Today, dogs are generally controlled by man, so it is important to define what makes a breeder.

In a broad sense it is easy to be a dog breeder. All you need is a female, access to a stud dog of the same breed and you are in business. A great many people go through life doing little more than this, they have a female or more probably a series of females and possibly a stud dog and they mate these at intervals and sell the progeny. Even if one does this for a decade or more, even for a lifetime, one is not a breeder, merely a reproducer of dogs.

The dog world is full of reproducers of dogs, some of whom have even achieved a measure of success in producing show winners and champions, but they are not dog breeders. In many countries there are people who churn out litter after litter of a single breed or, more often, in a series of breeds, preferably breeds that are in demand and can command high prices. Such people are little better than puppy farmers and certainly do not merit the term dog breeder in other than a derogatory way.

A genuine dog breeder is someone who is avidly interested in dogs in general and a breed(s) in particular and seeks to:

a) learn all he/she can about the breed
b) buy and live with that breed
c) breed litters occasionally but always doing so for a purpose, attempting always to improve the quality of his/her stock
d) correctly socialize, rear and feed his/her dogs, seeking to ensure that they are integrated into the household (irrespective of whether they are house or kennel dogs). To this end only such numbers as can be coped with will be kept.
e) pay considerable attention to the defects and failings in the breed and reduce their incidence by whatever genetic means are available.
f) sell puppies for fair prices and to ensure as far as is possible that they are sold to good homes and that there is a follow up service which guarantees help to buyers
g) operative within a certain code of ethics whether breed club devised or not
h) ensure that if one of his/her dogs ends up in rescue or unwanted that it is taken back and found a new home or remains in the breeders home or kennel
i) to collaborate with other breeders for the general advancement of the breed. This does not prevent healthy competition with other breeders.
j) put the advancement of the breed above personal glory or power.

What Does This Mean To You

Never feel so sorry for a pup you want to buy it to remove it from its situation (including a Pet Shop). By buying that pup you are perpetuating the conditions from which it was produced.

Do your homework. Ask several questions. Do not make rushed, impulsive or pressured decisions. 

Remember, a puppy is a lifetime commitment.