The Problem With Commercial Dog Breeding Establishments

Alexa Ganhadeiro

JRN100, Staff Writer

 

Dogs from commercial dog breeding establishments display more fear, socialization issues, compulsive behaviors, learning deficits, and trainability issues according to a 2011 study. 

 

“Really the problem [with commercial breeding establishments] is that when you’re buying a dog, you should be talking to the breeder. There’s no reason for an intermediary,” said Smith. “An intermediary means there’s a money issue. Someone’s making money, they’re trying to flip a dog and make money,” said Dr. Bruce Smith, a professor in the department of Pathobiology and scientist at the Scott-Ritchey research center at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. 

 

Best Friends Animal Society, a non-profit animal welfare organization based in Utah, conducted a study called “Mental health of dogs formerly used as ‘breeding stock’ in commercial breeding establishments” where they found evidence suggesting behavioral and psychological abnormalities in dogs raised in commercial breeding establishments.

 

“Canine commercial breeding establishments are kennel facilities where puppies are produced in large numbers for commercial sale,” said the study. 

 

The study said that dogs from commercial breeding establishments are treated as livestock

 

“Conditions in commercial breeding establishments vary from modern, clean, and well-kept to squalid, noxious, and grave and potentially detrimental to animal health and welfare,” said the study.

 

The study also said that dogs from commercial breeding establishments rarely go outside, exercise, play, or get any sort of enrichment in their lives. They don’t have positive human interaction, companionship, or health care. 

 

They had dog owners complete a canine behavioral assessment and research questionnaire rating the intensity or frequency of particular behaviors in everyday situations and compared the results with that of typical pet dogs. 

 

Participants included 1169 dogs purchased from commercial breeding establishments, of which included 76 breeds. The largest represented breed was the bichon frise, followed by the papillon, shih tzu, and golden retriever compromising just under 5% of the dogs. Other breeds made up 4% or less of the population. 

 

All dogs were confirmed by a commercial breeding establishment operator to be bought from these establishments where they were being used as breeding dogs. 

 

Over 80% of dogs exhibited behavioral problems, with 47.9% displaying minor behavioral problems and 33.2% displaying moderate to serious problems. 26.8% of the dogs were affected by health problems. 

 

The dogs displayed higher rates of social and nonsocial fear, urinating indoors, and compulsive behaviors. lower trainability, excitability, and energy. They also displayed lower rates of trainability, excitability, and energy. 

 

The study said that lower trainability, as well as other physical and behavioral issues, were most likely caused by persistent fear and learning deficits caused by poor breeding, genetic defects, poor socialization, and stimulus deprivation in early life.

 

Smith talked about the role of genetics and inherited diseases in the health and behavioral issues of dogs.  

 

“150 years ago, the English bulldog didn’t look like today’s English bulldog because they were bred to have that smushed-in face, and those dogs have a lot of difficulties with various parts of life. Breathing, exercising . . . and giving birth - their heads are too big to fit through the birth canal, so many bulldogs have to give birth by cesarean section,” said Smith.

Cynthia Sweet, director and founder of Sweet Paws Rescue, a non-profit organization that rescues dogs in Essex, Massachusetts has seen the effects of unethical breeding on dogs firsthand in her 18 years of rescue work. 

 

“Golden retrievers are notorious for dying of cancer at like five. We took 27 breeding Golden Retrievers and their puppies and have of them are already dead already. It was a bad breeder, he started out as a hobby breeder . . . but then money money money people pay a lot of money for certain breeds,” said Sweet. 

 

Sweet said that adopters should consider a list of criteria to find out of a breeder is operating ethically or not.

 

“You need to ask for references. Check out those references that they're not like family members.  Make sure the breeding male and female are on site and that you can meet them in person,” said Sweet. “Make sure the breeder has done all of the DNA testing, so you’re buying a puppy that’s not going to have been bred from a female or male with genetic issues.”

 

Sweet said that the faults of unethical breeders often fall onto the shoulders of rescue shelters. It is up to them to clean up the genetic mess, health problems, and behavioral issues of careless, harmful breeding.

 

“I’ve gotten a lot of surrendered doodles from people who purchased them carelessly from the internet. Those dogs have behavioral issues,” said Sweet. “When you cross two breeds together that shouldn’t be crossed together, it results in behavioral issues. Putting a goofy lab with a serious poodle can mess up their behaviors.” 

 

Smith said that there are strategies the veterinary profession can put in place to encourage clients about the purchase and adoption of dogs from reputable sources. 

 

“I think we need to teach veterinarians about genetics more than we do and encourage veterinarians to be genetic counselors, in other words, talk to the owners and clients about genetics and about breeding. And I think we need to discourage breeding that has no purpose behind it but making money or making puppies,” said Smith. “People respect the opinion of veterinarians, so I think there's a lot of weight that comes behind what they say.”

 

Sweet said that her passion for ending the purchase of dogs from commercial breeding establishments and pet stores has led her and other rescue shelters in Massachusetts to work with legislation.

 

 “There is a piece of legislation that we’ve been trying to get passed for years and it's to ban the sale of kittens and puppies in retail stores, which essentially would cut off the supply of those puppy mill animals to Massachusetts,” said Sweet.

 

Sweet said that other states are also working to pass this legislation and she hopes that it will bring an end to the buying of dogs from commercial breeding establishments.