Getting a puppy, very nervous!

[Crazeeladee]

After two years of thinking about a dog, we've decided to get a cavachon, and put a deposit on one at a breeder yesterday. He'll be 12 weeks old when we get him next week.
I'm really nervous about this now we are actually doing it, and after threading some of the posts on here, I really don't know if I can handle it. The dc's would be devastated,they are so excited.
Is this what everyone feels,is it just nerves?

I'm not leaving it alone? I'm off the first week, then dh is off until September then I've got the first week off that he goes back to work. What will happen to the puppy if we cancel it?

No doubt they'll sell if for less to someone else, but that in itself is a good thing as the less money they get for the pups, the less motivation there is to breed again. There are plenty of ethically bred pups out there. Find a good breeder through Champdogs and/or the kennel club, pick a breed that suits your family whether it be the Cavalier, the Bichon or some other breed and then find someone who produces pups for a good reason.

Typically a good breeder will be proud to show you the health tests of the parents. Very often they won't have the father of the dog on site, as hopefully they have put some thought into finding the stud that's right for their dog rather than one that's convenient. You will want a breeder that only breeds when they want a new dog for themselves, not to supply a 'market'. Their dogs should have been shown, not necessarily Crufts winners, but at least they should have been assessed as being up to breed standards. Their puppies may not end up as 'show quality' but that's ok as you're looking for a pet, but you at least want to find someone who is breeding to help their breed.

Finally, if you develop a relationship with a good breeder, you will have lifelong support and interest in your dog. They will always, always take your dog back into their home if you can't keep him as they take their responsibility as breeders very seriously. Your dog can and will never affect the population of homeless dogs. Please have a rethink and good luck in finding your perfect puppy :-)

Ok, will ring and cancel. Now to brace myself to tell the Dc's. It's dd1 birthday today too :-(

Do puppy farmers usually come and assess the house? I'd have thought they'd not be bothered about who bought the puppies as long as they bought them. We had to visit three times too.

OP, this IS a puppy farmer, or at best, a retail outlet for one. What happens is that the volume puppy farmers (typically with between 30 and 50 breeding bitches) churn out pups. These are then sold as wholesale items to retailers, either the pet trade, or to people who act as a "front" by having the pups in their home. A number of MNetters have been caught this way.

The fact that he's previously sold Yorkies (yet another PF regular breed) simply confirms this, and I've just had a quick Google and if he's the chap currently advertising on Preloved, then the fact he is offering to deliver pups is also a HUGE red flag.

Puppy farming causes untold misery, both to the poor bitches involved and to the pups, who are often unhealthy, poorly socialised and have not had the proper health screening that other posters have described.

The other particularly nasty thing about these cross breeds, is that the KC have a limit on the number of litters that can be registered for a bitch, as a measure to protect their welfare. So a pedigree CKC bitch can only register a limited number of litters, and there is an upper age limit. What unscrupulous breeders do to get round this, is use a KC bitch for one of these "designer mongrels", mate her with the poo/chon of choice, and hey presto, a valuable litter. Because she's produced a cross litter, the pups can't be registered with the KC, but the breeder can proudly say, look, Mum's a registered KC bitch. This way they can churn out extra litters and get round the limited welfare protection for the bitch. Most puppy farmed bitches end their lives on the farm when they've been finally knackered, with only a tiny handful making it out to rescue places.

It also strikes me as a particularly horrible irony that much of the puppy farming trade is driven by mothers wanting pups for their children, yet to do so, they make mothers of other species live a life of misery.

The assessment of the house sounds extremely worrying, especially if they now know that you are out at work all day. Personally, I'd report that to the police. That is absolutely NOT normal for breeders, though responsible ones will ask questions about secure fencing etc. rather like rescue homecheck.

They might, they might not but have they given you a good reason for breeding a litter of crossbreeds which add nothing whatsoever to the genepool of either breed? and presumably they have had many litters before if you've found reviews? It's a puppy-farmer, maybe a nice one, but still a puppy-farmer.

Please support a reputable breeder. That's exactly what all the rescue and dog welfare organisations are asking people to do. If you can't take a rescue dog, and not everyone can or wants to, then at least buy your dog from someone who is breeding for the right reason, not for money.

Here's a couple of current ads on Champdogs...
www.champdogs.co.uk/litter/33390

www.champdogs.co.uk/litter/32885

www.champdogs.co.uk/breeds/lowchen-little-lion-dog/puppies

You can see how open the breeders are about their health testing on the parents, it really is a priority for good breeders!

And just seen that you are cancelling. Well done.

Please tell your DD about puppy farming. I'm sure she would not want a pup from these circumstances.

Lots of rescues have lovely puppies, and there are reputable breeders out there too.

Crazee they may well be perfectly well-intentioned people - of course puppy farmers don't come and check the house. It is an issue people rightly feel very strongly about and therefore you have been met with a lot of very worried posters, mainly because you seem to be oblivious to what a red flag might look like in this situation.

