One of the most important choices you’ll face when becoming a dog owner is where to get your new puppy. Working with a responsible breeder can lead to a lifetime of happiness with your dog, while cutting corners or getting tricked by unethical sources may result in years of complications, like serious behavioral issues or health problems and sky-high medical bills.
We think a responsible breeder gives you the best chance for adding a happy, healthy member to your family because they, too, care for their dogs like family. The goal of so many responsible breeders is to bring healthy, well-adjusted dogs into the world and to make sure they go to warm and caring homes. It starts even before the actual breeding, when breeders make sure that the parent dogs are strong, healthy, and have characteristics that should be passed along to the next generation of puppies.
There isn't a singular blueprint to determine a Good Breeder. Each family may prioritize different things and have different aspects of a breeder they care most about. It’s our hope that Good Dog allows you to choose a breeder that is right for you.
Unfortunately, spotting a responsible breeder can be difficult without the right knowledge and experience. That’s why we’ve worked with leading veterinary, academic and breeding experts to create a set of standards that we use to review the practices breeders share with us before recognizing them as a Good Breeder and listing them on Good Dog. We’ve outlined below what it means to be a Good Breeder, but we also want to encourage everyone looking for a dog to feel comfortable asking breeders questions directly as well.
The process of finding the right dog and breeder can be a long and arduous journey. You should feel empowered to ask all kinds of questions to every breeder you speak with. Inquire about specific health issues and testing for the breed you’re looking into getting, temperament, training, socialization, and enrichment. Each person will have different needs and prioritize different attributes of a breeder so it’s key to ask questions to determine if you’re working with a breeder that is the right fit for you and your lifestyle. We’ll also be here every step of the way to help you make the best decision for you.
Every breeder on Good Dog has shared information about their breeding practices which we review against our community standards. Before being approved to join Good Dog, we review the practices each breeder reports to us in five key areas – (1) breeding practices, (2) physical health of the breeding dogs & puppies, (3) mental health of the breeding dogs & puppies, (4) housing environment, and (5) buyer education & policies. Every breeder approved to join Good Dog must agree to comply with our community standards, including our breed-specific health testing requirements, and our breeder code of ethics.
We award Good Dog health testing levels (Good, Great, or Excellent) to each breeding program based on breeders’ self-reported health testing practices. In addition, we award health testing badges at the individual breeding dog level (i.e., sires and dams). Breeders will receive a health testing badge for each sire and dam when they provide verifiable health testing information for those individual breeding dogs. As part of our dedication to building a transparent and honest community of Good Breeders committed to the health and well-being of their dogs, breeders can provide links on their Good Dog profiles to the health testing information for each of their dogs.
We ask breeders to describe their practices around veterinary care and socialization. Our community standards emphasize the importance of ongoing education about health testing and other care practices. Breeders in our community commit to putting their dogs' health and well-being as a top priority.
The breeders on Good Dog should commit to keeping their dogs out of the shelter system. In order to do so, Good Dog requires that breeders take back their dogs and rehome them if needed. Responsible breeders should thoroughly vet the homes their dogs will be going to and take one of their dogs back if an emergency arises.
Our standards emphasize the importance of emotional and physical health in breeding programs. We ask breeders to describe their socialization protocols during the crucial 3-13 week period, like how puppies are exposed to different people, animals, noises, and environments to support behavioral and emotional development. Our standards also ask breeders to describe how they provide guidance to owners about continuing age-appropriate socialization.
Our standards provide a foundation for reviewing breeders' programs, but finding the right match is a personal journey. We encourage you to have detailed conversations with potential breeders about their programs, including how they care for their dogs, their socialization and enrichment practices, and their process for matching puppies with families. Each family's needs are unique, so asking questions about lifestyle fit and compatibility can help you make an informed decision about the right breeder and puppy for you.
Read more about our community standards and screening
Read our full Good Breeder Code of Ethics