Would you buy from a breeder who uses kennels?

[ravennr]

My favourite Akita breeder, the one I am dying to buy from, uses kennels (they're gorgeous kennels too, not that that means anything, but seriously beautifully woodcrafted kennels on her garden). Given her breed, and how many males she has, I see no issues with it. Her dogs are rotated and are all very happy. She is grateful for them when heat times come around.


I will leave each breeder up to my own discretion, but in general, kenneling doesn't deter me at all. It can be a necessary, safe thing for that breeder to do with their dogs. It can be abused and overused, just like any other tool. But I don't want to paint across the board and say every breeder using kennels doesn't know what they're doing and is lazy.

[Bailey08]

I had a quite lengthy list when looking at breeders, and having all of the dogs (including puppies) live in the house full time was on it. Along with a ton of other things, including working the dogs in several venues, health testing and a lot of knowledge about genetics and breeding generally, and age-appropriate work with/experiences for the pups from birth. I also didn't want someone who produces a huge number of litters. I even felt fairly strongly about limited vaccinations and raw feeding!

I'm also getting a golden retriever so appreciate that this may have some bearing. Also, of course the pups spend some time in a large (well appointed) pen -- I don't think one could handle a huge golden litter with everyone free all the time!

I don't think that my list needs to be the same as anyone else's; not at all. I'm a little surprised (not in a bad way) that I seem to be in the minority.
At

[Pops2]

now for something a little different

for the kinds of dogs i'm likely to get from a breeder, all the dogs being house pets & family members first & foremost is a red flag. i would most likely run NOT walk in the other direction as fast as possible.

[Shai]

Originally Posted by Pops2

now for something a little different

for the kinds of dogs i'm likely to get from a breeder, all the dogs being house pets & family members first & foremost is a red flag. i would most likely run NOT walk in the other direction as fast as possible.

Key point in bold lol
And a good point to keep in mind for us all.

[Dekka]

I was going to quote, but that seemed like a lot of effort (holy post batman there Fran)

Why can't a breeder who uses kennels to rotate dogs through know all about them? Or know what they like toy wise. I would love a kennel that was part of my house for when I was at work all day. Dekka would likely stay in the kennel all day, but that wouldn't mean I couldn't gush about her, or tell you in detail all about her, or stop her from sleeping on my bed at night.

To me how the puppies are raised is more important than how they keep the parents (within reason of course!!) The breeder I mentions raises all puppies in house and around kids, other dogs and lots of handling. They can tell you all about the puppy's personality and likes and dislikes.

[Laurelin]

Originally Posted by Fran101

I just don't like them.
Call me an emotional fuddy duddy but I just..don't lol

I really have tried to remain totally distanced and look at the facts, and I do understand them but ughhh call it crazy I just can't deal with dogs sleeping in kennels and certainly wouldn't go to a breeder that used them.

If you can't tell me if your dog is a cuddler or not, what his favorite toys are, silly quirks, what time he gets up in the morning, where he likes to nap during the day and what he does when you come home.
then frankly, you aren't the breeder for me.
in fact, if you aren't happy to GUSH about those things and MORE. Chances are, you aren't the right breeder for me lol kennel or not
I've just noticed, more often than not (not ALL the time) that breeders that use kennels tend to be more..business-like..with their dogs.

and that just..isn't what rocks my boat.

but hey, people are free to choose whatever kind of boat they like for dogs for them.
this is just my 2 cents.

I've had a dog from both types of situations.

Summer's breeder I consider a good friend. She keeps all her dogs in the house and does such extensive socialization with her puppies, taking them to the nursing home (she does therapy work with all her dogs). The dogs are family and her dogs are really bombproof papillons, the best pet temperaments I've ever seen in the breed. But I will be honest that they're not as good dogs for a sports prospect (or really a show prospect either). She just doesn't keep enough dogs and doesn't have as much experience. I love her dogs though but I would never have found a Mia there. However if you get her talking about her dogs she's still the type to start telling you show wins and pull out pedigrees instead of 'this is Gigi's favorite toy', etc. However, I don't doubt that she knows that stuff though.

Mia's has a lot more dogs. Pups are raised indoors but not all dogs are running loose at all times like Summer's breeder tends to. Her breeder is much more business like in email and in real life. She always always responds to my emails and is very helpful (even found me a trainer!) but she's not as talkative as Summer's breeder. She knows a lot about her dogs and could tell me all sorts of things about Mia's parents and where Mia's traits were coming from... Like the fact that her sire got carsick until he was 2 and that the dam is a food hound and a one man dog. I learned all that the first day I talked to her and guess what? Mia is a food hound (kinda odd for a pap), got carsick as a pup, and is a one person dog.

