In this blog entry, we will look into why is only getting from reputable sources, if you intend to buy a dog, a responsible thing to do, and the various problems you will probably face if you get one from a questionable source. We will also look at the different marketing gimmicks and terms being thrown around by sellers and/or backyard breeders (BYBs) who are only in this for the money.
You might have seen memes like these on the internet......
Taken from here.
Taken from here.
Responsible Breeders
Responsible dog breeders plan their breeding way in advance, they are always looking to improve their lines and they study the pedigree of potential mates before commencing the breeding of their dogs. They take into account everything before breeding; structure, temperament, type, and genetic health. In the case of Labrador Retrievers, responsible breeders health test their dogs to quite a number of health tests before they even consider breeding their dogs. Reputable breeders also show their dogs, or enter them into sports competitions to prove that their dogs are not only structurally correct, but also able to perform tasks that they are bred to do. When all of these considerations come together, they produce dogs that are bred to the standard with great health. Well bred dogs will face lesser health and temperamental problems down the line as compared to their poorly bred cousins.
The only downside of getting a dog from responsible breeders is you have to wait and be on a waitlist for puppies. Responsible breeders have a waitlist and it may be 1-2 years before you get your puppy. They are not like puppy mills, constantly churning out puppies for the mass market. Even though the wait may seem long, it is definitely worth it, as you'll see from what I'm about to write at the bottom.
If Marcie can wait indefinitely for a chance to have a go at that Bak Kwa (which is never gonna happen), why can't you wait for a well bred dog?
On the other hand, irresponsible breeders and sellers often sacrifice all of these health tests for the sake of maximizing profits. My personal take is that I am fine with people trying to make money through breeding animals, but at least do it right and responsibly. Now we will look at why you should not support these irresponsible sellers and BYBs if you love dogs.
Lack or absence of any health tests
Puppies that come from BYBs or irresponsible sources often come from parents or ancestors with little to no health tests done. These breeders either don't care, or they only want to maximize profits, or both. These results in them producing puppies with unknown health status. The vicious cycle carries on when their puppies go to the hands of other BYBs and they start using these dogs in their breeding programme. A common reason I've seen them give is, "I don't see any problem with my dogs, so health tests are not necessary". Well, the puppies could carriers of genetic diseases and when they mate with another carrier, they produce puppies that will be affected. These breeders also don't look at the bone structures of their studs and dams and many of them have very poor structures. I've personally seen the radiographs of a 6 month old imported Pembroke Welsh Corgi from Ireland showing symptomatic hips dysplasia. Its so sad that these puppies will have to suffer from pain so early in their lives with no cure other than a complicated surgery.
On the left is the radiograph of the above mentioned Corgi. Notice that hip sockets are too big for the femoral head, causing a loose and bad fit. Compare that with Charlie's radiograph on the right, where the sockets are deep enough and the femoral head sits in well into the sockets.
*Sometimes you may see reputable breeders breed dogs that are carriers of a certain affliction. Note that carrier is not the same as affected. A dog that carries a certain gene for an affliction will not be affected in anyway. For example, if the male carries the gene for EIC but the female is cleared, some of the puppies may be carriers but none of them will be affected by EIC. But when you breed two carriers, you'll get puppies that will be affected. This is why DNA testing is important for every single breeding dog.
Mixing or creating Designer breeds all for the sake of money
One of the main reason reputable breeders shun or even despise irresponsible breeders is that many of them intentionally cross different breeds together just for the sake of money. Now I am fine with purpose bred cross breeds for working ability such as rescue, service, hunts etc. but even then, there are always purebred dogs that can suit every single tasks needed to be performed (eg. German Shepherd Dogs for protection, Beagles for tracking, Labradors for service work etc.).
Often, these breeders start with dogs that are have limited or no registration, which means that these dogs are deemed by their breeders as not good enough for breeding to better the breed. In addition, reputable breeders do not allow their dogs to be intentionally crossed with other breeds in order to protect the breed, and only sell dogs with full registration and are worthy of breeding to people they trust. So bad breeders already start with less than good dogs in their breeding, which in turn produces mediocre dogs that will get further and further away from the breed standard.
One of the designer breeds that is slowly gaining traction are Silver Labradors (they are not even worthy to be called a Labrador). One of the controversies is that the kennel that first had silver ones, also breeds Weimaraners. Silver Lab supporters will say that DNA tests will show that these dogs are purebreds but they fail to say that DNA tests only show 5 immediate generations and do not show anything beyond. Furthermore, since the development of Labradors in the late 1800s, there have been brindle or even black and tan colours being thrown out in breedings but never silvers (dilutes). Silvers have only been recorded in the 1950s. These silvers are marketed as rare colours and unsuspecting buyers get suckered into buying these dogs. When breeders intentionally breed for silvers, they need to cross silvers to silvers to get more as the dilute gene is recessive (you need 2 recessive genes to be expressed). In most cases they don't do any health tests and don't take into consideration temperament, structure and type. This results in all of the problems silvers face currently; bad and unpredictable temperament, lack of type, and they are more susceptible to health issues like colour dilution alopecia.
