Things you shouldn’t give much weight to and consider as potential red-flags:

• Do they tell ‘The Big Lie’ when they describe the characteristics of their breed?

The biggest (and most common lie) told by breeders is some version of, “‘Insert Breed Name‘ has a “great temperaments. “‘Insert Breed Name’ is good with children. Love, people, etc.“

In the U.S.A approximately 4.5 million dog bites occur each year, with 800,000 of those bites result in medical care. In essence, a dog bites 1 out of every 73 people. Additionally, one out of two children are bitten by dogs in North America before the age of twelve.

One has to wonder how or why such blanket reality-ignoring statements are so widely made in the breeding world. It is worthy of noting that it is breeders making these silly claims that are responsible for some of these bites. One does not tell a puppy buyer they are buying a minivan, when they are in fact buying a Ferrari, and not expect more than a few to end up in a ditch.

Breeders that make such unsubstantiated claims are either ignorant of or ignoring the realities of dogs’ genetics in general, especially certain breeds of dogs and social imprinting influencers. These breeders are almost certainly amateurs or charlatans. They may be well-meaning; they may be merely trying to preserve their income stream. Whether amateurs or charlatans, they should be avoided if they use these tactics instead of providing an accurate review of what the breed in question was bred to do and not to do.

A guarding breed will not stop being a guarding breed because the breeder says they will be gentle and good with all people, children, etc. To state otherwise is dishonest and potentially dangerous. Besides, where a properly bred, socialized, and trained guarding breed may be highly tolerant of the children it lives with, does not mean it will be of their visiting friends.

Beyond genetics, (and even more importantly) the social imprinting that occurs (or doesn’t) between 3 – 12 weeks is a massive influencer for any breed’s outlook towards infants, toddlers, children, senior citizens, people of various ethnicities, etc. Some breeds may have been selectively bred to have higher tolerance (genetics). Still, ultimately the imprint period has a lot to say concerning how the dog will feel and behave.

Breeders can make these dishonest claims because the people on the receiving end of this misinformation will find them very believable – until their dog matures into adulthood.

• “I’m an AKC/CKC breeder, and my pups are as such, registered.” Reality: Used as a marketing badge of authenticity when it’s actually relatively meaningless. The standards for membership and registering a litter are only that a male and female of the same breed are the parents and that the breeder pays their annual dues, and the litter registration fees. 
• “The mother/father won ‘best in show’ . . .” Reality:  This is a common, but false badge of ‘honor’. It is an undeniable truth that the majority of show breeders have historically emphasized ‘fashion’ over ‘function’ (the norm in the show world) and are responsible for doing untold damage to dogs both physically and behaviorally due their emphasis on a breed’s look over a breed’s functionality.
• I’ve been breeding for ____ years.” Reality:  With the above in mind, and the reality that very few breeders follow their litters behavioral and physical stability into adulthood, in most cases, more accurate in to say, I’ve been breeding dogs poorly for ____ years and making money doing so. Someone saying they’ve been married for 30 years is not the same as saying they’ve been happily married for 30 years. It doesn’t mean they’re any good at it. 😄