How to find a breeder to buy from

Some other breeders

Own a lot of dogs. How many? It can be hard to tell with some of them. They often won't put profile's up of each dog because they don't want you to know just how many dogs they own. Some of these breeders do a good job, others are more like a puppy mill. Depending on how big and how involved their family is, these dogs may get little to no attention from people throughout the day. Ask the breeder how many dogs they own, and how much time they spend with their dogs in a given day.

Don't raise their dogs inside, with people. They have a garage, shed, or barn where they keep all or some of their dogs. The dog may be inside when you see her and her pups, but are they keeping her somewhere out in the barn when she isn't making money for them? Do the parents get the love, attention and affection that they deserve year round? Ask the breeder if they keep all of their dogs inside, with people, or if some or all of them are raised somewhere other than inside a home.

Breed their dogs past their prime. They don't put the age or birth date of the dog on their website because they don't want you to know that their dog is too old to be breeding. They may be more concerned in a paycheck instead of what's best for the parents of your puppy, or even what health defects might occur in your puppy due to the old age of their breeding dogs. Ask the breeder how old their breeding dogs are.

Over breed their dogs. A breeder who breeds their dog on every heat cycle regardless of the physical health of the breeding female is not a breeder you should buy from. The female needs to be at 100% in order to be considered for breeding. It is acceptable for a breeder to breed on back to back heat cycles occasionally, but should not be the rule. Some breeders will even advertise that their females are only bred once a year or on every other heat cycle even though this is not the case. You need to be able to discern whether a breeder is honest and trustworthy or if they are just telling you what you want to hear. Ask the breeder how often they breed their females.

Don't breed high quality dogs. You won't find them referencing AKC, or other similar breed registries because their dogs aren't registered anywhere, and probably aren't health screened for common ailments of the parent breeds (hips, etc.). If the parents have genetic defects, etc. (which you can't see), they will most likely be passed down to your puppy. There is nothing quite like the heartache of seeing your pet suffer, or having to put down your beloved pet at a young age because they had bad genetics that led to debilitating health issues. Do your homework and only buy from a breeder whose dogs have good genes and have been screened for potential health issues.

Skimp on costs for their breeding dogs. Owning breeding dogs takes time and money. Health Costs: The breeder needs to give de-wormer, and shots for rabies, distemper, lymes, etc., Food Costs: It is easy to find low cost, low quality dog food and even high cost, low quality dog food. They need to do their research to make sure they are feeding their dogs what they need to live, and to raise puppies. Legal Costs: They also need to register/license their dogs (in most areas, depending on where you live), and depending on their size and what state they live in may need to be registered as a breeding operation. There are many other things that cost money that they might try to skimp on: buying the breeding dog, dog toys, vet check-ups, and the list goes on. Make sure that the breeder is taking proper care of their dogs and isn't cutting corners to save a buck or two.

Don't know the personalities of their puppies. Why is this important? You will know a lot about what kind of dog you are getting based on the parent breed/s, but that isn't the end of it. Just like human siblings personalities differ, a litter of puppies will have different personalities. The litter will have some that may be quieter and more laid back, or more playful and rambunctious. You know your family and the type of dog that you will be happiest with and will be the happiest in your home. Don't buy a puppy based off of color or size, or even gender alone. Buy a puppy based on the puppy's personality matching what will fit best with your family. Don't buy from a breeder who can't describe the personality of each puppy, you won't know what you are getting.

Don't socialize their puppies with people. The puppies are born and not handled or played with as they grow up. They learn how to be dogs, but not pets. The puppies can be shy or overly excited when someone comes to play with them. They often bark for attention, which is not a desirable trait. Ask how the breeder socializes their puppies and how much human interaction they get.

Fly under the radar of local, state, and federal laws. The sales of puppies is regulated quite often on the local level, the state, and even the federal level. They are subject to sales tax wherever they are sold (if the sale occurs online the sales tax must be collected and paid into the state where the new owner lives, otherwise it is where the puppy is picked up) and must pay income tax into the federal government. There are a lot of breeders who do not follow the regulations and just as many who don't pay sales tax or income tax for the sales of their puppies. If you don't mind being a little uncomfortable, and perhaps making the breeder squirm a little bit: ask them if they are in compliance with all local, state and federal regulations for selling puppies and if they pay all the necessary taxes for the income from selling their dogs.