Ethical breeder

Define the above.

Health checks.

Rearing conditions.

Take the dog back.

Life time support ect.

Adam

The above, plus:
Makes certain dogs are old enough for breeding (varies from breed to breed).
Does not breed for the sake of it - i.e. produces litters for a reason, not just because they can, or to make money.
Does not overbreed the bitch/es.
Probably also does something with their dogs, i.e. showing, working, obedience - not just breeding.
Fully paid up and respected member of breed club and adheres to breed club policies.
Probably difficult to define, but I would expect to see a real and genuine bond and love of their dogs, with a great deal of mutual trust, above all other considerations.
Someone who is able and willing to go 'the extra mile' for their dogs, for whatever reason, without hesitation.

also IMO only breeding litters to better the breed (healthwise, temperamentwise and for working ability [couldn't think of a wise for that])
There are enough dogs in rescue and dogs dying through lack of a home to breed dogs that are 'mediocre' (whatever that should mean)

and breeding good fit healthy dogs which can lead a long healthy active stress free life so basically if the breed naturally has a deformity , breeding dogs so as to correct that as a priority

Breeding for a good temperament as a priority

Only breeding when you have homes lined up already so profit definitely takes a back seat


Edited to say sorry for duplication, posted at same time

NOT FOR PROFIT

For Love & passion, with vast knowledge of the breed, knowing and continuing research of the lines & history, Active in breed rescue, Only breeding to improve the breed, to retain progeny for future breeding program, and provide stable healthy pets for owners willing to undergo strict questioning, facility to take back dogs or help with re-homing should the worst happen. Only breeding from health & temperament tested dogs,
Parents should be excellent representatives of the breed. Keeping a waiting list, and making sure that there are brilliant homes waiting for the pups. Offering ongoing advice to new owners should it be needed.

There is more...... Welfare of the dogs is paramount.

Profit is OK by me as long as can take back and has time for the dogs and pups to be treated well and have human company. All dogs except pups for life---not just untill they can't reproduce any more.

At least some pups from each litter to be spoken for before going ahead.

Good temperaments, health tests done. Lots of socialisation for the pups.

For me the dogs wouldn't have to be shown at all and wouldn't need to be 'pure' bred. KC papers are irrelevant.

rune

When i was looking for my puppy, these were the things i was looking for:

Must have a passion for the breed
All health tests done
Only using healthy parents who are also temperament tested
Keeping to the breed standard
Kennel Club registered is a bonus
Having a reason to breed, i.e to keep something back. Not just for the money.
Personally i like to see a breeder who also works their dog. Either by doing what the dog was originally bred for, or by competing in agility, obedience, flyball, etc.
I like the pups to have already had first vaccs, wormed and flead etc.
Good knowledge of their own lines
Putting an effort into socialising the puppies is a must.
Strict line of questioning for potential owner
Willing to take pups back
Lifetime support

I would be worried if I saw a breeder breeding at a loss - how would they continue to afford a suitable diet, the necessary tests, etc. if they weren't making enough money? I would expect them to charge to at least cover all of their expenses, and I personally wouldn't object to them making some money on top if breeding prevented them from working full time - in this world, everything costs money and not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to work for free. Breeding is kind of a job in that it requires a lotof dedication and personal time - someone working fulltime to pay their mortgage and feed their family might be able to afford to breed for no profit but probably wouldn't be able to provide the dogs with the time, exercise and level of care I'd want a breeder to provide.
However, I'd obviously not want money to be their drive to do it. Love for dogs, love for the breed, desire to improve the health, temperament, wellbeing and even the reputation of the breed. There's no point breeding a breed that no one wants, so improving its faults and making it an attractive breed (not just in terms of physical looks) is important.
They should do all the necessary health checks, check the ancestory of the dogs, work with similar breeders - I think one person breeding solo may help a little, but if they find a few breeders with the same ethics, they can support each other in a larger goal.
I would expect the dog to be purebred, not because of any purebreed snobbery but because sticking to a breed gives you a set standard to meet and improve on. Yes, some breeds would probably benefit from being crossed with others, but I'd far rather see, for example, GSDs bred to have healthier hips than crossed out and producing random mixes with various looks and temperaments. The only crosses should be to create a new breed, and IMO this would require a lot of time, dedication and support from others - one person would struggle to make a new breed, as it would take several generations to start to breed true. We have enough mixed breeds in rescues and unless the breeder can guarantee that they will reach a point where this crossbreed is 100% healthy and in good, safe proportions physically, they shouldn't start. No one needs to churn out a bunch of dogs with the GSD's back hips and a Collie's need to run and work - what happens when the dog's 4 and crippled with hip dysplasia, and is going mad due to the lack of physical stimulation?
Homes lined up, socialisation and vaccs for pups, only letting pups go at a suitable age, not overbreeding, etc. too.
However, I think "being able to take every pup back" is an ideal wish but probably impossible. People's circumstances change. I did some small-scale rehoming of unwanted rats, and I offered to take back any rat that couldn't be kept. Rats are slightly easier though - if I had 10 handed back, I could integrate them into my own groups, make up new groups, even stack 10 cages up if they all had to live seperately. Could a breeder realistically take 10 adult dogs back in one go? I think it would be an impossible expectation and not necessarily a benefit to the dogs. Perhaps they could build a block of empty kennels to fit every single pup they breed but still, not really that realistic. What about if the breeder's health takes a turn for the worse and they have to downsize their house, and maybe even rehome their own dogs? Just as it's not always possible for new owners to keep their dogs, breeders are susceptible to lifestyle changes too.
I think a breeder should offer lifetime support and take dogs back if they can and if it's a benefit to the dog, but try to work with the owner to find a new home, and perhaps build up a good relationship with a breed rescue. Not that I'm expecting a breed rescue to mop up a breeder's problem but if every breeder had to physically be able to take back every pup they bred, I don't think there'd be many breeders that could. Perhaps contributing financially, paying for any kenneling or food/vet bills costs for the rescue, helping to find a home, etc. if they really can't take the dog back into their home. I would find it nicer to offer a gesture like this than to take the dog in when they don't have room/time/money and perhaps go and flog it off to the first person asking because they have no other choice.

