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Buying a puppy

36 replies

Bubble2bubble · 16/05/2016 11:19

Article in our local paper today, about a guy who was duped by a puppy farmer and collected a 5 week old Gumtree advertised yorkie in the car park of KFC. Paid a bargain price do £245.

The pup died a week later.

My question is, do people really, really not know not to do this, even after all the publicity there has been in the last few years?

OP posts:
balancingfigure · 18/05/2016 14:40

I wondered about that breeder on the program too but I would say she definitely looked like a commercial breeder with the kennels and so on but that in itself isn't bad. You're not automatically a puppy farmer because your dog doesn't sleep in the house!

TrionicLettuce · 18/05/2016 15:24

pud1

You should expect the breeder to give you a thorough grilling about you, your family, your house, your lifestyle. They should ask what you can offer a dog, why you picked that particular breed and why you picked them as a breeder.

Most (though not all) breeds need at least some health testing so check what tests should have been done (you can find a list for whatever breed they are here) and ask to see the official certificates. They should be able to provide copies of the certificates for the stud dog as well. If they're KC registered and you have the parents full names you can also look their test results up here on the KC site.

Ask why they chose to breed from that particular bitch and what made them choose the stud dog they used. They should be happy to discuss both and be able to explain what about the stud dog compliments their bitch or improves on her weak points.

I prefer to see that both parent dogs have had some kind of independent evaluation so showing, working, dog sports, temperament testing, etc. so I would ask for information about that.

The breeder should be actively raising them as they get older, not just leaving the bitch to it. There's all sorts that a good breeder can do before they go to their new homes to help them become well rounded dogs. Have a read through the information on this site, it'll give you a good idea of the things a breeder should be doing to help prepare the puppies to go off to their new homes at the appropriate age.

Ask whether they use any kind of of puppy contract and have a look at it if they do. It should state that in the event of you no longer being able to keep the puppy the breeder should be contacted first and they will either take it back or help you find a suitable new home. If they don't use contracts I'd expect them to make this very clear verbally. Also, if the pups are KC registered ask if they have endorsements in place, this means any offspring from them could not be registered with the KC until the endorsement has been lifted by the breeder.

The bitch should be happy and apparently healthy, as should the puppies, and the breeder should be raising them in the same way you intend to keep them, i.e. if you're looking for a family pet then you don't want them being raised out in a kennel or outbuilding.

It shouldn't be a case of you just looking at the puppies, deciding you want one and the breeder being happy with that. The breeder should be satisfying themselves that you are worthy of having one of their puppies. The first time DH and met with the breeder of our whippets was more intensive than some job interviews I've had Grin

TrionicLettuce · 18/05/2016 15:40

I've just noticed you say the litter is only one week old, that's very young to be allowing people to come and see the litter, the norm (at least for a proper viewing when you get to meet and handle the pups) is usually 4 weeks +.

At that age the pups won't be doing much other than sleeping, feeding and making the odd grunting/squeaking noise. Their eyes will still be closed, their ears aren't fully working and they can't move around properly.

Some breeders will allow prospective owners to come, have a chat, meet their adult dogs and maybe have a quick peep at the puppies at that age but I'd be wary of one allowing you to go in, handle the puppies and especially they have any intention of letting you pick one there and then.

Pogmella · 18/05/2016 15:44

Our pup was from a friend of a friend which is partly why we viewed at 2wks- they weren't advertised til much later and then through breed specific forums not gumtree/pets4homes etc.

pud1 · 18/05/2016 15:56

Thank you all. The info is great

We are going for a boxer. Our boxer died in March. He was 12 so we have experience of the breed.

The breeder did say that we could come tonight for a chat but said we would not do more than peek at the pups due to there age.

I will let you know how I why on

TrionicLettuce · 18/05/2016 16:20

The only boxer specific thing I would add is that any white puppies, if there are any, should have a BAER hearing test at around 5-6 weeks old.

ATailofTwoKitties · 18/05/2016 16:29

in the event of you no longer being able to keep the puppy the breeder should be contacted first and they will either take it back or help you find a suitable new home.

Friends who bred their bitch two years ago (and - quite rightly - turned us down on lifestyle grounds as potential owners for the puppies) have already taken back TWO of the pups, one after it proved too much for the owner and the other after a death in the family. They say it's less a commercial transaction and more like a permanent responsibility to the dogs.

ChairRider4 · 19/05/2016 08:26

We first saw our boy at two weeks and also met mum (Dad was stud dog but was given contact details etc )

But we never picked our puppy, to was older and took her advice on which ones suited our household better and picked then
And yes we faced some hard questions from her lifestyle ,long term plans training plans

My boy 18 months and is fantastic

pud1 · 19/05/2016 09:34

Just to let you all know it was a lovely experience at the breeders. We met the mother who was absolutely beautiful. She had a great temperament. The dogs were in the kitchen. We saw the pups and they were adorable.
More importantly we met the stud who was also lovely. Very calm and friendly. The breeder vetted us for quite some time when she realised we were boxer lovers we spent ages looking at each other's photos. The house was a family home with 2 children and they had boxer ornaments and photos everywhere. We are going back to choose our pup. It will be wormed and had first injections. He will be coming home with a toy with mums scent. We saw mum and dads papers

I hope we covered everything.

Pogmella · 19/05/2016 09:50

Sounds ideal to me pud1, what a lovely experience and a great example to your kids about responsible dog ownership.

BernardsarenotalwaysSaints · 19/05/2016 10:07

Sounds great Pud! The only other thing I can think is will pup be coming with a contract & if so what endorsements will be on it? I'm asking because we have restricted movement on our Bernard. So if we wanted to move abroad we'd need permission. Obviously if you never want to emigrate it's not an issues but if it is a long term goal or a slight possibility with work it's worth asking if there are any countries they wouldn't lift it for. As pp has said endorsements on breeding are fairly standard. Sometimes they also have them to neuter/spay after 2 years if it's solely a pet home Smile

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