When do we talk money

[Yeahsurewhatever]

Due to meet a breeder soon

We've been emailing for a while and we're due to make the (very long!) Trip to go see the breeder.
But we haven't talked about price for one of the puppies.
At what point is that something we discuss?

When we go i'm nervous about asking the right questions
And also answering the questions they'll probably have for us right.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Is it a pedigree? In which case you’d know the going rate.
I knew the price before seeing my pup.

I knew the price of our puppy while the mummy dog was pregnant i think. Maybe even before that.

We had made contact with the breeder (from the kennel club), who at the time was waiting for her dog to go on heat and we made it clear we were very keen for a puppy in the next litter.

And if the breeder hasn’t already given you the third degree before even letting you over the threshold then I would be very suspicious.

I’d be asking before you visit , even if it’s in a casual sort of way just in case it’s more than you are prepared to fork out . I don’t think looking at the going rate will work as some people are ridiculous in their pricing .

Definitely don’t go until you’ve asked and they’ve answered!

Get a rescue puppy. They're about £250

www.aadogrescue.org.uk/puppies-for-adoption

It’s a business transaction so that would have been my second question after ‘do you have any available puppies’! Certainly before you make the trip out.
Presumably you have researched the breeder and determined that they are not running a puppy farm. I’m surprised they haven’t asked you a lot of questions up front. They should ask whether you have any previous dog owning experience, if you have children and their ages, your work schedule, your living arrangements (rent or own, garden etc).
You should be asking them, before you visit, if mum and hopefully dad can be seen, if hobby breeder or professional, if registered as a breeder, if pups are KC registered, if parents have been health tested and what are the scores, how often do they breed etc etc. If they are reluctant to answer or vague in their responses than steer clear. A reputable breeder is proud of their digs and breed and should be more than happy to go into detail about anything you ask.

Absolutely you must ask before you visit.

They have asked lots of questions.
But we haven't talked money. I presumed really if that was the first thing we discussed that was more of a warning sign if anything

This visit would be only to see mum, then there would be another visit to see pups once they're born

Parents are health checked
KC registered
I can meet mum and some other members of the family. See where dogs are kept etc.
It was meant to be more of a getting to know each other phase before pups are even here

I do know the going rate, but I understand there are variations

What breed?

You ask the price yesterday, what if you travel, a very long way, and the puppy is 2k, can you imagine that conversation face to face?

@branleuse
Thank you for the link. We have tried several rescue places but have had no luck so far
However I've not heard of this one and will get in touch.

Ok it feels very unbritish to talk money! I will ask before we go.

The other part to my question was they I'm sure will have more questions for us
But also what should we look out for and ask whilst were there?
We've done the obvious - KC registered, age, health check, pets/show dogs/both etc

what breed are you looking at?

KC reg means they’re registered as pedigree. Nothing else.
Health tested? For what? Each breed needs specific tests done before breeding.
If they haven’t given you the third degree and asked all the questions before letting you near the pups then I would have serious concerns.

Ask before you go, as after lots of lovely chit chat back and fourth between myself and a breeder and arrangements made to visit, I asked how much they were and they were asking £600 over the going rate.
I explained I was sorry but wouldn't be coming as I had a budget (which was too end of going rate anyway) and she didn't bother to reply 🤷🏼‍♀️

we had a really bad experience with a breeder which involved me going all the way up to cheshire to see the puppies, paying the deposit and then the breeder messing us about. It really was a complete waste of time and a day off work.

Simply an email saying

?Hi [ ], looking forward to the imminent visit to see mum. Ive just realised that I haven't actually confirmed with you the price you are asking for the puppy? Could you let me know please?"

Ok we've checked on the health checks - I know which ones are needed for the breed and have checked these and the scores etc
I just thought details on that was boring for anyone here so that's why I didn't go into that
They've asked us about why we want the breed
What we could offer a dog what we know about owning a dog, lifestyle, work, children etc.

I will ask about price before we go, I feel more confident knowing that is the 'done thing'

Is there anything I should look for though when we do visit (just mum first and then mum and pups second visit)

Some of the questions I remember asking...

How they 'got into' dogs & how long ago
What they love about this breed in particular
How they got started breeding and why
How they matched breeding partners and what they were hoping for from this specific match
Whether they were going to keep/run on any puppies
What the first 8 weeks would be like for the puppies - where would they sleep; who would be with them; what experiences they would have before being sent to new homes
What came with the puppy (e.g. food, insurance)
Whether it would be vaccinated
Whether it would be microchipped
What support would be available after sale
Whether I should do if the puppy developed any serious health problems
Whether any of her previous puppies had ever had any serious health issues, what they were and what the outcome was
What should I expect in terms of visits, updates etc for the first 8 weeks after puppies were born
Whether she had ever had any puppies returned, why and what happened to them
How many litters mum had already had and was expected to have
What she did with bitches after their breeding time was ovr
What she did with unsold puppies if she ever had any
What she thought my biggest challenge with this breed would be
Who chooses the puppy I will get - her or me. As it was her, what criteria was she using to select.

What’s the breed? How did you find the breeder?

Maybe OP doesn't want to say the breed because she doesn't want to be second guessed about why that particular breed, why doesn't she get a retired greyhound etc etc

I would just message and say - in regards to the price, how much do you need as a deposit and what is the overall price. No biggie

Some breeds are much harder to come by than others. Some are much more likely to be puppy farmed than others.
Very few people seem to know about proper testing of prospective parents.