You’ve already made up your mind that you want a pure bred dog and OR you want to start with a clean slate with a puppy with a pretty good idea of temperament and what the dog will be like as it grows up.
Picking a breed v.s. Purpose Bred
JUST choosing a breed gives you an idea of what the dog MIGHT be like.
But, choosing it from a REPUTABLE breeder substantially increases your odds for getting the dog with the temperament you are looking for that suits your lifestyle and family.
Each animal is still an individual.
But, There is a HUGE difference between getting a dog from someone who just wanted their dog to have puppies or wants to make money and the person who is passionate about the breed and puts a lot of time, effort and research into choosing which dogs are the best combination bred to produce the best possible puppy for a specific purpose.
YOU want a PURPOSE BRED DOG.!
That purpose can be anything from show quality (Specific colors, and standards for the show ring), temperament (Calm family dog, or high energy), to work ability for Sports, Hunting, or Protection.
Protection may sound cool - but unless you plan on investing in TONS time and money for the life of the dog, please don’t get a dog that is born wanting to bite people by genetics alone.
Don’t get a dog who’s parents are working dogs (Hunting, Herding, Protection, Police K-9, Livestock guarding etc) Unless you plan on using them in that capacity on a daily basis, or it could cause you a lot of frustration throughout the next 12 years together.
I’m here to help you make a GOOD decision in finding the RIGHT breeder for you.
You want to search for a dog that was bred for the lifestyle you plan to live with the dog.
How do you know who’s REPUTABLE?
They health test their dogs. Each breed has different things they should be tested for. Some general ones are: (HIPS, EYES, KNEES, ELBOWS)
A quick google search : What health tests should (Insert Breed here) have? Will tell you what to ask or look for on the breeders website.
They will have a contract that you sign when you buy a puppy that will include information about…
They will WANT you to reach out and let them know if your new puppy ever has any health problems throughout their life. (This is how they KNOW and keep breeding GOOD dogs in the future)
They will not give you a puppy before it reaches 8 Weeks of age.
They wont sell you litter mates. There are alot of problems that can arise from littermates growing up together.
Then there is a list of questions you should be asking them.
A good REPUTABLE breeder should CARE about the breed, his/her dogs and WHO and WHERE the puppies are going.
A good breeder will be more than happy to answer your questions and eager to learn about YOU.
As much as you want to make sure this is a good fit for you, they should be equally as concerned that this is the right breed for you and that you are getting a puppy that fits your lifestyle.
In fact MANY good breeders won’t even let you pick your puppy.
They have lived with these puppies everyday for the past 8 weeks and will pick the one who’s personality and temperament best suits your desires, needs and lifestyle.
Questions for you to ask!
What is the purpose of this breeding?
What traits are they breeding for?
WHY did they choose these 2 parents for this litter?
(If your looking for a family dog - this is what they should be explaining - is how they picked these 2 dogs based on temperament)
What do the parents do? Working, Pet (lives with kids, other dogs? ), Sports, Titles etc…
Where do the puppies live?
The answer should be IN the house.
Do you litterbox train your puppies?
This shows, TIME, dedication and EFFORT IF they do!
This will save you SO much time in housebreaking IF your puppy is already used to pottying in a separate area from where they sleep and play.
How do you socialize your puppies?
Your puppy should have already met children and lots of people and been underfoot in a house environment.
Can I see pictures of your puppy pens?
They should be filled with environmental enrichment.
What it could cost you
Making the investment in time and money now can save you so much!
A purposely bred puppy from the right breeder might be pricey but it’ll be well worth it.
Just because its expensive doesn’t mean its a good breeder - still go through the paces to make sure they are reputable.
Consider that you could wind up Potentially spending Thousands of money in vet bills later for a dog who’s parents weren’t health tested from a back yard breeder.
Do make sure you still have some money available to invest in training once you get your pup - but it will be a much more enjoyable and smoother process starting with a good one than having to fix behavior problems from day 1.
I’ve worked with countless young “Purebred” puppies from back yard breeders Who’s poor unsuspecting owners didn’t know any better and wound up in love with a pup who already had behavioral problems like: fear aggression with people at 9 weeks of age, resource guarding (Snapping at people) over their food, didn’t mind pottying in their crate and laying in it (Because they’ve already been used to living in their own filth)
You can find breeders of various breeds everywhere - but unless you get one from a REPUTABLE source your really rolling the dice on what you might be getting.
Picking a breed v.s. Purpose Bred
JUST choosing a breed gives you an idea of what the dog MIGHT be like.
But, choosing it from a REPUTABLE breeder substantially increases your odds for getting the dog with the temperament you are looking for that suits your lifestyle and family.
Each animal is still an individual.
But, There is a HUGE difference between getting a dog from someone who just wanted their dog to have puppies or wants to make money and the person who is passionate about the breed and puts a lot of time, effort and research into choosing which dogs are the best combination bred to produce the best possible puppy for a specific purpose.
YOU want a PURPOSE BRED DOG.!
That purpose can be anything from show quality (Specific colors, and standards for the show ring), temperament (Calm family dog, or high energy), to work ability for Sports, Hunting, or Protection.
Protection may sound cool - but unless you plan on investing in TONS time and money for the life of the dog, please don’t get a dog that is born wanting to bite people by genetics alone.
