Certification Program

The Paction Promise is a commitment to ensuring that every breeder who onboards Paction is operating within the terms of the following Agreement. The Paction Promise ensures that prospective pup parents can trust that they are working with breeders who are dedicated to providing responsible, high-quality breeding, helping to foster a better future for dogs across Canada.

One of the greatest challenges navigating the puppy industry is that there is yet to be complete and well-defined standards for what constitutes responsible breeding. It’s difficult to fully account for all the differences in expert opinions, the differences across breeds, and the different values that exist among the community. For this reason, Paction understands that defining its own standards in the puppy industry requires a holistic approach. Paction has identified these 3 main factors to help identify the best breeders across Canada:

• Breeding practices standards
• Pup health
• Pup parent policies & screening

By setting breeding standards for the Paction community, there is an opportunity to drive improvement for both individual pups’ quality of life and on the population level for all pups. As many have identified, there is no consensus on what makes a breeder “ethical”. Members of the community define “ethical” differently with some more focused on breeding conditions, some on purebred stands, and some on genetic and DNA testing. Since there is no one clear definition of what makes a breeder responsible, Paction promotes a transparent definition intended to educate the public and encourage the community to work together to continue to improve these standards. Breeders must exceed this comprehensive assessment of Paction’s standards before appearing on the Paction platform. Those who formally agree to continue to comply with Paction’s Code of Ethics will display the associated badge on their profiles.

The best breeders are responsible with their planning, with their intentions to breed a litter and have a deep understanding of the science behind breeding.

An important aspect of a responsible breeding operation is maintaining a healthy environment for the pregnant dam and her newborn pups. Dams and sires should receive regular vet visits and dams need specific nutrition and maternal care. Good breeders are cognisant of protecting young pups from exposure to viruses and parasites before they are initially vaccinated. A healthy environment is not only a clean and safe environment, but also an environment that promotes enrichment and socialization for very young pups. Good breeders should not be hesitant to show you their breeding environment, which is why Paction has a built-in booking system for in-person and virtual visits.

Importantly, responsible breeders are focused on the health of their dogs and on continued health of future generations through genetic screening and DNA testing. Screening dams and sires can identify and prevent breed-specific genetic health problems such as hip and elbow dysplasia, heart conditions and eye diseases. Pedigree analysis is meant to prevent more problems caused by inbreeding. Behaviourally, it’s also important to pay attention to a breeding pairs’ temperament. Excellent breeders make it a priority to keep accurate documentation and maintain transparency on their pups from birth.

For breeders in Ontario, last year introduced Bill 159, Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act 2024. The Bill is intended to make progress in a few areas of breeding including, protecting female dogs from generating litters too early or too frequently, preventing inbreeding, keeping pups with their mother for at least 8 weeks, and maintaining physically clean and healthy spaces for pups. Although Paction considers these regulations the very minimum consideration, Paction is happy to see the Province of Ontario take action to establish a positive starting point.

Just like humans, a healthy dog is both physically and mentally healthy. Good breeders make an effort to provide their pups with nutritious food and make high quality nutrition a priority during pregnancy. Vaccinations and parasite prevention are incredibly important, as is proper documentation from the pups’ veterinarian. However, healthy pups aren’t just physically well cared for. Healthy pups are also socialized at a young age which has a plethora of benefits later in life. These include cognitive growth for future successful training, reduced aggression and anxiety. Dogs who are socialized early in life have more confidence, are less anxious and form stronger bonds with other pets and family members.

A responsible rehoming involves a commitment upfront from both pup parents and the providers. Good breeders spent a lot of time asking questions and screening new homes. Research shows that pup parents who are committed and long term-focused are those who are the most educated on the decision before they take the plunge into pup parenthood. Paction not only encourages active communication with breeders through messaging, virtual and in-person visits, but Paction also has a robust Expert Hub meant to assist in educating pup parents before they take the plunge into pup parenthood.

A responsible breeder is focused beyond collecting the final payment from a new pup parent. In line with being generally conscientious and caring, they have a process for when things don’t go as planned. They should be there to support you through your questions and should support the rehoming process of the dog if there are insufficient circumstances to be able to care for it. A well-defined policy should be in place for unforeseen circumstances like this and be complete with a health guarantee to prevent future conflict.

One of the first things consumers notice about the dog industry is how divisive it can be. Often, a prospective pup parent is influenced by the first few strong ideas presented to them, instead of learning about pup parenthood from an unbiased party with a more holistic view. Paction’s strategy for moving the dial in an achievable manner, is driving consistent improvement in the industry standards. Prospective pup parents are the major driving force in this objective. If irresponsible and unethical breeding practices are not financially rewarded, they will not persist.

Paction recognizes that one of the major barriers to improvement is the divided nature of the community. In an attempt to combat this, Paction is committed to listening to feedback and determining how to move forward together as a community. Paction encourages all Pup Providers to work together in hopes that even with the differences in perspective, the community can together agree on necessary improvements, etc. Paction hopes to continue to work together in an environment free of harsh criticism and judgment to ultimately support each other in our quest to improve the lives of pups on both the individual level and the population level.

If you’re interested in contributing to the discussion, please email us at contact@paction.ca

In order to present yourself on Paction as a Provider who complies with the platform’s Code of Ethics, you must agree to abide by, and continue to abide by, the following terms. If you agree to the Code of Conduct, your profile will be recognized with the associated badge of recognition.

• To operate with the goal of every litter to be the result of conscientious planning in terms of physical well-being, genetic health and parental lineage.
• To provide a healthy environment in accordance to the breed and age of your pups with respect to the physical environment. Dogs should have access to temperature safe indoor and outdoor spaces, food, water and nutrition, adequate exercise (all in accordance to the corresponding breed) and also, the proper socialization to lay the groundwork for a mentally healthy future.
• To comply with all applicable National, Provincial and local laws and regulations.
• To not breed a female (all terms breed dependent) unless:
  • She is physically and mentally mature
  • She has been examined by a licensed veterinarian and is in excellent health
  • She has not yet reared more than the appropriate number of litters in her lifetime for her breed
  • You provide a quiet, non-stressful environment for nursing/whelping which is separate from other dogs
• To have all pups examined by a veterinarian, given appropriate vaccinations, deworming and any other necessary treatment deemed by a licensed veterinarian before they are rehomed.
• To provide pup parents with all the documentation from the pup’s veterinarian, health screening, and relevant health guarantee policies.
• To not rehome pups before they are ready to leave their mother (generally, at least 8 weeks in age).
• To adequately screen all prospective pup parents to determine that they are ready for the life long commitment of the dog.
• To provide ongoing education to pup parents when they have ongoing questions and to have a plan to rehome pups in the event that unforeseen circumstances make it so that the pup parent is unable to care for the dog after it has gone home.