A hypothetical question re: breeders/breeds

Laurelin

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#1
Let's say you like breed A and B both a lot. You could find a dog that would fit really nicely from either breed. But you really do like breed A better. It's your favorite breed.

However you cannot find a breeder in breed A that is your 'ideal'. There's varying things that just don't sit well with you ethically or they're not producing the right kind of dog for what you want. You can find good breeders but not your ideal. Breed B though, you have a lot more connections in and have the ability to find a really spectacular breeder. For the sake of the hypothetical situation you can find a breeder of breed B that is as close to your ideal as possible.

Which way would you choose? I guess the short version of the question is: is breed more important than breeder or breeder more important than breed?

Ok, so it's (very) loosely based on real life. :p I don't really think there's a right answer. But I was just curious what other people would think.
 
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Red.Apricot

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#2
I'm looking for a dog. So for me, getting the right dog is the most important thing, and breed is secondary. If the breeders of the breed I prefer aren't producing the dogs I want to buy, I'd go to the second breed without much hesitation.
 

Fran101

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#3
I think breeder is more important than the breed.

Even if I like the idea of a breed in general, the proof is in the pudding. You'll be living with a DOG, not a breed. A specific dog bred by a breeder, not an idea of a breed written in a standard. Even if the breeder is breeding toward that standard..there is no guarantee that standard is what you are getting.

Aussies weren't on my top 10 list of favorite breeds, let alone my top choice Lol I went through my favorite breeds first of course but like you, couldn't find a breeder that sat right with me.
Instead, found a breeder that produced dogs that I loved. I wasn't SOOO into aussies but I was SOOOOO into her dogs and breeding program. so that's what I chose

To me, breeder tops breed. Breeds are an idea. They vary too much with lines, specific dogs, breeding program, breeder, which standard etc..
Breeders and what that breeder is producing is much more steady.

In my dream fantasy world, there are plenty of breed standards that fit me PERFECTLY.
but in reality, there are only a handful of breeders breeding dogs that are perfect for me...with breeding programs striving for what I want health/temperament.
 

Shai

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#4
I'm looking for a dog. So for me, getting the right dog is the most important thing, and breed is secondary. If the breeders of the breed I prefer aren't producing the dogs I want to buy, I'd go to the second breed without much hesitation.
^This.

Unless I'm looking to stay within a particular line, it's all about trying to find an individual who fulfills what I'm seeking. I'd rather get the right individual in a breed that otherwise doesn't fit me then the wrong individual from a breed that seems like a better fit. I'm living with that dog and with that breeder as my main resource concerning that dog, not with the breed as a whole.
 

monkeys23

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#5
I'm looking for a dog. So for me, getting the right dog is the most important thing, and breed is secondary. If the breeders of the breed I prefer aren't producing the dogs I want to buy, I'd go to the second breed without much hesitation.
This precisely.
 

Beanie

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#6
I'm buying a dog, not the breeder... so the dog is more important. Realistically there is no breeder who is going to 100% fit my ideal, there's always going to be something that could be better. But if they are producing the kind of dog I want, then I have to weigh everything. There are certain things that I will NOT compromise on and other things I will. Everybody's list of what they will and won't compromise on is different though.
 
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#7
The dog is more important to me than the breeder. I will buy from a breeder that is producing the ideal dogs I'm looking for even if the breeder themselves doesn't hit all the points in my hypothetical check list.

I'm living with the dog, not the breeder so having the kind of dog I was looking for has way more weight than if the breeder is someone I like. Now, I do have my lines I won't cross even for my ideal dog but they are few and far between.

So I guess if that was the situation I'm in, the one you're describing, I would continue trying to find a breeder that was producing the kind of dogs I wanted in breed A rather than looking at the breeder themselves. To simplify I guess I'm saying dog and breed is more important to me than breeder.
 

Flyinsbt

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#8
It would really depend. One thing would be, how different the breeds were. For instance, I love my Staffords. They are so the right breed for me. There are other breeds I like and would consider. For instance, I could easily take the right toy Poodle home with me. But if I didn't have Staffords already, and was picking a dog, I would have to find a Stafford breeder I could "make do" with, a toy Poodle wouldn't really work.

OTOH, I also like sighthounds, and hope to have one of those someday. I have a strong preference towards the Deerhounds. I would love to have a Deerhound. But if I were choosing between a so-so Deerhound breeder, and a fabulous Borzoi breeder, I'd just get the Borzoi.

The right individual dog counts for a lot, though. I almost wound up with a Cavalier recently, which while they're a nice breed, it's not one I've ever wanted. At an agility trial, I encountered a pup bred by someone I know, and that CKCS puppy spoke to me very clearly. If I could afford another dog at this time, I would have taken her. I still don't want a CKCS, not even from that breeder, I just wanted that particular puppy.
 

Laurelin

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#9
I think breeder is more important than the breed.

Even if I like the idea of a breed in general, the proof is in the pudding. You'll be living with a DOG, not a breed. A specific dog bred by a breeder, not an idea of a breed written in a standard. Even if the breeder is breeding toward that standard..there is no guarantee that standard is what you are getting.

