[Sweater]

Wow, I had no idea there was THIS much controversy and concern over dog breeding, granted; I am only 19 years old and Buster is my first dog. Perhaps I just got lucky with Buster. The way you all talk is that there are really only a select few breeders who are "good enough" or "reputable" enough to accept puppies from. How do i know if Buster is gonna be OK when he gets older? (He is 5.5 months right now) I got him from a breeder in washington, Iowa. I only saw his mom and the other 7 puppies...never saw the dad. I do have Buster's official AKC papers that has both the Dam and Sire name and information on it. Does this paper alone prove that Buster is in fact a GOOD breed, because both of his parents are registered with the AKC? I haven't sent in his registration yet, so I haven't gotten back a pedigree or anything...just wondering.

I guess the real question is does being AKC registered guarantee that Buster wasn't bred with bad lines?

 

[Betsy Iole]

AKC registration doesn't guarantee quality; a breeder's ethics and practices do.

Checklist for the Responsible Breeder

 

[Sweater]

well, going over that checklist, I can answer yes to all but one of those. That being i took Buster home at 6 weeks old. However, I didn't know much about this stuff at that time, and I do remember the breeder telling me, no you have to wait until X date when he is X weeks old. On the day I took him home, we all went to the vet with the entire litter and Buster was checked out again and the vet cleared him to be in perfect health to go with me.

 

[Betsy Iole]

Responsible breeders don't sell their puppies this early because puppies this young still have a lot to learn from their littermates about interacting with other dogs and bite inhibition.