Outstanding Breeder: Recognising breeders who go above and beyond
The Outstanding Breeder program celebrates breeders who are meeting exceptional standards across health, socialisation and customer service.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for RightPaw’s Outstanding Breeder program, breeders must meet and provide evidence for - the following inclusion criteria:
Minimum of 3 years of breeding experience
An exceptional puppy socialisation program
Conducting a minimum of all Core health tests for their breed, for every breeding dog in their program
Exceptional communication with puppy buyers including prompt response time
A fully completed, thorough RightPaw breed profile displaying upcoming litters, current litters and their parent dogs
Allows for puppy payments securely via RightPaw Pay
How it works
1. Breeder uploads documents
Breeders will provide supporting evidence to demonstrate they meet the Outstanding Breeder eligibility criteria.
2. Audit process begins
RightPaw will commence the audit, led by our in-house veterinary team. This includes a review of their supporting documents, and their RightPaw profile and account.
3. Breeder receives their result
Breeders will receive an email advising whether they have met the Outstanding Breeder criteria. Successful breeders will then have this reflected on their RightPaw profile.
Hear from an Outstanding breeder
With the Outstanding Breeder program, RightPaw offers me another way to promote the first-class work we do with our dogs and puppies to those wanting a puppy from a breeder of excellence.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
All RightPaw breeders are responsible, ethical and trustworthy. They have passed a thorough verification process from RightPaw, including being taken through our Code of Ethics, an interview with one of our team and a video inspection of their property. Our Outstanding Breeders have chosen to undergo an additional audit process to demonstrate that they go above and beyond the expected standards. Outstanding Breeders are experienced. They are passionate about health testing their parent dogs. They provide exceptional customer service to their puppy buyers. They raise their puppies with exceptional care, using a dedicated socialisation program to ensure each individual puppy develops into the best version of themselves before going to their new homes.
RightPaw loves our Outstanding Breeders and we highly recommend applying with them. We do have other excellent breeders who may not have chosen to undergo the Outstanding Breeder audit yet, or may be gaining experience as newer breeders and will be eligible for the program in the future. Ultimately, you should apply with any breeder(s) you feel comfortable with. Consider what matters the most to you and then compare breeders based on those factors eg. years of experience, health testing, pedigree papers, socialisation techniques etc.
Exceptional socialisation means going above an beyond to help individual puppies grow up into confident, well-rounded dogs who will make an amazing addition to their new families. An exceptional socialisation program is thoughtfully designed to prepare puppies for new experiences and challenges they will face in their future lives, making them more confident and resilient. In order to be recognised as an Outstanding Breeder, breeders will:
- Whelp their puppies in a home-like environment with constant access to people and sounds and smells of the home.
- Demonstrate understanding of key puppy development stages and age-appropriate socialisation.
- Provide one-on-one attention to neonatal puppies eg. ENS/ESI/Biosensor routines.
- Provide an enriched environment, learning and problem-solving activities and temperament improving exercises for puppies.
- Familiarise puppies with bathing, nail trimming and basic grooming.
- Work individually with older puppies to help overcome specific behaviour challenges.
- Use a dedicated toilet training practice to improve the transition to a new home.
Exceptional communication means the breeder will respond promptly to messages from puppy buyers. They are happy to answer questions from buyers, help advise them on the best puppy for them and send updates, pictures and videos if relevant. Outstanding Breeders make an effort to keep their waitlist in the loop and will be responsive, polite and transparent about their selection process.
The ‘Core’ health tests are the health tests that RightPaw feels are the most relevant for a particular breed, that we highly recommend a breeder conducts. ‘Core’ and ‘Additional’ tests for a particular breed are displayed on each breeder’s profile. Outstanding Breeders conduct all the ‘Core’ health tests, and may conduct various ‘Additional’ tests also available for their breed.
RightPaw Pay is our safe, secure online payment system. You can pay a deposit or final balance through RightPaw Pay. Paying for your puppy through RightPaw Pay offers several advantages over transferring payment to your breeder directly. It protects both the buyer and breeder from scams, banking errors and disputes over refunds. It allows a breeder to keep their bank details secure and a buyer to keep their card details secure. The funds are held securely online in RightPaw’s Stripe account and only released after the puppy is born (deposits) or at puppy pick-up (full balance). Using RightPaw Pay makes your purchase traceable by RightPaw, so we can help both parties in the event of any dispute or cancellation. Use of RightPaw Pay is entirely optional, but highly recommended for peace of mind.
The Oustanding Breeder audit is led by RightPaw’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Imogen Tomlin-Game BVSc V10918.