Are Dog Breeders Bad? 5 Reasons To Be Proud To Be A Breeder

“Are dog breeders bad?” Every month over 3000 people ask this question on Google!

Have you ever felt a bit embarrassed to admit that you’re a dog breeder?

It’s not surprising, is it? We’re vilified at every turn, by the animal lib people, the animal welfare people, and harsher and harsher laws to control what we do coming out all over the world as if we are criminals!

But I just want to give you a bit of a pep talk and tell you what I remind myself to remember to feel proud of what I’m doing as a dog breeder.

Are Dog Breeders Bad?  Well… Some of Them

Just to start off, we know a minority of dogs end up in shelters.  Ask yourself how they ended up there?   If you have a look and walk through any shelter, you’ll find that most of the dogs in there are dogs that either didn’t get a very good start in life, or are breeds which are just not suited to the run of the mill suburban family:  working dogs, Staffie crosses, that kind of thing, right?

It’s up to us breeders to make sure our puppies do get off to a great start, and to teach our owners how to do their part.  And its a fact of life that some inexperienced or ignorant breeders don’t do their bit.   Then there are owners who uncaringly allow their big active working dogs to breed, producing puppies for which there is only a small demand or which tend to attract other uncaring owners…  And so the cycle rolls on.

As great dog breeders we can’t do much about that, but we are busy doing our bit to ensure our puppies get the right start in life.

Our Value to Society is Enormous

We know that owning the right kind of dog is a huge benefit to multiple aspects of human life.

1. If you own the right dog, for example, and you’re a child, then your whole immune system develops much healthier; you’re less likely to get allergies, asthma and other autoimmune conditions.
2. If you own the right dog, and you’re a child, your chances of feeling or developing depression or anxiety are greatly reduced [especially in these days when kids are often left alone, because parents are both working full-time.  Kids are comforted by having a dog to go home to, someone to cuddle, someone to hug].
3. For older people, owning the right dog encourages them to exercise, which keeps them physically healthier.
4. It also keeps them mentally healthier.  Studies show having a pet to look after alleviates depression and gives people a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
5. It helps people grow their social support network.  How?  Because when you own the right dog and you take it out for walks, you get to meet other people in your community and connect with them. You know how it is, you’re going through the park and someone says “Hi” to your dog, and then as an afterthought, they notice that you’re attached to the other end of the lead, right?

Every family and household deserves to have a great dog in their life.  But it has to be the RIGHT DOG.  Otherwise, with the WRONG dog life can be such a misery people even abandon their dogs to shelters.

Where do these great dogs come from?

Well, of course the only place you can reliably get a great dog from is from a great breeder! They don’t come from shelters; great dogs come from great breeders like you and me.

What do we do as great breeders that makes such a difference to how our dogs show up in life and how successful they are as canine companions? How do we set them up to succeed in their careers as canine companions?

For a start, we rear puppies through the most critical weeks of their life, which are from three to eight weeks of age. It’s called the critical socialization period for a reason!

During that time is when they learn how to bond to human beings as part of their pack. If they’re just shoved into a kennel or backyard pen, and they’re not handled much by humans during that time, they might not see humans as part of their pack.  So they might never learn how to forge strong emotional ties with the owners they end up with, because they weren’t given the right start in life.  You can’t go back and fix that.  And dogs that don’t bond well end up with owners that don’t feel strongly committed to them either.

Aside from the socialization and handling we do with our puppies, the other thing that we as great breeders do is make sure that our puppies go to homes which are well suited to the breed. And even down to the personality of the individual puppy, making sure that’s a good match for the family they go to.

Great breeders also provide strong support to their owners so they successfully complete the work of socialization, and also succeed at the important tasks of potty training and instilling basic manners in their dog.

So are dog breeders bad?  No!  Only a minority of amateurs who are letting the side down.  And if you’re a great breeder, doing all these things, hold your head up high. Because you make all this goodness possible. Society needs us. Families need our puppies. We are the only source of those wonderful puppies that make such a positive difference to people’s lives.

Never be ashamed to be a great breeder. You are important!

And if you really are one of the best, make sure you learn how to be rewarded for it.  There are buyers out there who really value what you do, and are willing to pay for it.

Learn how by taking the FREE Marketing for Dog Breeders online class.  Register here.