Top 10 Most Reputable Dog Breeders In The U.S.

Are you thinking of buying healthy puppies in the U.S.? If so, you have come to the right place. There are plenty of passionate, fantastic, and reputable dog breeders in the U.S. there who produce healthy puppies. However, there are even breeders who breed only to make a profit at any cost.

Such breeders often put returns before the newly breeder dog’s health. Therefore, before buying a dog, research properly and find a reliable breeder in your area. Puppies from reputable breeders tend to grow healthier and are temperamentally good dogs.

If you take the time to properly research and find a good breeder that breeds healthy puppies responsibly then you will have the chance of getting a healthy, happy dog that will live for a long time.

Thus, we have made a complete guide on how to find out the best dog breeders in the U.S. Also, we have made a list of the top 10 best dog breeders in the U.S. that you can trust.

Absolutely! Here’s a breakdown of how to find reputable dog breeders, plus key takeaways to ensure you get a healthy, happy puppy:

What Makes a Good Dog Breeder?

  • Health is Priority: They conduct genetic and temperament tests before breeding, ensuring your puppy has the best chance of a healthy life.
  • Transparency: They openly share information about the puppy’s lineage, health certifications, and living environment.
  • Passion, Not Just Profit: They truly love the breed, are invested in raising well-adjusted pups, and carefully screen potential buyers.
  • Support: They are available for questions and guidance even after you bring your puppy home.

How to Find the Right Breeder

  1. Do Your Homework:

    • Breed Knowledge: Learn about the breed’s specific needs and potential health issues.
    • Referrals: Ask your vet, local breed clubs, or trusted friends for recommendations.

  2. Initial Contact:

    • Visit the Facility: A good breeder will welcome you to see where the puppies are raised.
    • Meet the Parents: This gives insight into the puppy’s future temperament and size.
    • Ask Questions: Don’t be afraid to ask about health testing, breeding practices, and socialization.

  3. Red Flags to Avoid:

    • Secretiveness: Lack of transparency about health testing or the breeding environment.
    • Pressure to Buy: A good breeder wants to ensure you’re the right home for their puppy.
    • Always Available Litters: Reputable breeders often have waiting lists.

Key Takeaways

  • Patience is Key: Finding the right breeder takes time and research. Don’t rush!
  • Trust Your Gut: If anything feels off, don’t be afraid to walk away.
  • Responsible Breeding Matters: Supporting ethical breeders helps ensure healthy puppies and combats puppy mills.
  • A Good Breeder is a Partner: They become a valuable resource for the lifetime of your dog.

By following these guidelines, you’ll greatly increase your chances of finding a healthy, well-bred puppy and a breeder you can trust!

Who Are Dog Breeders?

A dog breeder is a person or a group of individuals who help dogs breed to produce healthy puppies. There are different kinds of dog breeders based on the experience and quality of raising puppies. So, the dog breeding procedure mainly means the artificial selection procedure of dogs to produce new and healthy puppies.

The dog breeder must ensure that the male and female dogs are in good condition and in sound health for breeding. There are several tests involved that ensure that the parent dogs are in good health and shape to produce a new breed. Here are the tests:

Temperament Testing

This test measures how well the parent dogs can interact with human beings and the environment.

Conformation Testing

This test makes sure that the dogs have the physical conditions for breeding. For example, appearance and structure as specified by the breed of the dog.

Genetic Testing

This test makes sure that the dog is purebred.

Health Testing

This one is the most important test. It determines any diseases or disorders that may affect the breed integrity. Any malformation will disqualify the dog from breeding purposes.

NOTE:

Before selecting a dog breeder, make sure they did all the above-mentioned tests while breeding puppies.

What Are The Signs Of A Good Dog Breeder?

If you look for a good dog breeder, you will see several breeders claim to be the best. But not every one of them is reliable. There are a few signs that will show whether the breeder is reliable or not. Here are the signs or characteristics that you need to look for before finalizing a dog breeder.

  • Responsible breeders will take you to show you around the environment where puppies are born. Also, they will introduce you to the parents of the puppy.
  • A responsible Dog Breeder will also share the vaccine record, medical history, and contact information of the vet.
  • Most popular breeders are more likely to have waiting lists than others
  • Will answer every question you have regarding their puppy’s background, care, puppy mill dogs, and also breeding practices
  • A good breeder will choose the family that shows the sign of being a good pet owner
  • If the breeders are good enough then they will never insist on or force you to buy from them
reputable dog breeders

How To Find The Most Reputable Dog Breeders In The U.S.?

