Puppy Producers: What are They?

The best definition that I could find for that word was from a speech given by Peggy Adamson before the Annual Symposium of the "National Dog Owners and Handlers Association" in February 1969 and published in their newsletter. It has been reprinted on the Clearview Rottweiller website and is titled "What is a Breeder". If you have ever wondered whether the person you purchased your dog from should have the right to wear that title, reading this entire article will certainly provide you with all of the answers you could ever hope to understand!

"The breeder is the mainspring of the dog world. Without the breeder, there would be no dogs. Without the dogs, there would be no kennel clubs, no dog shows, no judges, no handlers, no trainers, no dog food companies, no dog publications. Despite their importance, the breeder represents a very small segment of the dog world, which in turn, creates the dog business. Furthermore, they are the ones who seldom, if ever, make a profit, even in the most popular breeds; and since they cannot take a livelihood from their breeding activites, they must be able to rely on some other source of income. Why then, do people ever become Breeders?? A breeder has, in his mind, a perfect dog that he someday hopes to create. He presses on to breed his ideal dog, unfettered by desires to be a conformist, or to pander to the buying public. Like the artist or sculptor, he is activated by a creative, inner drive which is totally unaffected by considerations of what will sell or what won't. Unlike the sculptor however, he is working with living flesh and is constantly fighting time. He can never put his work away and come back to it later. The raw material on which he labors is constantly changing - sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse; sometimes as a result of his efforts and sometimes in spite of them. Nature and Time are his greatest adversaries, yet when he least expects it, they may prove to be his greatest allies. The sculptor can use the chisel to chip away at his mistakes, but it may take years for the breeder to see where he has made a mistake - a mistake which in some cases may never be remedied. True breeders speak the same language, whatever their breed. Without the slightest previous communication, they discover that they think the same way, they have the same ideals and goals and standards of behavior and the same awareness of responsibility. Like the Beautiful People in the social world, they immediately recognize each other - not because they know each other's names or who they are, but because as kindred spirits they realise what they are."

Now to further expand on the characteristics of which we should all be aware, that are prominent within these various groups, let's take a more detailed look at the

1. Back Yard Breeder (BYB):
A large percentage of "purebred" puppies come from these self proclaimed "breeders" and most of the dogs found in shelters would not be there if it were not for such people constantly producing "a" litter of "pets" every now & then!!

One of the main characteristics that these people seem to share is in their NON (or self made -fake) club affiliation! Most will not qualify for membership into the real parent club, nor local chapter because of their irresponsible breeding practices! Some may have actually been suspended from the AKC and are now using "generic" registries to provide "papers" for the pups they are peddling! A few of these people have even gone to the trouble of learning some "dog people" terminology, just enough to fool you with!!

Don't be fooled by such hype as

DNA testing: all that means is that the person can "prove" the parentage (sire and dam) of any particular puppy! If they own the parents or have witnessed the breeding (if their bitch was transported to the stud) why would they feel that they had to prove who the parents were? Was the bitch out running loose with other males or could they have so many dogs housed together that they can't keep track of who got whom? I would be very concerned in either case.

<<In recent years the explosion of genetic knowledge and technology has brought genetic science front and center, providing a variety of products and services that touch the lives-- and pocketbooks-- of the general public. Dog breeders find themselves faced with decisions on whether or not to have their dogs DNA tested for various things. Those letters-- DNA-- are uttered regularly on news programs and are likely to turn up almost anywhere in your daily newspaper, with the possible exception of the real estate section.

The problem with all the mass media coverage and subsequent word-of-mouth between people who suddenly find themselves (or their dogs) personally connected with the subject, is that misinformation and misunderstandings abound. This article is an attempt to dispel some of the misunderstandings which have surfaced.>>

Mythunderstanding DNA Tests by C.A. Sharp

Extreme health testing: Each breed has its own list of potential genetic diseases. The article Breed Specific Congenital Defects Halted by Only By Selective Breeding lists a short chart that you may find helpful. For example, there has never been a verified case of Collie Eye, Basenji Syndrome, or Obstructed Breathing (common in dogs like the Boston terrier, boxer, English bulldog, Pekingese, pug, and brachycephalic breeds) reported in the Shiloh Shepherd.
Therefore, why would I even want to test my dogs for diseases that they couldn't possibly even have? Sounds like a bit of a scam to me! The ISSR (my breeds registry) is actively working with the Shiloh Shepherd Genetic Task Force to determine the extent & severity of any breed specific diseases reported in the Shiloh Shepherd. Please visit our Genetic Task Force Library and don't forget to read the articles listed on our Learning Center:

The AKC also has a list of breed specific diseases that you may want to look at.

