How To Tell A Bad Breeder.......

By: Krista Mifflin
If you see these signs in your potential dog breeder ... RUN!

You think you've finally found a breeder for that puppy you want to share your life, but you want to be sure he's a responsible breeder, so your new family member can have the best possible start in life. How will you know if he is a responsible breeder? What are the signs to watch out for? When should you take your money and run ... in the opposite direction? 

Thanks to the help of the wonderful folks on the Dog Park Forum, we've compiled quite a list of "flags" that should help you decide if the breeder you are talking is a good one or not. If you see these signs, it would be best to look elsewhere for a breeder: 

• He won't let you see the puppy's parents (the father may not always on site, this is normal).
• He won't let you see his breeding facility.
• He can not produce registration papers for the parents.
• He does not have the registration papers for the current litter of puppies.
• He has no pedigrees on either of the parents.
• None of his puppies come with guarrantees.
• None of his dogs have been checked for genetic diseases.
• None of his dogs have been OFA'd.
• None of his dogs have been CERFed.
• He does not want to know if anything has happened to your dog (that came from him).
• He breeds a lot of unrecognized breeds - Cock-a-poos, Spoodles, Labradoodles and the like.
• No veterinary health checks of the puppies from birth.
• No mandatory spaying/neutering of pet quality animals.
• No mandatory vaccinations (at least basic ones), no de-worming.
• Breeding solely for "pet quality" means breeding for money - not for the betterment of anything.
• Does not breed to better the overall conformation or working style of the breed.
• Does not know the history of his chosen breed.
• His dogs appear to be in ill-health.
• He always has puppies for sale, sometimes two or three litters at a time.
• Does not have veterinary records for at least the mother on hand.
• His dogs have no titles, either showing, working, or sports, whatever the animals are being bred for.
• He won't give references from owners of pups from previous litters.
• He doesn't ask any questions about the environment you offer the pup, just wants to see the cheque (and prefers cash).
The puppies are ready to go before they should be (under eight weeks of age).
• Advertises "rare" colors, sizes, etc (such as "rare" white Dobermans, or Great Danes, "king-sized" German Shepherds, etc.)
• Advertises or sells their pups for greatly reduced prices
.
• Sells to pet stores, puppy brokers, wholesalers, etc.
• Breeds before the age of two.

It is a long list, but considering the health and welfare of your newest family member, it is always better to be picky about who you buy from, than to end up with possibly insurmountable health problems a year or two later. Better Yet Hudson thinks it is far better to ADOPT rather than BUY and spend way too much and contribute to the Puppy Mill Problem !!! Adopting makes you feel so good and its good on your wallet too !!!