The Red Shadow Difference
“Breeding is a Privilege, not a right. We are responsible for every life we create from the day they are born, till the day they cross the rainbow bridge. Our commitment to all of our dogs & their families is for life”
Does picking a breeder really matter?
In the world today, their are so many breeders. The sad reality is that anyone 
can make puppies & sell them. The question is – what makes a Breeder a “Responsible Breeder” instead of a Puppy Mill? What is it that determines a “Ethical Breeder” vs a Backyard Breeder?
The answer to this is the one power owners have to make sure they are purchasing a puppy from the right place. Its this simple level of education that could have the power to put puppy mills, backyard breeders & over loaded shelters out of business. The only line in the sand we as breeders have to make it clear who we are, is the “Standards” we Hold ourself too when we choose to create life. Its our actions in what we ARE doing or ARE NOT doing, that define us.
What are the “Standards” of Breeding
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- What is the reason for creating life?: This question is the foundation for everything other standard after it. Its the FIRST thing a breeder should be able to answer, justify & build on. Are they trying to better a breed? Or did they just decide puppies are cute and they wanted to have some? Are they trying to work towards a goal of structure, temperament, preformance etc… or did they just decide they love their adults dogs so much, that they just had to breed them. We are hoping you can see the big difference in these answers as any breeder who used the love for puppies, wanting to experience a litter, accidentally having a litter or is doing it for any type of financial gain, is not going to meet any other standards past this, let alone can be considered anything but a puppy mill.
- The best breeders will be able to answer this seamlessly. They will be able to tell you with pride about how they are working to better a breed, how much work they put into their titles, their health clearances, if they are producing dogs for a specific type of work & how they started vs where they want to be with their program. These are all excellent signs of a responsible breeder.
- Health Clearances: What Health Clearance are being done on the Parents before breeding? What health clearances are available to that specific breed & are they all being done?
- This included Genetic health clearances through DNA testing – UC Davis Pawprint genetics or OFA.
- Specialist Testing – Hips/ Elbow xrays & their certifications – OFA
- Repeatable health clearances that maybe done every year or every breeding cycle – CERF Eye Clearances or Bruciliosis Testing.
2.) Health Clearances: What health clearances have been done on the parents? can they show proof? (ex. hips/ elbows xrays sent to OFA, health clearances on parents for this breed: DE/DM/Cleft palate/ BUFF/ JADD, Eye clearances:PRA/CEA/CERF and any other breed or breeds specific health clearances that have been done on the parents)
3.) Titles (Confirmation/ Performance): What titles in confirmation (Showing) & Performance are being done on the parents to justify them being bred? Titles as well as health clearances are two of the leading factors that determine a puppy mill type kennel vs a responsible kennel with standards and who are breeding to better a breed by proving the parents meet the breed standards.
4.) Puppy Enrichment/ Raising Protocol: What sort of puppy enrichment/ protocol is being used on the puppies when they have them? This is a big topic but essentally breeders have puppies for the most important part of their life and what they are doing or not doing in that time, determines how that puppies life will play out. I follow a protocol called “Puppy Culture” and it has become the gold standard for breeder and one of the best programs in the world to help breeder and owners understand what we can do in the first 12 weeks and first year of life to bring better dogs into the world. It teach us how we can produce healthier dogs, that are resilient to fear, know how to recover, socialize and take on each day. I would recommend looking into this to better understand the programs breeders should be following. Here is the site and the breeder search map for kennels using this program. Puppy Culture Breeders Database: https://shoppuppyculture.com/pages/breeder-world-map
5.) Do you get to meet at least one of the parent?: See the breeders set up and see their level of care in the home. A big red flag is if you never meet the adults and see the kennel, its not a good idea if a breeder ever wanted to meet somewhere else to pick u the puppy.
6.) What health guarantees and contract come with the dog?: Do they guarantee hips and elbows after 2 years if the dog develops displasia? Would they take the dog back in a emergency? What health tests and conditions are they guaranteeing the dog against? What standards/ restrictions are in their contract?
7.) Relationship/ On going support: Do they want any sort of connection or relationship with you after the dog comes home (this one does not always mean a good or bad breeder, but it does tell you a lot about the type of breeder you are working with if they have no interest once the dog gets home or would not be their to support their family afterwards.
8.) Age puppies go home: How old are the puppies when they go home? A responsible breeder, especially one using a development protocol will keep their dogs for 10-12 weeks because we know about major fear periods and the poor immune system a puppy has around 8 weeks. We would never send a puppy home before 9 weeks.
