What does it mean to be a professional Iowa dog breeder? A professional Iowa dog breeder just doesn’t happen overnight. It’s more than just putting two dogs together to mate because you want a litter of puppies or you want your family or children to experience the miracle of birth. A professional dog breeder takes time to research, study and learn about their breeds and how to care for the puppies. Breeding dogs as a profession is viewed as a sustainable and responsible business with goals, documents, accounting and quality animal care.
At Star Creek Kennel, we have taken the time to study about the standards of the breeds, temperament, health and care. We research lines when looking to add dogs to our program so that we can enhance what has already been established. We attend conferences and training classes so that we are aware of new information that is being published. We also belong to several organizations that support education and responsible dog breeding.
The health and care of the dogs and puppies is a priority. A dog’s general health is considered as well as health testing for diseases or traits so that only the best gets added to our program. We want to ensure all our dogs are properly taken care of including diet, exercise, hygiene and health.
Record keeping is a required activity of a professional breeder. Record keeping includes documentation about each dog related to health, breeding and whelping. We also keep records of the health care provided for each litter. Every puppy goes to its new home with a packet of information including our written contract-health guarantee. Costs can add up quickly so good financial record keeping is required.
Becoming a professional dog breeder requires time, knowledge, skill and expertise..