Anyways, yeah, I've never really thought to talk to breeders about their dogs much as pets.

I have no idea if the breeders I'm looking at for the next dog use kennels or not. So far I have not found a breeder that I agree with fully in any breed I'm interested in. That's not going to stop me from going to such a breeder.

[ravennr]

Originally Posted by Dekka

I was going to quote, but that seemed like a lot of effort (holy post batman there Fran)

Why can't a breeder who uses kennels to rotate dogs through know all about them? Or know what they like toy wise. I would love a kennel that was part of my house for when I was at work all day. Dekka would likely stay in the kennel all day, but that wouldn't mean I couldn't gush about her, or tell you in detail all about her, or stop her from sleeping on my bed at night.

To me how the puppies are raised is more important than how they keep the parents (within reason of course!!) The breeder I mentions raises all puppies in house and around kids, other dogs and lots of handling. They can tell you all about the puppy's personality and likes and dislikes.

Ditto these things for the breeder I mentioned.

There's a definite difference in a breeder whose entire operation is in a building of kennels, which doesn't mean bad depending on the circumstances, and a breeder who uses kennels as a tool to help them and their dogs.

The Akita breeder in question in my post has mentioned her experiences without kennels, and they weren't pretty at times. There are certain breeds, even, where I EXPECT a kennel situation to be present in some way, for adults in particular (though even puppies, I have no problems depending on the situation).

[WyleeWhippets]

One of the best, IMO, Whippet breeders in the country rotates her dogs in kennels. They are not stuck in kennels all of their lives, but they do spend time in them. They are also some of the most correct, healthiest, and best tempered whippets you will come across. I consider myself extremely lucky that my dogs go back to her lines and would absolutely in a heartbeat JUMP at the chance to own one of her puppies..

That said, it's not how I choose to raise my dogs personally. My litter was born in our living room, lived in the bedroom for four weeks and then moved into the kitchen. Two of them sleep in my bed at night, along with big brother Spencer and stupid, hairy whippet Dixie (collie). I am grateful to be divorced when it comes to bedtime lol.

[Fran101]

Originally Posted by Dekka

I was going to quote, but that seemed like a lot of effort (holy post batman there Fran)

Why can't a breeder who uses kennels to rotate dogs through know all about them? Or know what they like toy wise. I would love a kennel that was part of my house for when I was at work all day. Dekka would likely stay in the kennel all day, but that wouldn't mean I couldn't gush about her, or tell you in detail all about her, or stop her from sleeping on my bed at night.

To me how the puppies are raised is more important than how they keep the parents (within reason of course!!) The breeder I mentions raises all puppies in house and around kids, other dogs and lots of handling. They can tell you all about the puppy's personality and likes and dislikes.

lol yea that thing turned out huge

Even when it came to kennel rotations (which totally took out all the "knowing their dogs") issues because yea, the breeders do spend one/one time with them.
.. it all came down to the nitty gritty emotional fuddy duddy stuff.
I hate the idea of dogs sleeping in kennels outside.

That said, I have recently seen some indoor kennel set-ups that totally rocked my world and I didn't even realize until now that it was never really stated what I meant by kennel.
and by kennel.. I mean kennel separated from the home/outside.

I have NO ISSUE with indoor kennels (I mean, at the end of the day.. they are bigger than crates) and it's important to have a safe space to contain dogs/let dogs have one-on-one time and a place to sleep. Rotating and stuff like that is a given in breeder households.. I don't expect all breeders (especially large breeds) to have all their dogs around, all the time.

It's not even that I think my puppy will come out different because of how parents are raised (kennel or no) because in many cases dam/litter are brought inside.. it's just an issue of me caring about a breeders practices/supporting a breeder who agrees with me on this kind of stuff.

It's just like.. oy.. I dunno.. they are outside. separated. away from the family. You don't know what going on in that kennel at night or what they are doing in there.
I would be worried SICK if my dog slept in a kennel away from the house, not just in outdoor kennels (which I don't agree with. point blank) but just because I have no idea what is going on with him and can't even hear him or see him without going outside
.. so I figure.. find a breeder who gets that lol

[Fran101]

Again, totally not saying that good breeders have dogs in the house and bad breeders use kennels.
We all know that isn't true.

Animal hoarders anyone?..

just saying, on my list, on breeds I like.. I like to look for living in the house.