What to ask a breeder

I was at the store this Summer and happened to meet a local dog breeder in the parking lot.  His elderly mother asked him to introduce me to his dogs.  My heart was breaking as I noted the cowering body language of neglected and mishandled dogs.  One small female dodged out of his car and was running around under the cars in the parking lot.  There were many cars there and she could have easily been hit.  It wasn't easy to get ahold of her.  The owner used words like "neurotic" and "crazy" to describe her.  He said he got her from a breeder that he knew nothing about and that breeds a lot of puppies.  He said she is papered and that he had tried to breed her multiple times, but hadn't succeeded.  She was a beauty, but she was so dysregulated, scared, and so overwhelmed with stress that she wouldn't even take a treat from my hand.  This breeder then pulled another female and her 12 week old puppy out of the car.  Both were too scared to take a treat and their cowering body language and shock collars around their necks spoke chapters about their short and sad lives.  The owner handled them roughly, patting them firmly on the sides, and said they were good dogs.  The poor things were physically put back into the car and that was the end of the interaction.  It broke my heart.  

WHEN YOU BUY A PUPPY, 

THINK ABOUT WHAT THE LIFE OF THE MOTHER IS LIKE

I mentioned to this man that his little "neurotic" female had probably come from a puppy mill, and he agreed.  Studies are showing that these dogs being bred in small cages, living in their poop, with no enrichment and barely enough room to move around in a small circle, absolutely no kindness or loving handling or bathing, being bred over and over with no reprieve, are literally going crazy.  Neurotic dogs come from their neurotic mom's and dad's.  They literally develop psychosis in that kind of a deprived environment and their puppies carry that epigenetic imprint.  It's truly a tragedy.  This is why you can buy a $3000 designer dog and do everything right, and still end up with a dog that cannot function in society and that is perpetually scared, living in a constant internal nightmare fed by continuous production of stress hormones.    

FIND A GOOD BREEDER

Breeding well balanced, healthy dogs is not easy or cost effective.  People do it because it is a labor of love.  It can be very rewarding when we find owners like you who understand and are looking for the difference.  The number of hours and energy invested is never compensated, but a good breeder doesn't allow that to let them neglect their dogs.  

Their dogs are family.  

SO WHERE DO I START?  

AVOID SCAMS

Make sure that you are buying from a legitimate source.  According to Alaska's List, "pet scams are now the most common form of fraud being perpetrated on the internet."  This is information they obtained from the FBI.  I have seen so many people posing as families that adopted a puppy and can no longer keep it.  BE CAREFUL!  These people are hired by puppy factories and the dog you get will likely be one as described above.  It would be easier for you to adopt a shelter dog than to buy from a puppy factory or a scammer.  

I hear story after story about people buying puppies over the internet, or at a pet store, that have quickly developed serious health conditions.  I have a friend who told me about their family member who has an AKC Bernese Mountain Dog that was diagnosed with hip and elbow dysplasia at an extremely young age.  They paid a lot for this dog.  Now each surgery is a minimum of $2500 and the poor dog is in incredible pain.  I know a woman who got an AKC  puppy from a local breeder and this dog developed pica almost immediately.  The puppy was not cheap ($2500), and the pica was likely due to malnourishment and lack of environmental stimulation as a tiny baby puppy.  The stories go on and on.  I also have a colleague that was sold a black lab puppy locally via an ad online.  The puppy has turned out to be some sort of terrier mix.

PUPPY CULTURE TO THE RESCUE?

I think it is important to think about and decide what best fits your needs and wants.  If you want a puppy that has been loved and cared for, who will feel comfortable being loved and cared for, there is a high likelihood that a Puppy Culture puppy will fit that description.  Not all people that handle puppies are careful and not all people that intend well have a gift and a knack for understanding a puppy's emotional needs and handling a puppy in a way that the puppy feels safe.  As humans, we tend to stomp all over a dog's communication signals if it is stressed, asking for a break or space on its own, or even begging to be let out for a potty break.  If you are the kind of person that wants to develop a relationship that involves two-way communication with your dog, a Puppy Culture puppy is a good start.  That puppy will be more inclined to want to learn with you, and their breeder will have laid the groundwork for you to start on your training adventure together.