Purebred ≠ Wellbred

You see it all the time - those Kjiji listings that say CKC registered puppies, purebred (insert breed here) puppies for sale, papers included, champion bloodlines! etc. Just because a dog is purebred does not mean it is well-bred.

It's important to note that the Canadian Kennel Club is simply a registry and a registered purebred dog just confirms that the dog does, in fact, have two parents that are from the same breed. It is not a measure of how closely those dogs actually resemble what the breed will look like nor a standard of quality. Therefore, just because a puppy might be CKC registered or "have papers", doesn't mean that these dogs are well-bred.

Within the breed, there can be a huge range of variation on what the dog will look like and their temperament. You picked a breed because of the breed characteristics you researched. Make sure that you select a breeder who is actually staying true to those breed characteristics by selectively breeding only the best examples of the breed type and temperament, coupled by health testing and ensuring that the parents are structurally sound.

@thegreatdanescientist There is no such thing as a “Euro” Dane. Those are simply dogs that are overdone, drooping, melty and out of type. They have significantly MORE health issues than what is considered “normal” for our lovely breed. Get educated on what is correct and stop falling for the sales pitch you’re being fed by greedy unethical breeders. There is a REASON for correct body structure. #fyp #caninepreservation #breedpreservation #eurodane #badbreeders #greatdane #supportethicalbreeders #greatdanesoftiktok ♬ original sound - TheGreatDaneScientist

In addition, you may be tempted by an ad that says the puppies come from a championship bloodline. Well, that's all well and good, but what about the actual parents themselves - are they champions? The parents themselves should be proven in some way, whether by a conformation championship or a performance title, that demonstrate they are worthy of being bred.

Within every litter, there is often only 1 or 2 puppies that are "show-quality". And the rest of the puppies, while perhaps well-bred, may have disqualifying factors that indicate they should not be bred. It is often these puppies that backyard breeders use, with no further regard or careful selection on what a potential pairing may produce.

The final caveat, however, is that Eurasiers are a difficult breed to finish a championship in, mostly because the population of Eurasiers in Canada are very small, and only a subset of Eurasier owners are interested in breeding or showing. Because championship points are directly affected by how many other Eurasiers are competing in the same show, it can take a very long time to finish a Eurasier in Canada. Therefore, it is rare that both the male and the female in a pairing will be finished champions.

A breeder who has done some attempts at showing and getting their dogs in front of an impartial third-party like a CKC judge is better than one who hasn't shown at all, since attendance at a dog show already tests a dog's temperament, ie. are they stable enough to handle a crazy, chaotic environment with lots of other dogs and people, and calmly allow strangers to touch them.

Puppy mills and backyard breeders exist because people continue to buy from them. Even if you show up to buy a puppy and they are housed in deplorable conditions, you cannot "rescue" a puppy mill dog or a puppy from a backyard breeder - all that does is give incentive to the "breeder" to breed more. Please, do your research, seek out the best possible preservation breeder for your breed, or go to a shelter and rescue one.