Back yard Breeders

A backyard breeder is someone who just breeds puppies to make money from whichever dogs are available. They don't show their dogs, work them, or otherwise test them to improve the breed. They also don't do health tests, as this would cut into the profit! They have no purpose other than profit.

They are almost solely responsible for the "designer dogs".

A backyard breeder is a term for someone who breeds dogs without proving them in any dog related events, doesn't utilize health testing and basically breeds them for reasons such as money, to bring cute puppies into the world, to show the kids the "miracle of life" and things like that. A lot of them really don't know much about the breed(s) they are breeding, they don't know much about the health issues of the breed(s) they breed, they don't know much about the pedigrees involved and when once you buy the puppy, they usually aren't of any help afterwards. Whatever happens, it's your problem whether it be a question about your puppy or not being able to keep it anymore. You can get a more in depth idea [linkhttp://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=124633686&blogID=219638337&MyToken=04b69129-0b10-48c3-971d-1f5a318268ed]here[/link].

[linkhttp://www.jlhweb.net/Boxermap/reputablebreeder.html]http://www.jlhweb.net/Boxermap/reputablebreeder.html[/link]
 
Plenty of other links out there. Just Google "back yard breeder"...and I am sure lots of folks here can offer more in the way of links and blurbs to help you understand the phrase.

A back yard breeder is essentially someone who breeds dogs so they can earn money.  What you want to look for in a breeder is someone who is showing/working the dogs and has "finished" dogs they are breeding, someone who does health testing on known health issues for the breed they're working with, and someone who has a contract that tells you that you need to neuter/spay if the dog is pet quality, that they will take the dog back if you ever can't take care of it, and that they have a process you have to go through for adoption...where they make sure that you are going to be a good home for their pup.  A lot of times reputable breeders have waiting lists for pups that aren't even concieved yet.

A "finished" dog means that he or she is finished in the conformation show ring, ie they've got Championship status.  I'm not sure if that's the same term used for working dogs as well, I'm assuming it is.

*edit:  Whoops!  Looks like we were all typing at the same time...

Gotcha!  If it tells you anything, the local breeder i used even runs background checks on some people if they are not locals or she doesnt' know them. LOL  She feeds them top quality food, helps the mothers have the babies when necessary and even has a separate "labor and delivery" for them.  Her set up is amazing to me.  Clean, pest free and she really loves her babies. IF she has one that she doesn't feel is healthy enough or strong enough to breed they become her pets. (She has a houseful of them!)

When I hear "BYB" I think of someone who's breeding dogs because they want to make money, they want to see a litter be born, they think they're dog is special enough to breed, or someone has asked them for puppies.  Respectable breeders do not make money; in fact, most LOSE money because of their devotion.  They breed because they are devoted to the improvement of the breed and the gene pool, not anything having to do with money or their own special dog.

I think there are cases where breeders *think* they are well-intentioned and *think* they are doing the right thing, but they're really not.  There's definitely a gray area.  Not all BYBs are puppy mills that ignore the dogs' health and only care about money. 

When I was looking for breeders, I checked the breed clubs and rescues to make sure the people I was interested in were recommended by them and even other breeders. 

Price isn't always a good comparison.   I was looking at German Shepherd sites recommended to me by people here and you can get a well-bred working dog whose parents are championed and health certified sometimes for close to the same price as a puppy from a pet store or BYB.  I hear a lot "But I paid $800...", like the price assumes quality.  Not the case, especially since the BYBs are the ones trying to make money, not respectable breeders.  "Purebred" is not synonymous with "well bred."

I will also add in this. BYB's often don't seem to know their breeds, or even dogs...very well. They cannot tell you actual factual info on their development, use, or historical aspects, or even current uses or issues. They cannot give a range of behaviors or temperaments outside of their own dogs. They know very little about genetics, inheritence of colors or coat types, etc specific to their breeds. If they have a breed where bad things are sex or color linked...many times they won't know that. They cannot tell you problems by their actual medical name. They may own one book on their breed or none at all...they cannot discuss their breed, literally for hours...lol! Because they do not know enough.
 
Very few could name any influential dogs or bitches in their breed...and very few subscribe to specific breed mags so they can keep up on not only who's doing what...but health info that's often to be found there. Very few could make sense of a pedigree or know anything of note about the dogs in them.
 
BYB's are not inherently bad people...in fact many are very nice and personable and down to Earth. But being nice also means they perhaps sell to people they shouldn't...on terms that are too lenient...and they trust everything will be alright.
 
Many BYB's with mentoring and education can discover a whole new side to themselves and their dogs and develop into true students of their breed, and reputable breeders as well.

ORIGINAL: rolenta
They have no purpose other than profit.

That's not entirely true, a lot of them breed just because they like having cute puppies around and/or to teach their kids the miracle of life. [] I agree with the rest of what you said though.

My idea of a back yard breeder is one who breeds any old pure dog (registered or not) for the sake of making money. They don't care who buys the puppies or the future of the puppies at all. They don't screen their buyers to see if the buyer knows anything about the breed or dogs in general. They are just happy to sell off the puppies.
 
Personally I don't care if a breeder shows, etc. That doesn't make a reputable breeder to me.  My biggest concern is the welfare of the parents, the other dogs at the kennel and the puppys. I screen the breeder and expect to be screened myself.

[Deleted by Admins]

You know, come to think of it, "BYB" is kind of a confusing term. Most reputable breeders breed out of their house, so their dogs do end up in their "back yard," lol. But yes, all those things everyone else was saying. Buying a dog from someone's house doesn't necessarily make them a "BYB."

I don't necessarily care if a breeder shows. What is important is that the breeder is using sound, healthy dogs that fit the breed standard and that the breeder cares for them and the puppies properly. If only "champion" dogs were bred, then there woudn't be a whole lot of dogs around - or it woud just get easier to "earn" a championship.

Backyard Breeders' and Puppy Millers' Big Book of Old Excuses
[link>http://www.ozarkdogs.com/byb.htm]http://www.ozarkdogs.com/byb.htm[/link][/size]
 
Being a Responsible Dog Breeder
[linkhttp://www.dog-play.com/ethics.html]http://www.dog-play.com/ethics.html[/link]
 

I wouldn't necissarily need a breeder to conformation show, but I would want to see that they have done something. Obedience, herding, field trialling, nite hunting, agility, heck, even a CGC would be good. Something to show that there are dogs in the line that are good at what the breed is supposed to be good at. And something to show that the breeder actually knows what they're talking about when they talk about the quality of their dogs--you can't really know that until you spend some time looking at a bunch of dogs of that breed actively competing at something.