Teaching about reputable breeders?

Question

well my sister and her fiance have decided to go to a breeder to find a pup (still are considering a breeder rescue but leaning towards a breeder). my sister has done extensive research on yorkies and feels she could own one. i don't care about what the fiance says since he is an idiot. but my sister is having trouble understanding the concept of a reputable breeder. she found a breeder 20 minutes from home that she says is a good breeder but after reading about their health guarantees or as they call them "warranties" i have decided to teach her about reputable breeders. after reading the contract that these people have i would like to show her a contract from a reputable breeder or what a contract from a reputable breeder looks like, compared to the contract that this apparent "good" breeder has. and compare the guarantees and everything they have. so if anyone could help me out with giving me a link to what a sample of a reputable breeder's contract looks like as well as a site to a few reputable yorkie breeders (preferably in minnesota but will take anything to use as an example) that would be amazing. thanks for the help.

Answer 1

Here's one I like in Michigan, my favorite part is there are NO PUPPIES or prices listed on this site anywhere.  She also strives to educate people about Yorkies in general.

http://www.northern-lites.com/

Answer 2

Have you contacted the AKC or UKC?

Answer 3

I'de say a good breeder is some one that obviously breeds for the love of the dog and not the money.A good breeder would let the potential buyer ask as many Q's as they want and provide ongoing support.They should also give your sister a weeks trial or so to see whether its what she wants.Your sister should meet the dogs parents,receive a Vaccination Cert and Pedigree Papers to prove that it is purebred.Im not a breeder myself but have only bought Pups from reputable breeders who know their stuff :)

Answer 4

I've got this great link that spells it all out for you.

http://members.tripod.com/antique_fcr/go...

So WHY should you want to buy from a reputable breeder?  A few boxer owners share their personal BYB stories.

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthr...

AND from the YTCA site, a message on "teacup" yorkies, colors in yorkies, and a bit on responsible breeders.

http://www.ytca.org/faq.html

Breeder Referrals, from the YTCA site:

http://www.ytca.org/breeder1.html

Hint:  Reputable breeder websites will NOT advertise puppies on the front page!  Some do not even advertise puppies at all.  They do not dress puppies up to look "cute" so that they will sell.  The first thing you will see on a GOOD breeder's website is its champion dogs, and a list of their dogs' accomplishments.

Keep these things in mind when looking at websites and speaking with breeders:

http://www.phouka.com/puppy/bdr_irres.ht...

Answer 5

what is your e-mail and will send you my contract

Answer 6

The contract alone does not show a responsible breeder. The breeding dogs themselves play a GIANT factor in determining if a breeder is a GOOD breeder or not.

How many dog breeds does the breeder have? If someone breeds over two different breeds, then they are not allowing enough time to really devot themselves to each individual breeds requirments and showing. This is usually the first major warning sign of a bad breeder. Even two different breeds is pushing it.

How many dogs does the person have? If they have 15-20 dogs that they breed, again, they are probably not breeding for the right reasons. Most responsible breeders usually have a couple females, and maybe one or two males, and then some of their retired dogs.

How many litters a year do they have? A good breeder, who is NOT breeding for money, will usually only have 1 or 2 litters a year.

What titles do their dogs have? This is one of the most important factors. With pet overpopulation the way it is, over 7 million dogs are euthanized a year in shelters. Dogs should ONLY be bred to better the breed. The only way to know if your dog is top in its breed is to show or do some other form of competition. Your dog could be purebred, may even be show quality, but that does not mean it deserves to breed. Good breeders will either have championship titles on their dogs, or points towards a title. If not a show title, the dogs should at least have some kind of title, in either showing, agility, obedience, protection, or something else. AKC registration is not enough to prove that the dog is a top rep. of its breed.

What health checks do they go through. BOTH parents should of gone through hip and eye checks, as well as other health screenings to insure there are no breed related problems. Also, the lineage of both dogs should be known on BOTH sides for at LEAST 4-5 generations, if not more, and health should be known that far back, as well.

Most good breeders gurantee their dogs for at least 2 years, but a lot do lifetime gurantees. Almost every good breeder also requires a spay/neuter contract if the dog does not show show potential, to reduce the number of dogs being irresponsibly bred.

If the breeder fulfills all these things, then yes, they sound like a very good breeder. If there are even one or two things missing, I would probably avoid them.

You never told us what their contract states, so its hard to say, but just the fact that they have a contract is definetly a step in the right direction. Contracts aren't everything when it comes to picking out a good breeder. You have to look at the full picture, not just a piece of it.