I took @S1969’s comment to go in line with all their other comments on this thread. Good breeders do not breed for fancy colors to sell unique puppies. Good breeders breed to accomplish healthy puppies to the breed standard.
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Yes, I also knew that is what she meant. But there are some folks on this thread that do not (or did not) know there are such things as “breed standards” that specify the characteristics of the breed. So I was just trying to point out instances where breeders do breed for [allowable] colors.
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[quote=“sportyspicepony, post:216, topic:769326”]
sorry if this is a dumb question, but isn’t this kind of an improvement if the “breed standard” is a dog so small it can’t have babies?..
I was SHOCKED to find that chi puppies are selling for $4000-5000!!!.. However the breeder I looked at had a lot of ~unusual~ colors that would jack up the price, like a “chocolate merle” with blue eyes and whatnot.[/quote]
Hi SportySpicePony, you are right if natural selection was a part of AKC breed standards 
. The dime-a-dozen Chi phenotypes are breeding naturally and arguably may be healthier. They also don’t look like anything like a show Chihuahua.
A Chi breeder aiming for colors is just like any color greeder in horses or dogs. Merle and all that is outside of the breed standard so those folks are aiming at the trendy pet market. Paradoxically, those byb greeders usually charge more than show breeders who health test and do something with their dogs. “Breeders” are allllll lumped into one category, though the sub categories could not be more different. Unfortunately, potential pet owners seem to only know two options: adoption group or breeder and predatory greeders are giving the whole group a terrible name.
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I don’t doubt that the breeder I was looking at was sketchy, however I will say that I found them via the AKC website and they were like the only breeder listed in the entire state of SC on there for chihuahuas! I’m not looking for a chihuahua puppy at all but if i was, wouldn’t you think the AKC “find a puppy” site would be a good place to look?
This is what’s tough. AKC registry is nothing more than a guarantee of parentage. They don’t do anything to ensure that their breeders are producing quality puppies that are free of genetic defect or adhering to the breed standard. AKC registry no more guarantees a quality puppy than Jockey Club registry guarantees a Kentucky Derby winner.
To find a quality puppy, the breed club in your state or region is usually a good starting point.
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Last week I took my 5-breed mutt to an intro to nosework class where I normally take agility classes. Instead of seeing mostly the same dogs from week to week, we had some I’d never seen before. I’m so glad I didn’t say anything about the young labradoodle bouncing around like a fish on a line when I passed them with my dog. The instructor said “bring in the bouvier” and they went in. I’m sure if I had accidentally called it a doodle they would have been deeply offended.
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I checked out the website from the UKC about the extremes in certain breeds. In the future I was considering buying a well-bred Chihuahua from a good breeder. After reading that most Chihuahuas and many other toy dogs have multiple holes in their skulls (not just the molera), I’m not sure I’d want to deal with issues caused by that. My last dog was a tiny 6 lb. chi mix I rescued; she was elderly and deaf. She had a brain tumor that caused seizures and the usual neurological problems. Could the holes in her skull, which she most probably had, cause the tumor? Not sure I’d want to go through that again.
All the issues with the brachycephalic breeds just broke my heart. Not just breathing issues, but their teeth!!
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There’s a relatively high incidence of hydrocephalus in chihuahuas, too.
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Plenty of mind boggling mixed breeds on this large UK site. This search definitely doesn’t pick up all of them.
https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/sale/dogs/mixed-breed/local/page-4/
Apparently anything with reproductive organs bred and and the puppies sold, with some mixes more popular than others. Made little sense to me the number of times times I saw the description of two parents of wildly different breeds with totally different purposes, each described as a lovely, well bred example of their own breed.
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And just general tolerance for the dog you have. The nature of the breed & type that they are born with. Dogs are what people made them through breeding and training (or lack of same).
