07/01/2025
Written by a Breeder we have worked with in the past and hopefully again in the future 🥰🥰
How to pick a good breeder
Picking a good breeder should be of the utmost priority when deciding on a puppy. Here are the first steps I would take when deciding on a breeder.
1. Do they do health, temperament and structural testing?
• Once you pick a breed, you can look up what the recommended health testing is for the breed. These can be looked up on OFA for orthopedic testing and any genetic lab for DNA testing. We have used Paw Print Genetics and Animal Genetics as they have been the most accurate, but there are other labs as well. If you are considering getting a crossbreed, you would look at the testing for both purebreds.
• Make sure you understand the difference between health testing and a health exam done by a veterinarian. I see many breeders state their dogs are health tested, when they mean they only got a health exam done by a veterinarian. A health exam is only a vet's quick look over to make sure there is nothing physically wrong with the dog in that snapshot of time. It does not include proper health testing like X-rays for hip and elbow testing or full DNA testing required to rule out diseases. All of these are very important.
• If they don’t do any health testing, it is best to walk away. Not doing health testing is the first sign of a breeder that does not do their due diligence. There are some health tests that should be a 100% non negotiable. For most larger breeds hip testing would be one of those things for example.
• On top of health testing, your breeder focusing on temperament and structure is also very important. Ask them if they focus on these as well.
2. Where do they raise their puppies?
• Do they raise them in a barn or any other outside building or shelter? Run away from this scenario. Unless it is a livestock guardian breed or specific breed that due to the breed doesn’t do well in a home environment, you should never get a dog from someone that raises puppies this way. I have seen way too many puppies suffer from this lack of proper socialization and take years to recover from it.
• Do they raise them in a kennel instead of a home? So generally, I don’t love this scenario either as being raised in a home when they see the day to day of family life is really important, but there are some kennel scenario’s that while not ideal, they can still be ethical. Kennels where they hire a full staff that goes in and spends the time to do all the proper socialization can make up for some of the situations where there isn’t enough socialization.
• In an ideal situation, puppies would be raised in the home of the breeder as part of their daily life. They would see the breeder's family doing day to day things and be part of all of that.
3. How do they raise their puppies?
• Do they have intentional socialization protocols? Every breeder should have a very intentional program they use to socialize their puppies. This could be puppy culture, avidog or another program, maybe even one they came up with on their own, but they should have a very intentional socialization program.
• There is so much rapid brain development in the first several months of their life that it is essential that they are socialized properly in their breeders home, since they are with the breeder for a large portion of that time. Puppies that are not socialized in this time frame have a much higher chance of lifelong behavioural issues.
4. How does the breeder communicate with you?
• Does the breeder get back to you and want to answer your questions thoroughly? A breeder should have a good attitude about helping answer questions and wanting you to have as much knowledge as possible. They should also get back to you in an appropriate time frame.
• It is also important to understand that many breeders have busy lives and the puppies need to always come first, so when they are delayed getting back to you occasionally, shouldn’t be an issue, but in general they should show they care to take the time to answer your questions, as that is also in the best interest of their puppies.
5. How knowledgeable is your breeder?
• Does the breeder know what they are talking about? Breeders should be a wealth of knowledge. This should be obvious if your breeder is knowledgeable or not, just by you asking them some questions and educating yourself before purchasing a puppy.
• As a potential pet owner, we always recommend that you are educated before purchasing a puppy. You should read everything you can about any breed you want to get and make sure they are a good match for your life, but also so you know enough to know what questions to ask a potential breeder.
6. Does the breeder have good references and reviews?
• Look the breeder up. Go through their social media. Look up their google reviews. Many breeders have groups with their puppy families in the group and you can go on one of these and ask families questions too. We always love our puppy families to be referrals from other families that have a puppy from us too. A good breeder welcomes you to talk to people that previously got a puppy from them.
7. Does the breeder have a Health Guarantee?
• Generally, I would not look at a breeder that had a less than 2 year health guarantee. 1 year health guarantees don’t give me much confidence that they believe their dogs are healthy. But a health guarantee should be in place for sure if they are an ethical breeder. There is a reason why breeders have no health guarantee.
8. Are they open to you seeing where the puppies are raised and the mom at least?
• So this is a hard one but important. I actually don’t think if a breeder says they don’t do home visits that that means they are unethical. The reason being is every area has different risks when it comes to viruses. Things like Parvo are a huge risk to our puppies and every time we bring someone into our home we open up the risk of the puppies getting Parvo and potentially dying from it. Here is the thing though, even if a breeder is not willing to let you come to their home in person, they should still be willing to let you do a virtual visit where you can see the puppies, mom and where they are being raised. Most good breeders will even post videos and pictures often so you can see a lot of this.
• Our personal approach is to allow visitors, but we do not allow visitors to go into the puppy play area. They come into our home and stay in our open concept kitchen, livingroom and diningroom area. The puppies are literally right on the other side of the wall from our families visiting, but it is much harder for me to disinfect that entire area after they leave, than it is to disinfect the floors in our livingroom. We also tell families to not go near anywhere unvaccinated dogs have been (vet clinics, grooming shops, pet stores, animal friendly stores, any parks or public areas where dogs go) for atleast 24 hours before coming to our home.
9. Make sure that your puppy is seen by a licenced veterinarian before they leave to go to their new homes.
• All puppies should be seen by a licenced veterinarian before going to their new homes. The veterinarian is trained to look for things that could be an issue in the puppy and it is important that you have this information before you purchase a puppy. On top of that the veterinarian should be giving the puppy their first vaccines, that way you know they are effective from being stored properly and given properly. In many places it is actually illegal for a breeder to vaccinate their own puppies. If the breeder is willing to do these illegal things, what other corners are they cutting? It is important to note there are some countries that allow home vaccination, but it is generally not recommend due to not being able to be sure if it is even effective due to improper storage among other things.
• A veterinarian (or trained breeder) should also be doing a f***l on your puppies before they go to their new homes. This allows the breeder to know if they should be sending home any meds with the puppies due to parasites. Parasites are something that is hard to avoid altogether, as they can be picked up anywhere, but it is proper practice to at least check for them, so that they can be treated accordingly.
• Ironically, I would argue breeders that use guardian homes are generally more ethical, as they are wanting the best for each of their dogs and having their own home and dedicated time with their own family is in their best interest, but the downside to guardian homes is that they are going to statistically deal with more parasites, as they can’t control each guardian home not being in places where parasites are (anywhere), so there is a higher chance of guardian homes bringing parasites into the breeder’s home. Luckily parasites are treatable, so breeders should just check before puppies go to their new homes, so meds can be given appropriately.
10. Make sure the breeder does not allow puppies to go to their new homes before 8 weeks old.
• This is actually illegal is many places too, but even if it wasn’t illegal, puppies being with their siblings until 8 weeks old helps them significantly developmentally. They learn so much in this time frame that it is important they have that time.
• Making the mother stay with the puppies until 8 weeks on the other hand is not always in the best interest of the mom or the puppies. They should have access but never forced to be in with their puppies that long. Puppies start biting them while nursing and this can be painful for the mother, so we don’t force our mom’s to be in with the puppies during this time. We do however allow them full access anytime they want.
All of these things are a great start to figuring out if a breeder is ethical and whether you want them as your breeder. The reality is that depending on what breed you are picking, you could have your dog for 16+ years and your relationship with your breeder is going to be important during that time. Having a breeder that gives your puppy an amazing start but also is a support for you through their entire life is very important. Breeders that love their puppies will be there for you long term, because they want to be there for their puppies long term.
