How to find the Responsible Breeder
1. Contact the breed registry. If the dog is an AKC breed start with the AKC web site www.akc.org. AKC is a multi-breed registry that maintains stud books (pedigrees). It is made up of many member clubs, one for each breed. The national breed club can send you a list of breeders. The list is not an endorsement. You still have to check everything. It is just a place to start. Virtually all countries have their own kennel clubs, a good many of them are now on the Internet.
There are breed registries other than the AKC. One is the United Kennel Club (UKC). Also look at the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). Others are breed specific. You will usually find these breed specific registries in the process of researching your breed.
Sometimes it is difficult to tell if a registry is legitimate. There are many out there that are not, so be careful. Make sure the breeder gives the actual name of the registry, not just the initials.
2. Contact local breed clubs. You can contact them through the AKC web site, or United Kennel Club or do a search on the Internet or subscribe to some magazines. Make sure you know how to spell your breed's name. You would be amazed at how many people handicap their research because they spell the breed name incorrectly.
3. Talk to other people who have the breed you are interested in. Where did they get their dog? Are they happy with the breeder? If you have never met anyone who has the breed you are interested in, then you really need to take time out to do just that. Before bringing a dog into your household you want to see at least half a dozen living in different households so you get some idea what the dogs are like in real life, with real people just like you.
4. Attend dog events. Good breeders are active in the dog world. That is how they keep in touch with important information. The AKC web site can point you an events calendar. It is important to know that just because one breed club is putting on the show does not mean that your breed won't be there. Use the events search to find ANY event, then contact the secretary of the event and find out if it is likely your breed will be there.
There are also web sites for a variety of dog sports that will also have events calendars. Be sure to check places other than AKC since there are a lot of competitions that don't involve AKC. If you are interested in a dog that does a particular activity, say sledding, then try the sledding web sites for organizations that put on events and have an activities calendar.
5. Go to any place where people with dogs gather - dog parks, grooming shops, training centers, veterinarians, pet supply stores. Talk to people. You can find some shows on http://www.infodog.com/, but don't forget the performance and non-AKC events. To find them explore the activities links looking for web sites that maintain activities calendars.
6. Get involved. Join some of the Internet discussion lists for your breed. See
This can be a wonderful way to meet some really good breeders. If you've done your research it will show in the questions you ask. Since a responsible breeder's main concern is the right home you may well end up with a pup that would otherwise be unavailable. I've known breeders to move people up on the waiting list just because they felt it was a really good placement.
7. What about the newspaper? The newspaper is not a good source. That doesn't mean there is never a responsible breeder advertising in the newspaper. Your chances of finding one there, however, are very small. The sad fact is that if you have done your homework you will know far more about breeding healthy dogs that 99 percent of the people advertising in newspapers.
You can use newspaper listings to polish your interviewing and question asking skills. Be warned, however, that some people will become hostile when you ask them questions, especially about health and temperament. Mostly they get hostile because they don't really understand and they think you are accusing them of being a bad person. If you can stand the possible hostility you will certainly gain an education, and you might end up educating others. Not a bad thing.
Oh, and some of the worst breeders are advertisers in the dog magazines. There may be good breeders too, but flashy does not equal good, and neither do large numbers. Pay attention to what they DO, not how grand they sound. Be skeptical. They write their own praises, remember that.
8. Then again you might decide that you have room in your heart for a dog that was bred by a less than responsible breeder. If everyone were a responsible breeder there would be little need for animal shelters. To do your part in reducing pets in animal shelters don't reward bad or careless breeders by buying from them. Don't make a bad situation worse by rewarding them for what they do no matter how sorry you are for the dog. You will only increase the problem. Unfortunately there are plenty of irresponsibly bred dogs looking for a loving home in shelters and rescues across the USA. You can get some really terrific dogs that way. I should know because that is where my dogs come from.
If you are lacking in experience focus on rescues where you will get more support and guidance than government run shelters.
I have a page for Rescue and Shelter dog links. It is a short list of some of the web sites that list shelter, humane societies and rescue dog organizations. There are more of them, but I can't keep up.
9. People used to looking for products are used to looking for lists of suppliers with a good reputation. This doesn't work well for finding a good dog breeder. A responsible breeder spends a lot of time preparing to breed, but may end up breeding only a few times. These are the breeders who have the time and energy to actually care about the future of the puppies they produce. But it makes for an ever changing "list" of good breeders - individuals popping in once then not reappearing for several years. Who is going to be able to do a better job of following up and supporting the puppy buyer - the person who has produced two litters of eight puppies over ten years (16 dogs to track) or the person who has produced five litters of eight every year over ten years (400 dogs to track). This is why the individual breed clubs are a good bet for finding a good breeder. People can be listed or unlisted efficiently because there is more direct involvement and communication.
Source : http://www.dogplay.com/GettingDog/where.html
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