Why doodle when you can Poodle? Picture taken from here.
Another popular mixed breed would be doodles; labradoodles, goldendoodles, bernedoodles, whateverdoodles. As mentioned above, breeders of these dogs seldom, if not never, do any health tests for these dogs. Many of them have unpredictable temperaments and traits, and it all goes back to the lack of health and temperament testing done on their parent dogs and the lines that go way back. A lot of buyers are misled by the fancy marketing terms put out by the sellers, which we will talk about below.
Misleading terms you ought to know
In this section I will talk about the common terms sellers use in their advertisements, and what they actually mean.
Pedigree A pedigree is like a birth certificate, detailing a dog's immediate 3 generations of ancestors or more. It is usually issued by reputable registries indicating a dog is purebred, but there are some registries that are shady and allows unverified registration of dogs which I'm not going to name it here. A pedigreed dog doesn't mean its good, it just means that their ancestry can be traced. But pedigrees from shady registries don't mean anything because the ancestry cannot be verified.
With this being said, you can have good pedigrees, as well as bad pedigrees. In a good pedigree, you can see ancestors that are titled in conformation and/or sports, which means that these dogs are proven to have the correct structure and/or have proved themselves to be able to perform in the field.
Willow's pedigree certificate. As you can see, many of Willow's ancestors have achieved titles (UK SH CH - United Kingdom Show Champion, AM CH - American Champion, CH - Champion etc.).
In short, pedigrees mean nothing if firstly the pedigree comes from a less than reputable registry, secondly the ancestries cannot be verified, and lastly, the dog's ancestors have not been proven either in the show ring and/or in the field. Don't be fooled if someone tells you a dog is good because its pedigreed. Do your due diligence by checking the above 3 points I mentioned.
Health Tested parents
Recently I've been seeing sellers offering dogs from health tested parents. I believe this is a good step for sellers as buyers are becoming more discerning in their choices and tend to look at ethically bred puppies. But please don't mistake it as a full health test. Every breed has their specific set of tests that need to be done before the dog is considered for breeding. A good place to check out the minimum recommended health tests required for each breed is with the breed clubs or the OFA website. Different countries have a different number of recommended tests and different breeds have different requirements as well. An example of a national breed club's page would be The National Labrador Retriever Breed Council Australia.
IMHO, the simplest and easiest to conduct would be a DNA test as all the breeder needs to do is to purchase a test kit, swab the dog's cheeks, and send it back to the lab. It costs only $200+ for each dog and you'll get the results in weeks. A DNA test will test for not only a dog's ancestry, but also tests for genes that are responsible for certain disorders such as EIC and PRA-PRCD. This way, breeders can avoid breeding carriers of genetic disorders and produce puppies that will not be affected. However, many bad breeders skip the other important tests such as hips, elbows and patella screening. These tests require the dog to be sedated, x-rayed, and evaluated by a panel of qualified professionals, and are often expensive and time consuming.
In short, check what are the tests required and see if a dog's parents are fully tested before considering to purchase.
Charlie undergoing an x-ray for his hips evaluation.
Hypoallergenic, along with other traits on a mixed breed
If you breed one hypoallergenic breed with another non-hypoallergenic breed, there is no way all of the puppies will be hypoallergenic. Let me give an example; my parents produced my brother and I, but it is so obvious that we are both different with me being the handsome one. This is the same for mixed breeds. There is no way to guarantee the puppy you get is the hypoallergenic one as they may or may not take the traits of a particular parents.
Another trait that the breeders cannot guarantee is the size, especially when they cross a large breed with a toy breed. They can give you a range based on a guess, but never guarantee it.
In short, if you have very specific requirements in a dog like low shedding, growing to a certain size, suitable disposition etc., it will be better if you go for a well bred, purebred dog as their traits are much much more predictable.
Mixed breeds are healthier than pure breeds
If we are talking about poorly bred pure breeds then maybe this statement holds a tiny bit of truth. But mixed breeds are definitely not healthier as well. As mentioned above, breeders of mixed breeds usually start with dogs that are not marked for breeding and without taking into consideration the various health and structure aspects, over time the puppies they produce will be further and further away from the standard. These breeders also do little to no health tests, which can have adverse effects on a dog's life as mentioned in this blog post.
Example of genetics at work
I came across this short video clip of a litter of English Pointers and I thought it's a cute clip to show that when breeders take care of type and instincts, it results in puppies inheriting them and showing at a young age. English Pointers are primarily used for hunting, where they help hunters locate birds by stalking and pointing to the direction of the game.
Conclusion
There is a huge difference between dogs from well bred and poorly bred sources, which is evidently seen from the various tests and platforms the dogs go through. Mixed breeds are definitely more unpredictable in their traits and have a higher chance in developing health issues as compared to their well bred cousins. So why take the chance in getting a poorly bred dog and risk having to spend thousands in vet fees, while you can wait for the right purebred well bred dog that can live its life to the fullest?
Because everybody deserves a healthy and well bred dog.
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