The importance of doing your own research on breeders

A reminder from the Functional Dog Collaborative: while we love to highlight breeders within the group, on the website, on the podcast, etc., we talk about and with a lot of breeders. We want to ensure our members understand this doesn’t constitute endorsement, as FDC does not (and can not) have its own breeder vetting process. Because it’s possible we missed something, and because breeder practices can change over time, always be sure to do your own research on anyone you’re hoping to work with (be that “get a puppy from,” “give a puppy to,” “allow to use my stud,” or other). If the breeder in question does or could work with the Companion Dog Project, checking with CDP to see if they’re a public part of that project is a good way to do this research. Other breeders may work with other welfare-oriented organizations. Either way, be sure to be in touch with the breeder themself, and also to ask around about them to see what others’ experiences have been, and try to make sure those experiences are as recent as possible.