“I don’t care about papers.”
“I just want a pet, not a show dog.”
“Who cares if it’s out of standard, I just want a companion.”
I see this time and time again when people are on the hunt for a new puppy to add to their family. It is often used as an excuse to purchase from a less than reputable breeder. They feel they don’t need all the “bells and whistles” because they do not understand why they are so important.
Breeding should be for a purpose, and it is okay if that purpose is companionship, but it should still be done in order to better the breed. So, what exactly does that mean?
It is a multifaceted concept, but in short bettering the breed means breeding toward the standard, breeding away from flaws, breeding for ideal temperament and drive, and breeding away from heritable diseases.
The breed standard encompasses everything from structure to temperament to color. It is designed in such a way to provide a dog most well suited physically and mentally for whatever job they were meant to do. The breed standard is also one of the wonderful things about owning a well bred purebred. It means you know exactly what you are getting into, from size to energy level to drive to coat type. When the breed standard is ignored, you end up with dogs with structural problems that lead to degenerative joint issues or dogs with temperaments the exact opposite of what they were supposed to be which can often result in dogs being rehomed.
So, while you may not want a show dog, a breeder who shows their dogs in conformation is proving objectively that their breeding stock fits the standard and a breeder who shows in sport or work is proving their dog has the correct trainability and drive. Every litter from two show dog parents is going to consist primarily of pet dogs, which is a better source for your family pet than the backyard breeder you found on Craigslist, because 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲.
Breeding away from heritable diseases is one of the most important aspects of reputable breeding in my eyes. It means doing thorough health testing based on what the breed club recommends and only breeding those who pass. The goal is to create an even healthier next generation. Health tests are one way of doing this, but registration and pedigrees are the other. For example, there are not any reliable DNA tests for epilepsy which is one of the few issues Siberian huskies can have. Because there are no tests, it is important for a breeder to be able to study pedigrees and avoid lines known to carry it. So, while you may not see the merit in papers, they serve a purpose and an important one.
(It is also important to be aware that papers/registration 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 does not make a dog well bred.)
The world of reputable breeding is a big one and it can be a confusing one, but it is important to understand these things. The sooner we stop making these excuses for backyard breeders due to lack of education, the sooner we can put an end to them.