When buying a purebred dog or puppy, it’s important that you choose one produced by a reputable and ethical dog breeder. Breeding high-quality dogs is an expensive endeavor, and reputable dog breeders make very little profit. They produce dogs because they love them and aspire to improve the quality of their breed lines.

Reputable breeders will have both sire and dam tested for serious genetic defects common to the breed before producing a litter, to avoid adding to the defective gene pool inherent in the family line. Carelessly bred dogs are more likely to have inheritable genetic defects that may be expensive to treat, or poor temperaments which can make them unruly and hard to train.http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1671&aid=844

Unfortunately, when one breed becomes a “fad,” such as Dalmations were a few years ago when the “101 Dalmations” movie was in the theaters, and as designer dogs are currently, greedy and unscrupulous breeders often crank out puppies with little regard to their dogs' physical and emotional health. Pet store puppies are often produced in puppy mills, often under cramped and dirty conditions with little veterinary care or loving attention from humans.http://stoppuppymills.org/inside_a_puppy_mill.html

These puppies may be quite darling and irresistible, but you’re taking a chance on buying a dog who is genetically inferior and may even carry communicable dog diseases from the puppy mill. Instead of enjoying your new pet-store puppy, you may be spending huge amounts of time and money at the veterinarian’s office and nursing a sick dog.http://stoppuppymills.org/inside_a_puppy_mill.html

Reputable breeders truly care about their puppies and will want to know that you will have your new puppy’s best interests at heart. Before you decide to buy a pure breed puppy or dog, please read this article to learn how to choose a reputable dog breeder.

Perhaps the best way to find a reputable breeder is to ask local professionals who work with dogs every day and know a quality dog when they see one. Your community’s veterinarian, dog groomer, boarding kennel staff, or dog trainer are often acquainted with local dog breeders, or at least the dogs they have produced. They may be able to refer you to local breeders or give you contact information for regional or national groups of the breed(s) you’re interested in. Most dog breeds have online groups of devotees, who will gladly offer advice and referrals.

Once you’ve located a breeder, arrange for an interview. Keep in mind that a reputable breeder doesn’t sell his or her dogs to just anybody, and will be evaluating you as a prospective owner. Most will expect the buyer to sign a contract to the effect that the dog will be returned to the breeder if the new owner is unable to keep the dog for any reason, even after the dog has matured. This is a common practice that shows the breeder has true concern for the welfare of his dogs even after they’ve been sold.

Begin your evaluation by asking the breeder what motivates him to breed dogs and what qualities are important to him in the dogs he produces. The breeder should express an authentic love of dogs and a desire to improve the quality of the breed as his motivating factors.http://www.qualitydogs.com/choosingbreeder.asp

A reputable breeder shelters his dogs in clean, comfortable kennels with dry places to eat and sleep (or as indoor family companions). Their dogs should all appear to be healthy, well-fed and content, and should not exhibit behavioral problems like excessive shyness or undue aggression. Beware of breeders who refuse to let you see the parents (if they are on the premises), but are anxious to show you the cute, wiggly puppies! You may end up with a puppy with intolerable behavior that isn't easily trained out of him.

Ask to see the certification papers that prove that the sire and dam were certified to be free of inheritable genetic material common to the breed before litters were produced. A reputable breeder will not take offense, and should gladly and willingly show you the documents.

Ask the breeder how often he allows his dogs to produce a litter. Breeders who allow their females to become pregnant each time they come into heat are risking the health of the mother. Reputable breeders protect their investments. How many litters a dog should have each year is debatable, but the longer the breeder waits between litters, the more likely he is to have carefully thought out and planned the mating of the chosen parents.

Find out how long the breeder has been producing dogs, and how many litters he has produced. It can take several generations of breeding to produce consistently high-quality litters of puppies. The beginning breeder or amateur “back yard” breeder may be well intentioned and driven by the love of the breed, but less knowledgeable than a professional breeder who has earned a reputation for producing quality puppies for many years.http://www.qualitydogs.com/choosingbreeder.asp

The breeder should be willing to answer as many questions as you can throw at him, and answer them knowledgeably. Do some research about the dog breed on your own before the interview. If you get the feeling that the breeder finds your questions offensive, intrusive or annoying, or he can’t give you acceptable answers, this is not the breeder you want to buy a puppy from.

As much as you want a puppy, take time to do your research and interview as many breeders as you can find before making a commitment to buy. Finding a high-quality, healthy, and emotionally well-balanced puppy can be time-consuming and expensive, but an inferior puppy can cost you much in veterinary bills and heartache. The initial expense can save you money over the life of your dog and give you much better chances of raising a happy, healthy, and beautiful dog who grows old gracefully with you.