What should I be looking for in a good breeder?
Keep in mind the line between what constitues a hobby(show or field breeder) reputable breeder , and a BYB (back yard breader) are not black and white and fair minded individual can disagree on the edges so what constitutes a reputable breeder and what does not comes down to your own values and morals.
I remmeber on poster was looking for a breeder that did extensive genetic testing to prent potential genetic problems. I had to laugh because in reality there is currently 1. yes one genetic test available to breeders for a rather obscure bleeding disorder that is almost exclusive to basset hound but rather rare much rare than other bleeding disorder Vwd that is present in basset as well and is available for testing in a variety breed. There are 3 mutations current known to cause Vwd but so far it appears to be a 4 ourth yet undiscovered one in basset hounds. Many want a cerf and or goniscopy of eye to minimize glaucoma however the univeristy of Iowa in studying two lines of basset withknow carrier and afflicted has determined that neither is reliable in determining if a dog is clear a carry or afflicted with the gene than cause glaucoma. and the only reliable means is pedigree analysis. So keep in mind any breed that tell you the extensively test and therefor will never have a problem is plain missinformed or deliberately lying. There are other problems with some genetic component that are not life threatening and more anoyances but can sometimes effect quality of life. How do you deal with these yet amintain a derverified gene pool simply not breeding to carries or affliced of desiease like allergies, seborrhea and even hip displasia can have a gross and prfound effect that actual makes thinks worse because the gene pool narrows and a more insidious problem may become more prevelent as a result. A good breed should not shy away form admitting to these problem in a line and be able to tell you how they are working toward minimize/eliminatinting the problem but trying to eradicat a genetic problem in a single generation is a recipe for disaster.
Take a look at ofa statistics on canine hip displasia, basset by the statistics are a disaster. Not one perecent have ecellent hips and in the top 10 for bad hips yet you hear more about canine hip displasia in labs, goldens. GSD and Rottis that on a whole have much better hips. That is because of flaws in grading and applying the grade to various breeds. You will notice that a perponderance of the breeds ranked low in OFA are dwarf breed/. The nature of dwarfism is shallow ill fitting hip sockets at the same time thes joints are larger than the same size animal of other breed wich mitigates problems also short legs put much les stress and torque on the joints. so even though the joint when looked at are worse in reality thes poor joint rarely cause a problem for the dwarf breed leading to crippling arthris, hip replacement etc. So IMHO the grading should take this into consideration but it does not. Should a reputable breed be concerned with hips and elbow yes but how much stock to put into an OFA score well thats anouther story. and again a grey area. Mariah one of the best agility basset ther is or every will be was diagnosed as mildly displastic at I year of age. She has compete since 9 years of agility and has never had a problem and you will not find a more muscular rear end on a basset anywhere, She also has one mightlyu poor conformations in the front end but whtih hear those abnomalities work together to form a very functional front end in other that look much better on abnormality can creat an out of balance dog that can not move nearly as well. While the ideal fron end in a basset functions well some verey less than idea can as well. I would not recommend trying breed for a functional non ideal front end because it is a crap shoot one is likely to loose but the do occur.,
There are other aspect of breeding and rearing puppies that I consider important that other will not emphysis as much.
1. breeding to improve the breed and a objective means to assess performance toward that end. ie show in conformation, field trials or both. this is different than breeding for a purpose for example I compete in agility breeding bassets for the expressed purpose of comepting in agility an soon you don't have a basset any more because much what constitues a basset is not ideal for the sport of agility. So the purpose of the breed must also align with the purpose of the dog.
2. take the time to properly socialize and habituate the dogs to noraml house hold routines and objects. The dog that is afraid of a vaccum cleaner is a dog that never saw one as a puppy.
3. considers temperament along with other physical and personality traits when breeding.
4. takes responcibility for every dog they produce. that is if you are no longer able to or desire to keep the dog the sell you they want the dog back and provide it a loving home.
These are thing I thing most would consider inportant in selecting a breeder but nost will differ in how to rank, and judge performance of a breed in each catagory In the end these are some guidlines but you need to make your own decision based on what is important to you.
Buying A Puppy? How to Select a Breeder
Over 50% of the puppies raised in the U.S. are raised by people who NEVER have another litter. Relatively few of these people are well informed, prepared for the experience and do a good job. They don't usually stand behind their puppies. Very few are equipped to take adequate care of all puppies until they can be placed in good homes, regardless of how long that takes