Approaching breeders - etiquette?

[CityDweller]

When approaching breeders (from the KC list for the breed we’re interested in) do I just cold call them? Or text first to arrange a time to call? There’s only a phone number for most of them - no email address or web presence.

I hate cold calling people and I don’t want to annoy a breeder by randomly calling without warning. But is that just the way it’s done?

I did a lot of this finding our wee dog... everyone was fine with cold calling if they'd given a number... I just rang and said I was looking for a puppy and was this a good time to talk ... and half the time then arranged a good time to talk either later that day or the next one, the other half they talked then and there

I found breeders really friendly and keen to recommend other breeders if they didnt have a pup in the timescale I was looking for...

And remember this is something they love talking about .... breeders aren't in it for the money - although pups are expensive the return on investment of time and money is NOT high .... they're in it for the love of their gorgeous breed, and the joy of showing as often as not ... and are keen for their pups to go to great homes

We were definitely interviewed by our breeder before he said yes!

ps wire-haired dachshund is our breed

Great, thanks - that's reassuring! I just need to muster the courage to cold call. I have a touch of 'phone phobia'!

Definitely the way most breeders seem to do business. And as a PP said, be prepared to be interviewed by the breeder. If they aren't interested in the people and home one of their puppies is perhaps going to, I would regard that as a red flag.

I'm not a phone person, so searched around for a breeder with social media. Once you've contacted a breeder who's really into puppy welfare, they know who's having a litter. We got ghosted by one lady as we couldn't travel due to lockdown but ended up with a lovely pup & lots of support. It was illuminating seeing how the dogs were being looked after on FB, best to get a pup from someone with similar ideas as the first few weeks make a difference.

And remember this is something they love talking about
This is very, very true. A friend of mine is thinking about breeding his young bitch in 2 or 3 years time, and yesterday he gave me 10 minutes on hip scores, eye tests, finding a stud, co-efficients of inbreeding - and he knows that I am 100% NOT in the market for a puppy, lovely as his bitch is.

A breed FB page might be helpful - the one I am on has quite a few breeders on it, as well as owners of stud dogs.

I also hate cold calling people and so I emailed several breeders, telling them something about myself and my DH, where we live and why we were ready for a puppy. The breeders were very helpful and sent me other ideas of people to contact (one of them had a stud dog who was going to be...er...working in our area!) and eventually that's how we found our lovely pup. They like info from you about your situation and I think most good breeders regard the puppies as if they are children they finding a home for.

I feel exactly the same, I feel like just phoning out of the blue feels really intrusive!!!

We asked a family friend where they got their pup from and she gave us the breeder’s number. I texted and we had a few texts before we met in person as she lived near a relative and we popped in on the way to the relative.

I'm a KC assured breeder and honestly I love getting random calls!! I'm extremely proud of my dogs and happy to talk and will always make a time for them to call back if not convenient.
I get lots of emails via the KC website and I do t always remember to respond. If you ring a breeder you will get so much information and don't forget your breeder should be able to offer you a lifetime of support so if you don't feel comfortable talking to them then maybe they might not be the breeder for you?

Always best to phone, easier to leave a lasting impression about your life and circumstances that way. Emails and texts are very impersonal. Most breeders prefer you to phone if you are genuinely interested in a puppy. To chat about your life, if you would be suitable for one of their puppies etc.

I cold called and breeders were fine to talk there and then. One was en route to the vets with one of her bitches, but called straight back when she could to continue our conversation. It wasn't an issue.

You can gleam more information from a breeder through a phone call.

@hairychinsrus

I'm a KC assured breeder and honestly I love getting random calls!! I'm extremely proud of my dogs and happy to talk and will always make a time for them to call back if not convenient. I get lots of emails via the KC website and I do t always remember to respond. If you ring a breeder you will get so much information and don't forget your breeder should be able to offer you a lifetime of support so if you don't feel comfortable talking to them then maybe they might not be the breeder for you?

It’s not that I’m worried about phoning them / talking to them, it’s more that a cold call out of the blue feels really intrusive if that makes sense

I agree about it feeling intrusive, and I found my puppy after a million emails and a whole lockdown spent googling/stalking breeders. BUT every time I visited our puppy before we took him home, our breeder was on teh phone to a cold caller wanting a pup.

They are used to it!