I have a 12-yo male lab. He’s mostly well-behaved, but still has the lab exuberance and impulsiveness. Today I had to tell him 3 times “sweetie, I’m in a meeting and can’t keep petting you right now, could you please take a nap”. He knows lots of commands but I should have taught him a “nap” command. So he transferred his attentions and nosed the arm of the person I was meeting with, including eager tail wags, person fortunately adores dogs. Told dog to lay down on his mat. He did for maybe 3 minutes. Then the lab found an indoor gecko to chase and the gecko had to be rescued and evicted from the house. The person I was meeting with was astonished that he was 12 yo - “looks like he’s got quite a few more years in him!”.
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New one for me today
Auggies
Yup, I can see that happening.
My tiny rescue resembled a deer-headed Chihuahua, which I find much more attractive than the apple-headed type. I wish there were breeders who purposely bred and health tested Chis with the longer muzzle, leaner body and longer legs.
I saw a tv show years ago about dogs and how if left alone for many generations, they revert back to dingo-like animals, with long noses, erect ears and twisty tails. Many stray dogs from other countries look like this.
Another breed I’m interested in is a Toy Fox Terrier. They seem a bit less modified or extreme from other toy dogs. Plus they’re wicked smart (could be a good thing or a bad thing).
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I would look for AKC Breeder of Merit, Sire of Merit, Dam of Merit titles. Anyone can register a purebred dog whose parents are registered. Breeder of Merit needs to have been a member for at least 5 years, and have at least 4 dogs they have owned, bred, or cobred titled etc.
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Seconding this recommendation. Also, Breeder of Merit has several levels. I don’t remember what they are all but as Jenerationx said, a Standard Level breeder has to have produced at least 4 dogs that earned titles. A Silver Level breeder has produced at least 25 dogs that earned titles, of which at least 15 have been prefix titles (such as Champion).
You can find them by going to the AKC Puppy Finder page for the breed you are interested in and looking for the badges denoting Breeder of Merit. Also suggest you work with a breeder that is an active member of their national breed club as they are much more likely to adhere to the breed standard and more likely to get feedback on their stock from other experienced and successful breeders. Those emblems are also on the Puppy Finder Page. Additionally, you can also look for the “Bred with Heart” emblem that indicates the breeder has met health testing standards for their breed. Caveat - just because a listed breeder does not display the Bred with Heart badge does not mean they are not doing health testing (they may not have applied with AKC for the Bred with Heart badge). Here is a mocked up image for an Airedale breeder - the various emblems appear below the contact info. From left, they are Breeder of Merit (Silver), Bred with Heart, and Member of AKC National Breed Club (in this case, the Airedale Terrier Club of America).
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Additionally, if you are looking for an older dog instead of a puppy, don’t hesitate to reach out to breeders as many of them place adult dogs in pet homes after they have finished their show and/or breeding career. The breeder you contact may not have anything available but may know of another breeder who has something that may be suitable. That is how I found my Welsh Terrier - I contacted a breeder in the next state (who as it turned out, happened to be one of the top, top breeders in the country). She didn’t have any puppies or adults ready to rehome but she connected me with another breeder who had a retired champion female that he was willing to place. I had to chase him for several weeks as he is a very busy professional handler and is on the road all.the.time but we finally made a deal to meet at a dog show and I got my girl. 
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Sadly, the AKC is a registry only and many puppy mills and less than ethical breeders advertise on there.
If there is a breed in particular you are looking for, I highly suggest finding your local breed club or breed rescue. The breed specific rescues know who ALL the shite breeders in your area are.
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Which is - Australian Shepherd/Collie?
Good grief - why? They are both wonderful breeds in their own right. What in the world is someone hoping to accomplish by crossing them?
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True that puppy mills and BYB breeders register with AKC, but I wouldn’t categorize it as “only a registry.” It also licenses the shows and trials as well as local all-breed clubs and breed clubs that promote breeding to the standard, health testing, etc. So although it will issue registration papers to “any” breeder that meets requirements for such, it also sort of “oversees” the smaller member organizations that promote ethical and responsible breeding.
And that is why I posted above to look for Breeder of Merit and AKC Breed Club member badges on the AKC site. Puppy mill breeders rarely have those distinctions.
And yes, many of the member breed clubs operate a rescue pipeline, and they do indeed know which breeders to avoid.
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Nope, Aussie/ Corgi
