Where Every Moment is Golden
Why Buy A Puppy From A Breeder
Why Buy From A Responsible Breeder?
There are many good reasons to buy a well-bred purebred dog from a responsible breeder.
The first, of course, is predictability. You will know whether you are getting a breed that exemplifies what you want from a dog, rather than an albeit cute puppy who could grow up to be something other than what you expected in terms of size, temperament, appearance, or many other factors. Unpredictability also applies to “designer dogs”; they may well combine the worst, rather than the best, qualities of the two breeds involved.
Knowledgeable Breeder
The word “breeder” alone will not suffice when you’re choosing from whom to buy a puppy. “Breeder” simply means the person owns a female dog who produced a litter of puppies.
If this person isn't knowledgeable about the breed, doesn’t know the breed standard, and isn’t working toward producing dogs who look like the standard and are physically and temperamentally sound, the results, again, could be unpredictable—or worse.
Ethical Breeders and Things to Look For
Irresponsible breeders who breed for profit rather than quality will accept any buyer with a check or credit card. Ethical breeders screen new homes (as a potential new owner, be prepared for lots of questions), serve as knowledgeable mentors after you take your puppy home, and will always be ready to take back or re-home any dog they produced. In other words, they deeply care.
Because ethical breeders spend lots of time socializing, caring for, and observing their puppies, they will be able to recommend the puppy most likely to fit best into your life. In my breed, the Golden Retriever, in most cases the breeder will not let you take your puppy home before he is 8 weeks old, ensuring he is old enough to adjust well. They will tell you what you need to buy before you bring your puppy home, have started his house training, had his health checked, and begun to accustom him to having his nails cut, feet trimmed, and coat brushed. All of this gets your puppy off to the best possible start.
Some people truly enjoy raising a puppy, while other prospective owners would prefer not to deal with housebreaking, crate training, chewing, teething, and all of the other things that go along with raising a youngster. If you would prefer an older dog, a breeder may have a retired show dog who would love to spend the rest of his or her life as a pampered only pet, or she may be able to refer you to a reputable breed-rescue organization that knows the breed well, has screened its dogs, and can, again, find the dog best suited to you.
It's important to understand that responsible breeders do not contribute to the situation of homeless pets in shelters. In fact, they support breed-rescue efforts that help those dogs and are often actively involved in transport, fostering, and placement of rescued dogs.
Responsible breeders find good homes for every animal they breed, and they keep track of them once they leave. They take great care in producing healthy, well-adjusted animals who look like the breed is supposed to and have correct temperament—which for the Golden Retriever means friendly, playful, and inquisitive, and responding quickly and easily to basic training. The dogs who wind up in shelters do not come from responsible breeders but rather from poorly bred, randomly raised, or “damaged” dogs who spent their early lives in one or more unsuitable homes.
10 Reasons to Buy a Purebred Dog
Responsible purebred breeders help ensure their puppies will grow into happy, healthy dogs. Here are just 10 of the reasons why to buy a purebred puppy.
- Once you begin looking for a puppy of you own, AKC Marketplace will connect you with a responsible dog breeder who loves their dogs like family. The breeder you choose should always be available, by phone or email, to answer your questions, provide expert advice, or just enjoy all the photos of your puppy growing up. Not only do you get a healthy puppy, but you will also get a friend and mentor for life, someone who is totally devoted to their chosen breed. So Look for a breeder who wants to stay available to you for the life of the dog.
- Because you would like a puppy whose parents have been carefully chosen for health—and have gone through a series of genetic tests to make sure that the puppy you get has the very best chance of being healthy, well-socialized, and well-adjusted.
- Because you don’t want any surprises! you should be able to predict your dog’s adult size, exercise/grooming requirements, temperament, and more from 100-plus years of traceable pedigrees. Also, because you will have a personal relationship with the breeder, they’ll be able to match an individual puppy’s temperament perfectly to your individual lifestyle. In every litter, puppies exhibit a range of personalities—some are more dominant, while others are more laidback and mellow. By observing and evaluating the litter daily, the breeder will find the puppy that suits you best.
- When training your dog, you will benefit from the responsible breeder having begun that process early on. a good breeder has been handling your puppy from birth and has already begun to be socialized, which greatly affects how well-adjusted they’ll be as an adult. We use the Puppy Culture Program with our puppies here at Legend. Your puppy and their littermates have been exposed to other dogs, other animals, and children, along with loud noises like dishwashers and vacuum cleaners. They’ve also already spent individual time in a crate. All of this early training gives your puppy added confidence as he joins your family.
- A puppy from a responsible breeder will have received excellent care from day one. Perfect nutrition, the best medical attention, and lots of supervised playtime—all the components that go into making a happy, healthy adult dog. Continuing to follow the Puppy Culture Program which goes beyond a year of life.
- If anything should happen to you, your family won’t have to worry about finding a caretaker for your dog. Your responsible breeder promised in writing to take the dog back. They are your dog’s advocate for life.
- There’s nothing more thrilling than witnessing a dog’s natural instincts (which have been carefully, expertly bred into them for generations) come to life. Watching a herding breed start to move cattle in a barnyard? Watching a pointing breed aiming their muzzle at a bird, even though they’ve never hunted a day in their life? Amazing! Purpose bred Pure bred dogs from a Conservation breeder is what responsible breeding is all about. It’s so rewarding to nurture those instincts in your dog. You have fun earning medals and titles for your dog in sports like Dock diving, FastCat, Barn Hunts, Hunt tests, Obedience and Rally, Agility and more. Doing this will build an unbreakable bond with your dog as you work together as a team.
- That new puppy comes with a huge community of great people who love their breeds and their breeders. The American Kennel Club offers a large network of dog lovers, available to give me expert advice and invite you to sports and play sessions. There are many new friendships waiting to be made.
- You will be investing the time into researching a breed that suits Your personality and lifestyle By doing that, you will be virtually guaranteeing that the bond with your dog will be like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. You will have a partner in crime, a friend that will never judge you but will share you joy and tears for years to come. They will break your heart when they pass away because they’ve been in you life since they were a baby—and even so, You know you will do it all again.