Page 40 - K9 News - Issue 14 - December 2020

to any dog in their charge. The same, however,
to be an alarming trend across all breeds to
suggest the fewer number of litters a breeder
produces litters per annum, the better a breeder
they must be. In the modern day we are seeing
an upsurge of small-scale breeders; keen
breed enthusiasts who own one or perhaps
two breeding bitches and have a litter once or
maybe twice every year or two. In most breeds,
long gone are the kennels who owned and
bred from multiple bitches per year, producing
a great number of puppies who were carefully
and thoughtfully rehomed with many going on to
become well known top winners of their time. In
some breeds, this is certainly still the case with
sizeable kennels producing a number of litters
per year; quality, well-bred, carefully reared,
puppies but it is no longer the norm. The idea
that the best breeders are only the small-scale
one sees fit to not only discredit the large-scale
breeders of the past but also the larger-scale
breeders of present times who are still doing an
excellent job.
I make no apology for detesting the term puppy
“farmer” – I know a great number of farmers,
and none of them do a bad job. This derogatory
term we have become accustomed to in dogs,
doesn’t fit the bill for many people who do a bad
job. A “puppy farmer” is usually considered to be
someone who breeds frequently, only with profit
only in mind and most often to the detriment of
any dogs in their charge. These aren’t farmers,
they are bad breeders. No good will come from
anything they produce, and no good will come
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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / DECEMBER 2020
can be said for these backyard breeders who
only own a couple of bitches and breed in a less
“puppy farm” style to which we have become
accustomed to associating with the term. These
sorts operate a small-scale operation but only
produce a litter or two a year and don’t have any
consideration for what they breed, other then
the cash coming in at the end of the process.
These, too, are bad breeders. Conversely we
have a number of people who are larger scale
breeders, producing – say – 5 to 10 litters per
year, who do an excellent job, much the same
as a diligent breed enthusiast who produces just
one litter every five years. To tar all breeders
with the same brush based on the frequency
of their breeding is simply not fair. Not all good
breeders are those who breed infrequently, not
all who breed often are bad.
Quantity is not necessarily a measure of
quality. One person seeking to breed a litter,
using a bad tempered sire on their equally
strange tempered bitch, rearing their puppies
in a cold kitchen with poor diet and general
lack of knowledge of how to care for a litter will
– without question – have the potential to do
more harm to a breed than a knowledgeable
experienced breeder who produces three, four,
five litters per year. Each case must be taken on
merit, and considered individually. There are so
many aspects of the dog game which don’t have
a one size fits all; breeding is most definitely
one of them. The choice of sire, the compatibility
to the bitch, the quality of the bitch (in terms
of soundness of body and of mind), the care
of her whilst in whelp, the rearing, caring, and
rehoming of, puppies, are all essential items to
consider when judging as to how well someone
can be gauged as a breeder – or not. Breed
clubs need to be highlighting these important
elements, which breeders should possess, to
owners thinking of taking on a new breed. They
should be encouraging good breeding practices,
providing help, support, and advice to new
owners, and making sure their membership
reflects the top breeders in their breeds, not
seeking to alienate them.