I think the poster that posted this info is trying to make the point that "reputable breeders" DO only breed to create breed standard quality dogs to improve the breed - making puppies is not an industry to them in order to create nice puppies for families to buy. (and I do agree with her points) Reputable breeders scour the world (literally) in order to find foundation stock for their kennels that reflects as close to perfect physical conformation and health that they can achieve. They then extensively health test those dogs again (even though the parents may have been tested) to confirm the health and lack of congenital problems in their dogs to the largest extent possible. They then get into the show circuit to achieve championships for their dogs, which are external confirmations from that breed's community that the dogs are superior examples of thier breed. They may also do agility, obedience or other activities to similarly prove their dogs' temperament, physicality or intelligence. They then scour the earth again to find suitable mates for their breeding stock, whose characteristics will either help cement good qualities into their dogs' offspring or work to overcome undesirable characteristics if there are any. THEN because breeding is not an exact science, some puppies will perfectly embody all the things the breeder was trying to achieve, and will be show prospects that attract the attention of other breeders OR there will be puppies who are most likely extremely healthy physical specimens, because of all the vetting that went into their breeding, but may have visual faults that make them undesirable for further breeding - THOSE are the puppies that breeders will consider placing in a pet home. This kind of back story does not "confirm" a perfectly healthy puppy, but it sure helps.
It IS hard to find these people - they are not puppy sellers. They invest a great deal of time and money into something that is their passion. One or two litters a year is all they have time for because it takes a great deal of commitment to do all the other things that their pursuit requires.
I don't know where you get the idea that these people are "inbreeding?" What they are doing is very extensively and carefully cross breeding. You state "unless you are going out of your way to bring in dogs from other areas" like that is the exception, but it is the rule for "reputable breeders."
One of my dogs, who is a pet quality boxer (plain fawn rather than flashy, and has a mismark swirl of fur on her shoulder) from a "reputable breeder" has a mother who has been imported from England and is now an American champion. Mom's parentage is English and Irish champions. Her father is a Canadian champion who also competes in agility and obedience trials. His parentage includes a dad who was the top boxer in Canada for a number of years. These dogs were selected to be bred after much research and discussion among their owners. It involved shipping frozen <ahem> from Canada to the US so an artificial insemination could be performed. Other dogs in her kennel are imported from Ireland and Canada. These breeders are not breeding the same pair of father/daughter dogs over and over again, nor are they breeding their "nice female lab" with "nice neighbor male lab" from down the street, because wouldn't they make cute puppies.
As I mentioned, breeding is not an exact science, and any number of mishaps can occur, but if I am going to invest a great deal of money and acquire a family member who will integrate into our family and remain there for over a decade, I'll stack the odds in my favor every time by working to find a "reputable breeder" - I don't think the concept is propaganda!
Jane
