BYB are bad, but what about Hobby Breeders?

Question

I do NOT regret buying our Mini-Dachshund pup from a 'Hobby Breeder' who is very responsible. She is a Vet Tech, so has the vet at hand if she needs one and has all the pups vaccinated, dewormed and checked out before sending them on to their new homes. They are also raised indoors with people! We weren't able/didn't want to pay for a AKC champ pup-no reason just for a pet (but, her pups are AKC registerable).

We did (many years ago) buy from a BYB and got lucky! Our Golden rocks (she was 1 out of 17 pups from 2 bred sisters)! She's in perfect health and we just didn't know about BYB back then.

So, I know everyones thoughts on BYB's, but what about Hobby Breeders? This one certainly doesn't do it for the money-she does it because she enjoys it and to be able to give people affordable, quality pets. I've seen her house, her pets, etc. She's not a puppymill or the like.

Just wondering what ya'll think :)

Hm, and so, I learn. Shanna-found your answer extremely interesting. Thank you!

Answer 1

In my mind, if someone bred responsibly, then they are not a hobby breeder. A hobby breeder is someone that just thought it would be fun to breed their little dog just once ot twice and goes about it without doing all necessary health checks and such. A BYB breeds unethically as well, but does it on a more regualar basis.
A responsible breeder, whether they do it once, many times, for a living or for a hobby, is a responsible breeder, not a hobby or BYB.

Added: I guess Hobby Breeder can take on a positive or negative connotation. For me, I have just always grouped responsible breeders in one group, whether they breed a lot or just once. Hobby breeder has never sounded good to me so I have basically felt that calling a good breeder a hobby breeder didn't sound just right, but I suppose any breeder, good or bad, could be called a Hobby Breeder, if they are indeed doing it as a hobby.

I guess one way to look at it is you have all breeders in two categories: Those who do it as a business or a more full time basis and those who have one or two litters, which could also be called hobby breeders. It's their practices and ethics that set them apart, not their actual number of litters.

Answer 2

Personally, I would call someone who breeds dogs and still has an outside job (someone who does not support themselves breeding dogs) a "hobby breeder" and wouldn't consider that a negative thing at all. I believe that most responsible breeders would fall into this category. To me, the hobby breeders are the ones at AKC events/shows who breed and show their own dogs, and are very knowledgeable and responsible about the process of breeding and their breed in general. A hobby breeder to me is not a bad thing.

If this vet tech is breeding dogs that are not proven to be sound, she's not being responsible. (AKC papers don't mean a thing if there is not a knowledgable, responsible person doing the breeding). I can think of better words than hobby breeder to describe her.

When I think "hobby" breeder, I think of someone who devotes MUCH of their free time (therefore making it a serious hobby) to learning about their breed, and participating in breed clubs/rescue/events/shows. This would be someone who would only plan a litter on the right terms.

Your vet tech sounds like someone who only THINKS she's doing enough to be a breeder...the vetting of the dogs is only one part of being a breeder...I know we don't have the whole story here, but it sounds like there's a lot she's NOT doing right.

Answer 3

I have always heard this as the term for the dog show exibitor (or other dog event participant) who is breeding to perpetuate the creme de la creme of the breed. These are the ones producing a small number of high quality pups -well socilized, with maximum potentual to be healthy (parents had all the heath tests for the breed) and very good at their chosen sport. Buying a pup here is like getting a painting from a master vs the guy selling "one stroke" painting in the park Most of these breeders have a day job, and breed only occasionally thus the hobby breeder name... PS the rabid "no one should breed" group would call them bad but most people consider these ARE the reputible breeders and the ones that should stay in busness....

Answer 4

I know a girl who bred her dog a few times. She had studied the breed for years, gone through canine reproduction courses, worked close in hand with another breeder and vet tech, and while she didn't show her dogs, which I consider preferable, she did produce beautiful dogs which she sold into responsible homes, and many of her pups come back to visit her regularly. I guess you could call her a hobby breeder, she certainly never profits from her pups, she takes outstanding care of her dogs, and she didn't overbreed her dog- the dog is turning 5 this year, and is therefore being spayed. So overall, I consider a good, educated hobby breeder to be a step between BYB/puppymillers and Show breeders. The unfortunate truth is, ANY breeder is adding more dogs to an overwhelming population, but anyone willing to take the time to educate themselves on breeding and their breed, and devote the time and money to raising quality dogs, is a step ahead of the ones breeding for profit, 'fun', or just to see what happens.

I guess it all comes down to personal choice- my pup isn't AKC registered either, although he has great conformation, perfect markings, and a wonderful personality. If he were registered, I would have tried to show him, but since he's not, I still consider him a wonderful pet, and I don't regret buying him, even if I wouldn't necessarily do what his breeder did by producing non-registered pups from un-shown parents.

