Buying a puppy

[emummy]

Having decided to get a dog, we have been to see some rescues. This hasn't gone well so far, and so dh thinks we would be better with a puppy. So we looked in our local paper which has plenty of puppies advertised, ranging from £150 to £600. What I am not sure about though, is how risky is it to get a dog from one of these ads? I don't want to get one from a puppy farm. Is it better to save up and get a more expensive one from a reputable breeder? Just want to do the right thing!

Rescues have puppies too

Lots of threads here about how to look for a decent breeder.

Super short version - You should expect they will/have done: relevant health tests for the breed, ask you lots of questions, be prepared to go on a waiting list, insist the animal comes back to them if you cannot keep it for some reason. Avoid gumtree, Preloved, small ads full stop. Try the rescue centre for the breed you prefer too.

Thank you. I do intend to keep close watch on the rescues, although puppies seem quite rare so far. I have looked on Many Tears, but we are in the north of Scotland which makes meeting their dogs quite tricky! We like a number of breeds, but I think maybe a smallish dog would be best if it's not a puppy, as the dcs were v unhappy with the big dogs who were understandably quite excitable!

More expensive puppies doesn't necessarily mean the breeder is more ethical. Puppy farms and BYBs often charge higher prices than decent breeders as it means more profit.

Look for a breeder rather than a puppy. Both the KC website and Champdogs are good for finding breeders. Check out what health tests are recommended for your breed of choice and make sure any prospective breeders do them and are happy to show you the certificates. Plenty of unscrupulous breeders will say their breeding dogs are all "health checked" or "vet checked" but this isn't the same thing and means very little.

A good breeder should be happy to answer any questions you have but be prepared for them to ask you plenty as well. When we first made contact with the breeder of our whippets it felt a bit like the Spanish inquisition They should also be very keen to have the puppy back should you be unable to keep it for any reason.

Depending on your breed of choice it can be a bit of a minefield finding a good breeder. Toy breeds especially are very, very popular with puppy farmers and dealers. It can be difficult sometimes to sort out the good from the bad.

Champdogs do a good guide to buying a puppy.