How do I know that the people on this site are proper breeders, what charestics etc do proper breeders have to have.

A friend went to somenone who was suppose to be a breeder but they had 8 different dogs that had or were due to give birth. is this not the same as a puppy farmer.What is the difference?

answers i were looking for weren't provided, howeveruseful for looking for breeders

sarah longford
bearford@lineone.net

obviously they should be using quality males and females to breed from that are good representatives of what the breed should be.i always like to see a breeder keeping something from a litter themselves it shows me they have confidence in the litter.do not know how someone could keep pups from 8 litters around the same time or give them the attention needed this sounds like a puppy peddler to me .

Most breeders these days are "hobby" breeders, who just have a few bitches which they lavish a lot a of time and care on. They plan their litters very carefully, selecting what they consider to be the best dog for their bitch, they know the breeding lines to the last detail and most will do all the British Veterinary Association/Kennel Club scheme health checks, required prior to breeding a litter.
Anyone with that number of bitches with a litter or due to have a litter, I would be asking myself have they done the required health checks, and most importantly WHY are they breeding these litters? If it is to improve their own stock and they have dne the health checks under the BVA/KC schemes, then they can say they are a good breeder. On the other hand, if they haven't done done the BVA/KC checks, you do not know anything about the health status of the puppy you are buying and they clearly would not know what is in their lines. If they are breeding as a business, then they are possibly not breeding to improve their stock or the general well being of the breed as a whole, which should be the point of breeding a good line and a good litter.
"Pet breeders" are people who might have a pet dog, which they think is "lovely with the children" or some such thing, unless they do the BVA/KC health checks, then you have the same problem again, they do not know what health problems may or may not be lurking in their bitch or the sire of the litter. Usually "pet breeders" use the "dog down the road" regardless of the pedigree lines, and whether or not the "dog down the road" is health checked. If you find a "pet breeder" who has asked the breeder of their bitch for advice and has used a health checked stud dog on their health checked bitch, then this is much the same as the "hobby breeder".
Any breeder with good lines and the knowledge to breed a good litter will be only too pleased to show you the BVA/KC results for the sire and the dam of the puppies, and explain the pedigree to you, they will offer you insurance for the puppies first few weeks with you, they will provide a good diet sheet and care sheet. They will probably ask you to sign a contract with them to say that if anything happens and you can't keep the dog it must be returned to them.
I hope this helps you.

You have to pay a visit to make sure that the breeder comes up to the sort of standard you require of the person producing your new pup.