These are questions a person can consider in trying to evaluate the ethical qualities of a breeder. Note that these are not confined just to considering how healthy the dogs being bred are, but the contribution being made to the health and welfare of dogs generally. Part of being ethical is both avoiding contributing to the problem and to contribute to the solutions.
This checklist is only a guide, an ideal if you will. Just because something is missing does not mean a person is not an ethical breeder. It is up to you to decide what is important. This checklist is also not complete. No one can do everything. It is the overall picture that is important. If you don't have any idea how to find the breeders to ask them the questions then take a look at the page on Where to Find a Responsible Breeder.
Oh, and don't have a heart attack at the length of this checklist. It isn't as though you need to spend two hours on the phone grilling the person with these questions. Use the questions in helping you really explore what it is that makes one breeder better than another. You will find that a lot of the answers will become obvious to you as you become more familiar with reading advertisements, and talking dogs with people.
And if you think its too much trouble, well OK. Think about what your goal in getting the dog is. Remember, I own shelter dogs. My goal is to get a wonderful dog I can share my life with. If that is your only goal, then go to the shelter. If you don't need a carefully bred dog, save a life, but don't encourage poor breeding. There is no reason to support the kind of breeder that is producing the same dogs that get into the shelter.
I understand, however, that some people want or need a well bred dog. I have no problem with that. My point is that if you are going to support the breeding of dogs, perhaps the only breeder that deserves your support is the one that knows how to produce something obviously better than a shelter dog. If you want something better than a shelter dog you will need to do your homework. All the dogs in the shelter came from breeders. What kind of breeders did they come from? Virtually all came from people who didn't know, or didn't care, to learn how to do the best for dogs.
I developed a lot of these questions primarily as a way of exploring the true facts after a breeder claimed that there were no dogs of her breed needing rescue in her area. Naturally the true facts were that she just was so uninvolved with the breed that she both didn't know about the dogs needing rescue and had never made a good effort to find out. She did think she had made the effort, but she didn't talk to a single person in any club for her breed. If a breeder is going to justify breeding by claiming there aren't any of their breed needing rescue then they ought to be correct and not in fantasy land. It took me just a few minutes of searching on the internet to find a rescue in her area (and despite appearances the majority of dog people are still not on the 'net if I had gone to the breed club I'd bet I would have found more). I realized that it might be helpful to have more specific questions that would help both the breeder and the buyer recognise the difference between real knowledge and assumptions based on hope or ignorance.
Before you contact a breeder make sure you have done enough research that you can ask good questions and recognize good answers. Here are some questions you should be able to answer by the time you are actually looking for a breeder:
Take notes. It is really hard to think and talk at the same time. When you are new to something the information you hear may seem reasonable, until you think about it later. By taking notes you can research anything that doesn't seem right. You can also ask non-judgmentally for clarification.
The shortlist
Although I've listed the "right" answers don't instantly give up if you get the "wrong" answer. The longlist will give you a better idea of the purpose of the question and acceptable alternatives. First Contact:
You want these to be "yes"
There really is not a single test for responsible breeders. This longer list is intended to consider the variety of ways in which a breeder can contribute to the welfare of dogs, and thus earn the label.
The responsible breeder is involved with welfare of the breed or of dogs generally. Not everyone can be involved directly, but all breeders can and should contribute to taking care of the breed.
That does not mean the breeder must refund the money. The purpose of the provision is the protection of the dog. The contract should include fair provisions accounting for whether the breeder gets any value by accepting the dog back. The buyer needs to understand that in most cases accepting the dog back is a burden taken on for the benefit of the dog and is not a benefit to the breeder. The breeder, however, needs to reassure the buyer that return to the breeder is not unfairly beneficial to the breeder. The goal is to encourage return instead of sale to an unsuitable home or surrender to a shelter or rescue.
It isn't possible to produce dogs entirely free of genetic problems. So if a breeder tries to say that there are no problems they are either lying or extremely ignorant. What you want is a breeder that is honest about what potential problems exist, and who tries to reduce the risk of problems, especially the serious ones. There are some breeds that have a very low rate of problems. There are none that have no problems at all.
Other steps
If a breeder can only tell you that a vet checked the dog and found it healthy then they do not have the information they need to breed healthy dogs. Even in breeds with a very low rate of problems the educated breeder knows enough to know the most common problems in *other* breeds and how those problems are discovered. Again, look at the source of information. Sorry, but veterniarinas *aren't* the best source of learning what genetic problems affect what breeds. They are generally more concerned with the general dog population, and what problems are actually affecting the life of the dog before them. They leave it to breeders to detect and avoid the potential for problems in future dogs.
List the typical genetic diseases for your breed.
What books, seminars or classes were used to learn about basic genetics, breed specific problems, and steps that can be used to reduce the risk of those problems?
What evidence can the breeder show you of steps taken for the good genetic health of this particular litter? Certificates? Paperwork?
Steps taken to produce dogs of predictable qualities.
Any deviation from breed standards should be thoughtful, well researched and expressly disclosed in the contract. The breeder should be prepared to discuss the breed standard and the degree to which the puppies will conform or deviate from that standard, the goals of the breeding in general, and the reason for selecting that sire and that dam in particular.
