If a breeder...

I think that if you discount a person, criticize a person, or look down a person because of their food choice...
you likely place too much importance on dog foods.
The importance is whether they take good care of the dogs, mangae the dogs properly and are a responsible and reputable breeder. If they are a good breeder...which frankly there are not enough of...I say kudo's to them...even if they feed the dogs kibble and bits. People bringing the dogs home can feed the dogs whatever they choose....

Well I would likely write them off it was Old Roy or a similar low quality cheap food.  There are a lot of foods I would not personally feed and would just switch my dog over.... However, in a few cases, such as low quality cheap foods, I would look else where.

ORIGINAL: mrv

Well I would likely write them off it was Old Roy or a similar low quality cheap food.  There are a lot of foods I would not personally feed and would just switch my dog over.... However, in a few cases, such as low quality cheap foods, I would look else where.

 
While feed wouldn't really be a deterrent for me, I do have to agree with this one. Then again, I personally do not know of any responsible breeders who feed cheapest of the cheap feed.
 
I also have to agree with Anne about a breeder using low quality feed because he/she has too many dogs. I don't agree with cutting corners in order to maintain all of your critters. When it gets to that point, it's time to stop adding more critters to the household.

The reason being that she can't afford to feed better food to so many dogs.

 
Like Anne this is the issue that jumped out at me. Anyone who is selling dogs can afford to feed them the best (whatever that breeder considers best).  If they can't it's because the money their pups bring in is being spent on things other than the dogs. I would buy from a breeder using Science Diet. I would not even consider buying from this breeder who can't afford better for her dogs.

I think I would have a hard time getting past the food choice, honestly. I feel that one of the most important times to get the best nutrition possible is while in utero, the others being while nursing, and during those rapid growth stages (pretty much all of puppyhood). For people and dogs. If my puppy got all of her nutrition from Science Diet in those very crucial periods, I don't feel she had a very good start, which could easily have laid groundwork for any number of problems later in life. JMO

I've run into this time and time again...especially this part of the discussion..."But my breeder feeds "
 
Breeders feed what is economical and what works for them, for the most part.  One breeder's site specifically says that "You cannot purchase one of my puppies unless you feed home cooked/RMB holistic foods..."
 
All the breeders I know of PHs feed something quite different than what I feed.  They use a food that I want very little to do with, yet they give me credit for using the food/foods that I use.
 
Also some breeders have discounts based upon how much food they buy...or they buy it by the pallet.  It's easier to buy it by the pallet rather than drive into town and fill up the back of the truck with 500Lbs of dog food every month.  Most of the big companies will give discounts to those who buy in bulk, or provide every 4th or 5th bag free of charge.  Some companies will even "sponsor" specific breeders in exchange for that breeder being tied to the food.  Some companies even offer "year's supply" of food to winners of big events.

I do believe that the breeder should have some say in what the pups are being feed after they leave their home but only to the extent of what not to feed the pup. I'm sure any repeatable breed would be very disappointed if they found out one of their pups was being feed ol'roy or some sort of food that is know to cause problems in their line or breed. I think you should be free to feed way you think is best but the breeder should only give you food recommendations as a guideline of what is best for your pup.

They feed what works for them and often they have more than just a couple mouths to feed so their methouds of feeding are going to be different than what you choose.

when it comes to food, everyone has their own opinion on what is the best, so i would not choose a breeder by the food they feed.

most of you will tell me iams is yuck, but to me it is the best because its the only food i have found my dog will eat. people have different reasons for choosing different foods. i think it's ok to recommend a food, but not to insist it is the best food on the planet.

I agree with what most everybody says about not holding the food choice of the breeded against her.  But I also see where the one person is coming from when she talks about the puppy getting the right nutrients from the get go.  There could be health problems down the road because of some kind of deficiances in the food the mother was feed and then the puppies.  But the best you can do is make sure the puppy is fed properly from the time you bring it home.
 
Myself as a breeder have gone through several different types of food over the years.  I feed one and think it is great and over time I notice a change in coat, teeth or energy and look for something I feel is better suited for my dogs.  I now feed Royal Canin breed specific food for Chihuahuas.  It certainly doesn't hurt that they sponsor my dog and I get the food for free.  But I also find that my dogs do well on it.  Thier coats look better and thier teeth stay cleaner as well as many other benefits.  But I do not beleive for a minute that it is the only and best food for Chihuahaus.  To each his own!

If I were a breeder, I do believe I'd factor in what a person fed and why, into my decision of whether to place a pup in a particular home. Not that it would be an exclusionary factor, but it would be a good starting place for a discussion of health decisions, etc.

On the other side of it, I know lots of people from whom I would just about kill to get a pup or young trained dog from, who I'm sure make food choices based upon, um, economic factors more than anything. Okay, they are cheap and old fashioned and think as long as the food is AAFCO "certified" that it's good quality.

However, those are working dogs that are sort of honed through the generations to survive on trash. If I were looking to get another Chinese crested (yikes, did I even say that out loud?!?), I'd try to find a breeder that fed premium foods, had as holistic an approach as possible, and if possible raised her dogs on raw. That's because I've seen the results that come from feeding my freak of nature dog this way.[]

ETA and OT:

Don't worry about what people think; they don't do it very often.

I believe this may now be my all-time favorite sig line quote. [sm=clapping hands smiley.gif]