Who is a dog breeder?
Who is best qualified to be a dog breeder, and what constitutes proper dog breeding is at the core of many arguments in the hobby of dog fancy. Fanciers do tend to agree on what are not good reasons for dog breeding: providing a sex education experience for children, making money and experimental breeding top the list of disparaged motives. At its best, breeding is a blend of science and art. The skilled breeder has at least general knowledge of dog genetics and health, and in-depth knowledge of the breed standard and conformation points of his chosen breed. Dog breeders agree that care for the development of the breed and concern for the health and wellbeing of each individual animal must be uppermost in a breeder’s motivation. At worst, breeding can be a slip shod enterprise in which the major concern is profit, with little regard to the health and welfare of the dogs involved. These often take the form of so-called ‘backyard breeders’ (the term for random or ignorant breeding conduc