Aussies weren't on my top 10 list of favorite breeds, let alone my top choice Lol I went through my favorite breeds first of course but like you, couldn't find a breeder that sat right with me.
Instead, found a breeder that produced dogs that I loved. I wasn't SOOO into aussies but I was SOOOOO into her dogs and breeding program. so that's what I chose

To me, breeder tops breed. Breeds are an idea. They vary too much with lines, specific dogs, breeding program, breeder, which standard etc..
Breeders and what that breeder is producing is much more steady.

In my dream fantasy world, there are plenty of breed standards that fit me PERFECTLY.
but in reality, there are only a handful of breeders breeding dogs that are perfect for me...with breeding programs striving for what I want health/temperament.
That's pretty much where I am at the moment.

I have and will probably in the future buy from breeders that aren't my ideal as long as they are producing good dogs and aren't doing things that are an absolute no go for me. However, nowadays I need more from my dogs and want more specifics in them. So that changes things up a bit.

I should probably have added that I do intend on owning both breeds eventually.
 
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#12
In that situation right now.

Both breeds fit what I want. I have found breeders of both the "A" and "B" breeds that breeds what I would want in that breed.

I really like both breeds. At this point in time I would prefer breed "A" but I can find my more ideal breeder if I went with "B".

They are basically the "same" except for breeder "A" has a ethical issue. Its a big one for me but for this specific breed I have chosen to take a chance on it and go with breed "A".

I dont think that the breed more important than breeder or that the breeder more important than breed. For my situation I am in right now I have chosen the breed over the breeder but normally I would find both equally important. You really shouldnt go with a breed just because you love the breeder and you shouldnt go with a bad breeder because you love the breed.

(Hope that makes sense. I said breed(er) like 20 times and Im tired :eek: )
 
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#13
I'm looking for a dog. So for me, getting the right dog is the most important thing, and breed is secondary. If the breeders of the breed I prefer aren't producing the dogs I want to buy, I'd go to the second breed without much hesitation.
I think this is well said.
 

Laurelin

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#14
What if it's not that the dogs don't fit, it's more of an ethical line? I suppose that varies from person to person. In breed A it's more of a 'not producing the kind of dog I want', or 'not a contract I want to deal with' (aka can't show in what I want to show in), or 'fairly large ethical issue'. Does that change anything?
 
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#16
What if it's not that the dogs don't fit, it's more of an ethical line? I suppose that varies from person to person. In breed A it's more of a 'not producing the kind of dog I want', or 'not a contract I want to deal with' (aka can't show in what I want to show in), or 'fairly large ethical issue'. Does that change anything?
I'll walk away from a breeder with the most perfect dogs because of a contract I won't sign. That's my biggest road block with breeders to be honest, the contract.
 
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#17
What if it's not that the dogs don't fit, it's more of an ethical line? I suppose that varies from person to person. In breed A it's more of a 'not producing the kind of dog I want', or 'not a contract I want to deal with' (aka can't show in what I want to show in), or 'fairly large ethical issue'. Does that change anything?
Not for me. I'd consider those three reasons fairly equal in making my decision.
 

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#18
If I am looking for a dog, the breed is important. I'm not going to get the same stuff from a golden or a lab that I am from a Malinois or a Dutch. Granted, I haven't actually had the chance to go through a breeder yet because the right dog happens to just fall into my lap anyways, but before I got Nico, I had a deposit down on a pup. The breeder MOSTLY hit all my notes but a few, but she was producing some of the only dogs I liked. She did a few things that I didn't like, but overall, like Linds said, I'm going to be living with the dog, not the breeder.
 

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#19
What if it's not that the dogs don't fit, it's more of an ethical line? I suppose that varies from person to person. In breed A it's more of a 'not producing the kind of dog I want', or 'not a contract I want to deal with' (aka can't show in what I want to show in), or 'fairly large ethical issue'. Does that change anything?
Restriction on what sport I can or cannot participate in are definite game changers. Why should a breeder have the right to tell me I can or cannot participate in agility or lure coursing, or frisbee, or hunting, or herding, etc. For showing/AKC, that's a different thing because it is a big thing for some breeds and I think you can find decent dogs on whatever side of the line you fall. So moot point on the show.

To be honest, I believe you can find the right dog in more than one breeder. I don't believe that a breeder could be so specific that you cannot find an equally compatible dog in another breeder (unless it is a not-so-well-known breed or the breeder is trying to take a new direction with the breed). Would they be exactly the same? No. But I don't believe they would be any less of what you need/like. If that makes sense?
 

Laurelin

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#20
If I am looking for a dog, the breed is important. I'm not going to get the same stuff from a golden or a lab that I am from a Malinois or a Dutch. Granted, I haven't actually had the chance to go through a breeder yet because the right dog happens to just fall into my lap anyways, but before I got Nico, I had a deposit down on a pup. The breeder MOSTLY hit all my notes but a few, but she was producing some of the only dogs I liked. She did a few things that I didn't like, but overall, like Linds said, I'm going to be living with the dog, not the breeder.
What if it's more of malinois vs dutch or something along those lines? Or golden vs lab? Similar breeds, same family of dogs, etc.
 

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