Volume Breeder

I wanted to touch on this since this term is so often thrown around. Those of you who already know me know it is important to me to be completely transparent and I personally am very proud of what I do but for those of you who may be swayed by the term please take a moment to read this and make your own conclusions to this term.

“Volume breeder” can be a quite negative term so I want to share my opinion on what I think this means or what it should mean. When others breeders use this term it is meant in a derogative manner, what they are trying to do is compare breeders (volume breeders) who bred more than 1 or 2 litters a year to puppy mills. I think we are all pretty clear as to what a puppy mill is, they are beyond disgusting and they do not provide even the simplest care to the animals they have. I think it is very safe to say that a puppy mill and a volume breeder, in most cases, are not the same. It is possible to breed multiple litters each year and be successful at this while all the time providing the best care and attention for all adults and puppies.

I have been breeding keeshonden for well over 12 years, yes I breed more than one litter a year. I purposefully breed throughout the year having multiple litters about 4x a year. I bred with the intent to make keeshond puppies available to homes simply for the love of the breed. I actually owned the keeshond for about 20 years before I ever thought about becoming a breeder. Anyone who knows this breed knows they are not easy to come by and more importantly they are amazing companions and family dogs. I feel such a well-rounded beautiful breed should be easier to find and more importantly easier to find from breeders who promote health as a priority. If all the companion breeders stopped breeding today and left the breeding to only the show people you would have to wait years to get a puppy, many currently have to wait 6 months to a year now. They simply do not have enough puppies each year for the growing demand for keeshond puppies.

I want to also clearly point out that the “Show breeders” very often are also volume breeders, of course they will not admit that but I can list off many Breeders of Merit who have huge kennels and have dozens of litters each year. The only thing that separates us is they have the Breeders of Merit Distinction and I have the Bred by H.E.A.R.T Distinction. I will also be quick to point out that the same Breeders of Merit do not always complete the health testing on all their breeding dogs. Currently the KCA is still looking the other way on this and Breeders of Merit simply are not held to the same standards as the Bred by H.E.A.R.T members when it comes to health testing all owned dogs.

I do breed in volume BUT I consider myself a Professional Breeder and nothing less then that. I am experienced in breeding, I am home 100% of the time with my dogs and my puppies. I do not hold a job outside of the home and leave my puppies 40-60 hours each week. I am 100% engaged in the care and upbringing of the puppies. I have hundreds of client to speak of my puppies not only being socialized but being healthy. So before anyone is so quick to judge, just think about whether you would prefer a breeder who is with the puppies all day or a breeder who raises puppies while working a full time job and has very limited time to actually spend with the puppies.

Over the 12+ years I have been breeding I have had over 65 litters and counting so I am extremely experienced with whelping and raising puppies. I know what to look for in newborn puppies, I know what milestones they should go through over the 8 weeks and can easily spot a puppy that may potentially have issues. With this knowledge and experience it only makes me a better breeder and it should not, ignorantly, be viewed as a negative thing. Other breeders like to use the word “Volume Breeder” as a way to deter you from considering puppies but if you really think about it, the ethical volume breeders are far more experienced and far more knowledgeable then the average show breeder having 1 or 2 litters a year.

So please, before you make a judgement on this term or my kennel, fully understand what it means to be a Professional Breeder, not volume breeder, vs a once in a while breeder who also works a full time job while attempting to raise and socialize puppies. Do your own research and don’t always take the word of overzealous people who spend more time on Facebook then with their own dogs! If someone is on Facebook all the time quickly bashing those who they have zero knowledge of, have never had a personal experience with and have never been to my home or kennel then seriously is that really the reference you want to trust in or would you rather trust in well over 450 people who know me and have been to my home and kennel?

One of the biggest upsides to me being a Professional Breeder is the simple fact that I can provide over 450 clients from a span of over 12 years who will talk openly about my puppies, their health and their temperaments and also talk freely about my home and my kennel - the biggest majority of them have been invited into my home and kennel to see my dogs and puppies.