How can we increase the number of good breeders?

[LastOfTheChristmasWine]

I'm slightly thinking out loud here, but interested to know what others think

At the moment, we have a problem nationally

• there is something of a shortage of well-bred puppies; good breeders have lengthy waiting lists.
• there is great demand for puppies, and everyone wants well-bred puppies (or says they do; wilful blindness to puppy farms aside).
• puppy farmers, unscrupulous breeders and to some extent imported puppies are filling the gap between supply and demand.

Breeding dogs well is a very labour-intensive process, and the things which people often consider to be a sign of a good breeder naturally constrain supply, such as

• not having too many dogs in total
• raising the puppies in a home environment
• only letting each bitch have four litters (KC rules, used to be six litters)
• not rehoming ex-breeding dogs to make space for more breeding dogs
• always being able and willing to take back dogs if they need rehoming

All of these are completely justifiable but the unintended result is that a good breeder cannot produce as many good litters as they otherwise might.

The barriers to becoming a breeder are quite high; anyone who asks about it on MN is told not to even consider it; indeed there is something of a stigma about it. I'm sure some of these people could learn all the necessities, and might even have a suitable dog for breeding. Honestly I'm not sure how anyone gets into breeding good quality dogs.

My suggestion is - could good breeders encourage their purchasers to breed from their dogs, if they grow up to be a good example of the breed? It could look like

• puppy contract features the requirement to bring the dog in for an assessment of breeding potential as a young adult, to include genetic tests for PRA etc etc.
• if deemed a good candidate for breeding, the original breeder identifies a mate and organises things
• bitch could whelp and rear puppies either at owners or breeders home, with support and oversight from the experienced breeder, depending on mutual preference, and return to the owner after the puppies go off to their new homes.
• dog lives in an entirely normal pet home for the vast majority of their life, without being rehomed at the end of their breeding life.
• breeder retains responsibility for things like returned puppies and future assessments of those puppies.

I'm sure many dogs, bitches in particular, with good genetics go off to pet homes and are spayed, while bitches with crap genes are bred in sheds and live miserable lives to make up for the demand.

I'm aware of some dodgy breeders of XL bullies etc using co-own type arrangements as a means to obfuscate the breeder licencing process, but this would be in many ways a welfare-focused means to improve the conditions of your average breeding dog. Ideally this would be coupled with a crackdown on the puppy farms (West Wales, I'm looking at you...)

Interested to hear what others think - with the overall demand of having supply of well bred puppies meet demand and puppy farms being put out of business because people have better options.

@OneGoodThing - don't think so. Not a hound. No webbed paws!

Another thing that was good for my puppy was that she was kept with her dam until 12 weeks. Those extra weeks being told off by their mother - and also their aunt, who had been staying with another family member until the puppies were a few weeks old - were were good for learning dog manners.

Of course that means more cost to the breeder (though price for mine was still less than the price tag for fashionable crosses) plus more effort in raising the puppies. But my goodness I have a smashing dog as a result!

Another plus of coming home to me at 12 weeks is that she was further along the vaccination programme, and could go out on the ground straight away

Last dog was a rescue mutt from the Welsh valleys. Very common then (early 2000s) and lived until 17 with no health issues. She had considerable fear aggression towards people. We managed it and she loved a happy life without incident.

A fellow dog trainer bought a fully health tested and registered WCS. She was the same price as my well bred health tested terrier. Her son bought a cavapoochon or something with no health tests and from a ‘Welsh farm’. The crossbreed was much more expensive. It’s not always about money.

If you want to rehome a rescue dog they check you out, your family, your house garden and your job and lifestyle.

All dog owners should be checked out in the same way and pay a proper licence fee to enforce standards, 10 people were killed by dogs last year and 2 already this year

All dog owners should be checked out in the same way and pay a proper licence fee to enforce standards, 10 people were killed by dogs last year and 2 already this year

This is a nice idea but it only works if every single breeder out there is licensed and vetted by someone - the council or some kind of governing body. As it stands there are thousands of breeders who are totally "hidden" - it's impossible to vet them properly, let alone hundreds of thousands potential owners.

A good breeder will grill you properly about your domestic situation before they let a puppy go - I knew one who would go on Google Earth and make sure that their house had the garden they were describing to her. We had to raise the fences in our garden by two feet before we were allowed to bring our puppy home because a grown dog can easily bounce over a six foot fence.

The problem is that sensible people who pay licence fees, microchip their dogs, have insurance, etc, etc, aren't the ones who decide on Thursday they want a dog for the weekend and get one off Preloved, or who see an abused dog with cropped ears on TikTok and think it looks cool and get one off some bloke in the pub. I wish you could legislate against stupidity.

If only most were that honest, more likely pay the cash and it’s yours.

"And interestingly, those 'rare and reputable breeders' selling pedigree dogs are often much cheaper than those selling the expensive cross-breeds."
It states on the breed club website for the breed my dog is how much you should pay for a well bred puppy from a one of their members. Its significantly less than my friend paid for her dog from a puppy farm.

Dog ownership has become fashionable of late. Added to that is the desire for fashionable cross-breeds as well as for specific breeds, eg brachycephalic ( seriously needs addressing.)

Opportunists are rubbing their hands in glee at this current desire to get a fashion statement that's dressed up as a
'desire to bring my children up with dogs'

' I want to be like everyone else '

' I want to have a cute pet'

' I want to look like I've got spare time on my hands'

' I want to look like I lead a rural life'

'It's for my insta'

'Everyone else has got one.'

The reality of dog ownership really is eye opening.

Dogs are pack animals that need company and stimulation. If they don't have these then problems arise.
Hence increasing numbers needing to be rehomed.

We're in a situation where cross breeds cost more than pedigrees.
Too many undesirable dogs in rescues shelters.
Too many rescues not being flexible in their adoption criteria
Too many people not being able to cope with dog ownership.

It's madness.

There needs to be some form of legislation as the puppy breeders are just sitting back, coining it in and putting untold dams under unnecessary duress while the humans, who are being petty, fickle and downright stupid keep on making up their unrealistic demands.

@LastOfTheChristmasWine There are some good dog breeders who do most of those things now. I think it's education on dog owners that's paramount too. People still but puppies from back street breeders and don't do the research.