The goal of this article is to equip you with some insights and tools to find a reputable dog breeder. Our purpose is to avoid puppy mill dog breeders, breeders who do not know what they are doing, and breeders who are stuck up, or to good to be worked with.
What is the best approach to find a reputable dog breeder?
As Franklin Covey said in his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, start with the end in mind. In other words, start thinking about the kind of dog you want as it and you get older. As you can tell through this website, I am a big fan of adopting retired show dogs. If you know the breed that you want, then go to dog shows where that breed will be showing and talk to some breeders. For example, if you are interested in English Labs like I am, you will want to go to Google and enter the phrase English Lab breeders in (Alpharetta, Georgia), put in your city and state. Make a list of about 10 breeders and call them.
What to say over the phone to breeders?
When you call breeders, you want to ask them if they show their dogs. The reason for this is because a show dog breeder will be more exact in their breeding process, producing a better line of pups, than your hobby breeder. The hobby breeder just wants to have pups for sale to make money. A show dog breeder will be as interested in finding out about you as you are them. They want to know what kind of home their potential dogs, or puppies might go to.
If the breeder says they do not raise show dogs, but they are AKC regisitered, thank them for their time, and end with this question. If you were going to get a puppy or dog from a show breeder, who would you call? These hobby breeders may know of some show dog breeders.
If the person who answers the phone states that they do show their dogs in competion, ask them if you can come by just to see their dogs. You want to build a friendship with this breeder, because they may turn out to be the one who sells you a show dog. If they tell you they don’t have any puppies for sale at this time, ask them if you can still come by to view their dogs. You want to get an education on what a good show dog looks like and how it is kept and bred. This will help you as you narrow down your focus. Ideally, you want to go visit at least three breeders, and see their dogs, whether they have puppies, or retired show dogs for sale, or not. At this point in the game, you want to get some experience at looking and interacting with these dogs.
You should also go to three dog shows in your nearby area to view the breed and to talk with the breeders. You always want to introduce yourself, and tell them what you are looking for. It could be one of these options. It could be a puppy, a teenage or young adult dog from a litter that did not qualify to be a show dog, or a retired show dog. Remember, our end goal in mind is to get a great family pet, whether you have a family or are single.
Hopefully, your networking with these breeders both at their homes and at the shows will give you and opportunity to select a puppy or a dog soon. If no one has anything at the moment, go to the Internet and broaden your search to something like English Lab Breeders, for example. Follow the same contact strategy as above, but if the distance is far, you can just network and ask them if they have any puppies, teenage dogs that did not make the show circuit, or retired show dogs for sale. Make another list of about ten different breeders. Always leave your email and cell phone number with these breeders and ask them to contact you if they find out that a breeder is going to have a dog soon for sale. I followed this same strategy and it paid off for me.
How to choose the right dog for you
Finding an available puppy, young adult, or retired show dog is half the battle. The other half is making up your mind which one to get. If all else fails, follow your heart. It will lead you to the one that you can’t live without. When I saw Tina, I knew she was the one for me. We had to come all the way from the Metro Atlanta Area to North Carolina to get her. Was it worth the drive, the money, the time searching for her? You bet. She is my constant companion. I work from home so she is always near me sleeping or just hanging out with me.
If you still can’t decide which animal to get and you even have more than one choice, consider yourself lucky. Retired show dogs are difficult to find. LIke I said above, go with your heart. If your heart is torn, go with your brain too and ask these questions. Which animal will I probably be most happiest with in one year, five years, 10 years? Which animal seems most drawn to me? Which animal seems most easiest to get along with? Which animal does my spouse, family, or significant other like best and why? Compare their responses to the above questions and see where there is the most commonality. When its all said and done, you have to decide do you want a puppy, a young adult dog, or a retired show dog? I chose a retired show dog and I am so glad that I did. Tina has been the best dog I have ever owned.
So what did you decide?
Again, choosing a dog to me is such a personal choice. Its like picking somone to date or marry. You plan on being with that person or dog for years to come. If you did not know this, smaller dogs live longer than larger dogs. I hope Tina lives to be 14 or 15. She is 12 now. I hope you make the best choice for yourself and learn more about yourself during this process. Take care.
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