Choosing a Breeder

Last updated on Mar 27, 2025

If you want a pet to possess certain characteristics or to compete in show or sport, your best bet is to find an ethical breeder. Once you've done your research and found a species (and breed) to match your lifestyle, it's time to start screening breeders.

What is an ethical breeder?

Many have different standards for what they consider an ethical breeder, but this list should give you an idea.

The breeder has done appropriate health testing on their female and has chosen a tested male.

Make sure to do your research on the biggest health issues in the species and breed! It's sometimes difficult to understand what the appropriate health tests are for each disease. A good starting point would be to contact the breed branch of your local kennel club, cat fancy, or other species equivalent for advice.

One red flag is dog breeders who only use the all-in-one DNA tests such as Embark or Feragen and claim that their animals are healthy. The reason you should be cautious is that not all diseases can be tested for via DNA. Likewise, the hundreds of conditions tested may not even occur in your chosen dog breed! A DNA test may be enough for some cat breeds, but this is almost never the case with dogs. Some diseases which cannot be tested for via DNA include hip dysplasia, heart problems, and eye diseases.

P.S. When it comes to dogs and cats, the formal vocabulary for females is "bitch" and "queen", respectively. For males of both species, the term "stud" is used. The breeder is not being vulgar if they use these terms!

The breeder most likely does not own both parents.*

This point is a little more contentious and really depends on species. In dogs, for example, there are strict rules in place about how closely related two dogs can be in a pairing. Therefore it makes little sense for breeders to own both the female and the male dog. The goal for dog breeders is to keep puppies from their own breeding to further their breeding program, so if they only bred to dogs they owned this would soon lead to inbreeding (incest) and eventually health issues.

Occasionally a breeder may own a male dog which they make available to other breeders and use themselves. However, if this is the only male dog they are using on their females and they never keep any of their own puppies, this would be a red flag as it signifies that they are geared towards profit.

When it comes to cats, however, it is very common for breeders to own an unrelated male which they do not share with other breeders. This is because cats are susceptible to highly contagious and incurable diseases, such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV). Breeders have to purchase a new male whenever they need to introduce new bloodlines into their breeding program.

The breeder participates in shows, sports, or work.*

This is definitely true for cats, dogs, and working animals (such as horses). Taking part in such activities shows that the breeder actually enjoys spending time with their pets and cares that their animals are evaluated for health, conformation (structure) and temperament by a third party. It would be less common to find a breeder who does this, for example, when it comes to rodents or reptiles.

The females are not overbred and baby animals do not go to their new homes prematurely.

When it comes to dogs, the FCI regulations state that females may only be bred from the age of 15 months. Furthermore, they may be bred at most once per year (or twice per year as an exception when changing seasons or with permission). Most national kennel clubs state that a female's last mating must take place before her 8th birthday. In general, females are 2-3 years old when they bear their first litter and are retired after their 4th or 5th litter.

For puppies and kittens, 8 weeks old is the earliest that they are allowed to go to their new homes. For small dogs and cats, it is common to send them to their new homes at the age of 12 weeks. Different species may have different development rates and socialization requirements. Make sure you are informed about what is the norm for your species of choice.

The breeder does not have more than a couple of different species or breeds available.

Doing things the right way costs time and money. A breeder with more than a handful of breeding animals cannot be doing things properly on their own while living a normal life with a regular job: they would have to be running a farm or commercial facility.

The breeder supports rescue and/or participates in research studies or programs to help animals.

Ethical breeders do not breed first and foremost for profit, they do it because they are passionate about their animals - especially their chosen breed, and want to preserve specific traits for generations to come.

However, do not misunderstand this to mean that well bred animals should be cheap! Responsible breeding costs money (health testing, working and sport trials, importing foreign bloodlines, emergency caesareans etc.) and therefore this has to be reflected in the price. But you should also be wary of animals that are extremely expensive ("exotic designer breeds" come to mind)! Inform yourself about the price range - the cost for a pet from an ethical breeder should be in the middle: median and slightly above (this may vary a bit by region).

The breeder is happy to answer your questions and, more importantly, asks questions in return.

It's always a red flag when a breeder is not discriminating when it comes to buyers. Buying a pet is not a decision to be taken lightly and this should be reflected during the buying process. You should not be able to click and buy your pet from afar via PayPal and online shop. If any breeder's website offers this, keep looking.

The breeder sells animals with a written contract, which includes a health guarantee.

A written contract is a typical requirement in all countries when it comes to the sale of live animals. The health guarantee can vary, covering as little as one week from leaving the breeder's home, to a missing testicle or tooth until a certain age, or even a lifetime without hip dysplasia. The breeder may offer money back or a replacement from a future litter, but in all cases you keep your original pet.

The breeder maintains contact with buyers throughout the animal's lifetime.

Ethical breeders expect to take their animals back if it doesn't work out with the new owners, and are prepared to assist with rehoming at any age. Many breeders have this specifically written into the contract one way or another, sometimes under a "right of first refusal" clause (which means if you choose to sell or rehome your pet, you must first offer it to them before anyone else).

Some breeders may meet all of this criteria. Others may meet most of the criteria, leaving out a few things. This is by no means a be all and end all guide to identifying an ethical breeder. You have to decide what is important to you and then see how your chosen breeder measures up.

Be advised, though, that if your breeder meets NONE of these criteria, the chances are very high that you are not dealing with a professional, ethical breeder.

Finding a Registered Breeder

Depending on your chosen species and breed and its popularity in your region, there may be a waiting list of a year or more, so get in touch with breeders sooner rather than later.