“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. We are to lay aside anything that hinders our progress."
- Hebrews 12:1
Mushing the Midwest since 1995
Being a Breeder
Hello and thank you for taking the time to browse through our site. Below are two articles that are a great read and let you as a potential owner of one of our Huskies how we stand behind our dogs.
Purebred/AKC does not always equal well-bred
*The above photos are from another husky owner that I met and received permission to use their dog in my photo and the other is a former beauty from our kennel. Permission was granted to use both photos.
Interesting headline, so what is a well-bred dog defined as?
It is a question that will get you different answers depending on whom you ask, what breed you’re asking about, and likely even what country you are located in, but there are a few unifying topics among every answer.
First and foremost, being well-bred means that the dog came from a reputable breeder. This in short means that the dog came from a proven line within a family tree that has noted health clearances for the breed in question. (There is so much more that goes into being a reputable breeder). A well-bred dog comes from parents who have had proper health testing and comes from proven lines. Their parents compete or work in some way and prove themselves to be a worthy representation of the breed. Most importantly, the parents are of age to even have health testing done. Health and genetic clearances show that the breeder is working to breed away from the most common heritable illnesses that can affect the breed, which in turn creates a healthier next generation. Coming from a reputable breeder also means that meticulous care went into examining both the sire and dam before deciding to breed them so that the chosen breeding pair complimented each other nicely with the ultimate goal of producing more structurally and temperamentally sound and to-standard puppies.
This leads to the next unifying theme: fitting the standard. Each breed has a standard that describes the conformation and temperament expected by each dog of that breed that tends to relate to their original purpose. It is part of what makes getting a well-bred, purebred dog such a great and easy decision because they are predictable so you know which breeds will fit your lifestyle. Take the Siberian husky, for example; I know to expect a friendly and outgoing dog who would make a terrible protector based on their standard. Someone producing aggressive Siberians would not be breeding to the standard. Breed standards also outline the ideal structure of a dog. Looking at Siberians again, you would expect a medium-sized dog of balanced proportions with a dense double coat of medium length, so if you were to find overly large Siberians with long and shaggy coats and a snap tail, they would not fit the standard and likely would not be well bred as these features are not in line with being of a healthy structure.
Another component of a well-bred dog is how well it is able to do the job they were originally bred for. Of course, not every dog in every litter will make a good working dog, but ideally, you would see consistent results of at least some puppies from each litter that go on to be able to do what they were meant to. As far as workability, a breeder should be able to produce Siberians able to be trained in harness to pull, even if only recreationally; they should be able to produce Aussies with herding instinct, and they should be able to produce Labradors that make good game retrieval dogs. If the breeder is producing dogs for sport, then they should consistently be producing dogs that excel at rally, agility, lure courses, flyball, etc. If it is a breed whose main purpose is companionship, then it is still vitally important that they are of a stable temperament appropriate for a pet home, showcasing traits such as friendliness and trainability.
In summary, a dog is well-bred if it:
- Is one that has been bred with the utmost care in order to better the breed through extensive knowledge of heritage.
-Comes from a line of health-tested breeding pairs to prevent common diseases and disorders in the breed from being passed on.
-Fits the standard of what is structurally and temperamentally expected of the breed.
-Has workability related to its original purpose or at least the purpose it is currently being bred for.
The more you learn about a breed and the more well-bred examples of each that you see, the easier it becomes to quickly differentiate from those that are structurally correct and to standard from those that are not. Above is an example comparing a well-bred version of the Siberian Husky to its backyard-bred counterpart in order to demonstrate why correct structure is important as it often can make all the difference between the health and longevity of your dog.
No Dog is "Just A Pet"
Behind every purebred puppy/dog is a BREEDER. I’m using capital letters to differentiate a breeder from a pet factory or mill. A reputable breeder does not breed dogs without papers, which does not protect the integrity of the breed. Registration (papers) are records of a lineage that documents a bloodline and allow one to research any possible health issues present in the lineage. When you select to buy a puppy from a reputable and quality breeder, this breeder is responsible for the health of every pup; both dogs owned and every pup they’ve sold for its lifetime. This breeder will skip holidays, miss sleeping, and most of their personal house space has been turned into space for their dogs. The truly passionate breeder who loves what they breed puts their whole heart and soul into it. Not only in puppies that are sold, but also in each client who owns a piece of their heart and now is a member of their extended family. This does not take into account any puppy/dog who might get sick or need extra help to thrive.
A breeder will get their hands dirty, often covered in everything accompanied with birthing; because that’s what life is about... In the middle of birth and death is life - a wheel that keeps turning. A breeder will do tests, echos, x-rays, analysis, emergency C-sections, vaccinations, register litters, research pedigrees, deworm, as well as microchip their puppies and get them evaluated by specialists.
A breeder CHOOSES the family lucky enough to have one of their puppies. Yes, you read that right. A true breeder chooses whom they sell to because they are not making money off the sale. There is no compensation that can offset the investment a breeder has made so they need to be confident it's the right fit. Many times saying more no’s than yes... A good breeder will have different criteria for those wanting to carry on their bloodline, why? Because breeding is not a responsibility to ever be taken lightly, it’s a lifestyle choice set aside for ONLY a few devoted people willing to sacrifice. Not to mention the training/imprinting work that goes into each puppy so they have the best start!!
Because a dog is never “just a pet,” it’s the breeder’s legacy, a little boy or girl’s best friend, an elderly person's therapy, a member of the family, someone’s whole world!!!