Answer 5

I have bought from a back yard breeder - before I knew what it was, and like you I was lucky. My peek-a-poo is awesome, though a little agressive towards other dogs, that could be my fault for not properly socializing him as a puppy. I would consider the breeder I bought my other dog from a hobby breeder. He only does 1 to 2 litters a year, the puppies stay inside, are vaccinated, wormed and well socialized with him grand children. I was like you where I was looking just for pets, not show dogs, and I got mixes both times.
My sister does seem to be a back yard breeder and I can't stand it! She isn't breeding on purpose, she just doesn't get her animals fixed, so what does she expect to happen right? Either way, she is still not being responsible for her own dogs (1 dog has had 2 litters and isn't even 2 yet! It's horrible!)
Any way I admit that I probably lucked out with my dogs, I would say that if the person who is breeding truely cares about the dogs and is taking measures to keep them healthy than that is what matters most if you are looking just for a pet and not a show dog

Answer 6

alot of show breeders consider themselves hobby breeders...
A dog being AKC registered certainly does not guarantee quality...
unfortunately your breeder would in fact be considered a BYB... a puppymill is someone that breeds alot... a BYB is someone that has a dog and thinks it would be fun to have a litter...does not mean that are unethical people...does not mean they do not have the best intentions..it just means they are not educated on what is the proper way to breed..and what their goals should be or what is correct in the breed....

people have alot of crazy notions on what is correct or not correct as far as breeding... one being the breeder must belong to several organizations.. sure I belong to a dozen different clubs but alot of bad breeders also belong to those clubs...
do you reseach on the breeds you are interested in...attend some shows..sporting events... learn what genetic and structural issues they have...and buy what is correct... from someone that follows the standard and does test for issues

Answer 7

I think that a vet tech as a hobby breeder is quite different from what I would consider the typical hobby breeder to be.

For me, a hobby breeder is a step above a BYB because they don't breed litter after litter, but a step below a true breeder because they don't have as much experience and generally don't have a mentor.

It sounds like you lucked out with your breeder, but most hobby breeders just breed their b*tch because "she is beautiful" or "so the kids can see the miracle of life", not to better the line.

Answer 8

IF the breeder does NOT show or have her dogs evaluated..IF the breeder does NOT have her dogs have & pass genetic testing, IF this breeder does NOT carefully research pedigrees and find a mate that compliments the dog she is breeding then they ARE a BYB..they are irresponsibly breeding. Breeding pet quality dogs IS irresponsible!!!

For the record a hobby breeder as known in the world of responsible breeders/show breeders is someone who has maybe one or two females that they show in conformation or some other venue, that has had all of the genetic testing and they breed their females once or twice to produce a litter of good quality pups.

Answer 9

I have no issues with someone who tries to produce the the soundest puppies they can, who is careful and responsible about who they place the puppies with, and stands behind them all the way. The problem is with those that breed carelessly, and whose primary motivation is to try to make a buck off their dogs. I know of some very high quality breeders that only whelp a litter every other year or so, choose the breeding pair very carefully, hand-raise the pups and in general try to better their breed. I suppose that makes them hobby breeders, but to me it's not an issue of scale, but of ethics.

Answer 10

We use all these terms like "hobby breeders" and "back yard breeders" without defining what that really means. My gut reaction to "hobby breeder" was to say that those are the people we generally rely on to maintain the bloodlines of our breeds. The vast majority of serious breeders out there are doing it as a hobby, that is to say, breeding is not a source of income for them. They do not make money from breeding. They do not breed more than a few litters a year. I've stopped using the term "back yard breeder" because it's kind of the same thing -- we use it to describe irresponsible "I have a dog, let's make puppies!" breeders, but our best breeders in the country are also breeding dogs in "their backyards".

Here's what you need to care about:
* Your breeder(s) should understand the genetic health implications of the dogs they breed. This means that they need to understand the bloodlines of the parent and sibling dogs, and they need to be very familiar with the various health tests that are required for the breed in question. These are not going to be tests that your regular vet does to say "yep, dog looks good".

* Your breeder(s) should belong to one or more breed organizations and should be networking with other breeders. It is IMPOSSIBLE to be an island when you are a breeder and still do a good job. There is no way to be a successful breeder without sharing information and bloodlines with other responsible breeders.

* Your breeder(s) should demonstrate that they keep in contact with their puppy buyers. They can't possibly know if they have a successful breeding program if they lose track of their puppies after 8 weeks of age.

What you call these people is irrelevant to me, but these things are required of a reputable breeder.