Do they show? While showing is not mandatory to get a good dog, it does show that the breeder is in it for the betterment of the breed and will also have a much better knowledge of the breed.
Are they a member in good standing of the Boston Terrier Club of America, the national breed club that dedicated to the breed? If they are interested in creating the best Boston Terriers, they should be members of the National Breed Club.
Do they follow the breeders code of ethics from the Boston Terrier Club of America?
Are they involved with any local breed club?
And a big question - why did you breed this particular ***** to this particular dog? The breeder should tell you things like "I wanted to improve Fluffy's top line and Buddy is known to throw good top lines." Since a good and reputable breeder is only into breeding to breed for the betterment of the breed, they should be able to go into minute detail about why they chose these two particular dogs to breed together.
Ask them if they temperament tested the puppies.
I would be suspicious of any breeder that actually lets you choose your puppy out of the whole litter. Most reputable breeders will temperament test their puppies and then, after grilling you on your lifestyle and what you want, will place the puppy with the temperament best suited to your lifestyle with you. This helps cut down on grown dogs that end up in rescue when they are a laid back family who end up with the alpha puppy in the litter. They might give you a choice of a few of the puppies that would fit you, but I would run from any breeder that takes money and lets you come in and just take a puppy home.
Another huge one: Look at the contract. A reputable breeder will ALWAYS stipulate that they have first right of refusal if you ever need to rehome the dog. A reputable breeder remains responsible for the litters they put on the ground by agreeing to take back any dog at any age for any reason if you have to re-home. A responsible breeder will never let their puppies end up in rescue if they can help it.
Ask for references from previous puppy buyers. No references? Run like the wind. That means they are just creating puppies and taking the money without doing any kind of research and followup with the homes they place their puppies in.
Depending on the age of the puppies in the litter, the breeder who isn't interested in you coming over could possibly be your best breeder. Some of the really good breeders are pretty anal about no visitors until their puppies are old enough to not contract other diseases. A person can track in things like distemper on the bottoms of their shoes. There are other good reasons to not want visitors in the early weeks of puppyhood such as the ***** may be a nervous 1st mom and the breeder doesn't want to stress her out.
Did you get breeder references from the Boston Terrier Club of America? That is the best place to go to find a good and reputable breeder.
Ditto, ditto, ditto.
Contrary to what many people will tell you, you can get a good dog from someone who doesn't show them. Most of the litreature out there says to look for a show breeder, but not everyone who chooses not to show is in it for the money, doesn't care about thier dogs, ect. My parents just got a second English Bulldog pup from such a breeder. She still does all of the screening procedures, knows the breed standards ect, but chooses NOT to show her dogs because they are well loved pets, not props for a show ring. She says that she chooses to love her dogs without condition. They don't have to win in a show ring to be valued by her. The first pup they got from her was a well loved addition to our family for 9 wonderful years.
While there are plenty of people who breed their dogs for fun, and because they love the breed, it is almost always a good thing to buy from a breeder who shows that breed. Why? Because each breed is held to certain standards. If a breeder is showing their dogs, it means they are interested in the continued quality of that breed. If you go to the lady in your town, who just loves her dogs to death, and finds a mate for her dog, and they have those adorable puppies, well....has she done her homework? Has she had the other dog checked out for any possible health issues....just to start with.
A short story that shows why you should buy from established breeders.
We talked to the Golden Retriever Club to get some breeder names..that they were familier with. We also went to a few dog shows in the area. We talked to a breeder who had also been mentioned by the rescue club. Okay. We decide to buy a pup from her. We took a puppy that she had wanted to keep for herself, to breed and show, but he had only one descended testicle...made him worthless in the ring and as a stud dog, but a perfect family pet. We signed a contract that stated we would neuter him. The breeder wanted us to let her know if the vet found that the testicle either dropped or didn't drop. We took him to his pre-neuter appt...lo and behold, it had just dropped. I called the breeder that night...she was so happy. She told me that if it hadn't dropped, she was going to have to stop breeding my pup's mom...it was a genetic issue and not one she was comfortable possibly passing on.
Our contract included all the health records of both mom and dad..hips, eyes, etc. Your 'hobby' breeder doesn't offer that...and it's a very important componant.
I am not saying that all hobby breeders are 'uncaring' as to the specifics of the breed. But, I just feel safer knowing that I know the complete background of my dog.
Oh, and that whole rescue thing??? We've tried it, my mother-in-law tried it. We failed the requirements. Why??? We didn't have a fenced in yard...either one of us. Yes, I understand the need for some rules, but really?? Can they not do it on a case by case basis??? It is very hard to get dogs from rescue organizations a lot of times.
