Breeder Red Flags That Get Mistaken For Green Flags

Dogs aren’t the only beings who have difficulty differentiating red and green. Humans are the only mammals who actually CAN see the difference, and even some of us struggle.

We often see people who chose a breeder based on flags that they thought looked pretty green – but to us, those flags are a glaring red.

Of course, we are speaking metaphorically. But often we do find that our clients have chosen breeders based off of incorrect assumptions, and we’d like to correct some of those.

So, without further ado, here are the most common “Red Flags” that get mistaken for green ones.

1. ckc/akc registered… but don’t show their dogs.

Dog shows have a bit of a reputation. Some people frown on purebred dogs and see dog shows as nothing more than beauty pageants.

We aren’t here to debate all of those points. BUT… if a breeder is producing CKC/AKC registered (in other words, purebred dogs) but is not involved in the show ring… that can sometimes be a red flag.

Dog shows are not just beauty pageants. Show judges are looking for proof that the dog, however weird looking their breed, is a functional dog in good health. They also require the dog to be comfortable in busy situations, comfortable being handled by strangers, and comfortable with travelling the country. That means the dog needs to have a mentally stable and resilient personality.

Plus there are lots of other things dog breeders do with their dogs besides just shows. Sporting events, for example, also serve as proof of functionality in their dogs.

A CKC/AKC registered dog that doesn’t have any prizes, letters, or ribbons is just a dog who knows who their great great great grandfather was.

2. they advertise Cool coat patterns and/or price dogs by colour

Sure, a breeder who is breeding for certain high-demand colours is going to pay close attention to breeding. They’ll understand genetics and be able to talk in detail about their dogs’ lineage.

But it also means they may sacrifice health and temperament to get a popular colour, and by prioritizing colours, they are breeding in order to meet demand and make money, not to improve the health and temperament of their breed.

Any breeder who focuses on fancy colours because they know people will pay more for them… is not breeding for reasons you will benefit from.

3. They have a great website and a fancy facility

The best place for puppies to be born and raised is inside a human home. A big facility, a nice website, and a lot of dogs on the property sometimes indicate that the breeder is focusing on quantity of dogs rather than quality.

Many of the best breeders are so busy going to dog events and caring for puppies that they only have time to breed dogs once or twice a year at more and they don’t spend much time online.  They are focused on quality, not quantity.

4. they let you pick your puppy

Many people are annoyed by breeders who have a “you get what you get and you don’t get upset” attitude when it comes to puppies. You want a say in who comes into your home! You want to look into those little eyes and FEEL which one is your future family member.

But the best breeders, by and large, are a controlling bunch. They put a lot of heart, soul, money, and time into producing these little beings and they feel the weight of responsibility for bringing these lives into the world. They aren’t leaving anything to chance.

Good breeders want to know that each puppy is getting the right home and the right family. They are extremely picky about who gets their puppies and WHICH puppy you will get.

What’s that? You want the spotted pup with the cute mohawk fur? Absolutely not. That puppy is wild. It is going to someone who lives on a farm where it can chase rabbits all day. YOU can have the solid black one – she’s a quiet cuddler, just like you want.

As nice as it sounds when a breeder promises to let you pick which puppy you want, it also sounds like a breeder who isn’t concerned with ensuring that each home their pup goes to is a forever home.

5. They have Embark DNA health clearances.

There’s nothing wrong with Embark – it’s actually a fantastic resource. But it does not replace actual veterinary clearances on the dog’s health.

A good breeder would not list Embark at the top of their list of health clearances.

They will boast about how veterinarians have carefully studied their dog’s eyes, x-rayed their hips and elbows, listened to their hearts, taken their blood, and found the dogs clear of problems known to shorten lifespans, cause arthritis, or otherwise cause problems for their dog’s breed.

Instead you want to look for terms like OFA, PennHip, and CAER. You want to be able to look up and find your breeders’ dogs in the OFA online database.

Their OFA number should also be on their kennel club paperwork.

A DOG DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PUREBRED TO HAVE OFA HEALTH CLEARANCES. Do not let a breeder use that as an excuse not to have health clearances on their doodles.

While the list of recommended health clearances vary by breed, be sure to ask google which ones are commonly expected from breeders for the breed you want. They will usually include OFA or Penn Hip Hips, OFA elbows, heart, eyes, and genetic testing for common faults in the breed.

A good breeder will also tell you what dogs they chose NOT to breed, and why.

Any good breeder will discover that one particular male tends to throw puppies who bark at other dogs and will stop using that sire, or choose to spay a female hopeful after the DNA test found that she was a carrier for Von Willebrand’s disease.

6. They don’t want you to do expensive tests on your dog

This is something most people don’t even think to ask about and don’t notice if it is missing from the breeder’s website.

Most breeders will claim some kind of health clearances, even if it’s just an Embark DNA test (bare minimum effort, really, in this day and age). But do they insist on their puppies being tested as well?

Do they want you to get your dog’s hips OFA cleared at 18 months? Do they insist that all dogs get checked by a heart specialist because heart disease can run in this breed?

Can they tell you what health testing their previous litters have had and what the results were?

