Tips for buying a "genuine" family raised puppy

[SpottydogDomino]

Any advice for buying a puppy??

Other than only using the Kennel Club website to find a puppy, how can we be sure that any adverts on FreeAds, Gumtree etc are not selling puppies from puppy farms (with all the problems and diseases). We did not want another rescue dog. We wanted our own puppy this time so we could enjoy the puppy stages which we have missed out on with our lovely rescues in the past.

Any help from anyone who has had experience (good or bad) welcome. Any pointers in the right direction??

Never ever buy a puppy from Facebook, Gumtree etc.

A decent breeder will have waiting lists for future puppies, so once you’ve found a breeder you like then expect a waiting time.

A very good breeder will question you, ask what you know about the breed, how you plan on raising your pup etc and will only sell a dog if they deem you to be suitable. If you attempt to buy a dog and don’t feel like you’re at a job interview they aren’t a decent breeder.

Join a group that specialises in the breed you’re interested in, and get to know the local breeders and go from there. It will take a while, but you can then be assured that your puppy and the other dogs are well cared for and loved. And that’s so important.

I second joint a group that is specifically interested in the same breed.
Don’t expect to get your pup tomorrow or next week or even in the next month or so.
Talk to the breed association —although I tried this and all my emails and phone calls were ignored so not always a great start—
Talk to people who have the breed you want.

It was so much easier when my own children were at school and we knew a large circle of people. Someone always knew of a litter born or due or the name of a reliable breeder. Sadly these days our circle is smaller.

I would not use Gumtree or FreeAds Teddy but we are really struggling here!

It is hard to find a breeder, but do join some groups of the breed you want and get talking to the people there, you will find some that way.

Lots of breeders have websites, so a good old google search can throw some things up. Email a few breeders, ask about their health checks and screening etc and I find you can generally get a good feel of a responsible breeder from their replies. If they have a long waiting list and don’t advertise any pups on the website it’s usually a good sign.

Genuine question... so if you do not want a particular breed what do you do then?

I see puppies (cross breeds) for sale on gumtree etc and these are usually in excess of )£500 so I imagine a breeder would be much much more. If you want a puppy but don’t have £1000 or so where do you go? I know that the ongoing costs with a dog over time add up - but I’m sure most people can more easily budget for an extra £60 a month than £1000 upfront especially if they are not particularly into having a pedigree in the first place .

Good signs is that the Mum is with the puppies and they can readily provide information about Dad.
Is Mum comfortable with strangers around pups?
Proof of birth and all vaccinations plus recommendations for further immunisations.
Offer to take puppy back if it goes wrong.
Mum's 1st litter/2nd/3rd? Really should only be first or second.
How old is Mum (at least 2 ideally?)

Other little things.
Does she name pups?
Are she and Mum close?
Is she affectionate towards them?
Does she have another job; not reliant on Puppy farming?

Waystobe In the instance I would suggest a rescue dog. The reason pups from breeders cost so much is because of the time and care that goes into breeding properly and to a high standard. If someone is charging less it’s generally because the pups aren’t getting the absolute best in everything. Welping puppies is very expensive and that’s why it shows in the pricing.

Waystobe if you're not looking for a particular breed then there are many pups born in rescue and plenty that come into rescue at under 6 months.

You can adopt puppies from the rspca and dogs trust.

I've got a litter of pups here at the moment. About to go off to their new homes next weekend. Ours are very much reared as part of the family, handled from the start.

When prospective owners have come to see them the pups and mum and auntie have all been really chilled. I've had to turn many people away as I didn't have a puppy for them. I had a waiting list before they were born. Most people tell me they have been trying to get a pup for ages but by the time the pups are listed on Champdogs they are too late.

I've suggested to them that they look on Champdogs for stud dogs, contact the owner to find out where litters may be coming up to try and get in a bit earlier.

