Finding the best breeder

pirasha · Aug 28, 2015

Hello all,
it's me again!
At this point I am in no way even close to ready to get a Frenchie, but even so I feel it's important to finding the right breeder for me. I know that it's going to take a while to find someone I like and who likes me and to work with them to pick the dog with the personality that will best fit what I'm looking for. I'm looking on AKA but is there somewhere else I can look as well? Google isn't really much help *shudders*
Apparently there's a dog show in Oaks, about 20 minutes from me, in a couple months. I really have no interest in going but would this be a good place to meet possible breeders?
I live near Philadelphia PA so I've got a few states within easy access.
How did you all find your breeder?

I apologize if this is already a thread that I missed.

eeturk · Aug 29, 2015

[MENTION=894]blushy[/MENTION] aren't you in that area?

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Tgirl · Aug 29, 2015

I think it's a great idea to go to a dog show to meet breeders. You can also look on the french bulldog club of america site for info.
There is a neat list here to help with finding a reputable breeder Finding a reputable breeder | French Bull Dog Club of America

Have you checked the French Bulldog Club of America breeder listing?
http://fbdca.org/breeders/

blushy · Aug 29, 2015

eeturk said:
[MENTION=894]blushy[/MENTION] aren't you in that area?

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I'm like 3-4 hrs from PA.

And for finding a breeder I actually just looked for "French bulldog puppies for sale near xxx" and found both of my pups.

Titan's breeder is supposedly very reputable but I'd beg to differ after our experience.

And Isabelle's breeder has a severe auto immune disorder and can be a little difficult to communicate with via phone but in person she was wonderful, answered every question we had, and was very professional. I appreciated that aspect a lot!

We also got to play with Mama dog, and all 3 puppies for about 2 hours before going with our gut instinct and getting the last girl pup we raced 3 hours out there to get haha. But boy did I want all of them. It helped to gauge how hyper/nippy/laid back each pup was.

Turns out Isabelle is her mothers spitting image and everything her mama did, she does now. It's great!

So I agree that going to dog shows would be a fantastic idea! And even if some aren't breeders, they may know of a good fit for you through networking so you can get in contact and determine if they would have the dog for you/would be a candidate for a breeder.

Is a rescue dog out of the question? The FBRN would have staff/fosters who would be able to find literally the perfect frenchie of probably ANY age for you! So if that isn't out of the question, since the process is long, you could fill out an application to get the ball rolling there!

hannah · Aug 29, 2015

We live in Canada but my boyfriend flew to Detroit to pick up our boy. We wanted to get him from one of the best breeders we could find and that's where we found them. It cost more money with the exchange rate and the flight and 2 day trip but he was well worth it. A good breeder is so important. People who know what they're doing and know the history on the dogs they are breeding. People who care about where their puppies go.... all important things to look for.

davidh · Aug 29, 2015

Going to dog shows is an excellent way to meet breeders, and most are very happy to talk to you and answer question. Also see if there is a Frenchie club in your area, you can also meet some there as well.

Chiana · Aug 30, 2015

Going to dog shows is definitely a good idea.
Just hang by the Frenchie ring and chat with owners. Most of them are happy to talk about their precious dogs and can give good tips and breeder info as well.

Good luck and please keep us posted of your progress!

pirasha · Aug 30, 2015

thanks for all the recommendations guys !

I'll definately have have to step up my research so I know what questions to ask and convince one of my friends to go to the dog show with me

[MENTION=894]blushy[/MENTION] - no a rescue is not out of the question and FBN is an awesome organization. I'm also looking into S.N.O.R.T Rescue. I would love to rescue a dog if it's the right one. Also Isabelle's breeder sounds awesome! That's kind of the experience I'm hoping to have and I' hoping that if I start out looking this early in the game eventually I will

[MENTION=1276]hannah[/MENTION] -that's awesome that you put that much dedication into finding the right breeder for you. I'm not against doing that ( a roadtrip with some friends might be fun) but if I don't have to subject a puppy to that much travel that earlier on that would obviously be preferable. Also I don't want to take a long trip there only to find out that the breeder is super sketchy or an importer or something like that. I mean hopefully if I do my research enough that won't happen but some scammers are really really good.
[MENTION=179]Tgirl[/MENTION] - that is an awesome website that I have bookmarked. It's the perfect summary of what to look for and watch out for in a breeder, thank you for that

blushy · Aug 30, 2015

Awesome! I hope you find your perfect frenchie, no matter rescue or pup! They are all awesome!

