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How to find a breeder?

How do you find a reputable breeder? There are a lot of websites for breeders around my area, but most of them don't feature any kind of reviews, or feedback from people who have purchases puppies from them. I want to make sure I don't get a dog from a backyard breeder.

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you dont ! you adopt!

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A great place to start, is going to dog shows! From there, you will easily find reputable breeders, who can help you get to know the breed, and connect you with other breeders. Another good place to start is finding the breed club for the breed you are looking for. When looking at a breeders webpage, there are three things to look for.

  1. Look at what health testing is done. A good breeder not only has their dogs in good health, but has genetic testing done to deter main if the dog is breeding worthy. A minimum is having health clearences through OFA and CERF

  2. Find out what titles the breeding dogs have earned. The breeder should have a clear goal of what they do to improve the breed. Avoid breeders who only breed for money, or aim to only produce "pet quality" puppies.

3.make sure the breeder has a contract requirement for anybody who buys one of their puppies. Usually the contract requires that of the owner cannot care for the dog at ANY time, the owner is required to return the pup to the breeder. Spay and neuter contracts are also a sign of a reputable breeder.

A responsible breeder will not just give a puppy to the first person to show up with the money. They carefully screen homes. Expect waiting lists, questions, and such. A well bred puppy is well worth the time and effort.

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After volunteering at a shelter I can't help but strongly recommend that people look at local shelters, rescues (they have breed specific rescues) or search on petfinder .com before going to a breeder... that being said I also understand that some people have done a lot of research on or have experience with a particular breed and in that case I don't see anything wrong with going to a breeder. It's hard to tell a backyard breeder/puppy mill from a reputable breeder (they're more cunning than you could imagine) but I'd say everything mentioned previously is great advice for screening a breeder. I think meeting them in person at their facilities is one of the best ways to find out if they're quality. A responsible breeder will usually offer to give you a tour (if you ask) of where they keep the puppies instead of trying to meet you somewhere else or sell you the dog online.

Also remember that plenty of puppy mills and by breeders are 'fda approved' and akc registered. The best thing you can do is to see as much of their facilities yourself and ask as many questions as you can think of. If they seem to be dodging your questions or hiding anything then I'd stay away.

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Agree 100%. Petfinder is awesome.

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Make sure you visit the puppies (and breeder) in their home environment. And like mentioned before, check the AKC register.

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Dog shows, Official breed clubs. The internet will connect you with a lot of breeders but some of those breeders can also be puppy mills in disguise, back yard breeders who are exaggerating their stock, etc.

Don't be afraid to ask them lots of questions.