Searching for a Breeder Quick Tips
This can be one of the most exciting times in a pet lover’s life. The search for the perfect puppy, the anticipation, the excitement, and the joy of puppy breath and little needle teeth…
To make sure this experience is as great as it should be please do some real research before bringing home your new furry bundle that will be with you and your family for the next ten plus years. Put as much thought into this process as you would buying a house or any other investment. Do not buy on impulse as you could regret it later with mental or physical defects or a shorter lifespan for your dog.
Here are some quick rules from a pet owner to look for when buying an animal from a breeder.

First, why are they breeding?
If they are breeding to improve the breed and can back this statement up with proper applicable health testing AND titles (temperament titles of some kind, working titles of some kind, and/or AKC or UKC show titles) then get more information about their breeding program, they might be someone you would be interested in buying a puppy from. Remember, don’t just take their word for it; learn to research the breeding program before committing to a verbal agreement or deposit. You can find results from titles, testing, and pedigrees to back up claims and statements online with a little bit of effort.
If they are just breeding for pets, don’t buy from them. If they sell on a first come first serve basis, don’t buy from them. If they are breeding because they want a dog just like the sire (father) or dam (mother), don’t buy from them. If they are breeding because the sire or dam is nice, smart, or sweet, don’t buy from them. If they are breeding just to make back the money they spent on the dog, don’t buy from them. If they are selling puppies on the side of the road or at a flea market, do not under any circumstances buy from them. If they can’t even spell the name of their breed, don’t buy from them. If your intuition kicks in with some red flags, trust your instincts and don’t buy from them. If their dogs are shy, don’t buy from them. If they are breeding dogs crossed with other dog breeds and calling them designer breeds, don’t buy from them. If they are breeding several different breeds of dogs on the premises, don’t buy from them. If they are breeding to show their kids the miracle of birth, do not buy from them. That is not a good reason to breed. They could have rescued a dog and saved some lives by fostering a pregnant rescue dog if that was their whole intent.

Where do they keep their dogs?
If you are searching for a pet that has the best start in life make sure the breeders raise their puppies in the house. By bring raised indoors the puppies are used to normal household sounds and activity and are used to lots of human contact and attention. You are already off to a great start when you bring your dog home due to their start in life from day one. Dogs are not livestock, like chickens or goats, to be kept and raised in pens and barns. If a breeder keeps their dogs and/or puppies in outside pens or small cages, don’t buy from them.
NEVER EVER buy from a pet shop. Pet shop puppies never come from good breeders, as good breeders would never release their dogs to such a place, despite what the employees might try to tell you. Pet shop puppies come from puppy mills. Save yourself grief and heartache and do not support pet shops selling puppies.

When do the puppies leave for their new homes?
The ideal answer should be anywhere from 8 weeks to 16 weeks, depending on the breed and other factors. Do not under any circumstances do business with any breeder that lets puppies leave to their new homes before 8 weeks of age, regardless of excuse. Puppies need to stay with their canine littermates and dam until at the very least 8 week for physical and mental developmental reasons as well as socialization and bite inhibition reasons. This is such a big deal that a great many states in the United States have made it against the law to release puppies to buyers before 8 weeks of age due to all the harm it can do to puppy developmental stages.

What type of care have the puppies received when you get them?
The breeders you want to deal with have had their puppies seen by a vet and have adhered to their chosen vaccination protocols and will have records and advice for you so the pet is up to date on the best standards of care when you receive the animal. This ensures a good start to a long happy life. They have also kept the animal clean and fed the puppy high quality foods to help keep the immune system healthy and help make it easier for you to potty train your new baby. Their puppies will be healthy, well fed, and have bright clear alert eyes, clean ears, and groomed appropriately. Breeders that do not bother to give any shots, do not worm, feed low quality food, don’t take dogs to the vet for regular routine preventative care and make puppies spend most of their time in dirty areas, outside, or in small pens are to be avoided at all costs. Breeders with puppies that are listless, dull, dirty, very shy, or not playful at all and seemed depressed should be avoided. It is not worth the risk to deal with these types of breeders. You can do better and they should too for the sake of the puppies and puppy buyers too.

How do they answer your questions?
Good breeders will be happy to answer your questions and talk about their breed. They are knowledgeable about the breed and dogs in general. They are like a built in support system when you buy a puppy and are there to help guide both you and your puppy whenever assistance is needed. If a breeder seems unknowledgeable about the breed or dogs in general or seems very defensive when answering simple questions, please, for your sake, find another breeder. If a breeder dodges your questions, find another breeder. If a breeder cannot answer your questions and doesn’t know who to direct you to that can, find another breeder. If a breeder just tries to be a salesman selling only their dogs as they best and attempting to sell you dog supplements, find another breeder.

To sign or not to sign?
Just a quick note about guarantees and contracts: be sure to read all the fine print personally several times and perhaps get a lawyer to review it before EVER signing or agreeing to a document. That is because many guarantees and contracts provided to you by breeders primarily protect themselves and are not always in your favor or even in your dog’s favor. That is more common than you would think unfortunately. It is really buyer beware when navigating the world of contracts and guarantees in dogs.
For instance, I have seen some breeders force puppy buyers to buy “x” amount of “x” brand supplements or the contract/guarantee is useless and void. If any breeder wants to sell you supplements, like a special brand of vitamins as I have seen many less than ethical breeders attempt to do, you might want to consider not entering into an agreement with them. Same goes for if they offer replacement puppies, if something went wrong with your puppy, why in the world would you want another from the same breeding program and no one wants to give up their pet they have become attached to already.

Try to remember, dogs are live beings, not televisions or refrigerators, or other mere products. There are many factors that impact development mentally and physically. Having a guarantee and contract gives some unknowing buyers a VERY false sense of security. That is because a contract is only as good as the people who entered into it in dogs; especially for a transaction such as buying a puppy.
In the case something goes wrong with your puppy it can be a real pain or darn near impossible in many cases to enforce it legally or “prove” it was genetic and/or the breeders fault. Not to mention very hard emotionally and very draining in time off work, legal fees, and other expenses. It makes more sense to go with a breeding program from a reputable/responsible breeding program. A breeder that concentrates on sound of body and mind, longevity, and giving puppies the best start in life that will be there to support both the buyer and puppy for life. As opposed to buying from someone who just randomly breeds two dogs that are both probably "conveniently" located on premises and then sells those puppies on a first come first serve basis but gives me a contract. Chances are, the contract isn’t so great anyway.

This is not a comprehensive list of tips to look for when searching for a puppy, instead these are just a few quick tips on finding a good breeder to supplement your research. Hope you have found this short article helpful and wisedogblog wishes you the best on finding your new pet!
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