Breeders aren't either bad or good people - they lie on a spectrum from the incredibly uptight ones who won't let you have a puppy if they don't like your wallpaper to the true puppy farmers who sell sick, mangy puppies in carparks. The majority of them are well-intentioned, reasonable but inexperienced people who do most things right but occasionally make huge oversights or errors because they don't know better. Most of the puppies they sell will be fine, but some won't. Even the best breeders can sell puppies which go on to have problems. We need to keep a bit of perspective here.

The puppy may or may not be fine but I am worried because you seem to have so little idea of the sort of things which might be red flags. This leads me to wonder if you have done sufficient research into dog ownership and puppies in particular before embarking on it. "After two years of reading on here" I am surprised that you didn't foresee the reactions on this thread. I can see that if your DD is effectively getting it for her birthday though, it would be hard to walk away.

I'm sorry I misquoted your "two years" quote, but the sentiment stands - after 2 years of research you should surely not be asking these questions now.

Most of the puppies they sell will be fine, but some won't.

This quote by Affan is correct in the vast majority of cases, but I would add that when you're looking at a Cavalier mix the odds aren't stacked in your favour. The breed is riddled with awful health problems so going to a breeder who does their absolute best to minimise the problems in future generations is essential. A puppyfarm/backyard bred Cav or CavX is such a bad idea.

Most will probably disagree with me, but if you are a novice and intent on getting a puppy, for the love of god don't get one at 12 weeks.

You have until 12 weeks to socialise the pup.
You need to aim to walk it on 12 different surfaces, meet 12 different animals, 12 other dogs, 12 different children.

After that small windows closes you move on from socialisation to desensitisation which is a whole other ball game and has reduced even experts to tears.

These bloody BYBs will most probably have done none of this. And you aren't buying a cavachon, you are buying a mutt. A very cute one, but isn't a breed.

Can recommend you join Sally Bradbury Dog training Facebook page to guide you through.

I like the lion one on champdogs but it's 15 weeks old, so should I avoid that?

I wouldn't necessarily avoid it as the breeder may well have socialised the pup really well. The chances are that they only had one litter and invested a huge pile of time and energy into making the pups sociable and well-trained. I would imagine if they've bred the litter to keep one for themselves that it would be an absolute priority. I would ask the question of the breeder and go with your instinct on that :-)

I'm not recommending any breeders that I've linked btw, I don't know them. I've just given examples of breeders who health test and show their dogs in conformation. You, as a prospective owner must do your own due diligence, but it really helps if you know what the 'red flags' are.

I've just had a closer look at Lowchens as I've never met one. They do sound good!

www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/lowchen.html

I'd avoid at the moment.

I mean this in a kind way, but you have gone from buying a puppy, to cancelling, to thinking about getting an older different breed in the space of an hour.

I think you need to step back for a bit. View a few litters, speak to breeders who have pregnant bitches and get on a waiting list. Choose your pup at 4 weeks old and monitor it. Take it home at 8 weeks and crack on with the most important time of that dogs whole life temperament wise.

Don't panic buy.

But I'm just a faceless Internet person. This decision will affect you and your children for the next 15 years. Make it wisely.

How old are your kids, Crazee?

With regards to that link above about the Lowchens. It's heavily weighted toward early socialisation to avoid separation anxiety and to avoid a timid/aggressive nature

I've cancelled, will tell the Dc's after school.

Very sensible advice from MonkeyfaceGrace, but if you are still determined to get a dog next week, then at least buy one from someone ethical.

Oh Crazee I'm so sorry :( I can see that you really do mean for the best but so many people in your shoes end up struggling because not quite enough thought has gone into it.

What sort of ages are your DC? I ask because you mentioned earlier that one of them was a little nervous of the puppies. You are unlikely to have considered this because it is so far removed from little fluffy dogs, but could I suggest you think about going to meet some greyhounds? Your DC may be old enough to understand that they are doing a good thing by rescuing a dog, and most of them have been fostered first so you have a really good background history on the dog and their temperament, and they are lovely, comical, gentle and placid creatures who aren't too demanding in terms of exercise but have so much love to give. I think until you meet one it is hard to grasp the attraction but once you get to know them they are captivating.

^^ that's what I was wanting to say but not brave enough

Or a whippet if a greyhound is too big? entirely biased view

Don't think about getting a collie though :-) I have one, he's a rescue and fabulous, but doesn't enjoy the rough and tumble of a family home with kids as he wants everyone to behave in predictable fashion!

Too many people get collies because they think they're so smart and trainable and do fabulous tricks. They are and they do, but they take a lot of getting to that stage!

Look for a companion breed, there are plenty out there who have been bred to be tolerant and get on with people and other dogs. The requirement for a companion breed is companionship though, they don't like being left to their own devices for long so you have to organise your life to make sure that they have someone around for most of the day.