Proficient Compound: American Bully Breeder in Michigan

State your name, your kennel, and where your kennel is located.

My name is Brittany. I run 2 family based programs with my fiancé and my 4 children: Proficient Compound and Proficient Dirt Diamonds. We are located in Frankenmuth, Michigan. 

What type of dogs do you breed, and what inspired you to get involved with that particular breed?

I currently breed American Bullies, and have plans to add French Bulldogs. I also want to develop a hunting breed for our program in the future.

My mom bred APBT and German Rotts when I was a kid, so I had always been around puppies and breeding. My fiancé family bred Corsos, German Rotts and Beauvais. So we both had some exposure to the inside world of breeding and what it took to care for breeding animals and their offspring. I have also been rescuing since I was 8, so I have had experience with a countless number of breeds, their temperaments, and health expectancies. 

I used to be a diehard APBT lover, then I came across my first Bully and I just fell in love. I have never experienced another breed that has the whole package all in one. Bullies are by far one of the most intelligent and easily trainable breeds that I have ever dealt with. They are able to learn multiple tasks in a short time frame and they are very versatile. 

I feel safe having this breed around my children unattended, and at the same time, they know how to protect if ever need be. The temperament is incomparable in my opinion and the potential is limitless with this breed. 

What is your favorite bloodline?

I do not have a favorite bloodline in whole, I more so have a few favorite dogs from a few different lines. 

In your opinion, what are the characteristics of a responsible dog breeder? 

I could talk for days about everything that I think makes up a responsible breeder but I will just list a few:

• I believe integrity is a big piece of the puzzle. A breeder should be able to make decisions based on what is right and what benefits the animals, even when it doesn’t benefit their personal gain. 
• A responsible breeder in my opinion would have a clear understanding that breeding is about development and betterment, never income.
• Dedication is a major key. Breeding isn’t for the weak hearted or someone who lives in the city and works double shifts every day. It isn’t all puppy snuggles and dollar signs. It is a profession that deals with living breathing creatures, who deserve to be looked after, cared for, and homed properly to the best of a breeders ability. Responsible breeders should also have the finances and time to care for dogs and puppies and the costs that come with them. Expected AND Emergency. 
• An open mind will go a long way. Sure we all know a few things but knowledge is infinite and no one person can ever learn or know too much. Everything evolves with time so it is extremely important to stay updated and continue doing research no matter how much you think you know. 
• Lastly love. Animals deserve affection, love, and attention every day. How you treat a dog will make an impact in more ways than you think. Besides, if you don’t love whatever you’re breeding, why are you even doing it?

What type of diet do you keep your dogs on throughout the year?

Our dogs eat a mix of organic veggies and fruits with (I and Love and You Baked Essentials red meat and sweet potato) kibble. When pregnant we add goats milk yogurt to their dish.

How many times a day do you feed your dogs?

We feed twice normally and 3x when pregnant. 

How do you keep your dogs in shape throughout the year?

Originally we bought a time share and we would go out to the campgrounds with the dogs. We taught them to swim, and we do alot of socializing and training with them there. Now we have a 20 acre farm and our dogs get to run freely. They all go on runs at least once a day. 

Walk us through the process of purchasing a pup from Proficient Compound from start to finish.

• Inquirers for our puppies first are asked a series of questions or asked to tell us about themselves and their programs. This usually gives us some insight on the person and how to approach an agreement with them. 
• If we feel they are a match for what we are looking for in a home for our pups we then discuss the cost to get the pup with them via transportation or pick up. We also let them know our expectations on how the pup should be cared for. 
• If our terms are agreeable we proceed with a deposit or prepayment to reserve the puppy until it is ready to go to its new home. 
• We offer to deliver for an additional fee if the buyer is more than 50 miles from our location, or we allow the buyer to come and pick up the puppy in person and meet us as well as the Dam and/or Sire if he is also on grounds. 
• If the buyer chooses to pick up, we also offer to book a cabin at our pet friendly timeshare with enough notice, which is low cost and can save money when traveling with an animal. 
• We want our buyers to feel like family and to feel comfortable reaching out to us after the dog is in their care. We make it very known that we hope to be involved in the future, Proficient Compound doesn’t stop caring once a dog leaves our care. We are proud of and love each puppy we produce and hope to keep in contact with all of their future families. We love to stay updated on their development and want to help out in any way we can. 

Do you currently show any of your dogs?

We have been showing in BRC and also ABNB fun shows for almost a year now, in order to learn what is expected. It is helping our dogs learn how to behave in the ring and great practice and experience in handling. We plan to show UKC in 2022.

What advice does Proficient Compound have for any upcoming breeders?

Do your research! Do not just get a dog and start breeding assuming that you will make a ton of money just because you heard what another breeder makes. It takes time, dedication and definitely takes more to start off on the right track, than you are going to want to spend.

All puppies are cute until the parents dna kicks in. Again, do your research. Do not fall for that good price, cute face or that pretty color. Look at the history. What else have the parents produced? How did it turn out? What do the grandparents look like? 

Ask questions and keep an open mind to constructive criticism. You may not always hear what you want to hear, but you can't let your feelings get in the way of hearing what you need to. You can never know too much! 

What do you think is the most difficult thing for people in the bully game to overcome?

Color and Money. Too many people are breeding for color and their dogs aren’t meeting breed type, which in turn puts more poorly produced dogs on the market for the cycle to continue.

Way too many breeders treat dogs as an income source. The biggest problem here is, these animals are not cared for properly and their breeders lack in many essential aspects. Income breeders are a huge part of why the bully breed is all over the place. The dogs are bred to anything (even if it shouldn’t be) and sold for next to nothing along with breeding rights, which unfortunately allows for the cycle to continue.

How do you think they can overcome this thing?

To overcome the color issue I always suggest that a person look at the structure of the dog instead. The bully breed should not be producing dogs that are built like fox terriers.

As for income breeders, I think this problem can be narrowed down tremendously if more breeders looked less at the dollar amount they are making for a dog, and put more consideration to who they allow breeding rights. 

Who do you look up to in the bully game, and why? 

I am inspired by so many great breeders and true legends for so many different reasons, I honestly wouldn’t want to leave anyone out by answering this question. 

Tell us about one of Proficient Compound's main goals for 2022.

2022 will be mainly focused on welcoming our 2nd generation to the bloodline that we are creating. All 5 of our 1st generation Driftwoodline productions have breeding plans this year. 

Describe how you would want things, in the bully breed Community, to be 10 years from now. 

I would hope that we will have much more consistency between classes and the community will be less saturated with income breeders and self profiters. 

What separates Proficient Compound from the competition? 

We don’t consider our program competitive! Maybe that alone separates us from the majority? We try to focus on what we have going on and what can benefit our program the best, not the next person. 

I like to think that if more breeders worked together instead of against each other, our breed might just be in a more consistent and more respectable place. Some differences I have noticed from our program and the majority of others, are that we seem to focus more on exclusivity and making choices that would be considered farfetched to others. 

We also are more choosy on who we home to. We love all our productions equally and we expect the best for them. For the most part, we are those breeders who will keep entire litters if we aren’t comfortable with the inquirer's circumstances. Money has never been the focus for us.

What other hobbies or interests do you take part in? 

I am a tattoo artist of 12 yrs, a vet student and a horse girl. I model from time to time, make graphic art, candles and an unlimited number of other things. Also, I am starting an all natural pet care product line and I have a rescue program, with plans to open a non-profit organization involving animals, veterans, and youth in the future.

What do you think of Bully Girl Magazine?

I think Bully Girl Mag is a great way to display breeders, and give valuable insight on them to those interested. Thank you for involving us!