Canadian Dog Breeders... Eh!



Being able to find Canadian dog breeders nearby is nice when you are looking for a new puppy. As proud Canadians, we want to support our own economy as much as possible, so I'm happy to be able to give you a directory of local dog breeders!

Keep in mind, just because a kennel or local dog breeder is registered with the CKC, this is not necessarily an indication of it's quality. Always be sure to take your time and carefully select a responsible breeder. 

And please be wary of puppies for sale on sites like Kijiji and Craigslist!  Often, these pups come from puppy mills, and will come with a host of behavioral problems (not to mention that you will be supporting puppy mills!).

Breeders should be comfortable allowing you to see where their dogs and puppies are kept, and it's also a good sign if they ask a lot of questions about you.  This shows that it's important to them that their puppies go to good homes. 

If you get the feeling that a breeder is only in it for the money, walk away!  He or she should truly care about the well-being of their dogs, and this will be evident by the health and temperaments of the puppies and adult dogs on site.  Try to meet other adult dogs related to a litter's parents (i.e. older sons or daughters of the same parents).

When reading about each of the breeders, a few abbreviations to be aware of include:

  • Reg'd - the kennel is registered with The Canadian Kennel Club
  • CGN - Canine Good Neighbor
  • CGC - Canine Good Citizen
  • TT - Temperament Tested - a pass indicates a stable temperament
  • BIF - Best in Field - top coursing hound at a trial
  • BIS - Best in Show - best at a conformation show
  • BISS - Best in Specialty Show
  • BPIS - Best Puppy in Show - best at a conformation show
  • HIT - High in Trial - best at an obedience trial
  • CRBA - Canadian Rare Breeds Association - registry for rare breeds
  • CKC - Canadian Kennel Club - registry for purebred dogs in Canada

The following is a short list of official CKC titles you may see in the listings of Canadian dog breeders.  While not the most important thing, it's good if at least a few of a breeder's dogs have some titles, as it shows that they care about the breed standards...

  • AgN - Agility Novice (all breeds)

  • AgI - Agility Intermediate (all breeds)

  • AgX - Agility Excellent (all breeds)

  • AgMX - Agility Master (all breeds)

  • BDD - Brace Draft Dog - hauling test

  • BDDX - Brace Draft Dog Excellent - hauling test

  • CD - Companion Dog - obedience

  • CDI - Companion Dog Intermediate - obedience

  • CDX - Companion Dog Excellent - obedience

  • Ch. - Champion - conformation

  • DD - Draft Dog - hauling test

  • DDX - Draft Dog Excellent - hauling test
  • FCh. - Field Champion - lure coursing (sighthounds)

  • GMH - Grand Master Hunter - field test

  • GMOTCh. - Grand Master Obedience Trial Champion - obedience

  • HT - Herding Tested

  • HS - Herding Started

  • HI, HA - Herding Intermediate, Advanced

  • MOTCh. - Master Obedience Trial Champion - obedience

  • SD - Sled Dog - sledding

  • TD - Tracking Dog - tracking test

  • UD - Utility Dog - Obedience

If you are a responsible Canadian dog breeder and are interested in having your kennel displayed for free here as well... fill out this form now.

To keep things organized, simply click on the province you'd like to search in, and a list of local dog breeders (along with their breed) will display for you!

All the provinces in blue are now live, and you can click on the to see a listing of dog breeders for that area.   If the province you want is still in black, please check back soon as I'm working hard to complete this section as fast as I can.  Please be patient as I build up our directory...

canadian dog breedersPhoto courtesy of Katie Brady via Flikr

Geographical Listings of Canadian Dog Breeders

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Nova Scotia

Ontario

Prince Edward Island

Quebec

Saskatchewan