Why is a novice breeder considered a back yard breeder? Were all great breeders not once a novice breeder?

Question

If a novice breeder has done their homework and is well educated, why are they considered a back yard breeder?

Don't all good breeders have to start somewhere?

I do not breed and never plan to breed, but I was just wondering....

I am an animal advocate, and believe in animal rights, and serve my time to help the abused animals.........

Answer 1

Not all novice breeders are backyard breeders. But most novice breeders don't do their research or know the breed standard. I owned and showed Jack Russell’s for years before I decided to breed. I researched pedigrees, did genetic testing, found out what problems are common in what bloodlines, and how to find dogs to compliment each other. I researched for almost two years before I decided to have my first litter. A good breeder will breed to improve upon a breed, not just to have puppies or make money.

Answer 2

Yes good breeders where once novices. The difference is:
1) A good breeder studied, worked with a mentor and didn't ask common sense questions on YA.
2) A good breeder never mentions the words ' My dog is so (insert adjective) I want to breed him so I can have a puppy just like him".
3) A good breeder has the finances, time, energy and patience to care for and raise puppies.
4) Anyone who is asking a question about gestation period, weaning, stud fee, mixing or questions about medical issues on YA is a BYB. End of story.
5) A responsible breeder can tell the difference between high and poor quality and works to improve their chosen breed.

Answer 3

No good breeders did their homework. Having produced litters in the past isn't what make a good breeder or a backyard breeder. The differance is that good breeder learned about they breeds, dog breeding, genetics, health checks, etc before breeding a litter and after producing a litter they are there and are responsible for those pups for the balance of the dogs lives.

On the other hand backyard breeders went out got themselves a female and decided to start producing litters with no goal other than the hopes of getting money. Once you have paid them for the pup your relationship with them is over and if you have a problem that is your tuff luck.

Answer 4

Not all "novice breeders" are considered back yard breeders. The novice breeders that come on here and ask questions about breeding ARE backyard breeders. ANYONE who is serious about breeding responsibly would have teamed up with a more experienced breeder as a mentor and would be able to get their information from people who they KNOW have experience breeding dogs. Anyone who comes onto YA to ask how long dogs are pregnant, how to go about impregnating a dog, how old puppies are before they open their eyes, etc are NOT serious. Honestly, the answers to ALL of these questions can be easily found (without any of the annoying criticism or unwanted advice on how to go about doing this more responsibly) within 5 minutes of opening up any basic dog book or even quicker with an internet search on the subject.

In short, yes, all good breeders have to start somewhere. They start by researching the basic biology of how dogs reproduce on their own from the MANY widely available (mostly for free) non-fiction books on dogs in general and the breed they are interested in. Then, they attend dog shows to see many good examples of the breed they are interested in breeding. Then they form a partnership with the breeder who bred the dog they plan to breed. Usually this breeder (or another respected, experienced, responsible breeder) becomes their mentor and helps them through every step of breeding. From showing their dogs and earning titles to finding a suitable mate to whelping to raising puppies and finding good homes for them. Anyone who doesn't go through all of these steps is NOT a responsible, reputable, or even remotely "good" breeder.

As for no dog standard calling for "that breeds original purpose was to circle the show ring"...the show ring is NOT a beauty pageant. It is a place where serious breeders go to get an objective opinion on the strengths and weaknesses of potential breeding stock. Dogs should conform as closely to the breed standard as possible...but how do you know if your dog resembles the written standard if you never show your dog? If you don't show your dog, then it's just you saying that your dog is to standard. People who don't show almost never know or understand the breed standard well enough to know if their dog is a good example of the breed or not. Everyone thinks their dog is the best, even experienced breeders. And even experienced breeders will let this fondness for their own dogs cause them to overlook flaws, some of them serious and detrimental to the breed. By showing, breeders confirm that yes, their dog is a good representative of the breed because not only do they think so, but several other people (almost always with more experience than them) ALSO agree that the dog is a good example of the breed. Don't get me wrong, championship titles in the conformation ring alone are NOT a reason to breed a dog. You also need extensive health testing, excellent temperament, and a strong working knowledge of the genetic history of the lines you're working with.

