Pay for puppy before I pick him up?

[mjbtx]

Hello, just wanting some advice please

I’ve paid a £500 deposit for a puppy. Puppy is ready to leave on the 7th of December but we can’t pick him up till the 23rd as we are away.

the owner has asked we pay the full amount on the original date the puppy is supposed to be leaving. Via bank transfer

I’m just a bit worried they seem genuine and stuff but is this normal to do?

They're likely concerned the dog is a Christmas gift and you will back out. Have you got a proper agreement stating what you've paid, and when the final bill is due? Are you paying them for boarding for the time you are away? Are they a proper breeder or a puppy farm? Seems irresponsible to have pups ready so close to Christmas

It was pets4homes but I didn’t pay through there and did it privately with the breeder and just paid deposit bank transfer and then the full amount will be bank transfer also.

its not a puppy farm and they are established breeders

Sadly in trading 'normal' is whatever you can get away with!

The thing here is that puppies age - a 10-week old puppy is not a cute as an 8-week old puppy, so the seller is perhaps concerned that you will not like what you see, pull out, and buy a younger one come the 23rd

They are going to be stuck with your puppy for 2 extra weeks, depends on breed, temperament and how the dogs are all housed (I'm going to assume it's either a hobby breeder or a puppy farm because it's not a usual time of year to breed puppies) plus maybe doing vacs and toilet training the dog and trying to keep it entertained so it doesn't develop bad/destructive behaviour or hurt itself.
If you had a puppy before you would understand they are hard work.

I guess less so in a puppy farm because they are in cages or at least not in a home, but they should be separated from the mum to prevent her distress, but the puppy will then be distressed left on its own and they might have to make sure it's warm enough.

Puppies can be a right pain in the bum for the poor mother dog, especially as the litter mates will be gone so the poor mother dog is going to get the full force of the puppies boisterousness and boredom.

I think it's weird to buy a puppy that's ready when you are in holiday and I'd be concerned you were a flake.
People want to buy 8 week old puppies and even slightly older ones are harder to home.

Settling in a puppy is not going to be great the day before Xmas eve. It will overwhelm the dog when they have just been taken from everything they have ever known. Why did you say yes to a puppy that you can't collect for such a long time.