What is a Back Yard Breeder exactly?

[Nikki & Frank]

I started breeding Labradoodles and studding my Poodle to make Labradoodles and Golden doodles.  As many of you will agree, they are amazing dogs.  I keep getting that I'm a back yard breeder.  Both of my dogs are health checked and amazing temperments.  The babies are loved and not even shipped!  I have one litter at a time in my home with our other dogs and our children.  What is it that I may be doing wrong.  I am willing to correct it.  I have wonderful puppies that are well cared for and they make great pets.  I keep feeling like I'm defending myself and I'm not doing anything wrong.  Does anyone else feel that way?  I'm also against "mills", I just want feedback on where people feel it crosses the line.

Thank You So Much,

Have a Doodly Day!

Nikki

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Perhaps you can elaborate a little more when you say you feel like you are defending yourself. I see you have a new litter of puppies very recently born. They look very sweet.

[Nikki & Frank]

It just seems that people seem to think that because they are not a "purebred", or "AKC Registerable", that makes me a backyard breeder.  What do you think makes a backyard breeder?

[Adina P]

A lot of people out there have a bias against doodle breeding because of the stigma that breeders ONLY do it for a fast buck and aren't doing the things responsible breeders do.  That's VERY common when a dog becomes popular  and it happens in pure breeds too.  When dalmations were popular everyone and their cousin started breeding them....  It happens in labs, golden retrievers, etc.  Popular breeds ALL have backyard breeders and mills that breed those dogs.  Another common denominator of backyard breeding in my opinion is 'casual breeding' -- you know ... "I've got a wonderful lab...I should breed it to my best friend's gorgeous poodle!"  No hip, eye, genetic testing, neither dog was bought on a breeding contract from a reputable breeder...those are markers of otherwise nice people making really irresponsible breeding decisions.

[Adina P]

Well there isn't a true definition as much as it is a term used to describe breeders that aren't breeding responsibly, and/or breeding solely for a buck without using high breeding standards.  Most commonly I consider a BYB someone who has a pet dog or two and they are 'nice' dogs but they shouldn't be bred because 1) They weren't bought on a breeding contract from a reputable breeder, 2) They aren't fully health tested, 3) The people breeding aren't planning on lifetime support, 4) The people breeding aren't breeding according to any future plan other than just 'for fun'.

 

There is a local family that I consider a BYB and yet they are very nice people...just totally uneducated about breeding, doodles, and aren't doing anything to high standards, sell pups too early, etc.

 

Here is our Doodle Kisses guidelines on what makes a good breeder: http://www.doodlekisses.com/notes/What_To_Look_for_In_a_Breeder

 

Breeders who actually:

--fully health test

--only breed dogs who pass testing

--have researched pedigrees extensively so they match two dogs well in breeding 

--are only breeding dogs that they purchased with the intent to breed on a breeding contract

--are making breeding choices with an eye toward the future and a concrete plan

--have researched their breed inside and out

--don't 'sell' hype about doodles

--are honest and fully interview potential buyers and are reasonably picky about who pups go to

--willing to keep pups as long as necessary in order to ensure good homes ...

those type of breeders I would consider highly responsible =)

[Nikki & Frank]

Thank you so much for the wonderful information!  I will make sure my breeding program always meets these standards.  That makes a lot of sense.  I've just been looking for some common sense.  I really appreciate your feedback.

Have a Doodly Day!

Nikki

[Adina P]

If you want to connect with other breeders to discuss breeding concerns, learn more, etc, please go to our GROUPS page and request membership to join our Breeder's group.  The only thing I'd say is if you don't currently breed dogs that came from responsible breeders who also health tested THEIR parents...then it might be worth it to put off breeding until later when you can get parent dogs that have known health testing in their lineage.  No sense in breeding dogs whose health background and pedigrees you don't know very well--no matter how good temperaments are.

 

You might also consider joining the Australian Labradoodle Assocation of America --NOT just for Australian labradoodles and the Goldendoodle Association of North America -- these are not just registries but actually have standards for breeding.  Unlike many mixed breed registries that don't really care about health testing, etc...they just provide generic guidelines that are virtually meaningless.  Not all good breeders are members of the ALAA or GANA, but many are and it is nice to have a group of like-minded mentors to refer to.

[Nikki & Frank]

Their Parents, as well as my babies that give me my babies are all health tested.  I also know their past.  My lab was a puppy of ours that we recieved from a family member that could not care for her and we rehomed her.  Those people also could not take her after 9 months, so we took her back as a permanent member of the family about a year ago.  So, I know her history and parents.  My stud has papers and his pedigree.  I do want to go have my poodle tested for VonWillebrands Disease.  I'm going to call my vet now and see about that.  It's one test I have not had done.  You are all so helpful and wonderfully friendly. 

Thank you so much,

Nikki

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I think the guidelines outlined here are first class and if you can manage to use those standards as your benchmark you will be doing the very best for the puppies you breed and the owners who adopt them.

[Nikki & Frank]

Thank you for your great advice and kind words!

Have a great day!

Nikki

[1xar0x2rcx0li]

What do you mean by health checked? One thing that distinguishes a high level breeder from a back yard breeder is the testing done on their breeding dogs. There are guidelines on the ALAA site that can be followed for American lines as well. It includes hip and elbow X-ray clearance, various blood and DNA tests as well as direct physical examination clearances by a certified specialist (eyes, heart). Breeding family pets because they produce nice puppies itself bad, but it cant be the only reason you are breeding a pair, it's part of being a good breeder but there is more. You should have an idea of what you are trying to produce in a dog. You don't have to write a breed standard yourself, you can use one already published by a breed club, but you should have a goal in terms of what you are producing both in temperament and physical features. I was asked by a potential client last night about an available puppy "how foes the puppy relate to the breed standard"? You should be able to answer that question at length and in detail about many of it's catagories. 

[Nikki & Frank]

Thank you for the useful information!  Beautiful Labradoodles!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Amanda. your Yorkie and your friend's Yorkie may be healthy, but unless each of them has also been tested for the genetic deiseases that are common in Yorkshire Terriers, the puppies could have some of these diseases even if their parents don't. Each parent could carry a recessive gene for the disease, and if they each pass it on, the pup will be born with the disease.

Genetic Diseases common in Yorkshire Terriers:

Highest Prevalence:

Patellar luxation

Portosystemic shunt

Retinal dysplasia

Tracheal collapse

 

Other Common Diseases in the Breed:

Cataracts

Colour dilution alopecia

Cryptorchidism

Entropion

Hydrocephalus

Hyperadrenocorticism

Hypotrichosis

Keratoconjunctivitis sicca

Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease

Patent ductus arteriosus

Progressive retinal atrophy

Shaker dog disease

Urolithiasis

Corneal dystrophy

Dermoid sinus

von Willebrand's disease

Entropion

When I buy from a breeder, I want parents that are the very best examples of the breed that exist...not just in size and conformation, but in temperament, structure, and health. Otherwise, I personally don't think anyone needs to be breeding more dogs. There isn't a shortage of any breed, and what would happen if every person who has a nice dog that they love bred him just to have one litter so they could have a puppy? Just my opinion.