9.) How old are the parents?: The standard tells us we should never breed a dog before two as we know that most breeds have all their growth plates closed by 2 years in order to do the hips/ elbow clearances.
10.) Registered Breeding Kennel: Is the breeder/ Kennel an up to date CKC (Or Local Registration) member that has a registered kennel and is in good standings with the Canadian Kennels Club? (Any breeder can show you their year by year registration with the CKC as a member that they pay for.
11.) Is that breeder Trained or educated in Whelping/ Reproduction or Pet First Aid: Do they have any training in Canine Reproduction, Veterinary Medicine or base First Aid? Do they have the Proper Set up/ Equipment for the safety and health of the mom/ & litters? While most responsible breeders don’t ever work in veterinary, most have taken some type of Reproduction class or certification in order to do better by their breeding program. This shows a level of preparation, commitment and care for both the moms and every life their create by being prepared through knowledge and proper Medical Set up. (Ex. Having a Incubator, Oxygen Supply, IV Fluids, Weigh scale, repro books/ resources, Whelping box and pig rails, Heating source, Bedding, emergency supplies, Clean/ Private environment for whelping etc..
**The best breeders will always be proud to have owners see their set up and would love to teach owners more about their dedication to the education they have**
12.) What do the puppies come with?: Are the puppies going to be full registered with the CKC? Microchipped? Vaccinated? Dewormed? Do you get a puppy package? Food to go home? Copies of all paperwork?
If a breeder can’t provide proof of these or is not meeting these standards they really have no right to be breeding as they are not bettering a breed. Nor are they putting the time and work into the parent, puppies and owners for the lifetime of every dog they produce.
IMPORTANT: I know that most families looking for a purebred dog that are wanting simply a active family companion and not a “Show dog” can sometimes say they dont care if the parents have certain titles or are proven. The standards I have listed above are the ONLY thing that will determine if you are buy a dog from a responsible breeder or a puppy mill/ backyard breeder. The titles, health clearances, programs we follow & the breeders commitment to bettering a breed to the standard etc… are exactly what you as a owner want to be seeing in any puppy you get because you know your puppy was created under the very best of standards.
Breeder’s Responsibility: To be meeting the Requirements covered with each topic below before, during & after having puppies.
Owners Responsibility: To be educating themselves on these standards & to hold the kennel they are working with accountable for meeting these standards through questions & proof before committing to purchasing a puppy from them.
In short, its the actions we are taking to justify the reason for creating life. What is the purpose?.
This is the top issue we see, as its subjective, their is no one thing that makes a breeder one or the other.If their is one thing we learned early on – everyone loves puppiesEveryone Finding the right breeder is one of the most important choices you will ever make.
- Is your breeder making puppies for money or to improve the breed?
- Is it important to you that the parents of your puppy are proven in both Conformation and Performance?
- What level of support do you want from your breeder after you purchase? None, periodic or 24-7 for the life of your dog?
The sole purpose of the Red Shadow Kennels breeding program is to improve the structure, temperament and health of our Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers.
As a result, we produce a very limited number of puppies per year from parents who are proven both in the show ring and in performance competitions.
We focus our attention on these special puppies from birth, using the most current rearing and development techniques (including Puppy Culture©) available to create dogs who are extremely trainable and resilient to stress.
Our puppies go on to work in therapy, hunting, scent detection, competitive obedience and, most importantly, as family companions.
The Red Shadow accelerated early development program is not the only thing that makes us unique. We deliver on our lifelong commitment to the dogs and their families by providing a comprehensive support program for all life stages.
- Immediate 24-7 support to our owners.
- A New Owner Puppy Package including health insurance, first inoculations, microchipping, pedigree information, birth certificate and CKC Registration.
- Our New Owner Seminar series covering subjects like grooming, nutrition, vaccination protocols and how to manage veterinary costs.
- Regular White Papers on subjects like Puberty, Tooth Health, Vision and Eye Care, Water Toxicity and Parasites.
- Videos on training and grooming.
- Seasonal access to Dock Diving.
- Free Training Seminars covering everything from Dock Diving to basic to competitive obedience.
- A private Facebook Group for our owners to share their questions, successes and brags!
- Medical research services for injury, disease and senior care
For more information, contact us here.
Red Shadow is a Registered CKC Kennel of Award Winning Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers. Our mission is to constantly raise the bar in Ethical & Responsible Breeding.
Red Shadow Kennels is proudly owned & operated by Shauna Canjar Dainton RVT.