Nevertheless BYB's and Puppy Mills often like to make exaggerated claims in order to impress potential buyers. It's definitely a BUYER BEWARE situation.

Fantastic working quality--unless the breeder is or has been working with, a Reputable Experienced Trainer--how can they possibly make such claims, especially if none of their dogs are titled? By the way, if they claim to be "a trainer" be sure to ask for proof regarding all of the dogs they have titled! BYB's and Puppy Mills will often point to a few titled dogs in the pedigree, but unless each specific animal used actually possesses the required traits and has been proven capable of passing them on to their progeny, that paper means nothing! It may not even be accurate! Scam artists have been known to falsify titles or even entire pedigrees just to ensure a quick sale.

<<Of the 52.9 million dogs who live in the United States, approximately 2.9 million of them are killed in shelters annually (AVMA, 1998, and AHA, 1998). Where do all these dogs come from? Puppy mills churn out 20% of the total number of dogs whelped yearly, and roughly 1% are the results of feral dogs reproducing on their own. Less than 12% come from breeders who actively test their stock in conformation, obedience, and field trials. Backyard breeders, or people who breed their dogs without testing and certifying their stock, produce nearly 67% of all the dogs born annually in this country (Gardner, 1994)>>

<<Euthanasia is the single largest cause of death for dogs in the U.S. Each year 27 million of the animals are born. Five to ten million we classify as "surplus" and kill. That's about one million per month. These numbers do not include the millions of dead dogs whose bodies we scrape off the streets, or the hundreds of thousands of abandoned, severely neglected or abused ones who never make it to our shelters to be counted and killed. The five to ten million figure represents those we "must" kill because they are unwanted.

Most of these animals are young and healthy; in fact, it is estimated that a majority are less than one year of age. The problem is simple: we have too many dogs. Too many for the too few homes available. The solution we have opted for is to kill the extras. This solution has been considered acceptable by default, as though there were no other way to control the crisis. And we spend over $1 billion every year destroying "man's best friend."

Why is this happening in the United States today? The number one biggest contributor to the problem is the backyard breeder not the puppy mills.

This is a name that has become unpopular and no one wants to admit they are a backyard breeder. Many people do not even realize they are part of the problem. This is what I need to address in this post. The only way to stop the needless killing of dogs is to stop the needless breeding of them.>>ShelterDog Rescue - Are you a BackYard Breeder?

2. Puppy Mills, just what are they?? The Internet seems to be full of horror stories depicting these establishments as "hell holes" that mass produce puppies for pet shops, or to brokers that are waiting to stuff them into vans & transport these sickly puppies to auction houses!! Welcome To Puppy Mill Fighters!

Yet this is not necessarily so!! Some of the "higher class" operations have been turned into "Commercial Kennels" that are licensed by the USDA, yet the genetic quality of the puppies they produce has not changed! Often the basic BYB will get so excited about the profits they can attain if only they would produce more puppies, and in turn they too end up becoming nothing more then a "mill" selling "home raised" "pet quality" puppies of questionable genetic heritage to the unsuspecting consumer!! Get the Facts on Puppy Mills

John Q Dog Owner probably thinks of puppy mills as those places exposed on "20/20" or "Geraldo". They have seen the cameras pan back and forth over trash, piles of feces, dogs with runny noses and oozing sores, dogs crammed into shopping carts and tiny coops, rats sharing dirty food bowls and dry dishes. They've seen the puppy mill owner captured on tape, dirty, barely articulate, and ignorant of dog care, temperament, genetic health, or proper nutrition. He's belligerent, too, demanding to be left alone to earn his livelihood.

But is the television crew simply seeking the sensational and applying these appalling conditions to the entire dog producing industry? Just what is a puppy mill?

