How to Choose a Good Breeder
Getting a dog can be difficult! You already have an idea of what you’re looking for, or maybe you haven’t decided yet, but getting a dog isn’t like going to Target or Home Depot and just picking the best and cheapest option. There is so much involved in this search that it can get more than a little overwhelming.
I’m here to help!
There are so many different dog breeds, mixed breeds, shelter pets, etc how do you choose where to get your newest family member? I was an “adopt don’t shop” advocate for years, and I do believe that there are good rescues doing their best to find good homes for the dogs in their care. But that mantra has been around for years and there isn’t a significant difference in the number of shelter pets. So now I say, “adopt or shop, do both responsibly”. But how do you find a responsible and ethical breeder?
Firstly, you have to understand that just because someone has a dog that looks similar to what you want, does not mean you should purchase that dog from them. Especially if the puppy is listed for significantly less than others sold in that area. Why?
We all know what a puppy mill is right? The worst of the worst. Dogs living in crates, usually covered in their own filth, not taken care of properly, and being exploited to make money off of their puppies.
Unfortunately this is a reality, and one that you want to avoid at all costs. If you buy a dog from a situation like this, you are not rescuing that dog. You are actually supporting that “breeder” and allowing them to continue their way of breeding. These puppies will not be properly socialized and will usually not come from health and temperament tested parents. So sure, you could safe a few bucks puppy, but at what cost? Puppy mills should always be reported to the authorities. And honestly, places like this is where a lot of pet stores get their puppies from, sad to say. Avoid these places like the plague.
Next are backyard breeders. This term does not refer to the location of where the puppies are raised, but how they are raised. These breeders are usually a family with an unaltered pet who has an accidental litter and needs to get rid of them. Or maybe it’s someone who chose to intentionally breed their dog in order to sell the puppies. This kind of breeders are characterized by the fact that they will not have any kind of health testing done on their dogs. The dog will not be genetically tested to see if it is a carrier for any kind of problem, and they will not have their breed specific health testing done which is usually hips, heart, elbows, etc. The puppy will also not come with any kind of a health contract or breeder support for the lifetime of the dog. They won’t care which puppy you pick, as long as you pay. The breeder may simply be uneducated that these are important things to do, and we can’t fault them for that. But when you know better, you do better. And you should certainly not pay more than $500 for a dog like this. If this is the way you want to go, that's fine, but there is a better sort of breeder.
Now we come to hobby and professional breeders. These two often overlap because they are both ethical breeders who do what is best for their dog. But the difference is the scale of their operations. They both do genetic, health, and temperament testing on their mating dogs, and do their best to care for their puppies. These are the kinds of breeders who should be charging the big bucks for their dogs because of the time and money spent on health testing and the time invested in socializing their puppies to give them the best start in life.
Hobby and professional breeders will work with the puppies on some kind of curriculum- Empowered Badass Breeder, Puppy Culture, etc, and will be working with their puppies daily. They will generally sell their puppies with a health contract of some form and will be easy to reach for any questions you may have. These are the sort of breeders you search for and want to choose to give the best start at life for the newest member of your family. After all, this is a lifetime commitment you are making and you should choose your next pet based on factors such as their temperament and health, not simply looking for the cheapest option. Price is an important factor, but should not be the most important factor.
Here at Country Walk Doodles we pride ourselves on being among the best breeders out there. We start with parents of sound temperament and of the highest standards of health. We test the temperament of each dog we produce at 7 weeks old and do not allow puppy picks until after that time. That may sound unusual, but there is a good reason for it. Most of the time, pets are re-homed or sent to a shelter because their temperament did not match with the owner’s expectation. At CWD we do all we can to ensure that we give our puppies a voice to tell us what kind of home and family they are best suited for. We give our clients the ability to really see the temperament of each puppy by utilizing the Empowered Badass Breeder evaluation protocol. During testing we look for:
How tolerant each puppy is to 10 different kinds of common touch that they’ll encounter throughout their life
How sensitive they are to sudden sights and sounds
How friendly they are with other dogs
What their level of human focus is
How motivated they are to work
The strength of their nerves
And how tender hearted they are- how much they are affected by the human emotions around them
We provide a health guarantee against fatal/severe genetic defects for the first two years of your puppy’s life. And we offer lifetime breeder support! If you ever have any questions we are happy to assist!
If you’re looking to add a best of the best goldendoodle to your family, we hope you will choose us, Country Walk Doodles.
And if you’re looking for a different breed, let us help you! We can assist you in locating another Empowered Badass Breeder who works with the breed you are looking for.
I hope this has been helpful!
