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By definition, anyone that whelps a litter of pups is considered a "breeder". What sets apart those that are considered responsible or ethical?
An important trait of a responsible breeder is knowing when not to breed. Often not breeding is the biggest service we can do for our breed. Understanding that our beloved pet is not be the best example of the breed can be tough. As our pets' adoring owners, we tend to overlook their faults. That isn't the responsible thing to do when it comes to breeding. We have to be brutally honest, this is no time to allow personal feelings to cloud decisions which affect future generations. Our dogs' value as companions needs to be separated from their value as a breeding candidate.
Another important trait is knowledge. There is no need to reinvent any wheels when it comes to breeding dogs. There are plenty of people from which to learn. There is no hurry to breed the first purebred dog you acquire or breed as soon as you fancy thoughts about it. Take time to learn from those that came before you. Become involved in your breed. Train your eye to correct conformation so that you can properly evaluate potential breeding stock. This very likely means you spay/neuter your current pet while you learn.
Ways to connect with other purebred fanciers:
Join a kennel club. Find a club.
Attend shows. Find shows near you. Dog Show Spectator Etiquette.
Find breed fanciers in your area. To find contacts in your state, start with your breed's parent club and ask for referrals or use them to find your state's breed club and ask for referrals.Knowledge doesn't stop at understanding your breed's standard. You must know common health issues that plague your breed and what you can do to reduce the risk of perpetuating problems. This involves health testing and familiarizing yourself with pedigrees (and the problems in them). Possibly your dog is symptom free, but his pedigree is full of dogs with a problem. That could mean your dog is a carrier of the problem or may not exhibit symptoms until a later date.
A responsible breeder must know how to: select appropriate mates, oversee the breeding so neither dog is injured, care for a pregnant bitch, whelp a litter and care for a litter. One must be prepared to raise an orphaned litter in case the dam dies while giving birth. There is no reason to put dogs at risk while you attempt to learn these things by trial and error. These are all things to learn at the side of a mentor.
Being a responsible breeder doesn't stop when the litter is whelped. There is screening of potential buyers and being a helpful resource for those buyers during the life of their dog.
The world of purebred dogs is always in need of the next generation of dog breeders. If you think you're up for the challenge, get involved in those clubs and educate yourself!
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