What is a Breeder ?
In the last few years there has grown a disturbing trend that has tried to belittle and denigrate the registered breeder of purebred dogs. There have been catch phrases invented to describe the breeder as a possible producer of dozens of second class puppies or a breeder of unregistered pets. Catch phrases such as Puppy Farmer, Backyard Breeder or Puppy Factory have been heard by many who may have wondered why those who use these terms try so hard to destroy the reputation of registered breeders or the dogs that they breed.
The registered breeder is under attack from the designer dog (accepted cross breed) producer, the backyard breeder and also is seems, sadly from within its own ranks by those who set out to denigrate other breeders within their own sphere to the benefit of themselves. Unfortunately this has helped to turn the general public in some instances away from either exhibiting their dogs or indeed from purchasing the purebred entirely. I truly hope that this trend can be reversed and that as registered breeders we can work closer for the benefit of the breed rather than the swelled headed approach that sends the message that all of my dogs are quality and the others are bred by Puppy Farmers all be it registered breeders, therefore my dogs are better. This does nothing to encourage newcomers to learn about our breed and indeed I have found many people turned away completely by the slandering of co-breeders.
What is a registered breeder ?
In my opinion a registered breeder is a member of an organized governing body that carefully supervises their activities with strict rules and regulations. The registered breeder always strives to produce puppies according to its breed standard and makes sure with health examinations, relevant testing, vigorous culling and vaccinations that the puppy offered is to the highest standard of good health, sound conformation and gentle temperament. The registered breeder may breed just one litter a year for their own use or strive to promote their breed through more than one litter a year strategically placing quality babies in other breeding or show homes where they will be noticed. Within this process are the culls or excess babies in a litter that possibly do not live up to the promise of the mating. These puppies are offered to loving pet homes where they also become ambassadors for their breed providing companionship and affection to their owners and being seen to achieve this by would be puppy owners. This in my opinion is how a breed thrives and grows. It is also how a breed is accepted as a good companion animal, through its manners and the way it conducts itself outside of the goldfish bowl of the show world. The registered breeder also keeps meticulous accounts of the history and pedigree of their dogs so that any defects as well as highlights can be readily traced and eliminated from the breeding gene pool. All registered puppies come with a pedigree, health check, vaccination and where applicable a microchip. Registered breeders spend literally hundreds of dollars every year to ensure that they have their paperwork processed and their registrations both council and association in order.
I am a registered breeder and proud that I can honestly say my puppies are thriving in both show homes and pet situations. I always strive to achieve puppies bred as close to the breed standard/ideal as is possible. I hope to enlarge the gene pool for the breed that otherwise would become inbred with all of the problems associated by introducing new bloodlines to my team on a regular basis, and I expect any introduced dogs to complement my program rather than change my direction. I hope to promote the breed to a wide audience through quality puppies which fit in and achieve the aim of a companion animal. I always expect to find a future Champion in each litter and as health issues prevent me from showing as much these days I try to put many of these ambassadors into show homes. Just because I breed more than one litter a year does that make me a mass producer of second rate babies ? I think not as my aims are as high as any. I enjoy my babies and while the contact and pictures sent from happy owners and exhibitors keep coming I can feel that my aims are being met. If I bred only the one litter a year as many would have it, I would be doing a disservice to those wanting a quality baby in their home and limiting the gene pool which would in turn lead to less knowledge about our breed and inbreeding as has happened in some other breeds that I could name.
What is a Puppy Farmer ?
A puppy farmer is by all accounts a person with a lot of dogs who breeds indiscriminately. This is a person who does not research their breed and is not always a member of any governing body therefore his breeding practices are not monitored. He/she is a person who breeds to no standard and does not breed always within the bounds of their own breed often producing what are commonly called designer dogs. There is little or no research done as to the compatibility of the mated pair and health issues are not usually addressed. They often invents breed names to attempt to normalize their cross breeds into the mainstream and have them accepted as breeds in their own right. They have no qualms about selling puppies en mass to pet outlets or overseas dealers. They have no responsibility to any health issues within their dogs not needing to vaccinate or test as these breeds technically do not exist so can have no inherited problems. This is a myth as many designer dogs are carrying the damaged genes from any breed that may be in their history and are suffering the consequences. A puppy farmer is accountable to no-one and therefore can make their own arrangements as to what breed mates with what producing a pet with questionable temperament, conformational soundness and long term health issues. Many pet outlets carry “designer dogs” from these breeders. Remember the Puppy Farmer/Factory tag is an invented tag to cover these producers of what are essentially cross breeds or mass produced purebreds.
What is a Backyard Breeder ?
A backyard breeder is a person who has purchased a couple or few dogs to mate and sell for the dollars. They usually owe allegiance to no governing body and do not breed to keep either soundness or temperament in their chosen breed. The dogs can be purebred or cross and as long as they are saleable the backyard breeder is happy. The puppies are often sold before the regulation 8 weeks with no health checks or vaccinations. The mothers can have a litter every season in many cases that I have seen with no break and are replaced when the breeding career is over. These puppies are often seen in the newspaper advertisements or pet outlets.
There are vast differences between the registered breeder, the puppy farmer and the backyard breeder. They have different aims and ideals. I believe that as registered breeders we are all trying to breed the best type, temperament and soundness into our puppies and we should congratulate the breeders of the past who had the foresight to bring these gorgeous breeds to our notice in the first place. That position has now passed to us as custodians of our breed and we need to be as diligent and congratulatory as the breeders of the past who gave us the base stock with which to work. For the good of the breed we need to aim high, encourage and welcome newcomers to join in and stop tearing other breed fanciers down in an attempt to move an inch ahead at another breeders expense. This is detrimental to the breed in general and leads to the general public heading for a designer dog with no such baggage.
I hope this makes you think and helps you to make your own choices based on your own decisions and not on those who would sway you with biased opinion or invented tag names.