I think you already got some good info but I just wanted to add what I went through with our recent dog we got last Spring. I too was new to finding a dog from a good breeder. We got a Welsh Springer Spaniel after our chocolate lab passed. I started by finding a Welshie club online. On that website I was able to find a list of accredited breeders in my area (NE). I contacted 3 of them (I think) via email. But before I did that I checked out their websites and looked at the photos of their dogs. Just like you, I wanted a family pet. No plans to show. But I wanted a smart, biddable dog with good temperament (even keel). One of the breeders emailed me back saying he's got a litter to come on by. I don't know why but he came across overly eager and that turned me off. The other breeders required me to fill out a form with questions regarding life style, house, etc. Then I talked to them on the phone. One was a bit too far away from me and the littler was not "in the works" yet. The other breeder was within a good distance and the litter was already cooking ;) So after about 2 phone conversations the breeder said she only takes down payments AFTER the puppies are born since anything can go wrong during labor. Once the puppies were born my family was invited to meet them when they were about 2 weeks old. That was another requirement of mine. I wanted to meet the dam and the puppies before placing a deposit. We met the breeder and the dam along with the pups. I liked the breeder. I liked her experience with breeding. I liked that the syre was a grand champion and that both of the parents had a good temper and health clearances (they were all recorded in a data base for me to pull up). Only after that first visit did we put a deposit down for a puppy. After that we had 2 more visits before we took the pup home.
We still periodically check in with the breeder to update her on how the puppy (Archie) is doing. We signed an agreement that we will do the necessary health screenings for Archie when he turns 2. IMO that is a good breeder. She cared about her dogs because she only bred the best. She cared about who was acquiring the dogs by a thorough interview process and meeting in person. She did the picking of the puppies based on a personality criteria I described. She followed up after to see how Archie was doing and asked for photos. We actually met up with her and her breeding partner along with Archie's brother 4 months after getting him. So then I got to know a lot more about the breeder. We are very happy with Archie. He's a great dog! He was $1,700 and worth every penny.
I forgot to mention this. Another thing that impressed me about my breeder is the condition and the environment of the puppies. They were all clean. They had a safe designated area within the breeders home. Once they were old enough she transferred them to her living room/kitchen area. She provided them with all kinds of toys, puzzles, sounds. etc to stimulate them. Her teenage daughters played with them daily. At our first vet visit the doc was very impressed with how socialized the puppy was. So that is very important as well. Ask about that stuff too.