This is an age old question, What to Look for in a Good Breeder? A lot of people have covered this topic, but our world is changing once again, and there are new details to keep in mind. There are so many things that make up a good breeder, but not all breeders have to do the exact same things to be a good breeder. Everyone is different, every program is different, even dog breeds are different. So I’ll both go into general directions to finding a good breeder, and getting specific into Australian Shepherds in this blog post.
Step 1
Decide your breed. Using AKC’s dog breed site, and even going or watching dog shows can really help you get to know each breed. It is important to know what breed you need and can work with. If you have always been a small dog person and suddenly go out and get a Great Dane, you are going to run into problems. That one is exaggerated, but it happens. I have a more real world example.
In my teen years, my family got a dog from the shelter. We are assuming she was some sort of Husky/Aussie mix. This is actually where I learned that I really liked Aussies. Starting out though, I did not know that. I both loved and hated that dog at times. Mostly loved, but we had issues sometimes with her being stubborn and unwilling to work with me. She was very independent and had a mind of her own.
Later in my very early adult life, I lived with a Husky. Sweetest dog, but I could not get along with that dog. I wanted to like her so bad, and there was nothing wrong with her. I just couldn’t get along with her. That is where I learned, I can’t handle a Husky. Their personalities do not work for me. They are independent, opinionated, dramatic, and the fur…. So much fur… Don’t get me wrong, Aussies have a lot of fur and shed too, but the texture is just so different from a Husky’s. A Husky will also shed their entire coat twice a year and it is a nightmare.
So it is very important to learn what kind of dog (including if it is a mix!) you want and can handle.
Step 2
If you are looking for a mix, I recommend checking out the shelters. Most mixes are not breed ethically, and if mixes are being bred, to be honest, it isn’t great in the long term. Unless they are specifically trying to create a new breed in general and have a specific outline. In that case, check out more of my information below and apply loosely. I do also acknowledge that Doodles have become very popular, are not going anywhere and can be breed ethically. But I will share my opinions on doodles in another post.
After you have decided the breed/breeds you want, check the OFAs site for that breed’s specific health testing requirements. Each breed has specific requirements to ensure all breeding dogs are healthy structurally. Also look at that breed’s specific genetic screening panels. Each dog also has a specific set a genetic markers that can cause diseases in a dog.
At this time, Australian Shepherds have 3 OFA requirements and 12 genetic markers on their panel.
Quick sidenote, because I did not understand this when I start breeding. OFA will hand a breeder a CHIC number for completing ALL the OFA screening requirements. I originally thought this was just Hips and Elbows. But no, it also includes Eyes. So I will be adding that to our future dogs in our program.
It is important to note these two health items, OFAs and a genetic panel, because this tests both the structure and health of the dog, and the pair. This will give you a better idea of what you will get from your puppy, and if the breeder is trying to actually better the breed.
Step 3
Why are you getting a dog? Are you getting them for companionship? Breeding? Showing? Sport? Knowing this is extremely important, because it’ll tell you what kind of breeder you want to buy from.
Too be 100% honest, if you want a companion, you probably don’t want to buy from a show home or a sport home. And I have a very specific reason why. A show home typically has very dramatic, long hair and they can be very difficult for the average family to maintain. So that is not always best. If you want fluffy and are committed to maintaining the coat, go for it. I will not stop you. Similar with a sport breeder. If there is a lot of title, for example in Aussies, in herding, stock, or agility, you are looking at a very athletic dog that requires a lot of exercise and has a lot of drive. Which is not ideal for a family with young kids that may cause the Aussie with high drive to have the natural instinct to herd your kids around the room, including nipping at them. That was what they were originally bred for.
So if not the flashing titled dogs, than who?
Pet breeders. Find a breeder that follows everything a show/sport breeder is doing, but with one key difference. These dogs are meant to be pets. They are lower drive, they are breed with a good temperament meant for a family settling. Pet breeders pick out the dogs with the best personalities and often times actually have the dog living in their own home as pets, or in a partner/guardian home as pets.
Step 4
Screening your breeder. Once when you have picked a breed, type of breeder, and set a price range, you have your start. This is when you can hit the market and look for a good breeder. Biggest thing that a good, ethical breeder will have is a contract. If there is no contract, walk. End of story. You want a breeder who is there for you, and can support you if something happens. Along side this contract, a good breeder will have in there that they will always take back the dog, help rehome, and new family must sign a contract with them. Most good, ethical breeders will have a spay/neuter clause. This is to help prevent dogs from being bred that maybe shouldn’t be. It can also help prevent future puppies from being created that might eventually end up in the shelter.