Evaluating the buyer to determine a good match for the breed is important as is making sure there are competent buyers available. What steps has the breeder taken to locate potential buyers before the mating?
What questions did the breeder ask you?
A breeder who cares for dogs does their very best to make sure that the puppy goes to a home that has both the willingness and the ability to provide what the puppy needs to grow up into a happy, healthy wonderful pet. That means the breeder is going to need some information from you. Be prepared to provide the answers and please don't feel insulted. It may not feel like it but they aren't asking questions to make you feel bad. They are just doing the best for their pupies. If you aren't comfortable with the breeder, or how they deal with you, then move on to another. Just understand that their goal is to do the best they can for the puppy, and the breeder is human and may have a hard time coming up with the right tone. Also don't feel that just because you made a mistake or had a bad experience that no breeder will ever consider you "worthy" of a puppy. It is true that some just won't take a chance. Most, however, just want to know what has changed. What will prevent the same kind of problem from happening again.
A breeder will want to know about your experience with dogs. Your experience can range from never having shared a home with a dog, to growing up with a dog, to having complete responsibility for a dog. The breed (or breeds) will be important, as will the age you got the dog, how long you had it, and your level of responsiblity in caring for it (that is did you just live in the same household, or were you the primary caretaker). If you taught the dog anything more than basic good manner that is a big plus.
A breeder will want to know who else will be sharing the household or will be regular visitors. The experience needed to have a dog in which children are a regular part of the household is higher than if generally only adults are present. If you are expecting a child within two years of getting the dog expect to be questioned especially closely as that is an extra challenge for the average, less experienced person.
Similarly a good breeder will want to know whether other pets either share the household or will be regular visitors. If there are other pets the breeder should ask further questions about your experience on supervising and managing so that there can be a safe and peaceful co-existence. If your communitiy limits the number of pets you can keep in one household the breeder will expect you to know that information and to commit to not violating those limits.
A breeder will want to know about the space you live in. One of the most important questions is whether you own or rent. If you rent you should expect the breeder to ask for proof that the landlord permits dogs. One of the highest risks to dogs is being sneaked into an apartment where pets are forbidden. Many a dog has lost its life in the pound when the person faced the choice of eviction or getting rid of the dog. If the space is relatively confined the breeder will want to know whether you have taken that into consideration. Different breeds have different indoor activity levels.
You may be asked whether you have a fenced yard. Some breeders will say they will never place a dog in a home without a fenced yard. I understand their rationale but I'm not entirely sure I agree with the results. All too often the presence of a fenced yard means the dog never sees anything but the house and yard. In any case you should be prepared to answer to the real concern, which is how will you ensure the dog is safe and controlled both in getting exercise and in going out for bodily relief. As part of that the breeder should be given pretty specific information about your plans for daily exericise and training - how long and how much of each.
The more specific and well thought out your plans for teaching the dog how to be well mannered the better the breeder will feel. Even better is to have specific plans and honest commitment to getting involved in some kind of regular activity with the dog. That could be any number of things from the informal to the formal.
Getting into the more touchy areas the breeder will want to make sure you are both aware and realistic about both the time and financial commitment you are making. Before you contact a breed you should have gotten a good idea of costs annual veterniary visits, licensing, grooming, training, food, supplies and allowance for emergency vet care. Try to save the breeder the akwardness of asking by volunteering your awareness and ability to meet those needs.
Expect to be asked why you want a dog, and why you want this particular breed. One of the big reasons dogs don't keep their original homes is that people aren't always realistic in their expectations. Permanent placement requires realistic expectations by the buyer.
A common theme is to get a dog "for the kids". Any responsible breeder will instantly focus in on that reason. A dog is not an educational tool. There is certainly much value and learning in pet ownership but the desire and motivation to have a dog must start with the parties responsible for the dog - the parents. If keeping the dog is dependent upon the interest and involvement of the children a responsible breeder will not place the dog in that family.
If you are young the breeder may again pose akward but necessary questions about your plans for the future. Showing the breeder that you have not only thought ahead but you are realistic about your ability to continue to provide for the needs of the dog is important. For example, if you are a teenager getting a dog the good breeder will want to make sure that there are solid and realistic plans for the dog when you leave home. If you think you are going to take the dog with you then you will be expected to know and be able to deal with the difficulties and expense of finding houseing. If the dog will be left behind then someone else in the household will have to show the same love and caring you have before the breeder will ever let the dog go to you. Otherwise when you leave the dog may suffer.
OK, if you have plowed through all that let me take a moment to remind you. You won't find a breeder that does all of the above. The purpose of the list is to help you get a feel for what responsible breeding is all about. It is to help you understand the reasons for requirements or provisions that might otherwise seem bizarre or overbearing. It is also to help you get enough knowledge to distinguish the good talker from the good doer. A great talker has reasons for everything, but if you know what to ask their story doesn't hold together. Don't be afraid to ask questions. The better the breeder the happier they will be that you care enough to not just swallow things whole. On the other hand don't be offensive about it. You will want to build a relationship of trust because if you have found a truly caring breeder you have found gold. The Red Stone Shepherds website has made a collection of contracts that you may find useful.
Posted by Jessica on the Acmepet Dog House Bulletin Board - May 14, 2001
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