Answer 5

I cannot imagine that anyone still does not know the difference between a BYB and a good NOVICE breeder.

A good breeder doesn't just start out breeding. We have gone to shows, done working events, usually started with a PET of the breed we love. THen we get the first SHOW dog. We are "dog people" for usually YEARS before we start breeding. Generally, we start breeding because we want something for ourselves....a good show dogs and working dog all in one that WE bred. We didn't need mush education on breeding at that point because we had already learned so much in the years before. We do not start with some dogs and LEARN ON THEM. We learned from other good breeders and knowledgable people in our breed. We even ...READ BOOKS!!! Imagine that!!!! Went to the LIBRARY and read book on dogs. Not just breeding, but ALL aspects of dogs!!!!!!! We strive to breed dogs that are better than their parents. There is a GOAL in mind. Not making money. Not filling the public demand for puppies.

BYB, on the other hand do not go through all that. Usually, they learn about breeding under the fire of a impending litter. The ask for information HERE and other places where you can get crappy advice!!! They do not want to do any research on theri own, they wnat it handed to them. They do not want to be told that it takes YEARS to get started....they want ti NOW>
They rarely do health clearances on the breeding dogs. They seem to want to spend as little as possible on the litter. No ultrasounds, no x-rays, no temperment testing. At best vaccine and worm. THey are not aware what makes a great example of the breed and what makes a pet. They breed either for money or just because they can.

If someone has done ALL the homeowrk, has very good dogs, has health clearances, and is doing everything right, then they are a good, novice breeder.........but as we have seen here, NONE of the people claiming that have actually been able to show that they are doing it right!!!

******Ista....thatnks to bettering the breeds, most of us have seen a BIG DECREASE in many of the diseases that we have had such a problem with in the past. In Newfs we have seen less CHD, and now with the DNA test for cystenuria, there should be NO Newfs that actually HAVE the disease anymore. The only way they could is for two carriers to be bred together.....almost always by BYB that have refused to test for this!!!!
So, you statement is just the propaganda that purebred haters spew. And if you knew DIDDLY about showing and dogs, you would know that we show dogs on a limited basis and the rest of the time they are pets and working dogs!!!!! ALL my show dogs are pets!! And they are also working dogs. They provide a service to the family with the ability to haul loads of thing when needed....which with the wood, is DAILY!!!!! Dog shows are for weekends....work and home is the rest of the time!!!

Answer 6

A back yard breeder refers to a breeder who churns out puppies without regard to the health of the dogs or the dogs they are breeding. Most of these breeders don't take good care of the animals, breed too often, and with little regard to the dogs having the correct traits and temperament for the breed itself.

Answer 7

No all novice breeders are considered BYB. A BYB is someone who breeds simply to breed with no regard to health, temeprament, breed standard, pedigree, work/show ability...they simply just breed puppies. This isn't just novices but also a lot of long time breeders..it is also commercial breeders, puppy mill breeders.
****** unless someone is a commercial breeder/puppy mill they do not need to be licensed by the state in order to breed*****

Answer 8

A gal & her dogs is right on. If you have a nice dog then you also have a breeder with at least some knowledge. So this is your starting point. Then you will want to join a dog club and become active doing something, anything with your dog.
You will hear people say all the time to only breed to improve the breed, well you will have zero knowledge of what is an improvement unless you are doing something with the dog.

