I’m writing this page in an informative manner, not necessarily to “promote” our puppies and the way we raise them. This page is more educational/informative. We’ve had our fair share of business deals from both good breeders, and not so good. And gosh, I sure wish I had read some info on how to pick a good breeder!!
The breeder will have SO much impact on what kind of dog the puppy will become. A breeder decides on bloodlines, health testing, daily care and much more!
Raising puppies takes time and energy. It takes A LOT of time to raise puppies the way we enjoy to. This means we certainly can’t have too many dogs, and that staying smaller numbers is imperative to having the time to put into each puppy.
Other things to consider. What is important to you? Do you care how the parents to your puppies live? (house, kennel, combo, or worse, cramped cage?) Do you care how the parent dogs are to live with? (as this will have a huge impact on temperament your puppy will inherit) .
If possible, meet the breeder! Meet the parents! It’s great to do this even before the puppies are born. If a breeder is reluctant to make time for you before the sale, they are even less likely to after the sale. A good breeder cares about their puppies and the new families they will live with. Make sure when visiting a breeder, do not visit more than one at a time, to be sure to not carry any diseases etc. Many breeders have policies about visiting young pups that have not been vaccinated yet. Don’t be offended if a breeder won’t let you visit newborn pups as they are more susceptible to disease.
Be open to listening to a breeder if she thinks a certain pup might fit your lifestyle best. A good breeder will ask you a lot of questions about you and your family. This is to try to match personalities to families. Try not to get stuck on getting a certain color or markings. Look at personality first, colors and markings second. You’ll get a better dog for it.
Be courteous, make sure you call ahead, and honor your appointment time. Breeders are people too, often with very busy lives.
A good breeder will want to remain in contact, and will want to make sure everything is going well. A good breeder will take back a puppy/dog at any time to help rehome.
A good breeder does not sell to pet stores. Pet stores sell pups and never know how the pups mature/turn out. They will have no knowledge of the bloodlines, and have no “goal” in selling puppies beyond making a sale. Not to mention that pet stores typically source from large puppy mills. A good breeder will not have several or dozens of breeds available, as it would be too hard to keep up to date with information for each breed. Buying from pet stores only enables the system to continue.
I hope some of this info helps you in your journey to finding a new member of your family!