A reputable breeder generally invests a lot of effort, time, and thought into breeding each litter. So, choosing the best one among many breeders out there isn’t that hard. Here is how you can choose your dog breeder wisely.

Visit Breeding Center Yourself

Finding a breeding center online is easy in this era of digitalization. But it is always recommended to visit the breeding center in person before choosing a particular one. This way you check and analyze the place and the temperament of the puppies. This will help you determine whether the environment is good or bad.

Meet the Pup’s Parents In Person

When you see the pup’s parent, you will know exactly how your pup is going to grow up! This way you can assume your dog’s size, appearance, and temperament in the future.

Check Certifications And Health Standards

A professional breeder will surely follow the standards for mating, producing, as well as raising puppies. To make sure that the breeder produces and raises healthy puppies check whether the environment is hygienic and clean to give birth or not.

You can even ask for routine tests and vaccination certificates to check the puppy’s health. Also, ask for the genetic research reports of the pup. Good breeders will also show proof of the pup’s health screenings like CERF and OFA certificates.

Check Screening & Health Testing

Previously we have mentioned what tests are needed to produce a healthy puppy. So, before you decide to buy a puppy, make sure that the breeders did all the needed screening and health testing before producing a particular breed.

Check Service Quality

The best dog breeders offer exceptional customer service by responding to the clients in the best way ever possible. A Dog Breeder with U.S. Certification will even offer help with post-adoption favors with routine vaccinations and health checkups.

So, make sure the breeder offers you all the services you need even after the completion of the adoption.

Check If They Are Afraid of Questions Or Not

Good breeders are never afraid to reply to any question you have regarding their dogs. No matter if you have questions regarding the puppy mills or the environment or anything else about puppies.

Make Sure They Breed Only One Litter at a Time

Since raising puppies takes a lot of amount of effort, time, and work a breeder must raise only 1 litter at a time. If a breeder raises more than one litter at once then the breeder may not be showing the puppies the required attention at the critical time when they need the attention the most.

Make Sure The Breeders Choose The Family

A breeder must conduct a two-way interview. The two-way interview shows that the breeder is careful of the puppy. They care where their puppies are going. So, when a breeder chooses a family for their puppies, it shows their care and love for the newly bred puppies.

Be Patient 

Do not hurry in buying or adopting a puppy for yourself. Be patient and continue researching to find out the best breeder in your locality. Patiently look for the details of the breeder, breeding dogs, etc. from clients. Patience is one of the most important aspects in finding the best among the huge number of options available there.

Trust in your Gut

You should always trust your gut feeling. If you somehow feel that the breeder is not a good one then simply move on to find another one. If the breeder is truly a good one, then your moving on won’t hurt them. But in case your gut feeling is right and you didn’t listen to your gut feeling, then you may end up having an unhealthy breed.

Get a referral

One of the best ways to find out the best breeder is to ask for referrals and recommendations from a trusted neighbor or friend. Or you can also ask for a referral from your veterinarian or contact any local breed clubs. This is because they have experience and knowledge of the best breeders in your locality and they know who is a responsible breeder and who is not.

reputable dog breeders
Newfoundland on grass

Top 10 Most Reputable Dog Breeders In The U.S.

Now as you know what to look for in the best breeder you don’t have to worry anymore about buying a new purebred puppy. Ensure to pick a highly trained and well-bred breeder in town. Here is a list of the top 10 best breeders whom you can trust in the U.S.

1. Farmhouse Hounds AKC Basset

This is a family breeder in Jasper, Georgia that produces AKC Basset Hound puppies. Farmhouse Hounds has been working with pets for over 40 years. Their bassets are well-cared and well-tempered. We hope you’ll find the best basset at this Farmhouse Hounds.

2. CTC Aussies ASCA AKC Registered

Located in Washington, CTC Aussies is a quality breeding facility. It is ASCA DNA Certified and has some Australian Shepherds to produce litter occasionally. All their dogs are AKC and ASCA registered and their litters are registered with these registries as well. Their adults all have OFA-rated Good Hips and CERF-examined eyes every year. They have even tested for the HSF4 gene mutation and the MDR1 gene mutation.

3. Legend Bichons

Location: Sacramento, CA

Official Website: http://www.legendbichons.com/

Contact No.: (916) 560-3354

Legend Bichons’ website introduces you to its Bichon Frise. Dogs from this website have AKC recognization for their merit. Bichons are versatile companions that make your family more enjoyable. So, you can consider buying them from Legend Bichons.

