Membership Requirements
1. Members shall read and understand the relevant local state codes or legislation (see links on AAPDB Inc web site). Where these practices might conflict with Australian Association of Pet Dog Breeders standards State codes must apply – unless the codes reduce the level of care and responsibility required by breeders – in which case AAPDB Inc standards will apply.
2. Members shall read and understand the Australian Association of Pet Dog Breeders Inc standards and shall agree to abide by these standards of husbandry and welfare. In particular:
- Members shall not house their animals in cages for any reason other than transport, mating or treatment of illnesses.
- Members shall not house dogs permanently in individual pens. Animals should spend most of their life in communal runs as described in the AAPDB Inc standards.
- Members shall not euthanase retired breeding dogs simply because they have been retired. Retired dogs must be desexed, and rehomed or kept as pets. Euthanasia may only be performed by a qualified veterinarian in the case of:
a. intractable behavioural problems that preclude dogs from being used for breeding or rehomed as pets, or
b. painful or life threatening health problems that detract from the animal’s expectation of experiencing reasonable quality of life.
- Members should ensure that puppies are vaccinated, free from internal and external parasites and that they are appropriately socialised as outlined in the AAPDB Inc Standards
- Members should rehome their puppies at 8 weeks of age after vaccination at 6 weeks. Members shall never rehome a puppy younger than 7 weeks of age.
3. Members will behave responsibly in the sale and post sale care of the puppies they breed. In particular:
- Members should strongly promote desexing of all pets and should do this by selling their pups either:
a. Desexed 2 weeks prior to rehoming
b. With a $50.00 desexing voucher refundable on proof of desexing
c. To a pet store that offers a desexing voucher with all pups sold.
- Members shall not sell puppies to children under the age of 18.
- Members shall accurately describe the breeding of the puppies they sell as outlined in the AAPDB Inc Breeding terminology and discussion
- Members shall offer a 3 day “cooling off” period after private sale of a puppy during which time the pup can be returned and the purchase price refunded, excluding any non-refundable deposit paid.
- Members shall be responsible for reasonable veterinary expenses up to the purchase price of the puppy for illnesses present at the time of sale of a puppy.
- Members shall provide new owners with information regarding feeding, veterinary care and training of their puppies.
- Members must provide clear details of how-and-when a refund is applicable. If members do offer refunds they shall not require the return of the dog for these refunds to be paid.
- Members shall undertake to take back and rehome any dog they have bred at any stage in the animal’s life should it become homeless for any reason.
- The only exception to this is when selling to AAPDB Inc approved pet stores where this duty of care is transferred with the sale of the puppy. The sale of puppies to pet stores should only take place when the pet store has agreed to accept the post sale obligations outlined above. A list of compliant AAPDB stores will be listed on our web site.
4. Members will behave professionally in their dealings with other members, owners and the general public. In particular:
- Members will treat their customers with respect and will protect their confidentiality at al times.
- Members will treat their fellow members and other breeders with respect and will not make comments which will bring fellow breeders, the AAPDB or the pet dog breeding industry into disrepute.
- Members will promote responsible pet dog breeding and responsible pet ownership in both their words and actions.