What to look for in a dog breeder
It is always important to choose a reputable dog breeder if you are going to buy a puppy. Supporting irresponsible dog breeding will only serve to perpetuate bad practices which can ultimately be harmful to the dogs.
Dogs used to breed too many litters, puppies that are taken from their mothers too early or dogs kept in terrible overcrowded conditions can be all too common if dog breeding is seen as purely a money making scheme and can result in litters that do not live very long or who have health problems, as well as being blatantly cruel to the animals.
Dog breeding is a skill and requires very good knowledge and understanding of breeds and of what it takes to be a responsible dog breeder. To find a good dog breeder, you may need to start with recommendations from others but try to do your own homework too. Ensure that you visit the puppies on more than one occasion, and you should always be able to see the mother – you should be suspicious if the dog breeder does not allow this. Observe the conditions that the dogs are kept in, ask lots of questions and see if the dog breeder is curious about you too. A good dog breeder should be very interested in what kind of homes their puppies are going home to.
If you are expecting a pedigree, make sure you see the paperwork and that it has the breeder’s name on and be wary of a breeder that is offering more than one or two breeds.