Answer 9

It is not just starting out it is the way they start out you should have all Moms and Dads checked by a vet for all defects study the Moms and Dads line for all defects just because the Mom and Dad checks out ok does not mean the defects are not in the line match a Mom and Dad up that will make the pups better get all dogs up to date on shots before you breed them have only one breed and learn everything on that breed for example if you research a chihuahua you know it is a toy breed the standard for them are from 2-6 lbs don't make up cute little nick names like TEA_CUP or pocket sell it for a toy breed cause this is what it is don't try to charge more for a color or size don't keep them in cages let them be part of your family if they need a c-section that cost $1,200 to save its life don't think about it just do it even if you don't save any pups you still have the Mom Don't breed a female when she is still a pup feed her puppy food from the tie to about 2 weeks after the pups are weaned to build her back up don't place a pup under 8 weeks old don't sell a 3 week old pup as a 8 week old TEACUP this is only a few things I'm sure others will tell you more

Answer 10

1. Let's distinguish between a backyard breeder and a puppy mill. A puppy mill cranks out lots of puppies, keeps most of them in crates with no socialization. They just shut one down here in Virginia and took away over 1,000 dogs (many of them pregnant). A backyard breeder is someone who hasn't done their homework, doesn't have good stock and hasn't done the preparation necessary.

2. There is a difference between a novice breeder and a backyard breeder. Sure, everyone was a novice at some point. But the vast majority of people who are responsible for pregnant dogs don't deserve to be called breeders, they are usually "backyard breeders." I will cut slack for only ONE group: those who have real working dogs (hunters or farmers) who have open space, their dogs work hard, and are bred not because the farmer or hunter wants something cute or always wondered what it would be like to have puppies but because on their 200 acres of wheatfarm and silos they have massive rodent problems so they need vermin catchers. Or their dogs actually herd free-range sheep.

3. I'll save all the details about what an ethical breeder does or goes through. But here's the short list:
--breeds to improve the line. Thus, they've done extensive genetic research into the breed. They know genetics better then my HS biology teacher did, they have specific objectives (to improve speed, to improve temperament or something along those lines). They can tell you what allelles each of their dogs is carrying that are not displayed.
--they are selective: they require potential owners of their pups to submit an application, they research you first, they turn people down and THEY choose which dog you get (because they know their dogs better then you do). The only exception to this are when dealing with another pro (someone who is looking for something specific and knows dogs really well) or someone with a "pet quality" puppy for sale (which is breeder terminology for "an inferior result that I won't breed from").
--they spend years looking for the perfect female. No, it isn't a good pet quality dog.
--their dogs are all registered and they can tell you their lineage back a couple of generations. And that lineage either involves great working dogs who've been on a farm for decades or it involves champions of some sort.
--they provide guarantees to owners, especially in terms of health and take puppies back.
--all of their puppies get good socialization: exposure to different environments, lots of people, different dogs, children (at least if they're breeding puppies as pets).
--they spend tons of money on hip x-rays, vet fees, shots and those are just for the puppies!
--their females probably never have more than 3 litters before they are retired. They don't breed the female before she's 2 years of age, they don't breed in consecutive cycles (so no more than once a year).
--they require you to sign a spay/neuter agreement or you need to submit proof of it before you get the final papers.
--they're heavily into dogs. I don't mean they really like their two pets. I mean they compete with their dogs or they show them or judge in trials or used to before they retired. They are incredibly knowledgeable about the breed, the local vets, the local competitions, the dog organizations. Because they're not doing this as a hobby or a sideline. They're doing this because they have passion for all things dog. If their two dogs (male and female) suddenly disappeared or died, that passion wouldn't die because their interest isn't because of the two pets, it transcends that. If it doesn't, they won't make wise decisions as a breeder.
--they treat it as a business. Even though they love dogs, it's the difference between being a professional in terms of attitude versus being an amateur. I don't mean a business in terms of making money because all of the really good breeders I know all lose money. I mean they don't do it because it's fun or they think it would be cute or they love the idea of their two favorite dogs having a family. They're systematic about it, they plan, they get the right infrastructure, they develop contacts with other breeders who might provide possible stud services, they plan 2-4 years out.
--they do not crank out mixed breed dogs they claim to be a new breed like a "jackapoo" or "labradoodle" or "yorkihound". I have nothing against mixed breeds but these breedings display an ignorance of genetics (combining 2 breeds doesn't automatically give you a cross of the 2 types of dogs) and a focus on trends and what will sell.

That's the short version of what a real breeder does who's not a backyard breeder or a puppy mill machine.