...Job is never done. Some breeders think that all they have to do is raise puppies and sell them. However, this is shallow thinking. There is a lot more to being a breeder than bringing pups into the world and sending them on to someone else. A good breeder provides cradle to grave service for every dog he raises. He carefully selects his buyers and maintains constant contact with them. "The Complete Dog Book – 19th Edition Revised" contains some excellent words of wisdom concerning the responsibility of a breeder:

...PLACE PUPPIES WISELY

It is your responsibility to make sure every single puppy goes to owners who will provide the kind of home for them for the next 10 to 15 years that you've provided in the first eight weeks. That means careful screening and asking lots of questions. It's like being an adoption counselor.

Having learned all you can about your breed, you now know all the pros and cons of ownership. Responsible breeders know that the negatives are just as important as the positives. They know that dogs requiring lots of coat care or training time may not be a good match for someone who's a workaholic. They know that tiny dogs may not fare well around a family of active small children. They know that a large, powerful dog may be too much for someone in frail health. They never sell dogs to people they believe will not be able to provide suitable homes.

Responsible breeds are also familiar with AKC rules and regulations concerning the sale and registration of AKC-registerable dogs. Before you even breed, you should contact the AKC to make sure you've got all the right paperwork, understand what you need to do and are able to provide the right documents to your buyers.

There are also practical considerations. Breeding is not a profit-making activity. The 1987 study showed an average loss per litter of near $1,275, and that's without accounting for your time.** Some breeds are so popular that puppies may be easy to sell. Others are in such little demand that it can take months to find homes. Responsible breeders learn to ignore the financial realities in order to find just the right home for each puppy.

...ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LIFE

Perhaps the best part of being a breeder is having those great families you selected call you with news of puppy's first tooth, first vet visit, first birthday party, first dog event, first win. It's getting letters, holiday cards and family portraits with your puppy smack in the middle. It's about that first point towards an AKC championship, or the first leg of the CD, and then the crowing glory of an American Championship, or CD. What's not to love about being a breeder at these times?

But now can come the difficult part. It's the 15th phone call asking how to cut toenails. It's the nice young couple getting a divorce and neither one can keep the puppy. It's the distraught owner calling from the vet with news of an unforeseen hereditary illness. It's the devastated mother telling you that the dog you encouraged them to train bit their child's friend.

Responsible breeders are there for all situations---both good and bad. They know that they were responsible for the birth of this puppy, and that also means they are responsible for the dog until the day it dies. They are willing to answer as many questions as they are asked, to provide resources and information and are always concerned about their puppies. They are also willing to take a dog back at any point in its life. They never turn their back on a dog they've bred.

And, As Published By The International Friends Of The Clumber Spaniel... (Updated November 22, 1996)

... will maintain sportsman-like behavior in all canine endeavors and will work towards the betterment of the Breed. 

... will not deliberately degrade any fancier, his dogs, or his kennel operation.

... will maintain high standards in the care of my dogs. I will provide each dog in my care with individual attention and strive to bring each dog to its full potential as a companion and in whatever areas are chosen.

... will maintain accurate records.

... will undertake breeding with a commitment to every dog I produce. I will breed only those dogs which conform to the AKC standard for the breed.

... will raise my puppies in a healthy environment with adequate socialization. All puppies will be inoculated and wormed in accordance with veterinary recommendations. No puppy will be placed in a new home before the age of seven (7) weeks.

... will screen each puppy buyer and strive to place each dog in a permanent home. Under no circumstances will I engage in wholesaling litters nor will I knowingly sell to pet dealers or retailers, catalog houses, commercial breeding operations, or supply puppies or dogs for raffles, lotteries, auctions, or laboratories.

... will provide each purchaser with a three generation pedigree, health records, registration and instructions for care and feeding. Each dog or puppy that exhibits a disqualifying feature, as described by the AKC Breed Standard will be placed with limited registration and/or a spay/neuter contract with all conditions in writing and signed by both buyer and seller.

... will help the purchaser in every reasonable way for the life of the dog.

... will offer at stud only dogs, which are mature, conform to the Standard for the Breed, and which are not known to carry any significant genetic defect. As a stud dog owner, I will accept only those bitches for stud service which meet the same criteria as the stud and whose owners are prepared to accept the responsibilities outlined in the Code of Ethics.

...will  pledge to help educate the public in the standard and care of the Breed and in all other areas where I am qualified.