I didn't breed from my gordon many years ago because I had a vision of 10 returned Gordon Setters running round the place!

The jrt litter my friend is having one from have said they want it back if anything happens and so did the people who bred her mongrel pup.

The breeder of the two labs OTOH left them in conditions she was not happy with and went off in tears----personally I wouldn't have left them. She was told to put both pups in the kennel outside and they would be dealt with later----and she did it!

TBH homing two together wasn't what I would expect from a decent breeder.

rune

Wouldn't that be nice? unfortunately, there are so many factors over which breeders have no control, this is unlikely for all bar possibly a few of the much 'higher priced breeds'.

Following the recent government changes, I knew my future was looking less certain, and therefore put off having a litter - as it was, I was right - and to add insult to injury, my father became seriously ill and passed away - everything happens for a reason, and I am mightily glad I did put it off.

Whilst puppy waiting lists are not foolproof - invariably, the price of a pup is set in stone long before the pups are born - to cover costs could potentially involve going back to the prospective owners and saying - oh sorry, the numbers on the scan were wrong, half my pups died, or I had to fork out 'x' in vets fees, so am adding an extra couple of hundred pounds onto the price of each pup to cover my costs - that won't happen and if it did, would push even more people towards other 'puppy' sources (and I don't mean rescue).


The moral has to be - when setting out to have a litter - ensure you have sufficient funds to cope with the unexpected - breeding a litter should never be seen as a money making exercise, if you do make a small amount of it - then all well and good - but there are so many hidden costs - it invariably seldom happens.

Expecting my new puppy to be vaccinated , is not something high on my list of what I woudl consider a good breeder, in fact I DONT want my new puppy to come with his first vaccination.

I dont want my puppy to have any unnecessary vaccines in his system, and as my vet may not use the same "brand" as the breeders vet, the two will NOT be compatible, hence my puppy will have to have his first vaccination again, resulting in an overload off unnecessary vaccine.

I would however be very cross, if my puppy came to me infested with worms (that is something I would insist is done.

My idea of an ethical breeder is one who registers her dogs with the KC (regardless of its downfalls) one who breeds for a purpose, other than puppying a pet market.

They should know their breed and be able to answer any of my questions about said breed, they should know their lines and the lines they are using, health /temperament ans so on.

Puppies must be raised in the home ans subjected to all family life , before I get him.

He should look healthy, bright eyed and squirmy , and so should the dam, and siblings.

I would insist on seeing all the litter along with the mother, and if possible the sire (if he is on the premises)

I would want to know the "aftercare" the breeder provided, from a simply follow up phone call or me calling them, to a re homing policy in the event it was needed.

I would EXPECT the breeder to put my through the ringer, any question accepted!

I dont mind if the breeder is a big successful show breeder or a small hobby breeder, or if they have more than one breed (no more than two) but my preference would be the smaller /hobby breeder.

I would need to gel with the breeder, like what I hear and feel I can trust her , as much as you can trust anyone you dont know


Personally I would before I invested in my new pup, I would visit as many shows as possible, look at the dogs, look how the breeder/exhibitors treated them and how the dogs reacted to their owners, I would clock a few names, watch them over time, try and speak to them and depending on what I learn will take it from there.


P.S...forgot health tests!!!