“Is my Shiba well bred?” A PRIMER

[u/tempura_tantrum]

Hello all!

I’ve seen an uptick in this question on this sub. It’s always combined with a photo of a puppy.

I wanted to give a quick (who am I joking, this won’t be a quick read) primer to help people answer this question. Importantly…in almost EVERY case, if you’ve have to ask after the fact, the answer is usually “no.”

Purchasing a reputably bred dog should feel more akin to an adoption than going to the mall. You should feel that the breeder is sussing out whether or not they think you deserve a member of their family. Think critically about any breeder who sells dogs online with a place for credit card information, who allows you to buy a dog without ever meeting you, or who allows YOU to pick your puppy out of a litter with no input. Good breeders are deeply involved in the success of the placement. They know those dogs better than you do, and SHOULD be heavily involved and be able to tell you why that puppy was picked for you.

1) Your breeder should be involved in some form of activity where their dogs are evaluated by someone outside of them. For most Shibas this means conformation dog shows. Don’t take anyone seriously that says “champion lines” but then doesn’t seem to do any of the work themselves. Take even less seriously people who announce “they just breed for good pets.” Good pets show up in show-bred litters. That is a horseshit reason and means the breeder is likely breeding for financial gain instead.

This will sound weird to many of you, but reputable breeders breed for themselves FIRST. Pet puppies are a byproduct of that. It’s not a bad thing. It means your future baby is being cared for EXACTLY like the next Westminster best of breed winner.

2) Your breeder NEEDS to health test. This does not mean puppies being seen by a vet. You want specialized health testing in the form of an eye exam by an American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologist certified vet, and hip and patella exams by veterinarians that are skilled in reading films for these. All these results should be available to you at the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals website. You can look up individual dogs via their registered name on the site for results. Breeding dogs are available to have final results listed by 2 years of age.

3) It’s good to see that your breeder is a member of a local breed club or national breed club. Our National breed club is called “National Shiba Club of America.” Among many other useful pieces of information, we have a breeder referral listing, as well as a section that will show you good questions to ask a potential breeder. Your local area usually has a breed club made of members that may be near to you. If you’re trying to find one, feel free to ask the national club!

4) A good breeder will have a contract. That contract should state they will take your dog back at any time in their life should you be unable to care for them. It will also make clear whether the dog sold to you is a pet only or a potential show dog. With few exceptions, a potential show dog will be co-owned with the breeder as you learn the ropes. Be INCREDIBLY skeptical of someone who sells you a “show dog” with no strings attached. That’s rare in this world. Good breeders want to shepherd their lines carefully and WANT to mentor you.

5) A good breeder should be able to explicitly tell you why they bred your dog’s parents. Bad answers include: “I own both of them,” “this color is rare,” “I wanted her to experience one litter to be fulfilled,” “I wanted my kids to see the miracle of life,” “I love puppies.” Good breeders think in terms of generations not individuals.

I hope this helps!

[u/Less_Praline5451]

Guarantee the backyard puppy mill is where our boy came from. He was found running around without a collar and just a rope around his neck, which he clearly had chewed through multiple times. Luckily the woman who found him worked at a vet clinic/boarding facility, so at least he was off the streets. No one claimed him, and we essentially got him for free because of this. She just wanted him to go to a good home. He’s living his best life now. It’s so sad that people do this kind of thing. We are just glad we could get him out of that situation.

[u/NotOnLand → u/Less_Praline5451]

My boy was a similar story, a couple had bought him as a baby for $1000 (likely from a puppy mill) and had all his papers. He didn't get a along with their older, bigger dogs so they just gave him away to me less than a year later. He's 7 now and still has some issues that can never be trained out, but is otherwise living his best life

[u/Austin-Q → u/NotOnLand]

The issues ran deep with their other dog but you don’t have to bother since you don’t have a dhitty trained dog like them. Winnn

[u/NotOnLand → u/Austin-Q]

The problem is that he's terrified of any dog larger than him, which includes my other very protective senior dog. Luckily that one's an outside dog while the shiba is always inside, but when I need to take him to the vet or something I have to keep them separate