Poor practices from people selling puppies

[Lornacranium]

I wondered if anyone had any bad experiences regarding dog breeders.
I am due to see a litter today through Pets4homes and after initial excitement, I have some gut feelings of concern. Obviously I will have a better idea when I get there but I think I might be feeling unreasonably anxious.
Any advice would be really welcome. Thank you.

Prepared to be annihilated!!
I predict this will not go well.

If it doesn't feel right, don't go. You'll get caught up in the puppies
What is making you uneasy?

Put your hard hat on.

Generally, have a list of questions.

Check the environment the puppies are kept in. You need to see the whole litter with the dan. Even if the breeder says the puppies are weaned, they will still go nuts if mum arrives ...
Speak to the person selling. What do they know about mum, individual puppies and the breed in general.

Obviously if you are buying pedigree Check for KC registration and health tests before you ho and see them.

Be prepared yo walk away if your gut feeling tells you so!

If both parents are there it is generally a bad sign (not always). A good breeder should be vetting you as much as you are checking them. They should offer first refusal if you ever want to get rid if the dog. I. E. Should always take the dog back if you change your mind or don't cope especially in the first year. Ideally the pups should be in a house where they can see normal family life.

What breed? That'll tell us the sort of questions you should be asking.

Generally, you'll want to see mum and all the puppies, you'll want to see the health tests for both parents and ideally for the grandparents. Ask them about support afterwards. What comes with the puppies? What happens to the mum when she can't be bred from anymore? How did they choose the stud? How long have they worked with the breed? How have they socialised the puppies? Have they done any training with the puppies (mine go home almost 100% house-trained, for example)?

Check the conditions of the puppies. Whelping pen should be clean and reasonably smell free. They should be confident and comfortable. Mum should be happy and putting weight back on.

But, realistically, chances of finding a good breeder on Pets-4-Homes is about as good as my chances of winning Euromillions. Sorry!

We bought our puppy from Pets4Homes, but it was in lockdown and I’d do it different now with the benefit of time and freedom.

Our pup was from a litter by a family pet (we picked up from the home where mum was present and face timed with pup and mum before collection). We were told both parents had had genetic testing and were clear, but when we got the paperwork this wasn’t true for one parent (they tested as a carrier).

Now, I would only buy a puppy from meeting a breeder before the litter was due and being added to a waiting list so I could
make the decision without the puppy being there. Current dog was our first dog, so we were less sure of what we were doing, and we knew I was going to be home for 6 months so didn’t want to wait as we wanted to be able to settle the dog in before I went back to work.

Eurgh. I can't edit my response.

But also ask how old mum is; any younger than two and any older than five and she should not be having puppies. And ask if this is her first litter and, if not, when her last litter was. More than 2 litters in 12 months is completely unacceptable.

So, and particularly if it's a larger breed, I'd say a litter at 3 years older and another litter when mum turns 5. Litters before or after that is a no go in my eyes - the bitch is either too young, or too old, to safely carry.

E.G I had a litter in 2022 when the bitch had turned 3, and another litter in 2025 just after the same bitch had turned 5.

Some breeders might argue 'seasons' make it tricky. No. Not if you are planning properly and know your breed/dogs - you should be able to plan well.

Yep I totally agree with this. We were very naïve 8 years ago when we bought our puppy, I've learned so much since but once you're there with cute puppies in your face it's extremely hard to say no and walk away. We've ended up with a dog that costs us an absolute fortune due to health issues

Could you tell us what your concerns are and we can see if they're reasonable?

Please please consider adopting. You can get puppies and young dogs from rescues or even better a retired greyhound - honestly they make THE most amazing pets

if your gut is off, I’d listen btw

whatever you do, I wish you every happiness with your new dog

The breeder should be vetting you as much as you vetting them. If they tell you they’re not a puppy farm, they almost certainly are.

If you do go to view and the puppies are in poor conditions DO NOT take one because you feel sorry for it. The difference in a dog that’s been bred ethically and one not is night and day. You’ll be taking on a whole heap of issues.

This is beyond irresponsible. Do not support breeders … find a rescue, they are full to bursting!!
Pets at Home should not be supporting the selling of animals … disgusting!

Hard hat on!
We bred from our family pet in order to keep a puppy (she is awesome). We sold our remaining puppies to friends and people we knew. One person who reserved early came every week. Everyone came multiple times and we were happy to accommodate. We bred to a stud and had all of his paperwork as well as our own dogs parents paperwork. Evidence of worming. Advice for you on how to care for the puppy both physically and mentally. We had a contract with puppies to be returned to me if there were any other issues as well as an extensive advice sheet. There should be stimulation for the puppies, toys etc. We had the garden set up with tunnels, trays with sand and gravel etc. we had a crate with toys in for them to nap in. We did basic training with them. They could all sit by the time they went. We did nail trims, brushing, washing of bottoms, desensitisation to hoover, hair drying, trips in the car etc. We fed from separate bowls to help prevent resource guarding etc. We have a WhatsApp group for advice/worries/contact etc.
So I guess I’m saying make sure they are already doing their best for the puppy. They should be knowledgeable and have put in some serious effort to make sure their puppies have the very best start in life. They should offer back up and advice, let you visit etc. Absolutely no pressure at all. I had one lady who was older and couldn’t get a rescue so had decided on a puppy. She was declined! Puppies are hard work and not a second choice.
Best of Luck!
FYI I have previously rescued dogs but as the current time of life we need dogs to fit us. In the future I will be happy to rescue dogs when we can be flexible around them.

