What exactly is a backyard breeder?
A backyard breeder is breeding for money not the betterment of the breed. Their first and main concern is the money they're going to make off this litter. They have no regard for breed standards. If their breeding stock doesn't conform to breed standard and they just keep producing puppies...they have no regard for the breed and indicates their motivation is money. The living conditions of their breeding stock is treated as....stock. They let the puppies go way too early and they spend very little time socializing and handling each one. They have no vet reference, no groomer reference, no trainer reference, no references of any kind and the reason is they don't do anything with their dogs except breed. They most likely got their dogs for free or on the cheap surfing the internet for people re-homing their dogs. If they find a purebred dog that isn't altered...that's the new breed they are breeding now.
A backyard breeder is also a dog owner who loves their dog so much they want to breed it 'just once'. This is the most common byb and the hardest to convince that breeding should be left to the professionals.
There should never be an aussie in a shelter or rescue but thanks to byb's...
You can quickly determine what category of breeder you're dealing with by asking yourself these simple questions:
Does the breeder have a genuine love for and in depth knowledge of aussies and is this love and knowledge clearly evident in their actions? Are they making decisions that will improve the breed or their dogs daily life but not necessarily their bottom line? Upon retirement, do their adults have to be taught how to live like a normal dog? Are their adult dogs on heart worm prevention, flea/tick prevention, daily vitamins? Are they particular about who buys their puppies? Do they have a mentor in the australian shepherd world or are they winging it willy nilly? Do they offer an open door policy for the life of all the pups they bring into the world?
Backyard breeders suck. Don't be a backyard breeder.
A backyard breeder is also a dog owner who loves their dog so much they want to breed it 'just once'. This is the most common byb and the hardest to convince that breeding should be left to the professionals.
There should never be an aussie in a shelter or rescue but thanks to byb's...
You can quickly determine what category of breeder you're dealing with by asking yourself these simple questions:
Does the breeder have a genuine love for and in depth knowledge of aussies and is this love and knowledge clearly evident in their actions? Are they making decisions that will improve the breed or their dogs daily life but not necessarily their bottom line? Upon retirement, do their adults have to be taught how to live like a normal dog? Are their adult dogs on heart worm prevention, flea/tick prevention, daily vitamins? Are they particular about who buys their puppies? Do they have a mentor in the australian shepherd world or are they winging it willy nilly? Do they offer an open door policy for the life of all the pups they bring into the world?
Backyard breeders suck. Don't be a backyard breeder.
Let's talk puppy mills. A puppy mill is worse than a backyard breeder. A puppy mill will present themselves to the world as a 'professional' with years of experience and a great love for the breed. They have AKC papers (that's forged if need be, but you'll never know). They tell a great story online and on social media (perception is everything) but behind closed doors they have stacks and stacks of dogs that do nothing but breed. Old dogs, sick dogs, pups, they all get bred. They are not licensed by the state dept of agriculture, they have one dog they treat humanely in front of others and that's what you're allowed to see (their 'heart' dog). They will run ads under a pseudonym and advertise pups as a mixed breed to sell an unwanted pup cheap instead of raising the pup correctly until a proper home is found. They will leave the tail on and call it a border collie/aussie mix to sell the plain black tri or mismarked. No genetic testing, no breed club participation, no continuing education. They feed the absolute cheapest dog food. They prefer to not stay in touch with puppy buyers. They name drop. They get angry and defensive when reputable breeders cut them off and won't do business with them. It's all about the money and what they can make you believe. Hiding the truth is their number one priority.