IlliniJen · Aug 31, 2015

pirasha said:
Hello all,
it's me again!
At this point I am in no way even close to ready to get a Frenchie, but even so I feel it's important to finding the right breeder for me. I know that it's going to take a while to find someone I like and who likes me and to work with them to pick the dog with the personality that will best fit what I'm looking for. I'm looking on AKA but is there somewhere else I can look as well? Google isn't really much help *shudders*
Apparently there's a dog show in Oaks, about 20 minutes from me, in a couple months. I really have no interest in going but would this be a good place to meet possible breeders?
I live near Philadelphia PA so I've got a few states within easy access.
How did you all find your breeder?

I apologize if this is already a thread that I missed.

I would start with the French Bulldog Club of America's breeder list. If you find a breeder you like, but they don't have puppies available, ask them for a referral. A good breeder will refer you to other good breeders without blinking an eye. Be wary if they don't, because they only have an eye on making a buck. I found my breeder through a referral from a breeder on the national breed club site. They sometimes trade puppies to mix add new dogs to their breeding mix, which I think is a good sign. If you find a really good breeder and they're willing to take dogs from another breeder, then that's probably a good endorsement.

Also arm yourself with a good list of what to look out for to avoid puppy mills and back yard breeders. This useful info is from the breeder who referred me to my current dogs' breeder. She spent a good hour with me on the phone answering my questions about the breed, even though she didn't have puppies to sell to me...her site is a little hard on the eyes, but she has a good page of what to look out for.

The reality is about 98% of breeders on the internet that you find via searching on "french bulldog puppies" are going to be mills in it for the buck. You have to be really diligent when doing your puppy search. Be sure to trust your gut...if something doesn't seem right, then don't give them your money. You want a healthy pup, but you also want to feel good about giving business to people you trust.

Alice Kable · Aug 31, 2015

Tgirl said:
I think it's a great idea to go to a dog show to meet breeders. You can also look on the french bulldog club of america site for info.
There is a neat list here to help with finding a reputable breeder Finding a reputable breeder | French Bull Dog Club of America

Have you checked the French Bulldog Club of America breeder listing?
French Bull Dog Club of America | French Bulldog Breeder Listing Service

Great advice. Health and temperament is what all dogs should be bred for!

hannah · Aug 31, 2015

pirasha said:
thanks for all the recommendations guys !

I'll definately have have to step up my research so I know what questions to ask and convince one of my friends to go to the dog show with me
[MENTION=894]blushy[/MENTION] - no a rescue is not out of the question and FBN is an awesome organization. I'm also looking into S.N.O.R.T Rescue. I would love to rescue a dog if it's the right one. Also Isabelle's breeder sounds awesome! That's kind of the experience I'm hoping to have and I' hoping that if I start out looking this early in the game eventually I will
[MENTION=1276]hannah[/MENTION] -that's awesome that you put that much dedication into finding the right breeder for you. I'm not against doing that ( a roadtrip with some friends might be fun) but if I don't have to subject a puppy to that much travel that earlier on that would obviously be preferable. Also I don't want to take a long trip there only to find out that the breeder is super sketchy or an importer or something like that. I mean hopefully if I do my research enough that won't happen but some scammers are really really good.
[MENTION=179]Tgirl[/MENTION] - that is an awesome website that I have bookmarked. It's the perfect summary of what to look for and watch out for in a breeder, thank you for that

Haha for sure! My boyfriend went on his own to pick up banksy. flew there and flew right back. the puppy was able to spend the flight with him in a carry on. It wasn't too bad. better than them being shipped under the plane like cargo like some breeders do!! eek. banksy didn't even realize he was on a plane when he picked him up. we're buying another one from them in December and doing the same thing again.

Anyway good luck to you!

davidh · Aug 31, 2015

Reminder to everone; we DO NOT recommend or post links to breeders sites on this forum. If you have someone you want to recommend, do it in a pm to the person asking. Thanks
Davidh