14 Questions to Ask Your Potential Dog Breeder (And How to Spot Red Flags From a Bad Breeder)

The most important choice you can make when choosing to purchase a puppy is the quality of your breeder. As dog trainers, we see the direct impact breeders have on a family’s happiness all the time—for better or for worse. We see puppies come home who are already crate-trained and a cinch to potty train, who love to meet new friends wherever they go. “Send me your breeder’s info!”, we gush, knowing that those first few weeks of puppy’s life were spent on critical socialization and training—legwork the sleep-deprived owner doesn’t have to put in. 

We also see puppies who are fearful, insecure, or completely overwhelmed, and who are clearly unprepared for the intensity of living in an urban environment. They’re already afraid of people and other dogs, and instead of seeing new experiences as a fun challenge, they completely shut down. They might have inherited a genetic propensity for anxiety or aggression, or have wonky hips or elbows that will one day cause them pain, and at only eight weeks old, they’ve already missed out on crucial learning experiences that could help them see the world as safe and exciting rather than terrifying. 

Given all we know about the impacts of maternal stress and early-life experiences on dogs, a well-bred puppy from a responsible, ethical breeder has a better chance of growing up to be a healthy, stable, and resilient dog than a dog who spent its first eight weeks at a puppy mill or a pet store. But in the age of slick social media, it can sometimes be hard to tell which breeders are responsible professionals and which are just trying to make a buck. 

Here are some questions to ask when you’re looking for a breeder that can help you determine if they’re the right choice for your family: 

How many litters a year do you produce? How many litters do they have “on the ground” at once?

There’s no one right answer, but raising a litter well is time-intensive, so the fewer litters that a breeder produces, the more likely the puppies are to be given individual attention. Each puppy’s socialization experience is unique, and breeders should be catering to each individual pup’s needs. For instance, some breeders get dogs used to the crate or the car before they go home—you can imagine that this is slightly easier with eight puppies than it would be with 24!

At what age do dogs enter your breeding program? 

Ideally, dogs reach maturity and are fully health- and temperament-tested before they’re bred, which takes time! Breed clubs for individual breeds recommended specific health tests due to predispositions to certain cancers, heart issues, joint problems, etc., and for some, dogs need to fully mature before they can be cleared. For instance, the Golden Retriever Club of America recommends hip and elbow dysplasia testing for goldens in breeding programs, and dogs must be at least 24 months old to receive final certification for those issues. You generally don’t want to hear that a breeder breeds their dogs the moment that they become sexually mature, because that might be before they’re fully health-tested or before their adult temperament becomes apparent. 

What kind of health testing do you do? 

As mentioned above, different breeds are predisposed to certain health issues. Your breeder should be doing more than just a DNA test on their dogs to ensure they’re healthy. You can find which health tests are recommended for your chosen breed on the American Kennel Club website, as well as on the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals’ website. You can look up the OFA certificates for specific dogs in your breeder’s program as well, and see the results for yourself. (You can search by the dog’s name or registration number on the upper right-hand corner of the homepage.)

When do your puppies go home? 

In many states, including New York, it’s actually illegal to send a pup home before eight weeks of age! The vast majority of breeders are sending their pups home at eight weeks, and some, particularly toy dog breeders, won’t send their pups home until even later than that.

Where are the puppies raised? 

You want your puppy to grow up in the environment in which you want them to live for the rest of their lives. If you’re looking for a livestock guardian dog to guard your sheep 24/7, you’ll want a puppy that’s spent its formative weeks outside with stock. But if you’re looking to have a chill apartment dog in New York City, you’ll want a dog that’s been in a home around people since the moment it was born. You don’t want to hear that the puppies have been raised in a backyard or separate from the breeder’s family, since that means they have missed out on prime socialization opportunities with people and with the general activities of a normal household. 

What kinds of things are the puppies socialized to before they go home, and how are they socialized to those things? 

Puppies’ brains are at their most sensitive and receptive in their first few weeks of life, and you want to make sure that your breeder is making the most of this. Good socialization results in puppies who are resilient, brave, and curious, while a lack of socialization during early life can lead to a lifetime of fear and anxiety. A good breeder will be getting puppies used to handling (paws, ears, teeth, etc.), different sights, sounds, and even textures. You’ll want your puppy to be exposed to lots of different ages and races of people, potentially scary noises like fireworks and thunder, other dogs (more than just their mother and siblings), and more. 

