Types of Breeders

For those of you interested in the difference between Puppy Mills, Backyard Breeders and Ethical/Responsible Breeders. I am going to do my best to explain the differences. There are many different types of breeders and all claim to be the best. Below I have broken breeders down into four categories to hopefully make it a bit easier to understand. I am going to go from the worst to the most ethical and responsible. The ones that really have the welfare of the dog at heart not the welfare of their pocket book.

PUPPY MILL: Mass producer of puppies. Most Mills have more then one breed that they breed for profit only. Most Mills register CKC instead of AKC because it is cheaper and CKC will register anything no questions asked.
In case you don't know the difference CKC is the Continental Kennel Club. A dog register AKC can also be registered CKC just by sending a copy of your papers to them. CKC doesn't require any proof of any sort of the origin of the dog and will register a lot of mixed breeds. CKC doesn't care about record keeping or dog identification. So if you buy a dog that is CKC you can not believe it is actually what it says it is. AKC and CKC do not work hand and hand. You cannot register a litter out an AKC registered dog and a CKC registered dog. AKC doesn't recognize CKC dogs at all. You cannot have a dog CKC registered and then have it AKC registered like you can some foreign registries.
Puppy Mills breed bitches every season until they die. Mills do not do any type of genetic testing and if they guarantee a dog, it is at the most for 48 hours. Mills sell to pet shops and brokers. The health of their dogs is not a concern of theirs as long as it can still produce. Most mills have 10 times as many females as they do males in all the breeds they have. They also keep more bitches out of a litter so they can continue to breed more and more. Ever notice there are more male dogs in Pet Shops then females? Not all mills are large facilities. A single person can have a small mill of their own in there own backyard depending on the state they live in. A small mill has the morels and ethics as their larger counterparts; they just have fewer dogs. There are people who show dogs that could be considered a puppy mill.

Possible clues that someone is a puppy mill:
1.Breeds mass numbers of litters per year.
2.Prefers to meet their prospective buyers away from their home.
3.Registers CKC opposed to AKC.
4.Gives a 48-72 hour guarantee or none at all.
5.Has pedigrees that have the same, non champion, dog as the sire and the grand sire and also great grand sire.
6.Always have puppies available or always have a litter due.

UNETHICAL BREEDER: Borderline puppy mill. These are breeders that do show some of their dogs and a lot of times have 2-3 breeds they breed to help support the breed they show. These are the well dressed well worded breeders that say they guarantee this that and everything, but the truth be known, once your money is in their hand they could care less what happens to the dog. These breeders sell breeder dogs and a lot of times require you to CO-own a bitch for puppies' back. They will also CO-own males for breeding rights in the future. These breeders also breed their bitches every heat and a lot of times will place the bitch in a pet home or pawn it off on another breeder when they have got all they want out of her. Here again money is the issue not the well being of the dog or the improvement of the breed. Unethical breeders breed dogs they know have genetic traits, but it doesn't matter because once sold they aren't their problem.

BACKYARD BREEDER: These breeders are not as bad as they may sound. They usually have a couple dogs that they may breed once or twice a year. They usually do not make false claims or promise you anything. They are very open and tell you they only have these two dogs and they are their pets and they breed for fun not for a profit.

ETHICAL RESPONSIBLE BREEDER: Breeding for the betterment and pureness of the breed. These are breeders that have studied for years before getting any dogs. They studied pedigrees, genetics and over all soundness of their breed. They do testing for inherited diseases before they breed a dog. They breed for dogs that best meet the breed standard. They have done their research and know what dogs not to double up on when breeding two dogs with similar parentage. Since genetic problems can crop up many years down the line, these breeders will sell a puppy with a genetic problem (bad bite, down ears..etc) to a pet home on limited registration and spay/neuter contracts. They also have it in the contract that the buyer understands the problem, that way nothing is being hidden or lied about. These breeders usually breed for themselves and only on an occasion do they have anything available. Responsible breeders that show, would rather place their puppies in pet homes then place them with other show/breeders who may not have the same morals and ethics. Most do not sell dogs for the sole purpose of breeding. When you call one of these breeders looking for a puppy, they will ask you more questions then you ever dreamed could be asked. They really want to know the person or persons that are wanting to own a dog they produced and make sure they are the right ones for one of their puppies. They have explicit contracts and always, always have a clause in it that states: If at any time in this dogs life the buyer can longer keep the dog, seller has first right of refusal for puppy back, or that puppy must come back to seller.

Lynne Velazquez