# Breeding: A Backyard Hobby



## pitbullmamanatl (Jun 1, 2010)

*In this case YOU BE THE JUDGE! *
-Author Unknown
*Breeder A *
Lives in the country, has four purebred dogs running around her backyard, 3 females and one male. She loves them, they live in her house, and sleep on her bed. They are her pets.
*Breeder B *
Also lives in the country, has four purebred dogs running around her backyard; 3 females and one male. She loves them, they live in her house, and they too, sleep on her bed. They are her pets.
*Breeder A *
Shows her dogs at championship dogs shows. One of her females just became a Canadian Champion, and she is proud that it conforms to the standards of its breed even though the cost for training classes, grooming and show entries was over $500.00. She decides to breed this female because her other two females, (which are also champions), are now too old for breeding. She hasn't bred one of her dogs in over a year and she wants to keep a puppy from her latest champion to continue her hobby breeding program.
*Breeder B *
Also decides to breed one of her females. None of them are champions, and she has no intention of ever showing them to see if they conform to even the bare minimal of the breed standard. She doesn't think it matters. Her dogs are nice looking, they seem healthy. She wants to breed to supplement her income, and it doesn't matter which of her three females she chooses. Maybe the oldest because that dog only has a few litters left in her, or maybe the youngest because she might produce more puppies to sell. 
*Breeder A*
Knows she has to get her dogs health clearances before she can breed her. So she starts the process of getting her dog's eyes, hips, heart, and thyroid checked and certified, and any other condition found in her breed. She wants to make sure her dog is healthy and doesn't have or carry a genetic disorder she can pass on to her puppies. The cost of all these tests is about $1000.00. 
*Breeder B*
Doesn't bother getting her dog's eyes, hips, heart, or thyroid checked and certified, or any other condition found in her breed. Why? Because it costs a lot of money and her dog looks healthy enough and she's never had a problem. She doesn't realize a dog can have hip dysplasia and not limp, or it can carry a genetic defect that can pass on to her puppies. Breeder B just saved herself $1000.00 by skipping out on all the health and genetic tests.
*Breeder A*
Spends time researching her pedigrees and even though she has a beautiful champion male of her own running around in her backyard, she decides he is not suitable for the mating. She decides to use a stud dog half way across the country. She contacts the owner of the stud dog to make sure his dog also has all its health clearances. The stud fee is $700.00, plus $300.00 to collect and ship his chilled semen, plus another $250.00 in veterinarian fees for progesterone testing and insemination.
*Breeder B*
Doesn't bother to research her pedigrees or look for another stud dog. She doesn't have to. She has a male running in her backyard who will make a fine stud dog. And he's free! No, he's not a champion and he doesn't quite conform to the standard of the breed, but she's used him as stud for all her other litters and there has never been a problem. Cost of stud dog: Zero. She doesn't know that the mother of her stud dog had elbow dysplasia and its father was a carrier of a progressive eye disease that causes blindness. 
*Breeder A *
The breeding has taken place and 63 days later her champion female delivers a litter of 5 beautiful puppies. She is elated! She is lucky. A natural delivery, no complications. The puppies are born in a spare room in her house, but she moves them to the kitchen when they are around four weeks old to start the socialization process and so they can get used to household noises. She won't let them go to their new homes until they are at least 8 weeks old. 
*Breeder B*
This breeding has also taken place and 63 days later her oldest female delivers a litter of 5 beautiful puppies. She is also lucky. A natural delivery, no complications. She is a little disappointed because she was hoping for more puppies. (Thank goodness she bred her youngest female too, just in case). The puppies are born in a spare room, but she moves them outside to the garage when they are around four weeks old because they are weaning now and starting to get too smelly for the house. She decides to sell them younger than 8 weeks because they are getting to be too much work.​ *Breeder A*
Decides to keep one of the puppies to carry on her breeding program. She will sell the rest and screens buyers to ensure they are going to loving homes. She has even turned a few people down as they weren't quite right for one of her puppies. She tries to match each the puppy's personality with the lifestyle of the new owners. Her worse nightmare is for one of her puppies ending up in a shelter one day because she placed it with the wrong owner. She keeps in contact with each of the puppy owners to help them with any problems that may arise.
*Breeder B *
Decides not to keep a puppy because maybe, or maybe not, she'll keep from the other litter. She sells her puppies to whoever wants one, without screening or trying to match puppies with the owner's lifestyle. She lets the buyers pick whichever puppy they want, not realizing that selling the most active puppy in the litter to an elderly couple living in an apartment might not be a good match. She doesn't realize (or care perhaps) that by her not matching puppies to owners, she is contributing to the likelihood that the puppy will eventually be turned over to a shelter because the owners couldn't manage the dog. And she'll never know, because she doesn't follow up with her puppy purchasers. 
*Breeder A *
Provides a contract and health guarantee, first shots, de-worming, microchipping and proof (copies) of the parents health certificates and clearances. She registers each and every puppy with the Canadian Kennel Club and doesn't charge extra for the papers. Shots, de-worming, microchipping, and registrations have cost her around $600.00.
*Breeder B *
Doesn't provide any contracts or health guarantees, just shots and de-worming, which cost her around $300.00. She is willing to provide a statement that the puppies parents are healthy and she is not aware of any problems in the bloodlines, but she has no actual proof to back that up. She wants to charge extra for the papers because of the work involved filling out the paperwork, plus then she'd have to get puppies tattooed or microchipped, and she'd prefer not to do the extra work. She doesn't realize it's illegal to sell a dog in Canada without the breeder providing registration papers at no extra cost, which also means the dog must be identified with a tatoo or microchip.
*Breeder A *
Sells her puppies for $1000. Because she is keeping one, she is barely breaking even.
*Breeder B *
Also sells her puppies for $1000, because they're purebred after all. 
Or she may sell them at a substantially reduced rate, because she knows people are more likely to buy a dog that cost less than what someone like "Breeder A" charges. Buyers think they are getting a deal - a purebred dog for half the cost.
A few weeks later, they are still not selling - so she reduces the price even more to move them faster. What a deal she is offering now! If she can't sell them then, she can always contact a rescue shelter to see if they will take them off her hands, or maybe she'll try a pet store this time.
*Breeder A *
Is a hobby breeder. She is breeding her dogs responsibly.
*Breeder B*
Is a backyard breeder.
You be the judge - Which breeder would you rather buy your puppy from?


