Red Flags and Green Flags

Red Flags

An unethical breeder may have a few signs that point out that they are unethical, now this doesn’t always mean that a breeder who doesn’t do these things is ethical, but this is a sure fire way to tell that they aren’t ethical.

Buzz-Words

I can’t list all of the backyard breeder names for dog breeds or we’d be here all day, but here are a few.

“English Cream” Golden Retrievers: Golden Retrievers come in one color: golden. The shades vary from light golden, to golden, to dark golden. Any breeder who uses the term “English Cream” is either using it to make their dogs sound fancier and therefore make more money, or they are very misguided. Either way, this is a MAJOR red flag.

“Tea-Cup” Anything: There is no such thing as a “tea-cup” dog, whether it be a Chihuahua or a Poodle, these are just dogs bred to be smaller than their standard and “tea-cup” or “pocket-sized” are the buzz words used to market them.

“Lilac Merle” French Bulldogs: French bulldogs should NEVER be merle. Merle does not occur naturally in the french bulldog breed and is a result of cross-breeding. These dogs are so popular that it is hard to even find the truth about them, in fact, if you look them up on Google’s new AI feature, you’ll get this:

Yeah… yikes. At least it says it’s not standard…but it doesn’t mention anything about the fact that FRENCHIES CANNOT BE MERLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Teddy Bear” dogs: This one is less of a backyard breeder term and more of a puppy mill and pet store term, so steer VERY CLEAR of this term. There is no such thing as a “teddy bear” dog, oftentimes it is a shih tzu and Bichon Frise mix (Shichon) or a cavalier King Charles spaniel, poodle, and Bichon Frise mix (Cavapoochon) or some other small dog breed amalgamation.

NuVet or pawTree (or other scammy MLMs)

A lot of backyard breeders will make their health guarantee null and void if your pet isn’t given “NuVet” or “paw tree” or some other fad product through their affiliate link. This is just a way to make money, none of these things are actually needed to ensure the health of your dog. The best way to make sure your dog is healthy? Go to an ethical breeder who fully health tests and then get the dog’s shots on time.

Dams and Sires (Moms and Dads)

A breeder should ALWAYS let you see the mother and father of the puppies they’re selling. If a breeder does not show these dogs, or does not health test them, etc. that is a very bad sign. This also applies to the place where the puppies are raised, a breeder should be able to show you a dog’s living quarters, always.

Green Flags

Now, you may be asking, how do I spot an ethical breeder? How do I know that they have the best interest of the dog in mind? Well, there are a few tell-tale signs.

Health Testing

An ethical breeder will ALWAYS health test their breeding stock to their breed club’s standard. Lets use golden retrievers as an example.

This is a very long, extensive list of all of the health testing that should be done and where to get it done for golden retrievers, now, lets look at a breeder.

This is Xanadu Golden Retrievers in Arizona, as you can see, they provide the OFA results for the dog,Jaxson, as well as Jaxson’s dam and sire. Don’t believe that they actually do the testing? Well good thing a link is provided.

This is the extensive health testing done on just one dog, this is my favorite way to root out unethical breeders and continue looking into only the best candidates.

Conformation

A true ethical breeder will do at least some conformation events with their dog, whether it be barn hunts, service dog/therapy dog certification, scent training, FASTCAT, agility, or just regular showing. We’ll use Xanadu once more as an example of this.

Here are some of the titles that the same dog, Jaxson, has won.

Don’t believe it? Well here’s a real certificate from the AKC.

(this is not a sponsorship or endorsement of Xanadu Golden Retrievers, they are just one ethical breeder I found. Go out there and do your own research.)

Breed Standard

Any purebred dog breed has a standard from either the AKC, FCI, or if they’re a more rare breed, their own association or breed group. Breed standards are extensive and usually one or two pages, describing the correct structure, color, coat type, height, and weight of the dog. A breed standard is a perfect way to check whether or not a dog is healthy and will produce healthy offspring that conforms to the standard.

This is the golden retriever breed standard. As you can see, it is extremely extensive, this is a wonderful way to tell what a golden retriever should look like.

Takeaway

Always always always research where you’re getting your dog from, what breed truly matches with your lifestyle, and the health testing required for that breed. Now please, care about the dogs, don’t get a doodle.