Don’t get a dog who’s parents are working dogs (Hunting, Herding, Protection, Police K-9, Livestock guarding etc) Unless you plan on using them in that capacity on a daily basis, or it could cause you a lot of frustration throughout the next 12 years together.
I’m here to help you make a GOOD decision in finding the RIGHT breeder for you.
You want to search for a dog that was bred for the lifestyle you plan to live with the dog.
How do you know who’s REPUTABLE?
They health test their dogs. Each breed has different things they should be tested for. Some general ones are: (HIPS, EYES, KNEES, ELBOWS)
A quick google search : What health tests should (Insert Breed here) have? Will tell you what to ask or look for on the breeders website.
They will have a contract that you sign when you buy a puppy that will include information about…
- Guarantee on health certifications.
- Some require you to spay/neuter, OR wait till a certain age, OR specify IF you are allowed to breed the dog you are buying. (A good breeder wants whats best for their dogs and the breed standard overall and doesn’t want you just willy nilly breeding one of THEIR dogs to just ANY dog.)
- ALL REPUTABLE breeders will take their dogs back no questions asked if you ever need to rehome the dog for any reason. (They don’t want them to wind up in the shelter!)
They will WANT you to reach out and let them know if your new puppy ever has any health problems throughout their life. (This is how they KNOW and keep breeding GOOD dogs in the future)
They will not give you a puppy before it reaches 8 Weeks of age.
They wont sell you litter mates. There are alot of problems that can arise from littermates growing up together.
Then there is a list of questions you should be asking them.
A good REPUTABLE breeder should CARE about the breed, his/her dogs and WHO and WHERE the puppies are going.
A good breeder will be more than happy to answer your questions and eager to learn about YOU.
As much as you want to make sure this is a good fit for you, they should be equally as concerned that this is the right breed for you and that you are getting a puppy that fits your lifestyle.
In fact MANY good breeders won’t even let you pick your puppy.
They have lived with these puppies everyday for the past 8 weeks and will pick the one who’s personality and temperament best suits your desires, needs and lifestyle.
Questions for you to ask!
What is the purpose of this breeding?
What traits are they breeding for?
WHY did they choose these 2 parents for this litter?
(If your looking for a family dog - this is what they should be explaining - is how they picked these 2 dogs based on temperament)
What do the parents do? Working, Pet (lives with kids, other dogs? ), Sports, Titles etc…
Where do the puppies live?
The answer should be IN the house.
Do you litterbox train your puppies?
This shows, TIME, dedication and EFFORT IF they do!
This will save you SO much time in housebreaking IF your puppy is already used to pottying in a separate area from where they sleep and play.
How do you socialize your puppies?
Your puppy should have already met children and lots of people and been underfoot in a house environment.
Can I see pictures of your puppy pens?
They should be filled with environmental enrichment.
What it could cost you
Making the investment in time and money now can save you so much!
A purposely bred puppy from the right breeder might be pricey but it’ll be well worth it.
Just because its expensive doesn’t mean its a good breeder - still go through the paces to make sure they are reputable.
Consider that you could wind up Potentially spending Thousands of money in vet bills later for a dog who’s parents weren’t health tested from a back yard breeder.
Do make sure you still have some money available to invest in training once you get your pup - but it will be a much more enjoyable and smoother process starting with a good one than having to fix behavior problems from day 1.
I’ve worked with countless young “Purebred” puppies from back yard breeders Who’s poor unsuspecting owners didn’t know any better and wound up in love with a pup who already had behavioral problems like: fear aggression with people at 9 weeks of age, resource guarding (Snapping at people) over their food, didn’t mind pottying in their crate and laying in it (Because they’ve already been used to living in their own filth)
You can find breeders of various breeds everywhere - but unless you get one from a REPUTABLE source your really rolling the dice on what you might be getting.
You have OTHER Options!
If you don’t plan on investing your time AND a decent amount of money in this process you should definitely go to your nearest shelter or rescue of the breed of your choice and get an adult, young or puppy through them for a much cheaper price tag likely $300 or less and save your money for the training to get you and your new friend off to the right start. See our post aboutAdopting A Dog
You are likely to have much better luck that way than getting a Cheap, random puppy from someone who just decided to have a litter off of craigslist.
Please don’t support the random person who has puppies for sale who doesn’t health check their pups, you have no idea of temperament or what the parents genetics are like, and they have no real reasons for breeding the dogs besides they wanted money and maybe a puppy for themselves.
I hope this helps you in making a more educated decision in selecting where to get your next dog.
If you don’t plan on investing your time AND a decent amount of money in this process you should definitely go to your nearest shelter or rescue of the breed of your choice and get an adult, young or puppy through them for a much cheaper price tag likely $300 or less and save your money for the training to get you and your new friend off to the right start. See our post aboutAdopting A Dog
You are likely to have much better luck that way than getting a Cheap, random puppy from someone who just decided to have a litter off of craigslist.
Please don’t support the random person who has puppies for sale who doesn’t health check their pups, you have no idea of temperament or what the parents genetics are like, and they have no real reasons for breeding the dogs besides they wanted money and maybe a puppy for themselves.
I hope this helps you in making a more educated decision in selecting where to get your next dog.