They might not be able to have a rescue puppy if they have young children, as many rescue organisations will not allow families with young children to have the dogs.

I can provide the list the other way round if you see what I mean in terms of our breeder and what we experienced-

1. Breeder was found on the kennel clubs find a puppy search function on the kennel club website.
2. breeder was like a battleaxe in terms of vetting us. We were not even allowed to cross her threshold without showing our identification. We were properly interviewed before we even met the puppy.
3. The mother was there to be seen. The father wasn’t as the father was another kennel club stud dog.
4. 14 DNA health tests were provided Which took us a long time to read digest and verify.
5. The breeder was also a platinum breeder with the city Council, which we also independently verified.
6. Out of the health tests, hip scores, elbow scores and the term escapes my mind but the percentage that needs to be very low. Yes I have remembered that the inbreeding coefficient all of these were provided and it did take us a long time to read and digest.
7. We could clearly see the generations on the kennel club website. Each generation and each puppy of each generation had been registered so our puppy had her clear name on the kennel club website which we then transferred to ourselves.
8. A very stringent contract had to be signed guaranteeing that we would Be neutering the puppy before her first birthday or else!
9. Very Stringent and contract had to be signed in terms of abandoning giving away or reselling the puppy where the breeder would have lifelong first refusal. Or else!
10. The breeder has continued to provide pretty much instantaneous support on all questions puppy related from sleeping to toilet training to vaccinations and neutering from the day we brought her home and the contract clearly states that such supporters available for the lifetime of the puppy.
11. The breeder specialises in two specific pure breeds.

There are so many dogs and loads of puppies … just need to look. They’ll match people with the right one.

Generally puppies they do home with kids … it’s older dogs due to not knowing the history.

Pets At Home is a different company entirely, they sell small animals and food etc.

Many 'rescues' are a complete nightmare to deal with, I used to be vehemently anti breeder but animal 'rescue' experiences in recent years has completely changed my mind.

(Edited to add I put apostrophes around the word rescue because the ones I dealt with were not rescuing anything or rehoming, just begging for cash while keeping their animals suffering in concrete cells)

To be honest buying from a website like Pets4Homes you’ll be likely to be buying from a backyard breeder! If you want a pedigree look on the kennel club website as they will have lists of KC registered breeders.

If you do go make sure you see both parents and the puppies with its siblings. If the breeder says it’s not possible walk away!

Like others have said ask to see the mum.
See where they are being kept.
Check if they have had any vaccinations and if so which vets.
Ask as many questions as possible.
If you don't feel satisfied, as hard as it is walk away.
What breed are they.
How many litters has mum had, and when. Also any history on the dad.
Good luck x

Ethical dog breeder here, what are your concerns? I have used Pets4Homes but whilst it’s not the best platform to source a puppy from it’s also more about the standards the dog breeder has. Are they licensed? Are parents health tested? Are you seeing the mum and pups together?

n.b not interested in anyone clutching pearls about me being a dog breeder, buyers being better informed stops puppy farms and poor dog breeding practice

Either go to a KC registered breeder if you really must buy a puppy or contact your local rescue center - the frequently have puppies to home. Be prepared to bed grilled and home checked. If they don't stringently assess you and your home, forget it.

No reputable breeder will use a third party to advertise their puppies EVER. A reputable breeder will have a waiting list for one of their puppies and they will vet you properly.

Do not visit anyone advertising like this full stop.

This attitude enrages me....I rescued a dog....she came all was fine for a while...until my life became hell! She attacked me more than once...ruined many areas of my house....we couldn't leave her at all....spent vast sums of money trying to diagnose health issues and on behaviour issues etc..the final.straw was when she bit my son unprovoked in the face! I was petrified as to what she would do on walks etc. So I had no option but to return her to the rescue and was made to feel like I was at fault when we had tried everything! We later got a puppy from a reputable breeder and the experience is so different. He was the best choice we ever made. My parents also bred dogs not for the money but to continue the breed as they are very rare.....so please don't listen to the posts making out all breeders are evil and you are too if you don't rescue....it's bullshit. Yes you need to follow all the good advice here re getting a puppy but ignore this crap

If you wanted a puppy, why did you rescue a full grown dog? There are plenty of puppies available in rescue, lots of them dumped unsold by so called “reputable” breeders.

Why do you advertise at Pets4Homes out of interest?

I've never had a litter without a full wait-list (7 + spares) being ready.

I only tend to breed when my list builds up - that way I don't have to advertise, and in some cases I have over two years to vet the person and be sure they are appropriate for owning one of my puppies.

If I did have a 'spare' puppy, I definitely wouldn't use Pets4Homes - only ChampDogsor KC. You tend to get too many chancers and inappropriate owners (i.e. no knowledge about dogs) using these dodgy sites, and my puppies deserve better than someone who doesn't know what they're doing. Not a dig at all, just trying to understand why someone who is ethical would be using the site...