What is a Back Yard Breeder aka BYB?
They can look like normal people, with normal looking dogs
The back yard breeder is the single greatest cause of pet overpopulation.
Back yard breeders usually do not have bad intentions, but the results of back yard breeding are devastating.
The majority of homeless or abandoned dogs come from Back Yard Breeders.
Back Yard breeders often have pups over 8 weeks of age left to place beause they don't have the reputation and
referals and often the set up, that established breeders have. As a result many of their unwanted and unplaced pups end up in Animal Shelters.
Most BYB sell locally through newspaper ads, breed forums, free online classifieds.
Back Yard Breeder's will also be available to have you come out and visit their dogs and puppies at any time and with short notice.
BYB rely on you falling in love with their available puppies without any concern if you are appropriate to own a Poodle.
BYB's responsibility ends when the purchaser's taillights disappear from sight.
Beware of any breeder that invites you to come out to their kennel before knowing about you, your family,
your dog experience or filling out an application and especially when they have young pups suseptible to disease.
Back Yard Breeders usually live in rented homes and can be transient (pick up and leave) in a moments notice.
Leaving the buyer with no where to go to for guarantees, registration papers or to go to for any issues/problems.
Many back yard breeders do not have the knowledge to properly house, raise, train a healthy, socialized litter,
or have the knowledge to help the new owner with any problems that might arise.
They often will house their pups in the living room or simular area in raised cages
or an Exercise Pen thinking the pups are getting socialised well enough.
What happens in this type of set up is that it promotes dirty habits. Pups learn to pee and poo where they eat and sleep.
No toilet training is started. Also most pups don't get the proper socialising or interacting because nothing is structured to
ensure each gets the proper amount of handing and proper amounts of sensory stimulation.
Buyers will get a fearful (but affectionate), dirty puppy that takes weeks if not months to toilet train.
Back yard breeders may act on a desire to make extra money, or simply out of ignorance.
Sometimes BYB will breed so "their children can experience the miracle of birth", or they mistakenly believe "every dog should have one litter."
BYB may even act like experts spending a great deal of time on message boards or Forums bad mouthing other breeders, to promote their own pups.
BYB may think their dog is so beautiful and good looking that he/she would make wonderful puppies,
with little or no thought for the homes to which their puppies will go.
BYB see how much money legitimate breeders charge for pups and figure they could make some "easy money" too,
not understanding that Reputable breeders charge what they do to help differ costs of healt testing, titling, training and raising healthy dogs and pups.
BYB may even have a completely unplanned litters by accident.
Back yard breeders usually bring two breeding animals together regardless of their quality.
They will do many stud services to any female. They may even start to co-own dogs to stud.
They are not interested in scientific breeding, they may not even know their dogs pedigrees or COI.
They will not have photos of their dog's parents or grandparents to learn more about their Heritage
Their aim is to fulfill a personal need, such as to make friends, social acceptance, or money, NOT to improve the breed
and bring excellent quality dogs to the world to futher their breeding program or improve traits.
Since breed excellence is generally unimportant to the BYB their breeding dogs generally will not have been tested
for genetic and health problems (no OFA clearances)
BYB usually make up some story about having prelims (preliminary exams of hips)
or say that they can mail you copies (usually after your purchase) that never do arrive.
Their health testing is NEVER available online to the world to see.
Always verify all health testing numbers by calling the organizations or checking the OFA numbers online.
Standard Poodles should "minimally" have, hips, elbows, patella, cardiac, thyroid, vWD testing as this is "conclusive" health testing
meaning do it once, as the results are conclusive and will not change.
Examples of OFA Clearances
"maximally" Standard Poodles will also have CERF testing (Canine Eye Registration Foundation)
SA (Sebaceous Adenitis), however it is important to know that CERF and SA are NOT conclusive tests
and will have to be done yearly in order to be valid.
Back yard breeders are not necessarily bad people, setting out to intentially rip anyone off.
They often come from low to middle income families and their dogs can be well loved and even kept.
However, getting a pup from a back yard breeder is a gamble:
~ BYB's dog's parents likely have not been screened for health problems
~ BYB's puppies usually are not sold with contracts and no future support to the buyer
~ BYB's are not in it for the long haul and will not be around to honor any guarantees
~ BYB's will often be working on new breed with new personal objectives in five years when your pet has a problem and you need help.
~ BYB's do not show, do obedience, temperament test, achieve ANYTHING with their dogs, as their only goal is producing ~Pups for Profit~
~ BYB's will say that they "work out of the home" yet reality is that they not have any full time employment.
In this case, most often they are on Welfare or Disability using the puppy money to live on, making their breeding choices,
based on profit only, not based on what is best to improve the breed or to breed healthy pups.
Although you might pay less for the breed of your choice from a back yard breeder because they usually charge $200.00-$400.00 less than reputable breeders
it's almost a given that in the long run, you'll pay a good deal more in vet bills and perhaps emotionally
(if the dog has to be euthanized due to a health or temperament problem), than you would from a reputable breeder.
The worst type of BYB will attempt to discredit other breeders, in hopes that by their fear mongering, Buyers will purchase
from them instead, thinking they must be good breeders.
Reputable breeders "educate" Buyers that contact them. They don't trash talk or fear monger to make sales as
a Reputable breeder wants to make sure their puppy goes home to a forever home that is going to be happy with their puppy for their lifetime.
Conclusive (1x only) Tests for Standard Poodles
HIPS:
OFA - Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (The world recognizes OFA) also offers certified preliminary exams
OVC (Ontario veterinary college)
PennHip (Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program)can be done at 4 months of age
Patellar Luxation, Elbows, Thyroid
OFA - Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
vWD (Von Willebrand's Disease)
VetGen Lab
PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy in Toy and Miniature Poodles only)
OptiGen
NE (Neonatal Encephalopathy)
VetGen Labs
NEwS - (Neonatal Encephalopathy with Seizures)
OFA - Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (News)
DM (Degenerative Myelopathy)
OFA - Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
