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Original poster

To spend 1.5hrs at a viewing of puppies?

29 replies

Ohforfucksake · 22/05/2023 22:38

When we went to get my (now beloved dog of my very own!) I spent ages (1.5hrs) chatting to the breeder and playing with the puppies and asking 9384783726 questions.

At the time I didn’t think that was weird but now someone that I know is selling her litter of puppies and mentioned that a prospective buyer stayed ages and they thought they were never going to leave…!

It got me thinking, I wonder if the breeder I got my dog from thought I was never going to leave either…?!

How long did y’all stay when going to see a litter for the first time?

OP posts:
EbonyRaven · 22/05/2023 22:39

Well not one and a half hours! Probably half an hour. Smile

Sarvanga38 · 22/05/2023 22:41

Any breeder who is not happy to give you a few hours of their time is not a breeder to buy from. They need to be happy with you, you need to be happy with them - and most of us dog walk will normally bore for England talking about our dogs anyway. 😆

EvilElsa · 22/05/2023 22:42

That's a really long time! I'd have been clock watching if I was the breeder 😁
Still, must have been fine as you got your puppy! I don't think I've spent that much time viewing horses to buy, let alone puppies!

VelvetUndergrounds · 22/05/2023 22:42

@Ohforfucksake was this from a breeder in Devon by any chance....?

Radiat · 22/05/2023 22:43

I feel like I probably stayed a similar amount of time, maybe slightly less. The breeders were chattier than me though! So I didn’t feel like I was outstaying my welcome or anything. I visited a couple of times on their invitation.

TomatoSandwiches · 22/05/2023 22:44

No, I think that's perfectly fine, so long as it was arranged and not near dinner time.

Groutyonehereagain · 22/05/2023 22:47

We drove a fair distance to see the puppies. The breeder made us very welcome and made us hot drinks. We stayed probably about an hour but we didn’t feel we had over stayed our welcome. Any decent breeder will give prospective buyers all the time they need.

saltinesandcoffeecups · 22/05/2023 23:06

Never bought from a breeder. Generally I just rock up to Humane Society add myself to the list and chat with the adoption councilor for about 15/20 minutes while I play with the puppy or cat.

Now the weird one was a litter of kittens that someone was trying to find homes for after they were abandoned. They had set up a ‘kitten cam’ so when we went over the guy’s phone rings. He answers it, and asks me a question… he puts the phone back up to his ear and asks me another question. I must have had a look on my face because he explained it was his GF on the phone and she was watching the live stream. I just waved at the camera told him it wasn’t my first rodeo and proceeded to give her the info that I thought she’d want. He must have hung up at some point. Because it rang again and after listening he said we’ll see you in a couple of weeks when they’re eating solid food. Now that I think about I wonder who else was watching 🤣

Original poster
Ohforfucksake · 22/05/2023 23:06

Oh whoops I probably was a bit overstaying my welcome then!!! Bless her! I was so nervous about making sure it was the right decision, it prob just took me a bit longer than was ideal. She was very kind though :-)

OP posts:
wlv12 · 22/05/2023 23:11

Having been a breeder, I’d expect around an hour, hour and a half.
I’m wanting to vet the families to ensure they’re right for the puppies as well as allowing them all the time to make choices and help them pick their puppy.

Wolfiefan · 22/05/2023 23:12

I wouldn’t find that unusual at all. It’s not like buying a new lawnmower. You’re taking on a new family member and they are letting one of their precious pups go. (Unless they are puppy farmers in which case they want you out ASAP.)

ChannelyourinnerElsa · 22/05/2023 23:12

Ohforfucksake · 22/05/2023 23:06

Oh whoops I probably was a bit overstaying my welcome then!!! Bless her! I was so nervous about making sure it was the right decision, it prob just took me a bit longer than was ideal. She was very kind though :-)

Not if you were visiting mine!

Prospective puppy owners will have been on my list and had many conversations before the pups are on the ground. Once they are about 4 weeks, I allow viewings and I make
people coffee and cake, or lunch if it’s been a long journey for them. All breeder friends do the same! It’s how I was taught by my mother and great aunt.

I need to be sure I am matching the right puppy to the right home.

ChannelyourinnerElsa · 22/05/2023 23:14

wlv12 · 22/05/2023 23:11

Having been a breeder, I’d expect around an hour, hour and a half.
I’m wanting to vet the families to ensure they’re right for the puppies as well as allowing them all the time to make choices and help them pick their puppy.

Snap! A couple of hours is quite normal here. I’ll often allow half a day, because I will usually take the prospective owners out for a walk with some of my other dogs.

SW2002 · 22/05/2023 23:15

I don't think there is a set time. We breed working spaniels occasionally, probably a litter every couple of years - mostly when we want to continue our lines and add to our kennel for ourselves. We keep the one(s) we want and sell the others.

