and how to prepare for the new pet. While you’re visiting their home, use this time to ask questions regarding the dog’s treatment and the surroundings. If possible, you should also request to see at least one of the dog’s parents so that you may get a glimpse of what the dogs may be like. Once you see the dog, play around with it. You should note their actions and attitude towards you and the breeder. Among other questions, make sure that they’re informed about any medical conditions the dog may have had and that they can not only answer but provide a valid and factual explanation on it if ever the question arises.

As for indicators to look out for, you would want to make sure that the dog is at an appropriate age to be fostered. According to My Pet Cab [3], breeders “will spend a lot of time socializing, caring for, and observing the offspring, usually until they are 12 weeks old.” This is integral to the upbringing of puppies so as to make sure that they mature properly and have their socializing skills developed with their parents. If a breeder allows you to bring home a puppy that is much younger than 12 weeks old, that may be a sign that the breeder either isn’t knowledgeable about this or isn’t as trustworthy as they seem.

Additionally, a contract from the breeder must be signed to ensure that whatever may happen to the owner that they cannot take care of the dog anymore, the breeder will take full responsibility and reclaim the dog to avoid it ending up homeless or euthanized [4]. This is also to make sure that anyone with a decent amount of money can’t easily just pick one up for themselves. If the said contract isn’t even brought up by the breeder, steer clear.

As a final tip, you can check if the breeder belongs to an organization or place dedicated to giving homes to bred dogs and see if they have any presence on social media. There, you can look for reviews and feedback from other people and get a glimpse of how they treat their dogs there. It really does help to read into them carefully, so if you see a large number of negative reviews, keep them in mind and do be wary.

With the methods mentioned, you can have a much better chance of finding a responsible and trustworthy breeder to adopt a dog from! Remember to be just as responsible as you want your dog breeders to be in the search for your new pet!

References

[1] Sokanu. “What does a dog breeder do?” CareerExplorer. https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/dog-breeder/

[2] AKC Staff. “8 Signs of a Responsible Breeder.” American Kennel Club, 2018. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/eight-signs-of-a-responsible-breeder/

[3] “Rescue vs Shelter vs Breeder Pet: Which is Right For You?” My Pet Cab. My Pet Cab, 2020. https://www.mypetcab.com/blog/rescue-vs-shelter-vs-breeder-pet

[4] Deane, Nicole. “10 Telling Signs That The Breeder You're Buying From Is Bad News.” World of Angus, 2016. https://blog.worldofangus.com/10-telling-signs-that-the-breeder/