Help with choosing a pup please

[couch25cakes]

We're on the verge of getting a westie pup and are scouring the pets4homes site and various breeders/kennel club sites- it's our first dog since DH and I were kids. It's proving so difficult to commit! A few advertisers that would in theory suit us in so many ways seem to all have little things to make me doubt. One query from today's search is breeders that have the pups wormed but that they won't have had their first jabs- is this a red flag or something I should be concerned about?

No I would say that is fine. When I took mine to the vets the breeder had already given the first vac but vet said it had been too young and we had to start again with the first vac.

Lack of a first vacc wouldn't bother me - reason being we often have puppies in at work who've had the first vacc with their breeder but it's different to the course we usually use at our practice. It means delaying the second vacc (and often a third) while we order in the alternative or restarting the course anyway. Most vets do a package deal for puppy vaccs so there's no financial loss and if you're picking up the puppy at eight weeks old you can start the vaccs straight away anyway and not lose any socialisation time.

I would prioritise the breeder with the longest history of health tested stock, best evidence and results of health testing and the one that has made the most effort towards early socialisation. In my breed my very first priority would be working results - not applicable here but instead consider showing results and temperament.

That's really helpful, thanks. A lot of advertisers seem to be amateur breeders, either breeding their family pet for the first time or breeding with bichons and other cross breeds, which wouldn't bother me particularly but then we can't be sure of history etc- it's so hard!

Lots of breeders don't do vaccines...so that it's definitely the same brand and that you don't have to redo them.

I wouldn't touch anyone selling on pets4homes - I'd be starting with the KC website and champdogs and weeding out any I didn't like from those two.

YY to kennel club. No to pets4homes etc.

Why would you not touch ones from pets 4 homes ? We got ours from there but only because we matched the breeder on a kennel club assured breeders list .hope this was ok

Because pets4homes is full of puppy farms and people breeding any two pets without health testing or proper care. You might strike lucky and find a decent breeder - but the odds are stacked against you more than looking elsewhere.

Thanks for this, it's all really helpful.