Dog Owner's Guide: What is a Puppy Mill? this site will answer a lot of your questions, please take some time to follow the links and then visit Prisoners for Profit

3. Commercial Breeders: These people are licensed and continuously inspected by the USDA, yet there is still a vast contrast regarding the quality they are producing. Many of the present ones are nothing more then glorified puppy mills, that have "cleaned up" their act. While others were forced, by the state, into attaining a license due to the number of dogs that they owned/bred. Some of these are excellent facilities operated by long time show/performance professional that should actually be listed under the REB definition!!

In a recent update the NAIA website states NAIA: The report is in

<<Before formulating these recommendations, committee members spent a year doing field work that included an open meeting with high volume breeders and members of the fancy and visits to commercial kennels and the headquarters of a national pet store chain. Among the findings were:

“Sometimes, the lines between commercial, performance and AKC show breeders overlap. Most commercial kennels breed strictly for the pet trade, but during the term of the committee, it was interesting to note that a couple large commercial kennels regularly produce AKC champions. One large-scale stock dog kennel produced titleholders in conformation, agility and herding.”>>

As the legislation concerning pet ownership & breeding rights continues to flourish, more Hobby Breeders and honest REB's will be forced into becoming "Commercial Pet Dealers" in order to retain the right to continue with their private breeding goals, while others may be lost to the fancy forever!!

4. Good Hobby Breeders usually only have a few litters per year; they always work with a national breed club, try to place puppies in optimal home environments, provide excellent care to their dogs and puppies and have a written contract with their puppy buyers. They list their litters on their websites, without fear of the USDA. Dedicated Hobby Breeders are members in good standing with the parent club for their respective breed. They never attempt to start "splinter" clubs or "fake" registries, nor would they consider using any of the "puppy mill" registries now in existence Instead they work hard within their particular organization in order to help their parent club attain the goals that have been set for their beloved breed. All Hobby Breeders have continually worked with, and often are still working with one or more mentors within their chosen breed! If they can't answer a question for you, they can certainly refer you to a real REB that can do it for them!

<<It is an interesting fact that poor quality pups from pet shops and backyard breeders are usually sold for the same price and sometimes even more than those purchased from the serious hobby breeder. All three of the above breeders sell puppies that are AKC registerable--this is not an assurance of quality or dedication to the breed. So, the question is: How does one recognize the serious, dedicated hobby breeder? Prepared below is criteria that you should require your breeder to meet before you consider purchasing your purebred dog. Do not be afraid to confront them with these requirements. It is your RIGHT and you can rest assured that the dedicated breeder will respond positively and with pride.

Your Breeder should:
Belong to a local breed club or a national all-breed club. Ideally, he or she belongs to several. However, sometimes this is impossible if there is no local breed club in the area. The reason for this requirement is that this sort of participation indicates depth of involvement. This breeder is exposed to other points of view, learns more about his breed, general dog care, modern breeding practices and is kept up to date. He is breeding in accordance with a Code of Ethics.
Be involved in showing their dog(s). This means that your breeder is not breeding in a vacuum. The breeder who does not show has no idea how good his dogs really are and is deprived of the opportunity to share information and ideas with others. Showing provides the competition which encourages breeders to produce better dogs. The breeder who shows wants to prove how good his dogs are in competition and is putting his breeding program on the line. He is not relying on just a pedigree to indicate quality. Even though you do not want a show dog, you deserve a pet that is the end result of a carefully planned litter--a pup which received the same care as a potential champion. The Breeder who is known by others and has a reputation to uphold will undoubtedly be as careful and honest in selling you your pet as he is in selling his show dogs.>>

Finding a Puppy

Any person that claims to be a hobby breeder, but does not meet the criteria listed above is nothing more then a self deluded oxymoron, a/k/a BYB!

Investigate before you Invest your love & money into that new furbaby!! This link may help you to better understand some of the issues a real Hobby Breeder must deal with! Even though it was written for my breed, it can be applied to any breed, just replace the ISSR with the AKC and compare the fake registries that we have to content with to the generic ones now being used by the Puppy Millers!!

Want to stop the problem of killing 1 Million dogs a month all over America?

Spay or neuter your pet dog now and tell everyone you know to do the same and leave the breeding to the people who are doing something to better the breed.

Want to be a respected breeder? No matter what breed you have fallen in love with, the same rules apply! Start by reading Things to Consider Before Breeding Your Schnauzer.

Then find someone who lives up to all of it and ask them to be your mentor.

How many litters does a breeder have to have before being considered an experienced breeder?