Good breeders want to know their breeding program is producing healthy dogs. That means that they want health testing on the puppies they produce, not just on the parents they are using to breed. That means they will put it in your contract that you agree to pay for basic OFA clearances on your dog when they are old enough.

7. They claim to breed dogs for no reason other than to bring you joy

Does it sound creepy and strangely eugenics-ish when breeders talk about breeding for a particular purpose?

Does “improving the breed” sound strange to your ears?

Does it seem better – more natural – when the breeder doesn’t seem to have some kind of master plan? When they aren’t trying to get more show champions or produce faster dogs?

And yet… that is a very bad sign.

The decision to actively bring dogs into a world where so many dogs already need homes is a big one. We personally believe that without responsible breeders, there will be more dogs in the shelter, not less, so it is an important job, because people WILL keep wanting dogs.

When someone makes that decision, it should be with the resolution to ensure that their dogs are always healthy, loved, and wanted. Responsible breeders choose which dogs to breed carefully. What guides their choices? Personality? Health? Fitting into the modern lifestyle? Looks?

Something is behind their choices. They should be open about what it is.

8. They keep their puppies safe indoors

If we’re so focused on health-conscious breeders, then we should want the breeders to protect their precious darlings’ health jealously. A breeder who says the puppies don’t go outside at all until their first shots, or who doesn’t allow visitors because they could bring germs… well that sounds like a health conscious breeder.

Right?

Sorry. Another red flag.

The science on puppy development has largely been in consensus since the 1960s.

We know that the first eight weeks of a puppy’s life can make or break their personalities, how their brains and nervous systems develop, and how resilient they are to stress.

Puppies need to be exposed to grass and dirt and they need to take little tumbles and get up again. They need to meet new people and discover new things. They need to take car rides and walk on leash and sleep in crates… and they need to do all of this before they go home to you.

Good breeders know all of this.

They set up play pens outdoors for the puppies to play in, especially summer/fall puppies.

They take the puppies on drives, and teach them to sleep in crates, and encourage visitors to handle them. They even tickle their toes and turn them upside down.

Puppies who are kept protected away from the outside world are puppies who are more likely to be reactive, have poor immune systems, recover stress, and or simply not very bright.

No good breeder would create a dog like that just to avoid another dose of dewormer.

So your breeder should encourage you to come visit. They should put up videos of the puppies doing new things and learning new things.

Otherwise… something is wrong.

9. they aren’t nosy or Crazy

Good breeders are passionate by nature. They have dedicated their lives to measuring the distance between their dog’s tail and the dog’s hocks, or the height of their withers from the ground.

They are naturally detail-oriented people who are frankly a little weird about their dogs.

The breeder should want to know everything about you. The exact size of your yard, whether your vet recommends you as a pet owner, when you get up in the morning, the frequency of your bowel movements…

They are thinking about giving you one of their precious darlings, and all they ask in return is some compensation for the cost and time in producing the puppy… and the middle name of your first born child.

Sometimes they can be a little weird. Many of them are suspicious of vaccines and have extremely strong opinions about their dogs’ diet. Yes, they may seem a little nuts, but that nuttiness seems to be a necessary ingredient when it comes to producing great dogs.

It may seem like a good sign when a breeder isn’t intrusively curious about you, your family, your past pets, and how far you like to walk each day, and when they don’t harangue about the importance of/villainy of grains in a dog’s diet, but unfortunately, in breeders, apparent normalcy is frankly a little sus.

10. They hand over ownership easily and smoothly

Sure, it seems normal (there’s that word again… uh oh!) and understandable for a breeder to want to give you the puppy you are trying to buy and to insist on you taking it if you seem a little unsure or have cold feet.

But that is a bad bad sign.

Breeders should love their puppies. They are responsible for their creation. They helped bring them into the world. They weighed them every day and hovered over them and trained them and took them to the vet and taught them for the past two months.

If you think you might change your mind… if you express being unsure… they should be quick to release you from your commitment.

Breeders don’t want their dogs to go to the wrong home. Like the mother dog herself, they see puppies go with a deep sigh of relief and a pang of heartbreak.

They will quite happily keep the puppy or take the puppy back, and their contract may even reserve the right of first refusal if, for any reason, you need to give your dog to another home.

Remember – it’s never too late.

It is never too late to back out of an agreement with a breeder. Even after you brought the puppy home. After all, a good breeder will want – nay, insist – on taking back the dog if you aren’t sure it is a good match. If they won’t? Even more of a reason to insist on your right to walk away.

Is it heartbreaking to walk away from a puppy?

Absolutely.

Is it a good idea?

Sometimes, yes.

As much as it stings now to know that you won’t be bringing that furry bundle home next month as planned, you are saving yourself possibly thousands of dollars in veterinary bills for your lemon, extra dog training for the dog who doesn’t fit your lifestyle, and anxiety medication from dealing with the stress of owning and loving a dog with a hair-trigger personality.

And finally, it is important that we NOT support breeders who don’t care about where their dogs end up, or how healthy they are.

These are the breeders who, in the end, are supplying our animal shelters.

So please… as hard as it can be… don’t ignore red flags… even if you thought they were green on your first glance.