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## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

Great Post Lauren! :clap::goodpost::clap: I got a little nervous when I saw the title! I was like UH OH someone is starting some ish....

*BREEDER A all the way!* Unfortunately there are WAY to many breeder B's in the world. Sickening! This should be a sticky. Hopefully some BYB will read it and think twice. I guess if it affects just one person and changes one mind it would be a step in the right direction!


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## ThaLadyPit (Oct 12, 2008)

Lauren, I believe this is a great post, and one of the best I've seen yet explaining the difference between a reputable breeder and a BYB. I too believe we should make this a sticky for future reference. Thank you for taking the time to type up that scenario and post it here to share with all our wonderful members.


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## wild_deuce03 (Aug 14, 2010)

Great post!!! Sticky!


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## Firehazard (Dec 4, 2009)

:goodpost:!!!!! AWESOME!!!!


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## fishinrob (Apr 14, 2010)

Neither. Breeder C, the guy who's tested dogs for years, has a reputation for producing game dogs, doesn't worry about color, breed standard shapes, just about performance. His breeding dogs are health tested like nature tests wild animals for breeding. The best, dominant male gets to stud out his areas females. Even though I own a non gamebred dog now, I believe in this way of breeding strongly.


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## pitbullmamanatl (Jun 1, 2010)

Blue_Nose_Bella said:


> Great Post Lauren! :clap::goodpost::clap: I got a little nervous when I saw the title! I was like UH OH someone is starting some ish....
> 
> *BREEDER A all the way!* Unfortunately there are WAY to many breeder B's in the world. Sickening! This should be a sticky. Hopefully some BYB will read it and think twice. I guess if it affects just one person and changes one mind it would be a step in the right direction!


Word!


ThaLadyPit said:


> Lauren, I believe this is a great post, and one of the best I've seen yet explaining the difference between a reputable breeder and a BYB. I too believe we should make this a sticky for future reference. Thank you for taking the time to type up that scenario and post it here to share with all our wonderful members.


Oh, I didn't write this and I am not sure who did. I found it in my electronic notebook and thought it was a good read. I thought I put "Author Unknown" but it was reeeeeeeeeallllllly late when I posted. I will fix now lol
Thank you for the rep though, Bev!


wild_deuce03 said:


> Great post!!! Sticky!


Word. Thanks, Ryan!


Firehazard said:


> :goodpost:!!!!! AWESOME!!!!


Thank you, Stan!


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## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

Neither, don't want a show dog and don't even consider BYB's.  But of course breeder A in this example is more trust worthy and you have a better understanding with what your getting, vs Breeder B. 

Its a good read, especially those that have not gone through the buying experience or those on the fence about a breeder. Of course, there are even more things to consider but this is very good information for those in need as well as simple and direct.


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## ThaLadyPit (Oct 12, 2008)

Sticky-ness has been granted! Congrats Lauren.


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## pitbullmamanatl (Jun 1, 2010)

ThaLadyPit said:


> Sticky-ness has been granted! Congrats Lauren.


lol Thanks, Bev. I was going to sticky it myself, but I thought that might be kind of conceited or something lmmfao


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## DaiCa (Jun 9, 2011)

Great post  

If you want to keep BYB from breeding, not only should you not buy from them, but if you come across one, report them! If you don't have proof they're a BYB just notify your local Humane Society saying you suspect it to be & you're just concerned & wanting someone to go in to check. Majority of the time, they will comply


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## SGV_Jester (Jan 21, 2011)

wow thats a great read!


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## djmurda (Jul 1, 2011)

*Question?*

I have a bully and was wondering at what age can you tell how tall they will be? Also when do they start getting wide? My dog is 6 months old, he is about 17inches now.


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## dixieland (Aug 14, 2009)

you will get more answers if you start your own thread asking these questions


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## rob32 (Sep 22, 2010)

fishinrob said:


> Neither. Breeder C, the guy who's tested dogs for years, has a reputation for producing game dogs, doesn't worry about color, breed standard shapes, just about performance. His breeding dogs are health tested like nature tests wild animals for breeding. The best, dominant male gets to stud out his areas females. Even though I own a non gamebred dog now, I believe in this way of breeding strongly.


rob, im gonna have to agree with you. i will get a dog from someone with the reputation for producing performance animals, not show pieces.

i also do not get why people are against a dog breeder making money. if a breeder consistently produces high quality APBT dogs i dont mind them making a profit from it.

my ideas on dog breeding generally get me flamed on different forums but i stand by what i believe. every respectable dogman in the history of the APBT would be considered a BYB by most of the standards that people set today.


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