Ethical & responsible hobby breeder: is a breed fancier who usually is a member of the national breed club, such as the Dalmatian Club of America, the Chihuahua Club of America, etc.

The club members are bound by a moral code of ethics. In the moral code of ethics, breeders are forbidden to sell their puppies to pet stores or to brokers. They follow a strict breeding plan in efforts to preserve and protect the breed. They generally produce from none to five litters per year and they will only breed a litter when it will enhance the breed and the breeding program.

These breeders evaluate the health of their puppies and screen the parents for genetic disease using sound, standardized genetic and other testing recommended for the individual breed. Test include ofa (hip x-ray certification), baer (brainstem auditory evoked response), cerf (canine eye registry foundation), penn-hipp (hip joint laxity), sas (subaortic stenosis, a heart defect common to some popular breeds), thyroid and other measures.

They also test dogs for sexually transmitted diseases, like brucellosis, prior to breeding a litter. Thorough genetic screening enable responsible breeders to minimize their chances of producing a health-compromised puppy.

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