Breeder Research?

[Shelties]

Does anyone know how to do a research on a Breeder to find out if they are reputable or a BYB?...

I have seen people do breeder lookup on the internet and sometimes they'd find out that their breeder has been arrested for being a puppy mill and what not.

There's people that can find their dog's "parents" too (sire and Dam history etc).

[Novel]

If you were wondering if a breeder was reputable or not, you should be able to ask them a number of questions to let you know, and that will leave a trail elsewhere for you to confirm their claims.

First, health tests. OFA, the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals has a website, www.offa.com, and you can look up dogs by name there. If the breeder says they are doing health tests, you should be able to see them there as well.

Second, showing. All the show superintendents, as well as AKC display the results from their shows each week, and those results stay online almost indefinitely. If they are showing, you will be able to confirm that. If they are not showing... they better have a darn good reason why not. Conformation showing ensures that the breed of dog maintains it's standard (appearance).

Other things, pedigrees, AKC titles including performance events, pictures, etc. all will be something you can physically look at and receive copies of.

Finally, you can always google their names. In Wisconsin we also have Public Circuit Court Access available online, so you can look up anyone and see their criminal, civil, family court and traffic record. I know Illinois has something similar, but I don't know about Minnesota. But, even Google will give you some idea of who they are.

Good Luck with your search.

[KennelMom]

hm...here's my rule of thumb opinion:

Do they spend a lot of their time and money showing or otherwise competing with their dogs? You should be able to confirm this with the AKC or other clubs they are competing in. How successful are their dogs in the ring or field competitions/agility/obedience/etc....

Do they always have puppies available or do they have a waiting list for their next litter that may be planned for several months in the future. How often are their bitches having litters or their dogs fathering litters? How do they determine who they are going to breed a dog to and WHY?

Do they have a contract a with stipulations on pet ownership or showing ownership requirements? Do they require pet quality dogs to be altered or alter them before placement? Do they require you to return the dog if at ANY point throughout the dog's life you can no longer keep him/her?

Did they research you the buyer to determine whether or not they will even place a puppy with you? Or will they hand a puppy over to anyone who shows up with the cash?

A reputable breeder should be somewhat "difficult" to buy from. They should have requirements for the homes their puppies go to because they have a vested interest in their dogs. Breeding, for them, isn't about making money.

[bigdoglover]

I agree with everyone. Ask tons of questions, go to their house, look at their kennels or facilities. If they won't show them to you...forget it. Ask for a list of references....vet, owners of past litters, neighbors, etc. They should ask you for the same. They also should NOT have a problem with you wanting to see the parents, providing information, or visiting often.

Again, contract. It should be a definite process to buy from them. Not a "Hey, cute puppy, here's some money....bye." They should be able to answer questions concerning their breed's temperment, standard, and provide you with titles and pedigrees. And make sure the pedigrees are from the AKC, CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) or in my case, my pedigrees come directly from Germany....the PSK. It is really easy to "make" a pedigree on the computer and print it out. Be careful.

Many breeders are using DNA also. Ask if they are.....then get the numbers. I am currently waiting on my numbers from AKC. They should be able to provide proof of registration. And with me, since my dogs compete in Schutzhund, I have on hand their scorebooks so potential owners can look at them and ask questions.

The breeder should WANT you to ask lots of questions.....this shows you will potentially be a good owner. They should NOT be offended by the many questions/requests.

[Winjammin]

To expound upon what BDL said, the breeder should not only allow you to see the parents, their kennel setup, etc, they should HIGHLY ENCOURAGE it.

They should, in my opinion, not allow impulse buying either. They should allow you to look at their dogs, and then go home and think about what you saw for a few days/weeks, then get in contact again, and discuss further.

Not only can you do research through the AKC, CKC, etc, you might also contact the SSCA (Shetland Sheepdog Club of America) and see what information you can get from them. A member is not necessarily better than a non-member, but they still might have some insight on the breeder you are looking at.

I think everyone else has covered the other things I thought of. Good luck in your search!!!

[brandysmama]

I'm not a professional breeder or purchaser of purebreds (my two dogs have been mixed-breed rescues), but one breeder told me that another sign of a puppy mill might be how many different types of dogs they're breeding. She said that in most cases, they shouldn't have more than 2 types of dogs.

A lady was cited around here late last week for running a puppy mill. She had hundreds of dogs and cats (so I guess it'd be a "kitty mill," too). She specialized in 3 different kinds of dogs, but looking at them on the news, you could tell that she'd had some "oops" litters. Plus her past buyers said that she'd always meet them somewhere with the puppy, never letting them see her residence or the dogs' kennels. That's what tipped off one person to get the police to investigate. The stench of ammonia from the urine was so intense that they had to wear masks.

[Sayuri]

Everyone here has given excellent advice!
With the advice you get, I highly reccommend taking it to the prospective breeders you've looked at and actually meeting their dogs, looking at their program, and having a face to face dialogue.

A good breeder is not only going to hope that, upon your first phone call, you will be *grilling* them, they are also going to be grilling you right back. Don't take it as an offense - be thrilled this person cares as much about their puppies as they do.

I started out my search by calling the breeders I'd weeded out from a few choices - from there I made the decision to meet certain breeders based on the answers I got over the phone. I knew I was on the right track when breeders were not only impressed with a 13 year old girl (at the time, lol - I'm an adult now ), asking about OFA, CERF, and how they fared at the last national specialty, but that they also asked me if I knew what the dog was bred for, if I had an idea of what kind of family best suited the Shiba, and if I was patient and willing to work with a dog that would make Satan cry, to name only a few questions.

After that we met at shows, and then at her house to look at her program, SEVERAL times before we even discussed what puppy we would get. This was a getting to know you period in which she figured out if we were the right family for a Shiba, and if Shibas were right for us. We saw lots of pictures of Shibas destroying wild boar, just so we understood the kind of power we would be working with. We met her dogs and interacted with them. She talked to us about the sire and the dam of our prospective puppy and why they were a good match. She called us when our puppy was born, and following his birth, we made several trips to watch the puppies grow and to be matched up with the right one. We remain in contact to this day - meeting at shows, going to her house, trading emails. I will always go back to her for a dog.

Intuition is a great thing too. I met another breeder that was fine, but upon meeting her, I felt she wasn't interested as she should be in me as a prospective owner. The breeder I ended up going with is the number one in the country (when I bought my first puppy from her, I had NO idea this was the case) - the breeder I did not go with has since revamped her program and now produces dogs that are much typier than before.