They usually go to friends / friends of friends rather than total strangers but often people will come a couple of hours to see a litter. I don't mind if they stay a good while if conversation is flowing, they're interacting with the puppies and it feels like a good use of time in helping them make their decision. A normal person should get the feeling when they've outstayed their welcome.

I've had it where they wanted to bring all the kids and granny and grandma, and I think one of the kids had a friend staying the weekend so they would be there and they wanted to make a video of it and stuff. It all started to sound a bit like the circus was going to descend so I just said no, only immediate family and I have an appointment so the visit will only be 45 mins.

That's pretty much the only time I've ever put my foot down though.

WiddlinDiddlin · 22/05/2023 23:23

We've had four posh pedigrees and several unposh x'breeds.

Anywhere from 'handed a puppy in a carpark, signed papers, gone in 10 minutes' (not as dodgy as it sounds honestly!).

To 3 hours, sandwich and several cups of tea, with a breeder we visited three times from pre- mating to collecting puppy, who was over 2 hours drive away.

I advise puppy buyers to visit at least twice, if there is a choice, to sit with and play with puppies, take new toys and see how they interact with novel objects, see how they fathom out food dispensing toys etc etc. That takes time.

I can see how it might be tiring having multiple puppy people visiting but if you don't want to do it, don't breed your dog!

I definitely wouldn't want people rushing the decision!

Ihatepickingausername3 · 22/05/2023 23:23

About the same time ish. Maybe slightly less. The kids loved all of the puppies… and I already had a good idea of which one I wanted but she was chatty and so was I 😆

Original poster
Ohforfucksake · 22/05/2023 23:27

Yay! You guys are the best 🥰 🐶

thank you!!

OP posts:
Weatherwax13 · 22/05/2023 23:31

I stayed at least an hour watching last pup. DD's dog is from same breeder a few years later. Breeder had moved some distance away by then and DD was invited to stay overnight! Spent the time helping with the litter and walking the sire. She certainly came away impressed with everything

Threeboysadogandacat · 23/05/2023 00:05

We drove quite a way to choose our latest ddog. We saw and held the puppies then went for a walk with the sire, dam and dam’s sister. Then saw the puppies again and chose our boy and took some photos. When we went to pick him up we took ddog1 with us so that the breeders could meet him. We spent quite a while with them altogether.

Bloopsie · 23/05/2023 07:08

Half an hour or so. I personally dont like getting “over vetted” or breeders who make too much of a fuss over their “babies” being sold. Its all about money in the end,if they were that precious “babies” no 1000/1500 etc would make you breed your pet and then sell them.

I need a pet,they need money,after money exhanges hands that pet is no more concern of theirs. All im interested is seeing the parents, their background,temperament,paperwork none if this fluffy fur baby nonsense.

LoonyLois · 23/05/2023 07:11

Not unreasonable at all. I show and breed when I want a new pup for the show ring and I make lunch for potential new puppy owners if it’s going well. If they don’t make an impression then they are out of the door a lot quicker than that!!!

hellosunshine8 · 23/05/2023 07:36

There are different kinds of breeders. I spent probably a similar time with ours. She spaced us all out over a couple of weeks so as not to overwhelm the puppies and she actively vets everyone. I had been grilled on the phone by her partner before even getting added to the prospective list, too.

hellosunshine8 · 23/05/2023 07:39

LoonyLois · 23/05/2023 07:11

Not unreasonable at all. I show and breed when I want a new pup for the show ring and I make lunch for potential new puppy owners if it’s going well. If they don’t make an impression then they are out of the door a lot quicker than that!!!

You could be our breeder Grin she told me that there had been one a couple of days before us and she had to ask them to leave because she just couldn't let them have one of the puppies.

Re money, it's not always the money for people. The breed I have can easily go for £3-4K. They were such a lovely litter I was expecting over £3k and probably would have paid £4K. I only actually paid £2k, and the breeder said lots of people remarked they didn't cost as much as expected, but she isn't in it for the money and never has been. She had bred that litter to keep one for herself etc.

LakieLady · 23/05/2023 07:47

With my first puppy, we were definitely at the breeder's for over an hour. There were 2 litters, so 9 to choose from, and some of them were fast asleep when we arrived. We spent a lot of time observing them, and narrowed the choice down to three, then checked them over thoroughly and did puppy temperament tests on those three.

With my second, it was nowhere near as long. I already knews several breeders and knew which lines I wanted in my next one. I wanted a bitch, and there were only 2, the other 3 were boys. And in some ways, she chose me. The minute I picked her up, she wriggled up my chest and snuggled into my neck, and stayed there for ages. When I finally removed her and put her back with her siblings, she positively glared at me and I loved her attitude.

Clarinet1 · 23/05/2023 07:49

Anyone besides me think it’s unacceptable that there is an ad for buying “Rare Korean Maltipoo” puppies online coming up on this thread?

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