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We call the following Yellow Lights. They do not necessarily mean you've found a bad breeder, but you should ask more questions.
1. Advertising "licensed kennel"
If a license is required by a state or locality, it has nothing to do with puppy quality. So why is the breeder advertising this? There's obviously nothing wrong with beign licensed, but it's not a selling point.
2. "We ship anywhere."
Many good breeders will ship your puppy and there is nothing wrong with that. But most prefer that you pick him up if at all possible. That's much less stressful and dangerous for him and most breeders want to meet you face to face. Advertising shipping usually indicates more interest in making sales than in finding good homes.
3. "We'll meet you at the rest stop."
Some kennels really are hard to find, but anyone can take directions. Often this just means "We'd rather you not see our kennel." A puppy from a dirty or overcrowded kennel is very likely to have parasites and/or other communicable illness. Corners probably have been cut on other breeding practices. Insist on coming to the kennel or home of the breeder.
4. Credit cards accepted.
Most of the best breeders are small volume - - they can't afford to take credit cards, unless they run it through another business, such as a pet supplies store, grooming shop, etc. Any breeder, however, can use Paypal or other online payment methods. If you need to use a credit card to buy your puppy, ask about those plans, or get a cash advance. "Credit cards accepted" sounds like the only requirement to get a puppy is a credit card.
5. Dogs registered with unfamiliar registries.
The American Kennel Club (AKC), United Kennel Club (UKC) and (for Canadians) the Canadian Kennel Club are the only general registries that guarantee your puppy is purebred. These registries maintain pedigrees and protect their databases through inspections and DNA testing. Rare breeds which have not been recognized by the organizations above are registered with other organizations, as are many field/hunting dogs and some working dogs. A few breeds may be registered with their specific breed registries. (Border collies and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are two examples.) Though no registry is a guarantee of quality, real registries maintain the pedigrees of purebred dogs: If you pay for a purebred you can be reasonably sure you actually get a purebred. If as the dog matures, you realize it is not purebred, you can file a complaint against the breeder and the registry will investigate.
The term registered by itself is meaningless and the same is true of pedigreed. A pedigree is just a list of ancestors. Every dog, even a mixed breed, has one simply because he has parents and grandparents. Write down those names and your mix is "pedigreed."
6. Special deals require you to allow the breeding of a litter from your pet.
A good breeder sometimes will sell a male puppy and ask that you not neuter him without permission, in case she needs him as backup to her bloodline. A breeder with a rare bloodline (or a rare breed) may have a good reason for not wanting to lose a certain female, but usually that breeder simply won't sell the dog. Whelping a litter of puppies is emotionally and physically draining for the owner as well as the mother and there's a lot that can go wrong. Most of these "puppies back" deals though are simply pyramid schemes. Look elsewhere for a puppy. Pet owners should not be required to breed their dogs.
7. You see signs that the breeder has more dogs than she can properly maintain.
Everyone has a bad day sometimes and a lot of dogs can mean a lot of confusion and noise, but if conditions don't look right to you, ask questions. Maybe the dog with the infected eye has an appointment this afternoon; perhaps most of the dogs are crated when company comes to simplify the visit but actually get plenty of exercise. But dogs in dirty pens, matted or smelly dogs, those who appear to need medical care and have not gotten it, or dogs stacked in crates for most of every day cannot be healthy, well-adjusted dogs. You don't want a puppy from this environment.
8.The breeder advterises oddball or specialized varieties that may have health problems or may not be purebred.
Rare longhaired whippets, Warlock or white Dobermans, teacup Yorkies, extreme large or big boned dogs -- check all these out before you decide you want one. There are breed standards for each breed, and dogs who are bred intentionally not to meet them (colors that are not "recognized" by AKC, etc) may be perfectly fine. But sometimes these 'improvements' are often done by mixing in other breeds; the advertised animals may not even be purebred. If you want, say, a parti-colored dog in a breed that specifies solid colors, just be sure you study before buying. Some qualities are associated with health problems. Tiny-tiny dogs often have trouble with hypoglycemia. Very large dogs may have joint problems.
Note: "Longhaired whippets" are produced by people who state that theirs is a purebred whippet with a "lost" gene for long hair. The consensus of the American Whippet Club and the decision by AKC is that there is and was no such gene. Most whippet breeders believe that this breed is a mix between the whippet and another breed with long hair, such as the Sheltie. Healthwise, there is nothing wrong with these dogs, but be aware that according to the American Whippet Club anyway, they are not really purebred whippets. Other people are developing new breeds that closely resemble a whippet with long hair, but they state clearly that their breeds began as a mix, not that they are purebred whippets with a rare gene.
Before contacting any breeder, you should read the breed standard and know what it says about color, size, and so on. Cosmetic "faults" are okay for a pet. For example, the breeder might say "This puppy is going to be oversized, so we won't be able to show him," or "Look at the way he carries his tail -- that's a fault." You might like the way your whippet's tail curls over his back, but be aware that in the show ring, that would be counted against him.
Read your breed standard at the AKC web site and be sure you understand any breed fault in a puppy you're considering buying and whether the fault is related to health. (The Whippet Standard is also at the American Whippet Club site.) For example, light colored eyes are a fault in whippets but they don't cause any health problems--it's strictly a cosmetic issue. Floppy ears in a German Shepherd Dog are also cosmetic. And parti-colored poodles and Yorkies should be as healthy as those of the accepted colors. In some breeds, white coats are simply a color choice -- in others, a white coat can be associated with severe health problems. Research these things before starting to look for a puppy.
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