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Making It the Perfect Match

Denise Flaim | Animal House

May 9, 2000

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READ A BOOK about purebred dogs, and you'll come across this sentence: "Buy from a reputable breeder."

Technically, anyone whose dog has an intact reproductive system can be a breeder: Put a female dog in heat and an unaltered male together, and the two pretty much take it from there. The humans just place the classified ad and collect the money. Your neighbor down the street with the AKC-registered litter of wriggly border-collie pups may think of herself as a breeder, but she's not necessarily a good one. Here's how to tell:

A reputable breeder screens for health problems. Hip and elbow dysplasia, hyperthyroidism, cardiac problems ...the list goes on, and includes genetic predispositions, from Von Willebrand's disease in Jack Russells to entropian eyelid in Rottweilers. Proper screening takes time and money: The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals will not officially certify a dog as nondysplastic until it is 2; most reputable breeders will not breed a dog until that age.

A good breeder can tell you about what's "behind" her dogs- what the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were like. Since temperament as well physical attributes are inherited, this "nature" side of the equation is crucial. On the "nuture" front, a good breeder socializes her puppies, exposing them to positive and constant human contact.

Denise Flaim Bio | E-mail | Recent columns

A reputable breeder breeds to a standard. Purebred dogs exist precisely because they have a specific set of criteria-both physical and behavioral- that define them. It's called a "breed standard." Good breeders show their dogs or have them perform in field trials to demonstrate that they measure up to the requirements of form and function set out in that standard.

If, say, a golden-retriever breeder doesn't keep breeding toward that common definition of "golden-retriever-ness," then that little blond ball of fur at your feet may grow up to look and act nothing like a golden retriever.

If you don't care about your golden retriever looking and acting like a golden retriever, reconsider why you want a purebred dog in the first place. There are many wonderful and lovable mixed-breeds in shelters and rescue programs.

A reputable breeder breeds for a reason. Many ethical breeders consider it a point of pride that they breed infrequently-once a year, maybe less. Most don't advertise in newspapers, and, in fact, have waiting lists. Breeders' goals in breeding should be to replenish their breeding stock or improve on the dogs being bred-not to make a buck, or to have their children witness the "miracle of life."

Ask one little question: "What are you trying to accomplish with this litter?" If the breeder starts talking about how the two parents complement one another, how one's strengths will improve the other's weaknesses, and vice versa, listen and learn. If she says, "What?" move on.

Don't be intimidated because a breeder has "show dogs." "Champion" dogs do not produce only "champion" puppies. Some will have faults- such as an "incorrect" color coat or a kinked tail or an overbite- that are purely cosmetic. Every litter has these healthy "pet quality" pups that have been as carefully bred as their show-ring- bound siblings.

A reputable breeder is picky, picky, picky. A lot of folks bristle at the scrutiny a good breeder puts them under. If it's geographically feasible, she will want to meet you and your family- to see how you interact with her dogs, if you understand the breed's negative points, if your children are out-of-control brats, if you are an axe murderer.

Because she knows her dogs better than anyone, she will probably pick your puppy for you, or give you several to choose from. She will never let them leave before they're eight or nine weeks old. If you are buying a female, she may require you to co-own the dog with her to insure that you do not breed her irresponsibly, and with "pet quality" pups she will certainly require a spay/neuter clause in the sales contract. One breeder I know requires prospective owners to have a fully fenced yard and one stay-at-home parent, and to send a Christmas card with the dog's picture every year of its life. I wouldn't have qualified to buy a dog from her-though my doggie holiday cards are cute as heck-and that's OK: Every breeder and buyer is not always compatible. But if you're patient and do your research, you'll find a reputable breeder you respect and trust. And that's crucial, because...

A reputable breeder is your dog's breeder for life. She is there for the panicked she-ate-a-sock! calls and the endless questions, from "What brand do I feed?" to "Why is he chewing his feet?" A good breeder has a return clause in her contract, stipulating that if you ever give up the dog, it must be returned to her. For if she's a reputable breeder, her door is open to any puppy she brought into this world-even if that puppy is now an adult dog whose family is giving it up for any of a number of self-centered reasons, including these I heard recently from a breed-rescue volunteer: "I had a baby- I don't need the dog anymore." "I've redecorated, and the dog doesn't match the decor now." And, in the case of an incontinent 10-year-old dog from Brooklyn: "The nanny doesn't have time to walk him every three hours."

Being a reputable breeder takes work, and so does finding one. It means endless phone calls and emails, waiting lists and tons of research. But a reputable breeder figures if you make all that effort, you'll turn out to be as reputable and committed as she is. Most of the time, she's right.

The best place to look for a reputable breeder is in national breed clubs. Check www.akc.org/breeds/groups/index.cfm, which also offers breeder referrals.