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found this on the web ....THIS IS A SMALL PART FROM AN ARTICLE I READ

WRITTEN BY; Ermine Moreau-Sipiere


KEY ELEMENTS FOR FINDING A REPUTABLE BREEDER.

Take the time to locate a breeder who is commited to breeding excellence. "Physical soundness is not the only concern of a reputable breeder". The personality of the dog is something you will live with for many years. Any conscientious breeder will be more than happy to discuss a particular puppy's family background. He will describe the result of similar breedings so that you can be able to judge the background of the puppy.

Be cautious:

Don't trust a breeder who is overly critical of other breeders. If he has to do that to prove how good he is, go away from him and continue your search. A good breeder is working and sharing his knowledge with other breeders and has no time for criticizing others.

The most important thing a dog can be is man's best friend.

To have a correct and beautiful puppy in good physical health is not enough, he should be raised to be a great companion too. Be cautious with a breeder who speaks too much about his wins or multitude of champions (shows and/or performance). Ask the breeder his motivation for breeding and showing. "Breeding for show purpose will always be secondary to the welfare of the breed".

Ask for references.

Showing dogs is an integral part of a reputable breeder 's world. Many people are showing because they are dedicated to their breed and want to produce dogs as close as possible to the standard. But many also, unfortunately, show their dogs for the ego trip of the win or for owning top winners. These things have their place but it is much more important to hear about the breeding program, the work and progress of a breeder.

Champions are champions and not necessarly the best reproducers. The welknown sentence: breed the Best to the Best and you will have the Best does not mean: breed a Champion to a Champion and you will have the Best!

Experienced breeders will agree with what Richard G. Beauchamps wrote in "Success in show dogs" (The Stud Dog - Dogs in Review - February 1999): "the biggest mistake a breeder, novice or veteran can make is to confuse their showdogs with their breeding stock...This is not to say a winning dog can not also be an outstanding reproducer...But I cannot stress strongly enough that it is the producing ability that must be looked to and not the show record!"