Finding The Right Breeder

The ideal place to get the right dog for you is from a respon­si­ble breeder who cares about their breed. Breed­ers put a lot of time, thought and money into pro­duc­ing sound, healthy pups, and they want the best pos­si­ble homes for those pups. A good breeder will hon­estly answer all of your ques­tions and will have a myr­iad of ques­tions for you as well.

There are no right or wrong answers. Be hon­est so the breeder can match you with the best pup for you and your family’s lifestyle. Remem­ber that rep­utable breed­ers always have both their pup­pies’ wel­fare and your best inter­ests at the top of their priorities.

Below are some ques­tions you should ask and some ques­tions you should expect to hear.

Questions you should ask… 

1. Can you tell me how long you have been in the breed, and your par­tic­u­lar inter­est in the breed? Do you take part in con­for­ma­tion show­ing, agility, obe­di­ence or other dog activities?
2. Are the par­ents of the pups health tested, and if so what tests have they had?
3. Are the par­ents CKC-reg­is­tered? Will the pups be registered?
4. Does the breeder use a con­tract that spec­i­fies all par­ties’ respon­si­bil­i­ties and rights? Does the con­tract state the breeder is pre­pared to take back the puppy/dog if the owner has to relin­quish the dog for any reason?
5. Does the breeder guar­an­tee the health of the puppy for a cer­tain time and state what their pol­icy is if an unfore­seen health issue arises?
6. When you go to see the pup­pies, will you be able to see mum with the pups?
7. How old are the pup­pies when the breeder allows them to go to their new homes?
8. Does the breeder give a “puppy pack” when I col­lect my puppy?
9. How has the breeder social­ized the puppies?
10. Is the breeder a mem­ber in good stand­ing of the Cana­dian Ken­nel Club and a mem­ber of the National Breed Club?

Questions you should expect a breeder to ask…

1. Have you had dogs before (or this par­tic­u­lar breed)? If so, how long did you own the dogs?
2. Are you at work all day? If so, what plans do you have in place for the toi­let­ing and feed­ing of your puppy?
3. Do you have a securely fenced yard?
4. Do you have chil­dren (their ages)? Are you pre­pared to spend time teach­ing your chil­dren how to respect, han­dle and play with the puppy?
5. Do you have other pets?
6. How much exer­cise are you pre­pared to give to your dog?
7. Have you thought about how much your dog will cost you in terms of vet fees, board­ing ken­nel fees, groom­ing fees and other costs over the years?
8. Do you and your fam­ily under­stand the com­mit­ment required to bring up a happy healthy pet, and to ful­fil the dog’s needs for its lifetime?
9. Do you (or fam­ily mem­bers) have aller­gies to dogs?
10. What are your plans for your fam­ily dog?

Starting off on the right foot

If you find the right breeder, you will be well on your way to rais­ing a happy, well-adjusted dog. The breeder will be your best source for advice on feed­ing, groom­ing and training.

Pup­pies start learn­ing at a very early age, so take advan­tage of this time and begin train­ing the day you bring your puppy home. Expos­ing your puppy to new peo­ple, places and dogs will instil con­fi­dence and let him know that you are in charge. A great way to accom­plish this is to sign up for a puppy class.

The Cale­don Ken­nel Asso­ci­a­tion offers classes for pup­pies and show han­dling. Our club mem­bers are also an excel­lent source for the many other dog sports available.