New puppy viewing

[breakingdownthewalls]

Posted a few times on here, from our dog being put to sleep a few months ago, to husband being adamant he never wanted another, to wanting to find a crossbreed pup but only finding back yard breeders selling them!
Anyway... we have finally found a little of purebred pups that we have all as a family decided on.
They’re coming micro chipped, and K.C. registered, but not vaccinated.
They come with a period of free insurance, food, bowls, toys, puppy pads etc.
We are viewing them tomorrow.
What else do I need to ask?
I’ve asked where they live now and it’s in the house, they’re used to kids, other dogs etc.
The breeder has 4 bitches and they each have a litter a year with 2 studs. All of them live with the breeder. All health checked and have been breeders for 15 years.
What else do I need to ask/look for when we visit.
Not asked about dew claws, should these have been removed? My old rescue dog fractured both dew claws as a puppy and had an op to remove them.

Great advice here

www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/advice-for-owners/buying-a-dog/buying-a-dog

This is a good link too puppycontract.org.uk/puppy-buyer

Have found another breeder!
Licenced with the council, all dogs health checked and dna tested with gonioscopies and clear eyes?
Got their elbow scores too.
Going to see this one tomorrow.
Also a registered breeder on the kennel club website and breeder is also a trainer.
Feel much happier.

Although this breeder does breed a variety of gun dogs, so not just cockers.
If you google breeder loads of info comes up, along with the field trial results and articles on his dog training.
He also does home boarding and obedience training.

Hi, my partner is moving in, officically, as we spend every day together at the moment but at each other's houses. So once the move is complete and everything is settled we are looking to get a dog, to complete our family of my 2 dds 7 and 9 and a 3 legged cat!

We really like french bull dogs. ive always longed for a dog but i work 12 hrs a day, 4 days a week, so it's been out of the question. However, he works from home so it's finally possible, it's always been his long term plan to get a dog also.

my dream would be to get a rescue dog but he has said that's out of the question, he wants a pedigree puppy and as he will be the main carer and paying, that's what we will do.
So how do you ensure your puppy comes from a good breeder and the dogs are treated well. what questions should i ask

You might be better off starting your own thread. This breed is a puppy farmers dream so you will have to be VERY careful. Approach breed club or society. There will likely be a breed rescue too.

sorry i thought i started my own thread - this is sleep deprivation at its best lol, please ignore

Glad you are looking at another family of puppies

My question to the 1st one would be when the bitch comes into season what do they do with the males to stop breeding happening?

If they say they only breed alternate seasons but the males are in the house together that is rubbish

Getting nervous now at the prospect of bringing one home.
It’s dawned on me how much work it’s going to be. But at least I’m home now til the new year.
I’ve read up and see that cockers get bad separation anxiety which is worrying me.
That’s one of the main issues we had with our old dog, and even after 10 years we could only leave him alone in our house and not anywhere else, eg holiday homes or dog boarders. We had to get people in to have him in our home or he would bark for hours.
Any tips on tackling separation anxiety straight away?
Also feeling really guilty and that we are replacing our old dog.
Practicality wise, now is the best time to get a pup as I’m home for the best part of a month and we won’t have this chance now for another year.
But I still feel guilty. Old dog has been gone for 3 months now so it’s not a knee jerk reaction.
It’s so overwhelming.

If you're on FB I'd highly recommend the Dog Training Advice and Support group. It's run by professionals and there's a wealth of excellent advice in the 'Files' section. You should find the Congratulations on Your New Puppy collection of articles/guides particularly helpful.

It's great that the new breeder you've found does the recommended health testing however it is a good idea to check the inbreeding coefficient of the litter as well. The following articles explain why the COI is so important: Understanding the Coefficient of Inbreeding and Why DNA Tests Won't Make Dogs Healthier.

The breeder should be happy to answer questions about the COI but you can also look it up on the KC site by inputting the parents' full names here.

Thanks. I’ll check those fb pages out.

What are you planning on doing with the pup after your Christmas break , a month is not very long .

I only work 8 hours a week. And 2 of those hours my husband will still be home.
So 6 hours a week puppy will be alone. 3 hours x 2 times a week.

Don't preempt problems. Each dog, regardless of breed is still an individual. We will be here to help with any specifics.

When you are at home working can you still take puppy out to spending area every 20/30 mins?

If you put the hard work in at the beginning you have a fair chance to get it house trained in a month

I’ve read up and see that cockers get bad separation anxiety which is worrying me.

Ours is happy for about 3 hours at a time but I know other people who have cockers that are left for longer.

Not sure if this has already been suggested to you, apologies if it has, but I would ask which vet the bitch and litter are registered with. The pups should have seen a vet by now and breeder should be happy to volunteer this information. If it's in your local area you would mostly like continue to use them (you can always say that's why you're asking if they get arsey). You can then contact the vet yourself to verify what the breeder has said. If they won't give you this information I would be sceptical if relevant checks had been done.
Council registration is more of a formality than an assurance. Unfortunately, for many different reasons many councils aren't thorough with this sort of thing and puppy farms are often licensed.
I would expect a k.c registered breeder to already have potential homes/waiting list for pups before they are born and so maybe only have one or two pups remaining from a litter at this age. Would be a red flag for me even with their back story.
Vaccinations should certainly have been done at this stage.

It is incredibly dodgy for someone to have pups ready to go home this week, it really is.

You need to take the time to find a good breeder with healthy pups on the way or planned, and accept that they won't be there for your timetable. This dog will be around for the next 16 years or more, so waiting a few months shouldn't be an issue