There are puppies born in rescue - unfortunatly bitches get dumped when people decide they don't want the hassle. Or in the case of my current foster puppies, decide that the day she whelps..
If you're up for a hairy larger dog, there are pups in this litter still available from EGLR

We started with the Kennel Club. I emailed every breeder (of the type we wanted) in the area and asked if they were planning to have any litters in the next year or if they could recommend anyone.

From that we had a few replies and made some calls until we found a breeder we liked the sound of. This was only the first litter of this bitch and they were only planning one more litter for her in the future. We asked questions about their set up, reasons for breeding etc.

We visited them and saw the pregnant mum and other family dogs. We saw certificates of both parents, including all tests (eyes, hips etc) etc.
They were a lovely family and very into the breed. We met the Dad and owners of the Dad too.

There should be a waiting list. I’d be wary of a breeder who doesnt. We waited and kept in touch and visited a number of times. I think we were sixth on the list and lucky for us they had 7 puppies.

They interviewed us about our set up, provided detailed feeding and care plans. They were also very keen to look after our dog when we went on holiday and stressed that we should keep in touch. We did.

Ask for everything (medical records, worming etc, history) A decent breeder will give it to you.

Truffle - thank you for your suggestion. You are just the owners we would love to meet!

I would be as happy to pay for a KC registered puppy as I would for a family raised non KC puppy. I just want to know that the pups were well loved and socialised and given the best start in life. It is just so difficult to find a family with a litter or a breeder in our area (South coast).

I was thinking that maybe booking a trip to Crufts may be good as I can get to talk to the breeders. I have not setted on a breed yet but am veering towards a Dachshund or a Beagle or Yorkshire Terrier.

We wanted a particular (terrier breed). And were very lucky to find a breeder (who is the Secretary of the Kennel Club branch for that breed). She had 5 pups. We (dh, kids and I) went to meet them twice. The first time she told us that she was evaluating us as potential owners of one of the pups. She then rang me and told me that she was happy for us to have a puppy. The second time we went to pick one and again saw the pups with their mother. Third time we went to pick up our pup. She refused to let us take the pup home before she was fully weaned and had all health check, microchipping and start of vaccinations, so instead of getting an 8 week old pup we got her at 14 weeks.

Thank you to all who suggested rescue pups or pups born from whelping rescue bitches but we really wanted a puppy from a breeder and from a family environment this time.

We have had rescue dogs most of our 33 yrs married life and loved all of them but this time we wanted a puppy raised and bred at home.

Never buy a puppy from Scumtree.
I'm not sure what you mean by family raised. I know you don't want to buy from a puppy farmer but neither do you want a puppy from a back yard breeder who breeds time and again from their pet dogs without doing any health testing of the parents before breeding.
Look at breed clubs or societies of the breeds you are interested.
You have also named VERY different breeds. Beagles need a lot of exercise. Yorkies have grooming needs and don't get a Dachsie if you have young children due to back issues.

Three wildly different breeds you've mentioned. Beagles are not easy. And the mini Yorkies and mini dachsies can be really fragile little things.

You have to go and visit the pups in their environment, will be obvious when you get there if its truly a family home.

We had a litter of 10 puppies last year, mongrels with no real idea of what breeds they're made up of. Most of them went to friends and acquaintances so we were happy with that, 3 of them were sold to strangers through Pets4Homes. We very very selective about who could have one of our pups and many were rejected at their first point of contact. Visitors were given the full rundown by 10yo DD on arrival.

Don't go to see a puppy anywhere other than it's home. The mother must be present, the owners of the mother will be able to give info about the father including pics if he isn't around for you to meet him. You can guague a lot about a puppy's early life by the situation you meet him in.

We have had dogs all our married life of varying breeds! When we had puppies we were very lucky to find breeders who raised the pups as family pets so they were loved and cherished from day 1. The rescue dogs we chose for their personality or were given by family who no longer wanted them.

So far we have had a long haired mini dachshund for 17 years from a pup, a Parsons JRT for 15 years (rescue), a bearded collie cross for 17 years from a pup, a border collie for 10 years (rescue) and an all purpose rescue mutt given up to us by a friend. All very much loved.

