Collecting Puppy On Saturday

[Penelopee]

Hello, I am collecting our 3/4 Pug Puppy this Saturday. He will be just over 8 weeks old. It will be our first Family pet. I am worried I feel he will be a big responsibility which I don't doubt we will fail at but I am worried, it seems scarier than a baby. Firstly pup has been Microchipped but not Vaccinated, is this normal? I paid £100 deposit in cash and I have asked if I can pay remainder by cheque (so I have evidence of payment) however breeder has said cash only, again is this normal? We have everything ready for his arrival. I am worried that he will be 5 mins of excitement for our 5 year old.

[missbattenburg]

not vaccinated
I think more breeders are doing this because vets have tended towards restarting the vaccinations agin from scratch once the owners have them. Not starting the vacs with the breeder reduces the amount of vac the puppy is exposed to.

cash only
This is so your cheque doesn't bounce after you have the dog. Again, this wouldn't surpise me. However, I would be a bit suspcious about a breeder that won't accept the full amount upfront and ahead of collection through bank transfer. If paying by cash I would expect a receipt.

3/4 pug
I assume you have checked the breeder ran all necessary health checks on the parents before breeding?

[IthinkIsawahairbrushbackthere]

He may well be a 5 minute wonder for your 5 yr old but surely you are getting the pup because you want it, not your child.

[PlateOfBiscuits]

am worried that he will be 5 mins of excitement for our 5 year old.
Yes he possibly may be. But isn’t he your dog?

Could you pay by bank transfer instead? As battenburg said, they probably want to avoid cheques in case they bounce.

Our vets contacted the breeders vet to find out details of the first vaccine so they could order the correct one in if necessary. This was to avoid having to start the vaccines again if they didn’t match. I don’t know enough about it but will it push back when your pup can go outside if the first vaccine hasn’t already been given?

[rookiemere]

Arrange to get first vaccine at vets the day you get the puppy. It's very restrictive until they've had both injections and are able to go properly outside

[Catzpyjamas]

Penelopee, as well as getting a receipt, please ask about your right to return the puppy if your vet check shows any problems. If not vaccinated yet, it will be at least three weeks before he can go out for walks. Are you set up for that?

Other things to consider:
Have you met the pup with its mum? In the breeder's house/kennels?
Has the pup been vet checked? Has he been wormed and can they tell you what with?
(Some breeders microchip the dog themselves so may not have seen a vet).

This video is worth watching about spotting dodgy breeders . I'm not saying yours is but so many are that it's worth checking.

[fivedogstofeed]

however breeder has said cash only, again is this normal?

Yes, entirely normal for someone who doesn't want the Inland Revenue to know they are selling dogs.

[BiteyShark]

Mine was bank transfer day before or cash on pick up. I did cash.

Totally understand why they wouldn't take a cheque. Why do you think most shops don't take them either? Far too risky.

[billybagpuss]

I did some reading on the vaccination thing when we got billypup in April, apparently some brands of the initial vaccine are incompatible with others hence why they restart.

Please don't get the dog as an amusement for your 5 year old. We got ours because I wanted someone to keep me company on 3 or 4 mile walks a day. Best thing we could ever have done, (except this morning when will it stop raining?)

[SauvingnonBlanketyBlanc]

My Chihuhua wasn't vaccinated so I did this at the vets think it was called a "puppy pack".I paid cash.

[fivedogstofeed]

At the very least the 'breeder' should be making you aware of their reasons for not vaccinating other than to save them money

[Lonecatwithkitten]

3/4 pug - insure the puppy before you bring it home.

[Lauren5071]

I have a pedigree pug - when we picked him up he already had had one set of vaccinations and our usual vet use a different type so we would have had to have started again thus prolonging is being able to take him out. We found a different vet that vaccinated with the same vaccine and used them instead.

He came with 28 day pet plan cover which we didn’t need to use but it was a good start. Make sure you get insurance as soon as you can.

We paid a cash deposit of £200 a week before picking him up (where we met the parents, both were healthy and we were also able to look at their vetinary history - quite important with pug breeds as they can be prone to all sorts of health problems) we paid the remainder in cash when we collected him. Make sure you get a receipt and paperwork that says you return him/her to the breeder if there are any problems.

Your 5 year old will almost certainly lose interest. The most important thing to realise is that you are responsible for his/her wellbeing and not to expect much from your child.

Enjoy your puppy!

[MattMagnolia]

Got our pup at eight weeks but vet only starts vaccinations at eleven weeks, to get a better immune response after maternal immunity has worn off. Second dose at thirteen weeks, out for walkies at fourteen weeks.
We carried him around until then. Tiny puppies don’t need walking on leads. Take him somewhere safe and have him loose, he’ll stay close to you and learn recall easily.

[Penelopee]

Thanks for your reply. Obviously I am not getting the dog as my Sons responsibility. What I was trying to say in 5 minute wonder is that I am concerned my son may resent the dog, he is 5 and as I said it would be a first pet. I want my Son to continue to feel happy at home, it's probably a silly thought but please try and see from my point of view, it is a first pet, yes we have discussed this.

I will ask for a receipt if we go ahead with him. I just thought perhaps she could have accepted a check a week or so before collecting so she would know it's gone through.

I have seen the Mum (Jug) and Dad (Pug). I have asked all the important questions.

I have asked what food he is being feed on and it is CSJ which I have googled and not only is it difficult to source it's also the high end of the market. The breeder has 3 different litters at the same time all in her house. Should I be somewhat suspicious that she claims they are feeding on this? I am sure it's probably that she is getting the very best for them.

