What is a Backyard Breeder or BYB?

[Whiteshepherds]

BYB=any breeder producing dogs someone else doesn't like. (half kidding)

Reputable breeder:
Knows about the genetic problems in the breed and tries to avoid them.
Interested in what happens to the litters they produce.
Doesn't give breeding rights to just anyone.
Understands the breed and works towards producing dogs that exemplify it.

[Dainerra]

I would narrow it even further.

I would also include those who breed just for the money. They might do all the right health testing. Often they will have titled dogs, sometimes they are big time "experts" in the GSD world. But, in the end, they are looking to breed a dog that the public wants to buy.

A reputable breeder, to me, jumps through all the hoops for working/testing/etc, but their goal is to breed the next dog THEY want. Always striving to improve the breed and make it better. They aren't riding the wave of public opinion, trying to catch the next fad.

I'm thinking in that last part of many of Cliff's posts. And Doc. And NarysDad. And Carmspack. And many other breeders on here. Not everyone will agree with the same version of ideal, goodness knows that the public often doesnt. But their focus is solely on improving the dogs. They aren't changing the breed to suit the public, but working to educate the public to suit the breed.

[PaddyD]

Then there's the reputable BYB that does the testing, researches lineage and strives to improve the breed but doesn't work or title their dogs .... just sells them, possibly with future breeding rights or speuter agreements for pups they don't think should be bred.
Sorry for the run-on sentence.