The breeds I have been researching are very different but all have loyalty, a good doggie sense of fun, and a strong ability to bond to their human family in common. We don't mind about a lot of grooming or exercise as we are quite fit and walk a lot.

We are still at the researching stage and listening to all this good advice as we are really struggling to find any family raised puppies (maybe non-KC registered but raised in a loving home as pets) or KC registered breeders but we are only at the beginning of our search.

We are appreciating the help we have here believe me!

My SiL's youngest dog has just had puppies, we've just been to see them. They're gorgeous, Mum is lovely looking after then well and was happy for us to handle them.

My MiL always bred from their dogs, these always went to people she knew, Both our current and our old dogs come from the same line. Lovely temperament Border Collies, if you're after another OP, these will be ready mid to late March.
PM me if you're near central South Coast and I can put you in touch. Our dog is 13 now do we will have a puppy again this time too.

KC reg doesn't in itself mean a lot. It certainly doesn't mean it isn't a puppy farm dog. I would be wildly suspicious of any "pedigree" breeders not KC reg. There are only a few reasons to do this and they're not good.

I think it's naive to think the only way to assure you're picking a good breeder is to focus on KC clubs and those you meet at crufts. Absolutely a good place to start but just like with profit, once you include competition you're far from guaranteed welfare. Many people, myself included, really don't rate the kennel club and some of what it has stood for, particularly in the past. When I was younger people just looked in their local paper for available litters!

I have two KC registered dogs because the breeders I chose decided to register them, I would still have chosen these dogs even if they had not been. Both my dogs came from families who bred their family pet to produce their next pet and one even advertised on gumtree 😱😱. I met the breeder, met the mum (and on once occasion the dad), visited a few times, answered all their questions (even some gumtree villains care where their pups go believe it or not) checked all necessary boxes were ticked and have now got two awesome, happy dogs. I remain in touch with both breeders and even with some of the owners of the other litter mates. I met other breeders that I walked away from including one or two from the breed club. I wanted a breeder who cared about her dog and it's pups, not about the money, not about whether I would show the pup, not about whether it perfectly matched the KC dictated breed standard. And that's what I got.......on gumtree.

But what makes a reputable breeder is a debate that is never really settled.

OP I'd keep your options open. Research your breeds a bit more (if pedigree is the route you want to go down), contact various breeders (breed club is a good start but I found it largely unhelpful. Many didn't even acknowledge my attempts to contact them, I'm sure they would had they had puppies to sell). If you decide to look on gumtree be VERY selective and don't admit it on mumsnet While I know there are perfectly good breeders there, there are also a lot who are not. As long as you make sure you meet the breeder, mum with pups and any other resident dogs, all health checks and necessary documentation/chipping/immunisation etc is all being done. Trust your gut, if anything seems not right walk away. A breeder who shows little interest in you and what the puppy will be coming to without asking any questions is one to stay away from.

I hope you find the perfect pup for your family 😊

Speaking from personal experience. We joined the group in Scotland for the breed we wanted and I contacted the person who ran the group to keep us updated with any puppies expected. We were lucky enough to not wait long. I suppose it then comes down to the breeders. Get to know the breeders, and let them get to know you. We were able to keep in touch with the breeders when the bitch was still pregnant. Once the puppies were born, we would get videos and photos each week, so we were extremely lucky that the owners were so attentive with the potentially new owners. Check the environment the puppies are brought up in. If you are concerned about anything, ask the breeders. Make sure you see the Mum with the puppies. Ask for the bitch and dogs health history, any significant illnesses.

Our pup was a rescue pup and came to us at 11 weeks. I went round in circles trying to look for the perfect breeder and in the end realised I would never be that convinced they were genuine and I wasn't going to hand over £1000 to a backyard breeder.

I'm not sure he's any worse off than a pup that would have been reared in a "family" home tbh. He's loving and playful and has responded well to training.

Assume all FB, Gumtree etc are farmed/ shady