Decoding Breeder Websites and Why To Look for a Reputable Breeder

Avoid anyone saying they have 'rare' anything. Red malamutes are not rare, neither are white malamutes. Long coats are not rare either, in fact, they're quite common because it's a simple recessive that most of us breed away from. They make excellent pets but they do not do well on sled teams.

Malamutes NEVER have blue eyes as Malamutes DO NOT carry the blue eyed gene. This is why it is a Disqualification for the show ring. There are terms like "throwback" and "rare mutation" that people say to explain away that their dogs are not purebred. "Rare" = gimmick to sell puppies for $$$.

Look at the condition of the dogs in the photographs. Are they cleaned? Well groomed? Do they look healthy or are their coats looking a bit dull? Dull coats can indicate thyroid problems, parasites, or dirty conditions. Coat is one of the first indicators that there is a problem. How are they kept? Do the dogs look healthy or are they scrawny and lack definition to their bodies? Are they fat and their stomachs hang? Do they look happy? The occasional cute picture of a muddy dog caught digging is fine, most of the pictures on the website showing dirty dogs is not.

Is a pedigree listed? Or is it just 'champion pedigree' or a couple famous kennels listed? The 'champion' pedigree simply means there are champions somewhere in the pedigree....big deal, most, if not all purebred malamutes go back to champions 'somewhere'.

They also will lie about what kennels are behind them - for example, my kennel name is listed to advertise a giant kennel yet none of my dogs appear in any of their pedigrees.

Commonly disreputables will list a few famous kennels that appear behind their dogs, often it's one or two dogs in the 5th or 6th generation of the pedigree. Again, big deal, that's common in most dogs. It's not a sign of quality.

Be leery of sites listing their methods of payment and prices and offer some sort of a 'purchase' button. Reputable breeders want to talk to you and figure out if you're a suitable home for one of their dogs before entering into a transaction with you.

How often are their dogs being bred? The girls should not have more than one litter per year, they should not be bred before 18 months and they should be retired from breeding at a reasonable age--around 7-8 years old. The ONE exception to the back-to-back litters rule is if one is using frozen semen. Reputable breeders will sometimes do a live breeding and then next time use the frozen. This gives them the greatest chance of a successful litter.

Backyard breeders and puppy mills don't bother with frozen because it's expensive to have males stored and just as expensive to do the artificial insemination. It also is risky financially as frozen often doesn't work and rarely yields a large litter. It would cut into their profits by a large margin in other words.

How many litters do they have in a year at the kennel? Litter numbers don't necessarily say 'disreputable' but when added to the other factors, it can be a signal.

What is their guarantee? Often disreputables will NOT take their dogs back should you be unable to keep the puppy. While a puppy should be bought with the intention of keeping it for it's entire life, sometimes there are circumstances beyond the puppy buyer's control. No breeder should be ok with their dogs ending up in shelters on death row or being a burden on rescue.

Some will have a pretty flimsy health guarantee. They say they will replace the dog if you prove there's a genetic problem with the dog and if that means you have to send the puppy you love back to them, they will likely euthanize it. Euthanasia is a way they get you to give up on the guarantee. This is a common ploy used by direputables and puppy mills. Run, run away from kennels advertising that the pups are sold "As Is". Clearly they do not stand behind the health of their puppies.

Do they sell non-breeding puppies on AKC's Limited Registration? They should. Not using the limited registration means they don't care if you breed the puppy. Breeding isn't something to be taken lightly. Breedings should only be for the betterment of the breed, with an eye to what the standard calls for. Breeding simply to make more pets is just breeding for money.

Sometimes disreputable breeders will try the "AKC stopped doing Limited Registration so I can't get papers for you." FALSE. I registered puppies with AKC 12/27/2020, Limited Registration is alive and well. I suspect that anyone trying that tactic is unable to register one or both of the parents or they bred a dog who has Limited Registration and therefore the puppies are not registerable. Either way: if someone tries this, run the other direction.

Do they permanently identify their puppies before they leave? A breeder who cares about their puppies will permanently identify their pups so they can be traced back to them should they become lost or end up in a shelter/breed rescue. Some reputable breeders will send a puppy home with the microchip to be implanted later because there is some question about the chip migrating or others require the puppy owner to get it done by a certain age.

How do they socialize their puppies? Are they simply left in the kennel or do they get house time and taken places to get exposed to different scenarios? Puppies raised in a home setting are typically much better prepared to deal with life as compared to a puppy raised in a shed somewhere on a large property where there are a lot of other litters.

Do they actually interview puppy people? Or is it as simple as handing them a check and asking where to send the pup? Breeders who care will ask questions about your experience with the breed, your home situation, and may even request to do a home visit so they know their pup is going to the proper home. They may even decide which puppy you are getting, or may only give you options of a couple. They will have spent time with the puppies and know which ones have the right personality for you. A good breeder won't sell a puppy to just anyone. The puppy's best interests are #1!

Quoting the Bible doesn't make them a good kennel. Many disreputables will do that in an effort to seem like they are good people in it for the right reasons. It's really distasteful.

Are there multiple breeds of dog being bred on the property? Breeding is a passion and learning pedigrees is very time consuming....but reputable breeders enjoy searching for the right combination. It's possible to be quite knowledgeable in a couple breeds at the same time but if a kennel is breeding more than a couple breeds, it's highly improbable that proper research is being done and most likely it's a puppy mill.

Avoid kennels who publicly bash other specific breeders. Or better, the ones who say "mind your own business" or protest on the website that they are not a puppy mill. If they feel the need to say it...that should raise some warning flags.