They should have bred at least one good litter that they can brag on. This will gain them credibility.

They should have had at least one litter that looked great on paper but turned out to be a disaster. This will teach humility.

They should have held (God forbid!) at least one deformed puppy and wept as it slipped into the calm, silent quiet of death. This will provide the heart to be very careful to do everything possible to not see it again.

They should have studied the lines and the traits and the greats and the problems each has produced and read all the books they can get their hands on. This will give them knowledge.

Last of all, they should have consulted the greats in the breed and never, never consider themselves to be experienced breeders. Author Unknown

For an overview of everything that has been discussed thus far, please click on types of dog breeders. You will also find more great links at the bottom of this page too!!

5. It is extremely hard to locate a viable description of a Reputable Experienced Breeder! Therefore I would like to take some time here to provide you with a comparison of a REB against all of the "other types" of breeders that you will run into in your search for your future companion. REBs have a long term breeding plan and breed only to preserve and protect the breed in order to establish their own particular "strain" within that breed, or in rare instances, work many decades towards developing their own rare breed like:

It's not about "facilities" (location)--the best litters often are literally born in a barn. Older REB's have been around so long they have forgotten more than most Hobby Breeders will ever have time to learn. Yet you can always recognize them because their pedigrees will show a plan!! You will always be able to spot their kennel name, in nearly every generation ... no matter how far back you go!! Just take a look at the list of "Special Shilohs" and "honorable Mention" dogs on Tina's web site!

Please note that Tina originally used the Konigin Kennel prefix from 1962-1974, the Shiloh Shepherds™ kennel name from 1974 until 1990 when the dogs were recognized as a rare breed and the Zion prefix from 1991 until the present. She thus only had a period of 16 years to establish the Shiloh prefix.

REBs are always ........

1. Members (in good standing) of their specific (chosen breed) national/local breed club
2. Have established their own line/strain and have attained a reputation for those accomplishments (like JC has done with Hoofprint, and the many others that can be easily identified as the "forerunners" within their particular breed)
3. Are always attending shows/trials/events where they provide seminars, judging services, or just mentor the future (Hobby) Breeders ;-)

For example, here is a quote from the KEY to Finding that Berner Puppy is finding the "right" BREEDER.

<< In your search for a Bernese Mountain Dog, please make sure that the breeder belongs to the national club...The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America or a regional berner club. Don't hesitate to ask for references and please check them.

Select a breeder that you trust!
As a general rule, better known breeders will have a better reputation for quality, experience and reliability - that's how they got to be so well recognized.

The genetic background is what made your puppy.
This knowledge takes years and years of breeding experience from particular genetic lines. Breeders with less experience and pedigree (family history) knowledge should be mentored by an experienced breeder with the genetic knowledge in your puppy's pedigree.

Just like everything else in life, whether you are a breeder, a teacher, a nurse, a doctor, or stay at home mom/dad; there is no substitute for "experience" and "knowledge" >>

REB's will research pedigrees to try and improve upon their own dogs as well as add to the breed as a whole. Responsible breeders have a goal they breed towards, they do not breed just to see what will be produced.

A REB has a working knowledge of the genetics behind the dogs (colors, health issues, etc.)

Responsible breeding

In other words .... a REB is a "pro" PERIOD ... A Hobby Breeder is working *with* one or more REB's within their breed of choice, so that someday they may attain that lofty title too ........ the rest are?? Well, you tell me OK?

A true REB will understand things like:

<<Linkage DisequilibriumGenes found on the same chromosome will fail to assort independently in accordance with Mendelian principles. Such genes are said to be in a state of linkage disequilibrium. This simple fact has a devastating effect in artificial selection, since it means in practice that when a breeder selects for or against any single-gene trait whatever, whether he is aware of the fact or not he is also selecting for or against every other gene located on the same chromosome. This is how genetic defects become rapidly fixed in inbred populations subjected to artificial selection. Since dogs have only 78 chromosomes [diploid number) but many thousands of genes, obviously linkage disequilibrium can be tremendously influential. Genes that are linked eventually become unlinked over time [except in certain special situations) through crossing over, a process whereby chromosome pairs exchange segments of their DNA structure during meiosis. The unlinking process however, is slow and unpredictable; it offers little hope of remedying the linkage disequilibrium problem in a few generations and of course is no help at all where deleterious alleles have already become fixed. >> From Purebreed Dog Breeds into the Twenty-First Century; Achieving Genetic Health for Our Dogs.

