I would like some advice please (so I hope I am posting in the right section)
At some point I would like to add a pup to our family. It will be in the far future but I believe in preparing early :) I understand about researching (after all it's my job :)) and decided to start with the KC as from reading previous posts it seemed like a good place to start.
Now searching through the lists of litters jotting down names I noticed one breeder with 6 litters born very closely spaced. I realise breeders will have more than one  breeding bitch but is it usual for someone to have so many at the same time? Should I be looking at people who have only one or two litters at a time? Should I not even be starting to look for names here? Is it bad etiquette to contact a breeder and say ' I don't want a pup yet, don't know when I will but I am just making enquiries and I found your name on the KC  website'?
I sincerely hope I haven't offended anyone with my questions and would love some advice as to where to start my search. As I said I don't know when I will be in the position to have a pup (probably not until I retire :)) but I would like one sometime and want to do it all properly.
Thanks in advance for any advice you may have.

I would prefer to look for a breeder who had no more than one, or at a pinch two, litters a year. Any more than that is verging on commercial, and quantity does not automatically equal quality.

Thanks for such a quick response Jeangenie, I thought that would be the case after reading posts and articles about being wary of breeders with lots of pups or breeds but I wasn't sure, particularly if they are on the KC site. I love my rescue boy dearly  but for my next dog I want a quality pup which I have prepared for completely (if that makes any sense).
I do have another question that is completely irrelevant so I hope it isn't too inappropiate to ask here. My own boy Paddy is a pure bred lab according to the paperwork I have got. He was a private rehoming to me and I was his third/ fourth home since leaving his breeder. I do have the addresses of both his dam and sire but have never contacted them. Should I have contacted them out of courtesy? I haven't because I was afraid they would ask for him back. 

Having bred a few litters, I always think of all the pups as being my babies. The owner of his dam, in particular, should be delighted to know of his whereabouts, and that he's well and happy and loved. That's what we all hope for our puppies. :) Don't worry, I'm sure they won't make you return him. Please tell his breeder where he is, his history (as far as you know it), and that you're pleased with him. :)

My own boy Paddy is a pure bred lab according to the paperwork I have got. He was a private rehoming to me and I was his third/ fourth home since leaving his breeder. I do have the addresses of both his dam and sire but have never contacted them. Should I have contacted them out of courtesy? I haven't because I was afraid they would ask for him back.

Definitely contact the breeder (i.e. the mother's owner) as they may be really worried not knowing where he is -if they are caring. (Sadly not all are.) One pup I bred was sold on without my knowledge and I've had nightmares about this for 3 years now and don't think I ever will get over it. (I've tried to trace her but have failed.) The breeder won't want the dog back if you have given him a good home -nor would they have any legal rights -a good breeder will just want to know where the dog is and that he's in a good home. My first dog was a rescue and I had the same situation. I did contact the breeder and she was overjoyed, we went to visit her and got to meet my dog's mother. :)

Thank you, I think I will contact the breeder it is something I have thought about a lot since I had him and particularly since reading on forums etc and reading the breeders side of things.
Goldmali, I am sorry you have lost touch with your pup, maybe Paddy's breeder feels like this. I don't want to give him up though but I am sure they can see he has a good ( at least I hope they think so) home with us. 

It's actually impossible for the breeder to make you give him up - you own him, you have his papers, and the breeder has no right to your dog.  I bet the breeder would really like to hear he's ok though.

Your best place to start is with the breed club for the bred you are considering.  anyone seriously involved with their bred will belong to their breed club and will be bound by their rules and codes of ethics, and of course will wnat to have a good reputaion among their peers.

You can find contact details at the bottom of each standard -page on the Kennel club website (clisk standards, then the grup your breed is in, and then the breed, scrol to the bottom of the page and the club details are there.

You can also ask the breed clubs about any of the breders you ahve seen advertised,a dn they will be able to tell yu if they are club members with a good reputaion, or the opposite.

Genuine breders are actually delighted to have people contact them when reserching the breed, and would far rather get to know you before they have the likelidhood of puppies available.

Thank you Barbara :) I have got the contact details for my area Breed Club as that seems a good place to start.

Good luck, going about it this way you have every chance of getting a typical well bred puppy from health tested parents that will grow up to be a credit to his breeder breed and you