How Do I Find a Good Breeder? Avoid the Forums

There is a lot of information available on the internet about dog breeds and breeders. Be careful that what you find is true and unbiased.

No matter what breed of dog you are looking for, there is a wealth of information available. The one resource for information I would completely avoid are the newsgroups, forums and message boards that discuss a specific breed. My personal experience with this type of shared information has been extremely disappointing and full of lies.

Most of these groups are run by a small number of people. This core group of members燼pparently dictates who is privileged enough to have a valid comment. They do not seem to be able to provide accurate, truthful, unbiased information on any breeder other than themselves or the breeder they support. The way they work is to surf the internet looking at websites of various breeders. Based on the website, many of these forums and newsgroups will make a determination about the knowledge, commitment, and motivation of the different breeders. According to the "experts" on the message boards, they are able to figure out a breeders love for the breed, how they work and run their kennel or their home breeding program without one speck of valid information.燘ased on their web surfing, they will proceed to judge, discredit, and literally trash any breeder that is not part of their clique. They make assumptions and spread lies without regard for how it could hurt honest, hardworking people. The biggest problem I have with this is the fact that they don't know the people involved, have never spoken to them or even visited their kennel.

What I have learned from my experience is, if you want to buy a puppy for anything other than showing, or earning championships in working, or somehow earning recognition for the dog and the breeder, you do not deserve one of their pups. According to many forums and newsgroups, unless a breeder produces champion show dogs or is not one of their members,爐hey are "back yard breeders". Back yard breeders have no knowledge or expertise about the breed and will breed their dog to any other dog that wanders into their yard or back alley. The other option for you, according to these experts, is to buy a puppy from a "greeder". A "greeder" is a larger kennel that breeds strictly for profit and has no care or concern for the dogs. If you do not buy a puppy from a back yard breeder or a "greeder", and you don't buy from their championship producing special kennels, they will?accuse you of buying a puppy爁rom a puppy mill.

Before you buy a pure breed puppy, no matter what the breed, you need to do your homework. You should determine if the breed you want is suitable for your lifestyle. You should know if you want the dog to be strictly a pet or do you want a show dog, therapy dog, working dog, hunting dog, etc.. Learn the specific health issues that affect the breed you're looking for. Each and every breed has it's own genetic health issues and they differ. Call breeders and have questions ready, especially concerning health testing. Ask how many litters they have a爕ear, and ask if the dogs and puppies are in燼 kennel or if they are爇ept in the home.營t is also helpful to ask if the燿ogs are raised around children.營f possible, visit several breeders and see how they work and the environment the dogs live in. You can also ask for references from other clients.

There is some truly helpful information on the internet, however far and few between,爐hat can guide you in searching for the right breeder. The information should advise you on questions to ask and standards to look for. It can be confusing to sort through so much information, but your research should not be taken lightly. You will find the time you spend?asking questions will be well worth it.

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