Anyone can take a few animals, slap them together, let them “do their thing”, and call themselves a breeder. That is not, however, what makes someone a breeder. Breeders tend to have goals, quality stock, and an overall breeding plan or purpose for breeding.

 

Unfortunately, well-known does not equate to being reputable and the one often gets mistaken for the other. It’s like confusing popular and likable.

 

Based on my own experiences in the past, I’ve compiled some helpful tips to help you feel more assured when looking for a breeder.

 

Talk to those you know and trust. See which breeders they’ve used and what their experiences were like. If you are wanting to do business with a particular breeder and don’t know of anyone who has dealt with them, reach out to one of their customers. There is nothing wrong with contacting a previous or current customer to ascertain what their experience has been like.

 

Communication is key. Finding someone who will openly exchange information about the type of animal you are looking into as well as their particular breeding program is paramount. You should feel confident and happy by the time you bring your animal home. Maintaining an open line of communication even after the animal has been brought home is ideal. No one knows your animal like the person who bred them and they should be able to answer any and all questions you may ever have.

 

Find out about their breeding program. It’s always nice to find someone who shares the same goals and ideals as you do. Different breeders have different objectives as they breed for different types of traits. Make sure you find someone who is breeding to the standards that you hold important. Finding out about their breeding stock and how they keep their animals is also important as healthy animals come from healthy stock.

 

Don’t rush in. If you’ve done your research and know this is the type of animal for you, but personal circumstances aren’t quite where you want them to be, I find that it’s best to hold off. If it’s meant to be, everything will fall into place perfectly. No one should make you feel pressured to rush a decision. Some breeders do have waiting lists and they may check in with you if you have expressed interest before moving on to the next person in line.

 

Lastly, there really is no such thing as a stupid or wrong question. We all started off at some point not knowing anything. Don’t feel bad if you think a question is silly. If you need to know the answer to it, it’s not silly. Even if you think you know, but just need confirmation or a different perspective from a more experienced source, it really is okay to ask. Anyone that makes you feel stupid or talks down to you should be run away from. And that goes with anyone you talk to in life, not just a breeder. 😉