Why do people think they are not a breeder if they breed their pets?

SarahHound

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#1
It's so frustrating! This morning on a facebook pet group (selling, studding, etc), someone was selling 5 week old Staffy cross pups. Several people commented that puppies shouldn't be leaving their mother that young because it wouldn't be good for them in any way, so she commented back that she wasn't a breeder, because she only breeds her own pets. She also said that 2 pups had been in their new home (yes home, she sold two 4 week old puppies to the same person :rolleyes:) for a week now and were doing fine. Sad thing is there was then a flood of people defending her, saying she was only doing whats best for her dog and her puppies. It amazed me how many people said it was OK, how many had bought 5 week old puppies, and how many had sold 5 week old puppies. She also said when she has her next litter she won't be advertising on these pages because of how stupid everyone is.

It's not the first time I've seen people say that on these pages, that they are not a breeder. Since when are you not a breeder if you breed your own pets? I wonder if people think puppy farms make a breeder only.
 

Shai

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#2
For the same reason they are selling 4 week old puppies: some combination of ignorance, denial, and selfishness.
 

Emily

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#3
I think for some people, "breeder" has connotations of being professional, commercial, or least having dog breeding as a large priority. They think they can excuse whatever **** poor practices they follow by saying, "Well I'm not a BREEDER, I just wanted to let Fluffy and Nubs have a few litters for me and my friends." The implication being that therefore they are not responsible with providing a "breeder's" level of care or knowledge, and people shouldn't be mad at them because they're not "breeders" so how should they know what to do? I think they feel it makes it acceptable to claim ignorance.

It's like the way people will say, "Well no, they're not health tested. What's early socialization? Oh, well, they're not SHOW DOGS, I just wanted my dogs to have babies, that stuff doesn't matter, I'm just doing this for fun!"

:rolleyes: That's all I can say.
 

Beanie

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#4
Agreed with both of the above. Also I think the ARists have been pretty successful at making "breeder" have a negative connotation/vilifying breeders of any kind, so Joe Blow breeding his dog to his neighbour's dog doesn't WANT to be labeled a "breeder" and will try to explain away why he doesn't fit into that category...
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#5
I don't consider where Backup came from a breeder, she's had one litter and does not actively have any other litters planned. When people ask me what breeder he came from I say she was a gal with a really nice bitch that she wanted to reproduce, she bred one litter and has no current plans to repeat breed, and then I share her name and city if they want more.

I don't know if it is right or wrong but I generally consider someone a breeder when they're actively producing repeated litters. I also don't see it as a good or bad label nor do I see it as having anything to do with the quality of what they're producing.
 

Shai

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#6
I don't consider where Backup came from a breeder, she's had one litter and does not actively have any other litters planned. When people ask me what breeder he came from I say she was a gal with a really nice bitch that she wanted to reproduce, she bred one litter and has no current plans to repeat breed, and then I share her name and city if they want more.

I don't know if it is right or wrong but I generally consider someone a breeder when they're actively producing repeated litters. I also don't see it as a good or bad label nor do I see it as having anything to do with the quality of what they're producing.
Yeah, I have difficulty referring to myself as a breeder when I have one litter planned, ever, and others with far, far more breed experience are calling the shots regarding the bloodlines to be crossed.

On the other hand, my input is part of the decision, I could veto the breeding but instead am in support of it, the puppies will be whelped and raised in my home where I will provide pre- and post-natal care, and I will be one of the people ultimately responsible for those puppies from birth until they pass away. So even if I never breed another litter, for the lifetime of the puppies produced by me I will refer to myself as a co-breeder simply because I fully accept the responsibility that label holds.

Just my viewpoint, though.
 

Oko

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#7
On the subject of the two posts above, I agree. I think a breeder is someone consistently producing puppies, and knowing they will be breeding their dogs, versus someone breeding one litter every blue moon. One of the people I was looking at for a puppy, for example, decided to breed her bitch. She is hardly what I'd call a breeder, she has a litter every 4 years, if not more. To compare to the breeder futurepuppy is coming from, who usually has a litter or two a year.

I'm not sure where the line is, but I do think there is a difference. I don't see it as better or worse, just different.
 

Shai

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#8
On the subject of the two posts above, I agree. I think a breeder is someone consistently producing puppies, and knowing they will be breeding their dogs, versus someone breeding one litter every blue moon. One of the people I was looking at for a puppy, for example, decided to breed her bitch. She is hardly what I'd call a breeder, she has a litter every 4 years, if not more. To compare to the breeder futurepuppy is coming from, who usually has a litter or two a year.
I'd call her an infrequent breeder, but still a breeder *shrug*
 

Flyinsbt

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#10
If you breed, you are a breeder. Otherwise, what on earth would you call the person? You might be a one time breeder, or an infrequent breeder, but there isn't another word for putting 2 dogs together to produce a litter. I suppose you could call them a "puppy producer", but that's fairly inaccurate if they aren't producing many.

I'm an occasional breeder of Staffords, for instance. I've only bred 2 litters, and don't know when I might breed another (since I don't currently own an intact bitch). But I still bred them. I had help and advice, but I'm the one that decided to bring these pups into the world. I am responsible for them.

If I didn't breed them, who the heck did? Did the stork bring them? Pretty sure that's not the case. I was there. I saw no bird.
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#11
Maybe it's a catch of tenses for me, the English language is fun.

I get stuck thinking yes, she bred a litter but she isn't a breeder with the way my mind works. It could be wrong though, I am okay with that.

I have bred gerbils, I don't even own any now and have no in tensions of owning them ever again so how can I be a gerbil breeder at present time?
 

Dizzy

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#12
Because they're idiots.

Share the site, maybe we can add a flood of comments about why it's wrong.
 

Flyinsbt

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#13
Maybe it's a catch of tenses for me, the English language is fun.

I get stuck thinking yes, she bred a litter but she isn't a breeder with the way my mind works. It could be wrong though, I am okay with that.

I have bred gerbils, I don't even own any now and have no in tensions of owning them ever again so how can I be a gerbil breeder at present time?
Well you're not. You were a gerbil breeder, and now you aren't. A person who breeds just one litter is still the breeder of that litter, but not an active breeder. "Breeder" is one of those things you can stop being.
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#14
I guess I could say she is not a breeder, currently, but was a breeder, once.

I still don't consider her an active breeder, especially when people ask in reference to actively seeking out a dog of similar traits.
 

Flyinsbt

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#15
I guess I could say she is not a breeder, currently, but was a breeder, once.

I still don't consider her an active breeder, especially when people ask in reference to actively seeking out a dog of similar traits.
Certainly if it was a one time thing, she isn't active now. Being a breeder doesn't mean you have to continually have pups available. If someone was looking for a dog similar to a one-off breeding, I'd say the breeder won't be breeding again, and maybe suggest some similar lines. If someone was looking for a dog like mine, I'd tell them that I'm not currently breeding, but again, suggest some lines they might like. And if they're willing to wait indefinitely, Pirate may get used someday, or eventually, I'll bring in a bitch to use him on.

If someone was looking for a pup from a breeder who had lots of litters, I'd suggest they look elsewhere. I will say that in Staffords, I don't know of anyone offhand that I consider a responsible breeder who breeds with any kind of regularity. Anyone I'd consider getting a dog from, breeds once in a while, when they want something.
 

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