So how do you spot a puppy farmer?

[fivedogstofeed]

There have been a few threads recently asking for reassurance about buying a puppy, and while puppy farms are very easy to spot when you have a bit of knowledge, it could be useful to give a few pointers.

Please do not buy from someone if...
--they have multiple adverts for multiple breeds and crossbreeds and a constant stream of puppies available
-the photos are all posed in the same way - on a fur blanket/red rug for Christmas/inside a boot/beside a teacup

• it is a purebred pup but not KC registered
  

-they claim to raise the puppies in a family home even though they have multiple litters on the go at one time ( this is just not feasible)

Also:

• vet check is not the same as health testing, nowhere near. Health testing is expensive, a vet check is a quick look to make sure there is no obvious sign of illness.
  
• the fact that they have 'many previous happy customers' means nothing. Many people are taken in by puppy farmers and the industry is supported by people who think because their puppy turned out healthy then all is OK.
  
• it is illegal to sell a puppy that is not microchipped
  

-it's not illegal, but bad practice to sell a puppy without vaccinations

Google the phone number, search companies house, google the breeder's name - may sound obvious but not everyone does it.

This is just the basics. Please also read Dogs Trust Guide to buying puppy

And if you really don't know what puppy farming is, please educate yourself reading about it here

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

How do we feel about people advertising themselves as gun dog breeders? There’s a kennel near me that I follow on Facebook that constantly has litters of spaniels for sale. Lots of photos of them and video footage but quite often they’re sprockers and there will be pleas of ‘last pup left for sale’. I’m not sure I agree with constantly selling litters of cross breeds, particularly when there’s no need or waiting list as they have pups left, when there’s so many filling up the dogs homes.

[fivedogstofeed]

There's huge money in gundogs and a constant demand. Many don't have a very long career. :(

[threemilesupthreemilesdown]

There is also a problem in gundogs with popular sire syndrome, you'd be hard pressed to find an unrelated cocker spaniel around here due to the vast number of litters a small number of titled stud dogs are siring. Health testing is vanishingly rare in those circles.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

There is also a problem in gundogs with popular sire syndrome
I think that depends on the breed and the area.

And on the breeder. The only gundog breeder I know reasonably well health tests her stock and only breeds every few years. There are very ethical, less ethical and unethical breeders of gundogs, as in every line of breeding.

Many don't have a very long career.
I'm not deep enough into gundog circles to comment substantively on this, but the last gundog I knew who died was 14. Her daughter is 8, and still in work. My dog's sire was still in work when he was 10.

[FreeBedForFlys]

Do a reverse image search of the photo especially if it looks like a posed/studio one.

My friend bought a GSD puppy from a probable puppy farm and wondered why her puppy didn’t look like any of the litter in the picture. When we did an image search it was a stock photo that had been used hundreds of times in ads all over the world.

[fivedogstofeed]

Bumping this, as I'm seeing so many ads this week for puppies ready to go on Christmas Eve.

[salsmum]

I would also say do not get sucked in to the 'teacup' whatever breed as you'll often find these are just puppies that are often too young to leave mum (5weeks)

[bunnygeek]

FYI on some selling pages including Gumtree it's against their posting rules to advertise any animal as a Christmas gift - so if you see one, report it!

[fivedogstofeed]

It's against the rules to sell animals on FB, but puppy farmers are getting round this by advertising 'pups for rehoming' and you need to pm for details. This is still obviously selling, and FB will remove if you report it.

[Hoppinggreen]

I agree, but we did everything suggested by OP and our Goldie turned out to have come from a puppy farm (probably, according to our vet)

[MaryLennoxsScowl]

I think mine was what I’ve seen dismissed on here as a backyard breeder - they owned the mum and dad and two sister from the first and second litter and this was the bitch’s third and she said last litter. The pups were advertised on the KC website but not endorsed as KC-approved (there were no approved breeders with litters in our area at all), but also on Pets4Homes. We saw the pups twice, and they were with their mum in a pen in the kitchen. We saw them play with the breeder and her husband picking them up and cuddling them, the mum dog was lying cuddled into the breeder’s side, and the sisters from other litters were jumping on and off the sofa and playing with the mum and dad. We had to pick the puppy up at 8 weeks as they were going on holiday and I know that’s a possible bad sign, but when we went to fetch him her grandchildren aged 5 and 8 were playing with him and he was running and cuddling the kids - by contrast, when we got him home he went shy and would only come to us to begin with and not any visitors. Her son dropped in with another of the dogs they’d bred while we were there and all the dogs got on well. He’d been vaccinated and microchipped and had papers, and he came with a few days food and some toys. I dunno, we might have been duped, but they seemed really nice!

[Sparklybaublefest]

those linked pages do not work

[fivedogstofeed]

Dogs Trust

Cariad campaign against puppy farming

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned FB friending the breeder. It helps you both: I trawled our young dog's breeders FB and saw photos of him our working her dam, and with the owners of puppies from the first litter, and he could trawl mine if he wanted to. He's kept in touch.

[sashh]

The breeder should be vetting you as the prospective owner eg when we got a golden retriever as a child the breeder would not sell to people who were all out of the house all day, there had to be either a human or another dog around to keep it company.

The questions will be different depending on the breed.

Cross breed is just another word for mongrel, so your labradoodle is not pure bread, or a new breed and it will never have a pedigree.

Research the breed and what will fit with your family, something like a collie needs exercise and stimulation, they have been bred to be working dogs and will have that instinct, so don't be surprised when the collie tries to round the family up.

No matter how cute a puppy looks will it fit with your family / work life / lifestyle etc.