What I forgot to mention I'm previous post is that the breeder didn't ask any questions about us which I was prepared for. She didn't ask If we have a garden (we do) what our working arrangements are (we both work but cross shifts).

[Catzpyjamas]

Three different litters would make me wary (especially timed for the run up to Christmas). As would the lack of concern about the homes the puppies are going to.
Get confirmation of a right to return the pup and get it health checked BEFORE you get too attached. Pugs are prone to numerous health issues unfortunately.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

You should be feeding a good quality ( high end dog food) go to all about dog food and check food out. Cheap food is a false economy.

[totallyliterally]

Our pup was microchipped and had first injections when we collected her.

It's a legal requirement to have them chipped by 8 weeks.

Ours also came with a months free insurance.

I think his is the classic between an accidental breeder and a experienced one.

These below are what's recommended from a good breeder from the blue cross website

How to spot a good breeder
• Gives lots of information in an advert for selling the puppies
• Has a waiting list for puppies
• Encourages you to meet your puppy several times before taking them home
• Has a clean and safe area in their home for puppies and their mum
• Will ask you lots of questions about why you want a puppy. Be prepared!
• Will want you to ask lots of questions about them and their puppies
• Gives you their vet’s details so you can ask the vet questions about the litter and parents
• Sells puppies with a contract that promises to take the puppy back if there are any problems
• Will keep in touch after you’ve taken the puppy home – ask them if they are still in contact with previous litters
• Has the puppies microchipped before you can take them home (this is a legal requirement, unless they have a certificate signed by a vet)
• Puppies and mum are obviously happy in the environment they are kept in
• Won’t let you take the puppy home until they’re old enough to leave mum, at least eight weeks
• Encourages you to meet other members of the litter’s family so you can be sure about temperament
• Can tell you all about the socialisation they’ve been doing, eg taking them in the car, meeting lots of people of all ages, meeting other animals, playing etc
• Has started housetraining the pups by the time they are old enough to leave
• Gives evidence of relevant health testing, if needed. Some breeds and crossbreeds should have genetic testing to rule out inherited disease. Read more on this below.
• Provides pet insurance for the first few weeks to cover illness

[Staringcoat]

Have a look at this advice from The Dog's Trust on 'Getting a Puppy'

[[https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/factsheets-downloads/
here]]

[totallyliterally]

And signs of a not good breeder

Warning signs: walk away if you experience this from a puppy breeder or seller
• Gives very little information in an advert, for eg one or two sentences
• Won’t let you, or makes excuses about why you can’t, meet the puppy’s family members including mum and littermates
• Offers to meet you in a public place such as the street, a service station or railway station to hand over the puppy. Or, offers to drop the puppy off at your home
• Will not let you meet the puppy or mum before the occasion you take the puppy home
• Puppy has a pet passport. Puppies that are offered for sale with a pet passport are very likely to have been bred abroad for commercial sale in the UK, meaning they will have been transported hundreds of miles at a very young age. Not only does the travel have a negative impact on the puppy’s welfare, but you will have no way of checking the environment the litter and parents were kept in. You also run the very real risk of funding a cruel and illegal industry. If you are concerned contact Trading Standards and the RSPCA. It is illegal for puppies under 12 weeks to be imported, and bad for their welfare.
• Can’t provide proof of vaccination, worming, health certificates etc
• Cannot give you information about, or proof of, relevant genetic health testing
• Cannot provide a genuine vet’s contact details
• Puppy isn’t microchipped (this is a legal requirement before the pup goes to a new home)

[Sunhill4]

We feed our border collie and lab csj. It's easily ordered online and isn't expensive as it comes in a huge bag that lasts ages! It is good quality though and both dogs do well on it.

[BiteyShark]

I have seen the Mum (Jug) and Dad (Pug). I have asked all the important questions.

What questions did you ask? Have you looked up the breed health issues and are you prepared for them (get very good insurance)? Why the cross breeding? Is it simply to produce a 'cute' puppy?

[MissShapesMissStakes]

My 6 year old was overjoyed to get a puppy. It lasted about a day. Then for about a month she definitely resented the time the puppy took up. The fact that we couldn’t just pop out any time. That she couldn’t play with her toys on the floor. That I couldn’t snuggle in bed with her in the morning because I had to go and take the pup out for a wee etc.

She adores him now (he is 5 months) and they are best friends. He’s so calm with her most of the time.

But we were very lucky to get pick of the litter and I specifically asked for the calmest pup. He’s never been a huge one for mouthing/nibbling people. He still did it but it was manageable.

I got a puppy pen early on. So the puppy could escape if he needed to from little hands. Though actually he has never taken himself off to get away. It has been excellent for when little friends come over though as pup finds that very exciting so he has to mostly stay in his pen then. Plus it saves him from being cuddled too hard, fussed too much by the visitors.

[reallyanotherone]

What I forgot to mention I'm previous post is that the breeder didn't ask any questions about us which I was prepared for. She didn't ask If we have a garden (we do) what our working arrangements are (we both work but cross shifts)

So the breeder doesn’t give a shit about the home it’s going to, basically?

Plus 3 litters at once, just before christmas?

Plus trendy x breed, pug, jug, whatever. So not kc reg or regulated.

Plus cash.

Plus letting them go at 8 weeks (10-12 is better, 8 is minimum)

Sorry o/p, sounds like a puppy farm.

If you go ahead which i’ve no doubt you will, please make sure it is insured. It should come with 4 weeks breeders insurance, but i don’t think that’s likely given the circs. Insure it before you bring it home.

[Costacoffeeplease]

3 litters at once??? Big red flag

[fivedogstofeed]

Please report to HMRC, it's the only way to stop these people.