4. Dogwood Kennels

Dogwood Kennels undergoes all the required health tests before breeding Border Terriers. Thus, they fit well being one of the best dog breeders in the U.S. Dogs from Dogwood kennels are all AKC breeders of merit. Moreover, they are a member of the American Border Terrier Club.

5. Embrace Border Collies

Embrace Border Collies is an important member of the Border Collie Society of America (BCSA) and the Border Collies Club of Greater Los Angeles (BCCGLA). They are in a good place with AKC. So, you can trust them.

6. Ultimate Bulldogs

The breeder of Ultimate Bulldogs is an AKC judge, an AKC breeder of Merit, and also a Bulldog Club Of America Second tier Hall Of Fame Breeder. This breeder is dedicated to breeding and also sports Dog Exhibition. Ultimate Bulldogs has some incredible experiences to make lifelong companions who share their passion for Bulldogs.

7. Balgaire Cavaliers

Balgaire Cavaliers offer a health guarantee on the puppies they breed. Dogs from this breeder have excelled in performance and conformation. This breeder is also an associate of the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club. Also, they are AKC-recognized breeders of merit.

8. Glentom Bull Terriers

Glentom Bull Terriers perform health testing, such as UPC ratio, echocardiogram, BAER, and patella (kneecap) luxation clearance testing before breeding. They are BTCA (Bull Terrier Club of America), Texas Gulf Coast BTCs, as well as BTC Dalla members. All their Bull Terriers are carefully raised in their home with them.

9. Silvercreek Chesapeake Bay Retrievers

Silvercreek Chesapeakes produce, enjoy, and provide happy, healthy dogs that serve a wide variety of ideals. Adhering to ethical, strict breeding practices, this breeder quickly acquired a reputation for breeding quality Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. Silvercreek Chesapeake dogs have earned titles such as GCH, OTCH, UD, QAA, NAJ, NA, OAJ, OA, and WDX.

10. Magnolia Creek Corgis

With more than 20 years of knowledge in breeding Corgis, Magnolia Creek Corgis has become top-of-mind for Corgi breeders. They are acknowledged by the AKC (American Kennel Club) and also the CKC (Continental Kennel Club). As soon as you get a dog from them, you will also get a go-to person for any Corgi advice.

reputable dog breeders
Basset Hound Laying on the Grass

How We Chose The Best Dog Breeders?

There are some special factors you need to consider while choosing Breeders. We followed those factors to make our list of the top 10 best dog breeders in the U.S. Here are the factors we considered:

Checked The AKC License 

American Kennel Club (in short AKC) is a registration that dog breeders do to show their credibility. The dogs registered under the AKC club are popular as a sign for customers to look out for when choosing breeders in the U.S.

It’s a non-profit dog organization. AKC is recognized for its puppy care services. There are a lot of programs in this club that proves the breeders’ reputability. We checked whether the breeders are AKC licensed or not while making this list.

Checked Health Clearances 

In our opinion, health clearance is a vital feature in reputable breeders. Genuine breeders in the U.S. do health testing before breeding. It’s guaranteed to get an AKC-cleared puppy when you have the health clearance. You don’t have to worry about the illnesses or diseases the puppies may get.

Checked Information Listing 

The breeders we named in our article all come with detailed information. They offer all the required information publicly. Thus, you can check their reputation through online reviews. Because of their reputable techniques for breeding, there is clarity in their services.

Checked Breed Club 

Nowadays, purebred dogs are difficult to find. A lot of dishonest breeders concentrate mainly on profits. Thus, they don’t breed dogs properly in a healthy way. However, breed clubs have taken the initiative to identify purebred dogs. Therefore, we made sure that the breeders listed in this article are all qualified by breed clubs.

Checked The AKC Merit 

This is another advantage offered to genuine breeders by AKC. These organizations deliver the merit award certificate for the breeders who are best-in-town. The breeders with an AKC merit are outstanding. So, we made sure all the above-mentioned breeders have AKC merit.

FINAL WORDS

Although there are a lot of excellent breeders with good intentions, also, scammers are looking to profit from our pet love. So, to make the right decision, make sure you look for the above-mentioned characteristics and get the most reputable dog breeder in your area.

Aapt Dubey
Aapt Dubey

Aapt Dubey, a devoted canine enthusiast and experienced dog Owner, brings boundless passion to our team. With a heart full of love for our four-legged friends, Aapt is dedicated to sharing insights on dog care, behavior, and training to make every pup's life happier and healthier at ItsAboutDog.com.

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