A good breeder’s goal should be to never have one of their puppies end up in the shelter. It should be written in the contract that it is not an option. That is the biggest difference between a back yard breeder and an ethical breeder.
Another thing to look at, going back to step 2, find those OFAs, find those Genetic tests. Ask for them if they are not made public on their sites. It is not a red flag if they do not list them on the website. It is a red flag if they don’t get them done, or don’t know what you are talking about when you ask about genetics.
This leads us to our next step.
Step 5
Ask questions. Talk with them. And please ask more questions than just, how much? Please read full ads on puppies. Sometimes dogs are listed for a specific type of family on Good Dog or other sites. When looking for our unicorn puppy, I have come across ads that I was sold on the puppy, so excited to talk to the breeder, but then I read the ad and realize that they specifically have put in there that it is pet only, or that it is show home only, or even a guardian/partner home wanted. For me specifically, none of those work for what I am looking for. So I walk away and look for a different pup. And there could be a million and one reasons why they are listed as such, and trying to convince the breeder otherwise is usually a waste of their time, and energy.
Can I also note, please be sure you are even ready to get a dog, especially if you are messaging about a specific pup. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to have people ghost you, or I ask for a deposit and they have a million and one excuses, or they say ‘oh, I don’t think we are ready quite yet, but I’ll let you know in X amount of weeks and see if they are still available.’ I don’t think people know how many conversations I have had, or attempted to have with people for just this last litter. And I’ll go into this more in another post. My point is, just be sure you are ready. These are real people trying to raise puppies, which takes up a lot of their time, and they are trying to find them the best homes.
If you have a conversation with a breeder, the important across the board items should be:
Genetics (make sure the parents do not share genetic markers)
OFAs (have they been completed, do they have a CHIC number?)
Temperament of parents
Why the pair was bred?
Ask about the contract? (Spay/neuter, what happens if you can no longer care for the dog, genetic guarantees?)
A good breeder should be able to provide these documents and answers.
Step 6
If the breeder checks all the boxes, now you start asking about a specific pup. The breeder should ask you about your lifestyle, household and what you are looking for out of the dog. Use the breeder to help navigate this. They know these puppies like the back of their hand and can help ensure puppies get matched up with the correct homes.
Personality should trump color any day. That being said, I see nothing wrong with wanting a specific look. Just know, that if you want a specific personality and a specific look, you may be waiting a while before you find a puppy that’ll work, and you have to be okay with that. Trust me, you do not a want a personality you don’t work with.
After you have picked a pup, make sure you get some unedited photos, videos of the puppy running around and active. And if they are willing, facetime is always nice as well with the puppies.
You want to make sure you are looking at the area the puppies are in, are they clean, is the area clean, are they active, do they seem healthy. I often times will facetime while inside the whelping box with the puppies. One, who doesn’t like to be crawled all over by the puppies, two I can use the whelping box wall as a barrier for the camera, so you can get a good look inside the box and at the puppies playing, but also not being knocked over by the puppies being overly curious about who is suddenly talking and what this new thing is.
Final step
Picking up your puppy. One thing I encourage people to do, is always look over your puppy on day of pick up and never accept a puppy before 8 weeks of age. It is actually common for a breeder to meet you in a neutral location. This can because of a lot of different things. Biggest one being diseases. A person can unknowingly bring in a deadly disease that can harm the litter of puppies, and even future puppies. I have always been very cautious about who comes over and who comes and picks them up from our property. And I am even entertaining the idea of creating a specific space where people can still come, but I limit how far into our property, so I can contain the risk. If that makes sense.
Bottom line, puppy should appear healthy, should be lively, and should be clean.
Conclusion
A good breeder should be breeding to better their breed. They should be looking at characteristics and be breeding for a specific trait(s) and for sound structure and temperament. And depending on what you, as the buyer, are looking for will depend on what that process and breeder specifically looks like.
Thank you all for joining me for this post, I hope you found it helpful. Let me know if you have specific questions, insights, or thoughts I didn’t go over and feel free to share experiences.
We have a lot of exciting things coming up, so be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for daily updates, and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss a post.
I’ll see you next time for another Sage House Pups Blog Post.
Lily
Leave a Reply