Beyond Bloodlines: Choosing a Breeder Who Puts Dogs First

We’ve also been told that anyone who isn’t a CKC Registered breeder is a backyard breeder.
That if they don’t have traceable, registered genetic lines, and specific OFHA health testing, they aren’t “good breeders”.

But is it more complicated than that? 

(I think so)

Now, I’m the first to admit, I didn’t know a lot about breeding, and I know a lot less than most other trainers, but I do know some things and I wanted to share what I do know with you, so here we go (on a journey together, like usual!)

First: I know that breeding began as a way to hone-in on certain qualities and characteristics of dogs, so that people could use them as tools to complete jobs. 

In Short: They were bred with a purpose.

That’s why we have herding dogs (to keep flocks of sheep and herds of cattle in one spot), and hunting dogs (to help catch find and retrieve food), and terriers (who were good at catching and killing rodents and vermin that damaged crops), and guardian dogs (who were good at protecting the people, and the animals, and the crops), and so on and so forth… you get the idea. 
Over hundreds, even thousands of years, people selectively bred dogs so they could excel at certain jobs.

In order for those dogs to be consistently grouped together for the jobs they were created for,, humans had to come up with some key traits and standard characteristics for each breed. 

You can find the Rules of Eligibility for each breed group here, but in order to apply to be a registered breeder with the CKC, there are steps to take (I found the CKC website tricky to navigate so I asked AI for help with this part):

Now that that’s out of the way…. here’s a hard truth

Registration alone doesn’t tell you whether someone is breeding ethically.

It simply tells you they’re registered.

And here is the thing: registration and ethics aren’t the same thing.

What do I mean?

Well, I have personally met CKC breeders with champion bloodlines, extensive health testing, beautiful pedigrees, and ribbons galore.
On paper, they looked like everything puppy buyers are told to look for, but their dogs spend much of their lives living in outdoor kennels or indoors in crates, with very little opportunity to simply be dogs.

(And we all know how I feel about letting dogs be dogs!)

And then there are the “Backyard Breeders”…

We hear this term a lot, but, like most things, the definition is dependent on who is defining it.

For some people it literally means someone who breeds dogs in their backyard.
For some others, it means breeding dogs, even pure bred dogs, who not CKC registered.
For others it means anyone who doesn’t do the extensive health testing.
For others still, it means the mixing of any two (or more) established dog breeds at all.
(Yes, this even includes all the different doodles!)

The term “backyard breeder” is generally used to describe someone who breeds dogs without carefully considering the health, welfare, temperament, or long-term wellbeing of the dogs they’re producing.

A backyard breeder might:

• Breed simply because the dogs are cute.
• Breed for quick income.
• Skip health testing or ignore known hereditary conditions.
• Put little thought into genetics or temperament.
• Raise puppies with minimal socialization or enrichment.
• Sell puppies to anyone with the money to buy one.
• Provide little or no support once the puppy goes home.

There are many breeders that people would immediately label as “backyard breeders” because they breed mixed-breed dogs (like doodle), or purebred dogs without registration papers and extensive health and/or temperament testing. 

But there is a catch

Some of those same breeders, the ones without papers or genetic testing, or are breeding mixed dogs, are actually doing more to benefit the dogs than some of the CKC Registered, Confirmation Champion breeders. 

Some of them are:

• potty training their puppies
• introducing programs such as early neurological stimulation and puppy culture, badass breeder, etc. 
• providing opportunities for enrichment
• ensuring safe, early socialization with people, surfaces, sounds smells, sights.
• safely exposing them to new experiences,  and raising them in their homes surrounded by children, visitors, and everyday life.
• keeping their puppies with their mothers and littermates for as long as appropriately possible (8 weeks is a minumum)

They are genuinely invested in giving each and every puppy that comes from them the best possible start.

Does that mean every CKC breeder is unethical? Absolutely not.

Does it mean every unregistered breeder is ethical? Not even close.

It just means that registration titles and papers don’t tell the whole story.

There are even some other kinds of breeders.

People who are focusing their breeding programs less on the breed standards and rules of eligibility, and more on specifically creating pet dogs. These breeders are more mindful about temperament and behaviour than what the dogs look like or what jobs they should be able to perform. 

Instead of asking, “How can we produce the best working dog?” they are asking, “How can we produce healthy, emotionally stable dogs that thrive as family companions?”

Why?

Because, they feel that as awesome as the breeds are that are already created, so many breeds do not make good pets. 

For example, a lot of people want a malinios… until they see how bitey they are.
Or a border collie, until they keep chasing kids and nipping and their ankles.
Or a husky until those huskies go on running adventures and don’t want to come back when you call them.

Because every breed developed because humans intentionally selected dogs that naturally displayed the behaviours they wanted more of… and those instincts didn’t disappear just because today’s dogs live in our homes, with our children, and sleep on our couches.

A Border Collie may still feel driven to herd children.
A Belgian Malinois may still want to bite, chase, grab, and work all day long.
A Siberian Husky may still have an incredible desire to run.
A Jack Russell Terrier may still believe every squirrel needs to be eliminated.

Let me be clear: These aren’t bad behaviours.

They’re exactly what generations of selective breeding created.

So what is right?
What is a “good breeder” then?

Well, if you ask a hundred people, you’re going to get a hundred different answers to that question, I think.

It’s not quite as cut and dry as a finding a reputable rescue… sometimes you won’t even realize that corners have been cut until years later, when health or behaviour concerns begin to appear.

Instead of relying on labels, ask questions.

Lots of questions.

The best breeders won’t be offended by them.

They’ll appreciate that you’re doing your homework.

So what are some questions to ask?

(Don’t worry, I got you!)