<<Padgett: You can prevent autosomal recessive [single-gene] genetic diseases every time you breed if you know what genes your dogs have. Dealing with polygenic or multifactorial traits is not so straightforward, but again, if you have the information you need, within a few generations most of the genes that are severe can be diluted to the point where they do not make much of an impact.

GDC: But realistically, if I can breed a litter of puppies free of a particular disease gene for the cost of two DNA tests, one for each parent, isn't that worth it?

Padgett: It is, of course, for that trait. But every breed has dozens of diseases, and all dogs are carrying several disease genes.
We have to realize that focusing our attention on tests for single genes may give us the feeling that we are on the edge of solving the problem, but the reality is that we will always be dealing with two sets of as many as five or six disease genes in any two dogs we want to breed.
You can breed two phenotypically normal dogs who test genetically free of PRA and get a litter of puppies with no PRA, but with a range of other genetic diseases determined precisely by the genes the parents were carrying.>> An Interview with Dr. George A. Padgett

"Up to 10 million healthy animals are killed in U.S. pounds and shelters every year. The killing could easily be prevented by spaying and neutering.

Euthanasia is the single largest cause of death for dogs in the U.S. Each year 27 million of the animals are born. Five to ten million we classify as "surplus" and kill. That's about one million per month. These numbers do not include the millions of dead dogs whose bodies we scrape off the streets, or the hundreds of thousands of abandoned, severely neglected or abused ones who never make it to our shelters to be counted and killed. The five to ten million figure represents those we "must" kill because they are unwanted.

Most of these animals are young and healthy; in fact, it is estimated that a majority are less than one year of age. The problem is simple: we have too many dogs. Too many for the too few homes available. The solution we have opted for is to kill the extras. This solution has been considered acceptable by default, as though there were no other way to control the crisis. And we spend over $1 billion every year destroying "man's best friend."

Why is this happening in the United States today? The number one biggest contributor to the problem is the backyard breeder not the puppy mills.

This is a name that has become unpopular and no one wants to admit they are a backyard breeder. Many people do not even realize they are part of the problem. This is what I need to address in this post. The only way to stop the needless killing of dogs is to stop the needless breeding of them.

Every breed of dog recognized by the AKC has a written standard, a blueprint of what the dog should look like and act like. These standards were written so that all would know what a quality example of the breed is and strive to produce dogs that meet or exceed the standard in health, temperament and appearance. To be sure you are breeding dogs that meet these standards, your dogs must be judged by people who have a lifetime of experience among the breed."

from Shelter Dog Rescue on the Adopt A Rescue Pet website

The author of this article refers to AKC dogs and the importance of breeding to their Breed Standard.

In the rare breed world things are a little different. There seems to be more dissension among the breed clubs and less likelihood of consistency within the breeders. Many have chosen one of these breeds in order to avoid the scrutiny of legitimate REB's within the breed, thus avoiding accountability problems as well as to just cash in on some extra money.

However, in my breed--the Shiloh Shepherd™, such BYB's have me (the Breed Founder) to contend with and if they refuse to conform to the Licensed Breeders Agreement their only other potential alternative is to print off their own fake registrations in order to fool some potentially foolish consumers that have not taken the time to protect their investment by investigating our breed. We have an extremely powerful club with several websites that are constantly being expanded with additional educational articles in order to protect future Shiloh Shepherd™ owners from such dissidents. We also have an open forum that we invite all seekers to join, read, and ask any questions that they may think of that we have not already answered via the thousands of informative pages we have made available.

Nevertheless I feel that positive legislation is important to protect the future welfare of our entire canine population. Many of the laws that have already been passed have not done much to stop the puppy millers, nor the BYBs!! However, some have been very detrimental to the good Hobby Breeders that could be forced to abandon their former goals. Please be sure to bookmark this page so that you can return to read part 2 of this article that will deal with the various new legislation that has already been passed and laws that are now being voted upon in your area!

We hope to share as much information as we can, in order to better equip you to make your stand so that you can help all of us make a difference!

Publication History:
Written by Tina M. Barber in 2004 for the Shiloh Shepherd Learning Center.