How do I find a reputable puppy breeder and avoid puppy farms?

[SubOptimalViews]

So we are looking at getting a puppy early next year, have wanted a dog for a long time but not been the right time. We are moving house to be nearer family and once settled would like to add a puppy to our family. We have 2 grown up children who are both at university and a DS aged 9.
I’ve read lots of threads on the doghouse board and everyone is always saying that most places are puppy farms disguised as responsible breeders which I really want to avoid! However I don’t know where to start looking to find a reputable breeder. Any recommendations very welcome!

You will find plenty of spaniels in rescues. If you really really want a puppy then go via the kennel club and the breed association.

We got our puppy through a rescue, its much harder to get a puppy than an older dog but if you are willing to foster it's easier. Some of the smaller rescues don't have premises and rely on foster placements to take the dogs/puppies until they are ready for adoption. We fostered 2 puppies for a couple of weeks then got to adopt one of them. Best thing we ever did.

I knew this thread would be full of people saying to rescue instead. There's nothing wrong with wanting to experience your dog right from being a puppy.

OP you really need to start with a specific breed. Cocker spaniels need a lot of training and an awful lot of exercise. Cavalier king Charles are very laid back but not very interested in long muddy walks as they're more of a lap dog.

Ffs don’t believe this. If you go for a Cavalier (a breed I’ve owned all my life), be prepared for a dog that likes nothing more than to chase squirrels for 4 hours a day. Not all of them are like this, but a good percentage. They’re also one of the most widely puppy farmed breeds, and have some seriously expensive genetic conditions. Do your research with this breed.
They are the best girls and boys in the world, though!🐶

As someone with a 13 year old working cocker spaniel, it’s probably the last breed I’d choose for muddy walks… oh, the mud… her entire lower half needs washing after every single walk, she hates the hairdryer and at 4pm in winter she’s still damp from the morning’s walk.

She does have four Equafleece jumpers, which keep her chest and belly reasonably clean, but she doesn’t like full suits (which my terrier wears) that protect the hind legs, and even then the ears and tail are unprotected.

In the sticky clay mud we have to contend with, DD’s Labrador is leagues ahead in the easy-to-clean stakes, and he’s a dog that loves to get wet!

My friend’s son has a cockapoo and he’s actually worse to dry, all the fluff of the spaniel, but curly too. They bath him after every walk.

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I’m not anti a rescue dog but having had them before (many years ago) I would like to experience having a dog from a puppy and training them myself etc. I’m still at the stage of researching the right breed for us and thank you for the suggestions. Ideally looking for something smaller than a lab but not a tiny dog and not jack russel types, my sister has two and they are bonkers! I think I need to decide a breed then look at kennel club and maybe go to crufts in march, really want to get it right and not rush into anything. People have suggested cocker spaniels or miniature poodles and a friend suggested a lagotto. DS obviously wants a doodle type like all his mates but he doesn’t get to choose and I’m aware that a lot of those types of dogs are from puppy farms because there aren’t registered breeders.
thanks for all the advice and suggestions, all really helpful

We volunteered at the local rescue and fostered puppies. A dog was not our main goal, but if one suitable had become available, we would have known. Our area just doesn’t have the kind of dog we needed coming through rescues. so the volunteering continues, but we finally gave up and sought a dog through a breeder.

we went to dog shows. We had to travel and attend multiple shows. When we just reached out to reputable breeders, they mostly ignored us. When we showed up at dog shows, they knew we were serious. It reminded me of that scene in Sex in the City when Charlotte shows up to the Synagogue wanting to convert. We had to prove ourselves.

We still had to wait a year for the right match. Just any random dog being available isn’t a good sign. A reputable breeder asks many questions about your family and waits until the right puppy is born.

Not necessarily is it worth it.
And if you buy from them, then they'd be selling 3 and that might tip the balance to make it worth it for them.

OP, rescue centres have puppies. Much more competition for them but far from impossible.

Oh I wouldn’t knowingly buy from a puppy farm but let’s not kid ourselves that puppies that do end up in the rescues are not 9/10 dumped farmed pups they can’t sell for one reason or another.

Be that they know there is something wrong with the lines, pups too old for cute sales or they know they are about to get busted so are doing a flit even leaving behind pregnant dams.

First identify the breed that will suit your family, then look for a breeder NOT a puppy. Find someone who has multiple generations with them still, to check temperament and health. Make sure they are doing the recommended health tests for the breed. Wait as long as it takes for the right puppy (and don’t expect it to be on your doorstep), making very sure that you keep the breeder informed if your plans change.

I didn't you, I meant one as in anybody.
9/10 is purely arbitrary figure of course but probably not far off.
It's a tricky one because if people don't rehome pups from rehoming centres, then the farmers will find another way to get rid of them, but I do understand the argument that you are supporting them in a way and, as you say, you're taking a risk that you could more reliably avoid if you (one) bought from a good breeder.

@SubOptimalViews what do you want in a dog? That's the most important question - everything comes after that.

I breed. I've had people approach me telling me they'd love a Golden. Then I show them a photo of mine pre and post (weekly) groom. They soon run away. There's a lot more to most dog breeds than most people realise until they've actually owned one...even having a relative that owns one doesn't really prepare you.