Breeding Setups

[cliffson1]

Well known and respected breeders are determined by the dogs they produce....it has nothing to do with the kennel setup. There are great hobby breeders and there are great commercial breeders, there are bad of both also.
People have individual likes and dislikes in viewing these setups, but it doesn't translate to quality of dogs raised or bred.

[bethany.cole2013]

Originally Posted by cliffson1

Well known and respected breeders are determined by the dogs they produce....it has nothing to do with the kennel setup. There are great hobby breeders and there are great commercial breeders, there are bad of both also.
People have individual likes and dislikes in viewing these setups, but it doesn't translate to quality of dogs raised or bred.

So as long as the dogs the breeder is producing are great quality dogs it doesn't matter what their setup looks like?

[qbchottu]

You seem to have a particular question in mind, if so, go ahead and ask it straight out.

As long as facilities are clean, well maintained, dogs are fed/worked/loved/socialized/vetted, why does it matter what the facilities look like? Some people have few dogs and can manage in a home. Larger scale breeders need kennel or barn setups because they have so many to house. The quality depends on the breeder, his/her vision , and what they produce. Anyone can breed dogs, it's not that hard. You can easily sell these mediocre dogs also. But those that "get" it, do it right and produce great results.

[bethany.cole2013]

No particular question in mind. I originally started this thread asking if anyone had any pictures of more reputable commercial breeders' setups and what people's opinions on what makes a good setup for breeding.

[spiritsmom]

What makes a good setup for breeding is the puppies being raised in the type of environment that they will live in. For me, that means keeping my dogs in my house as part of my family and raising puppies the same way. They will know household noises and activities versus kennel raised puppies that may become fearful of environments that they were not exposed to. Socialization is big, if the puppies are raised with the family and taken out to meet many new people then they will not have an issue once they go on to new homes. Puppies raised solely in a kennel may have trouble adapting to life in a home since they were not exposed to that. Some commercial type breeders do kennel raise their puppies, but also socialize them to new things - some let them stay just in the kennel and the only time they leave is when they go to a new home. I prefer the home hobby breeder and that is the type I hope to be.

[cliffson1]

I have found that whether a pup was bred commercially or hobbywise has nothing to do with the ability of the dog to thrive as an in house dog. But that's just my observations.

[spiritsmom]

It depends on the amount of socialization they received - so you would think then that puppy mill dogs are great house dogs? Well they aren't. But some commercial kennels (not puppy mills) do take the time to socialize their puppies who then are fine in whatever situation you put them in. A puppy mill puppy receives no socialization and I have fostered enough of them in the past to know that there is a huge difference between them and other puppies. They do not easily adapt to home life.

And adding - there is a standard poodle in my puppy class right now who was raised by a small breeder who put the puppies in an outdoor pen when they were 4 weeks old and then only went out to feed them and clean the pen. This woman got her puppy when he was 3 months old and he is the weirdest puppy I've seen in a long time. Everything terrifies him and he is not a good house pet yet. He is going to take alot of work and may never be quite right. He was kennel raised, but never socialized to anything other than that kennel.

[lhczth]

Genetics. That pup would probably have been just as odd if it had been raised in the house. I got a pup at 5 months that had been raised in a kennel. She was a bit harder to house break, but other than that she was social, very sound and showed no environmental issues. That is the biggest thing I have found with sound dogs raised in kennel environments. They can be a bit harder to house break. If the nerves are good that is the only problem I have run into.

I prefer to raise my pups in the house with outside time once they are older (and weather permitting). It works better for me, gives me more time with them and also more enjoyable for me. Most of the pups I have purchased were born inside and then moved outside. Never made any difference because they all had very solid nerves.

[gagsd]

I think cleanliness and roominess are more important that in or out. I have seen many, many puppies born and raised in small shelter cages and they often end up being nasty little buggers that are very difficult to house-train.

[lhczth]

Oh yes. I had a pup for a very short time (breeder sent me a coat and she went back). They thought they would be helpful and put her in a crate to get her used to that. The problem is they put her in the crate when they went to work. She learned that the crate was a place to go potty. She was filthy. I have just found, though, that older pups raised in kennels, even clean spacious kennels can be a bit harder to housebreak since they are used to going when ever. If they have had some crate time, though, then they were easy. The female, Endi, that I also got at 5 months was super clean, but she had traveled to training in a crate and slept in a crate at night.