Voicing Opinions on Breeders?
- Thread starter Linds
- Start date
I think I did get caught up in the spam filters. Ill repost the other thread and you can repost the comment on here if you would like.
This.
Essentially I make sure that what I say is something I wouldn't worry about if it wound up getting back to the breeder. My own personal "requirements" when searching for a breeder is so nonrestrictive that I typically don't tend to have very negative opinions about other breeders. Then again, I don't tend to hear much breeder gossip anyway, so I have little to share.
When someone asks me about a breeder in a PM, I'll give my opinion based on what they are looking for, not what I would look for. Usually I tell them first and foremost to meet the dogs and speak to the breeder personally, and suggest a few questions they should ask themselves and possibly the breeder as well. If it's a kennel that has bred dogs I've met, I'll give my opinion of the dogs, try to recall the dogs' lineage, and specify the circumstances in which I met the dog (at the dog park, in the training field, in a family home setting, etc.).
There are two or three well regarded breeders that I dislike and will not recommend to anyone, not because of their dogs or breeding program but because of how they deal with other people. I did post about one such breeder recently on one of the forums I frequent, and I WAS admittedly ambiguous. I try to give advice that will help them come to a similar conclusion themselves, or point them to the source that gave me my information (firsthand information).
The longer I am into a breed, the more friends and acquaintances I make - and those include breeders and people who have handled, owned, and competed with many dogs from many breeders. We wind up with many mutual acquaintances and some of them happen to be breeders I dislike. For that reason (and because I would like to continue making friends who are "in" the breed), I don't typically talk about such breeders publicly. Even in private messages I try to send a very balanced message.
Linds, I've definitely made similar observations about people not wanting to share information regarding breeders and being surprised by that. There were actually a few breeders I wound up learning a lot about because I noticed a LACK of recommendations, despite their sales volume in dogs/puppies (resulting in me messaging people who have dealt with the breeder personally).
Essentially I make sure that what I say is something I wouldn't worry about if it wound up getting back to the breeder. My own personal "requirements" when searching for a breeder is so nonrestrictive that I typically don't tend to have very negative opinions about other breeders. Then again, I don't tend to hear much breeder gossip anyway, so I have little to share.
When someone asks me about a breeder in a PM, I'll give my opinion based on what they are looking for, not what I would look for. Usually I tell them first and foremost to meet the dogs and speak to the breeder personally, and suggest a few questions they should ask themselves and possibly the breeder as well. If it's a kennel that has bred dogs I've met, I'll give my opinion of the dogs, try to recall the dogs' lineage, and specify the circumstances in which I met the dog (at the dog park, in the training field, in a family home setting, etc.).
There are two or three well regarded breeders that I dislike and will not recommend to anyone, not because of their dogs or breeding program but because of how they deal with other people. I did post about one such breeder recently on one of the forums I frequent, and I WAS admittedly ambiguous. I try to give advice that will help them come to a similar conclusion themselves, or point them to the source that gave me my information (firsthand information).
The longer I am into a breed, the more friends and acquaintances I make - and those include breeders and people who have handled, owned, and competed with many dogs from many breeders. We wind up with many mutual acquaintances and some of them happen to be breeders I dislike. For that reason (and because I would like to continue making friends who are "in" the breed), I don't typically talk about such breeders publicly. Even in private messages I try to send a very balanced message.
Linds, I've definitely made similar observations about people not wanting to share information regarding breeders and being surprised by that. There were actually a few breeders I wound up learning a lot about because I noticed a LACK of recommendations, despite their sales volume in dogs/puppies (resulting in me messaging people who have dealt with the breeder personally).