However, it’s important to note that exposure alone is not sufficient for proper socialization. We never want to overload a puppy (often called “flooding”), and a good breeder will be tracking on how their pup is responding to various stimuli, rather than simply exposing them blindly. 

Do you do any crate training before they go home? 

This is not make or break, but if you’re planning on using a crate for your puppy for potty training or other purposes it’s very important to get them acclimated to it as soon as possible. Crate training is hard, so getting a leg up on this is hugely helpful. This is also a great way to get a sense of if your breeder is thinking about you and your needs when they are raising their puppies. A good breeder is a partner for life—they want you to succeed, so putting effort into this end is a green flag.

What are your dogs' temperaments like? Do you think they'd thrive living in Manhattan? (Or Brooklyn, or next to a highway, or in the middle of the woods, or wherever you live!)

Asking about temperament is a great way to get a sense of the personality of the dogs in a breeder’s program. For instance, if you’re getting a dog for therapy dog work or service dog work, you want to look for a breeder that produces dogs that are stable, calm, and sociable. If you really want to do sports with your dog, you might want to hear that your breeder’s pups turn out to be tenacious and highly biddable. You’ll also want to ask your breeder if they have any experience with their dogs living in your specific type of environment (such as a high-rise apartment in a big city or rural area with lots of wildlife or a suburb with busy traffic). 

Are there any training concerns to watch out for that tend to pop up in your lines, like resource guarding? 

Certain breeds are predisposed to specific behavior characteristics, such as companion breeds and separation anxiety (we literally bred them to sit in our laps at all times, so we shouldn't be surprised that they’re more prone to separation distress!). A good breeder should be aware of these tendencies, and doing work early on to reduce the risk of these behavior problems developing. If your breeder says “no, none of my dogs have ever had a behavior problem,” it also may be a red flag that they don’t keep very good tabs on their puppies after they go home!

If for some reason we have to give the dog up, are we contractually obligated to give the dog back to you, the breeder? 

A good breeder makes a lifelong commitment to all of their dogs, and will never let them end up in a shelter. If an owner needs to give up their dog, no matter how old the dog is, the breeder typically writes into their contract that the dog must come back into their care. If your breeder does not require this, it’s a red flag!

Does your contract require your dogs to be spayed or neutered? At what age? 

Breeder contracts often specify that a dog must be fixed by a certain age. (Breeders can be very protective of their breeding lines!) However, more recent research suggests that delaying spay/neuter until after sexual maturity may be protective against certain joint issues and cancers. However, the recommended age for these surgeries varies by breed, so talk to your breeder about their policies, and when in doubt, consult a trusted veterinarian. 

What do you love about this breed? 

This is a great way to gauge whether your desired breed really matches up with your preferences and lifestyle, as well as showcasing the breeder’s enthusiasm for breed preservation (rather than just breeding to sell more puppies). They’ll love their Jack Russells’ enthusiasm and independence, they’ll love their herding breeds commitment to controlling their environment. They’ll love what makes that breed that breed. And if you can’t imagine loving the specific breed traits the breeder admires—such as, perhaps, an Akita’s aloofness (or “stoicism”) or a Cavalier’s clinginess (or “incessant lap dog-ness”)—that may not be the right dog for you. 

What do you look for in a potential puppy home?

Good breeders will be interviewing you back! They make a lifelong commitment to their dogs, so should be taking an interest in who you are and how well-equipped you’ll be to take care of your new puppy.

How do you prove your dogs?

Reputable breeders won’t just have a list of happy clients to prove that they’re producing great dogs. Dogs in their breeding program should have some tangible proof of success from a neutral third party, whether that’s titles from dog shows (meaning excellent conformation) or wins in the agility ring, herding trials, or some other competition that’s relevant to the breed. This not only highlights the dog’s ability to do whatever job it’s being bred for (even if that’s just “be the most well-put-together Golden in the show ring), but it also suggests that the breeder’s dogs have the stability and resilience to succeed in a high-pressure environment around lots of people and other dogs, which is valuable even if you have no intention of ever entering a competition with your puppy. 

Want individual help sorting out responsible, ethical breeders from backyard amateurs and glorified puppy mills in your desired breed? Contact Shaunacy at info@casperscapers.com or Madeline at dogtraining@daydreamersnyc.com (or @friendofthedog on IG) for a consultation!