Advice about buying a puppy

[celestebellman]

Hi, have been thinking of getting a puppy for a while, and started to look at breeders/ adverts and it seems a minefield - already got excited about a glossy website which appeared on further googling to be a posh puppy farm and now I feel I can’t trust any adverts I see and worry about potentially being taken in by some kind of front to a similar operation.
We are looking at cavapoos (yes I know not everyone’s cup of tea and some people on this site appear strongly opposed!) partly as a relative has one we have looked after a bit, I am not allergic to it (important as I have allergies to some dog breeds) and it is the right kind of size.

I just wondered about advice to wean out potential dodgy sellers - I know we should see the puppies at home, with the mother, they should all have some kind of health check certificate (but could these be forged??) and also if possible ask to see the parents’ health details too. I’m not sure if there is anything else?

Also, would it be necessary to take time off at beginning and how long? ( I work 3 days though at moment some can be from home - partner working from home at moment but is frequently on very long work calls/ meetings, 12 year old dd at home at moment but potentially could be back at school). Longer term would look at dog daycare / walker for periods when no one home.

Any advice appreciated, not had a dog since being a child when we got a border terrier when I was aged nine but don’t remember much about that and sure none of these issues were considered then!

We have a Border - found a respected breader by going through the breed club. She is very respected in the showing world and I was also able to speak to the fathers owner - also hugely respected in the showing world. She never has to advertise - she warned me to stay well away from pets4homes/gum tree etc. She also gave me details of a couple of other breeders that were also respected in the border world.

I would stay away from the ads and call respected breaders to see if they are planning litters. We had to wait nearly a year for our boy but so worth it.

Thanks, @Clockers41, that’s useful to know. I am coming to that conclusion re these sites. Two breeders have got back to me, which is encouraging, likely to have litters at some point but no pups immediately. Which is encouraging, also gives more time to consider practicalities and avoid impulse purchase!

Build up a relationship with your breeder once you find them. I have been speaking to a lovely lady nearby who breeds flat coated retrievers. I have a golden who is just a baby but in the future I’d like a flat coat so I have been researching and speaking to people.

I’m home all day for my pup not always with him but it’s hard work and you’d need a few weeks off to begin with or someone at home for toilet training and basic training whilst they finish their immunisations if you’re putting into daycare. My boy is 6 months and teething, it’s hell. Hoping things calm down soon.

Cavapoo seem quite popular a girl at work got one last year he’s v cute but much bigger than she expected. I’m not keen on anything poodle to be honest. Met quite a few labradoodles via guide dogs with my old dog. Lovely big things soft nature. But love my goldens. Hope you find the breeder for you, do lots of research

We've got a cockapoo - she's adorable, very sweet tempered, gentle, not nervy or highly strung or at all mad. The breeder is local to us and we meet a fair few of her cousins out and about and they generally lovely healthy dogs. There is one we avoid but that's the owner not the dog!

I was very naive that we'd get a puppy and I'd take a couple of weeks off work/work from home and then I'd be able to go back to work and pop home to let her out.

That was just plain stupid thinking.

We ended up with me wfh a lot, using in laws a lot, and using my temporarily unemployed step son as an afternoon babysitter. They'd sit and watch Walking Dead together.

Some day cares will take them from quite a young age, but you'd have to choose one that had a puppy or small dog section. I think daycare gets them very wound up at that age and quite hyper - when they really need lots and lots of sleep.

Lockdown meant we spent a lot of time with ours, but that wasn't always easy, having to interrupt zoom calls to sweep the dog up to put her outside for a wee or to distract her from chewing something or chasing the cat.

They are really really hard work!

Love her to bits though and best thing we ever did.

Flatcoats are brilliant dogs!

All the same traits as a golden in my experience but slightly less moulty.

They are however completely insane until they get to around 4 or 5 (in terms of being bouncy, not aggression) and absolutely obsessed with water to the point where if you are walking by a river that's in flood/very fast flowing you have to keep them on a tight lead or they'll be in.

They are big soppy teddy bears and fab with children. Really gentle.

Thanks, these are useful things to know about daycare.
This thread has been really useful in terms of thinking about the most suitable breed and how to go about finding a puppy. I think another issue is how to manage a dog, especially a puppy, when we are working/ at school? I can’t be the only person in this situation as judging by the number of people I am aware of who have dogs, they can’t all work from home! I work 3 days, and the longest I’d probably be able to take off would be 3 weeks. My daughter gets home from school just before 3 when not in lockdown, but that’s a long time and could not leave a dog that long. I was thinking of dog walker, or more likely dog daycare, but are these suitable for a young puppy (thinking of a small one, preferably in someone’s home, if possible).

I agree, anyone who is a respectable breeder will have long long waiting lists. If they are listed on Pets4homes something isn’t right.

If you’re interested in a Cavapoo I would recommend joining the Facebook group - Official U.K. cavachon and cavapoo society. They really know their stuff and put up good videos on what to watch out for so you don’t end up buying a dodgy pup

We got our dog through petsathome website. But we weeded out one who wouldn't send on health scores and the lady we got rookiepup from was lovely. She had two family dogs and bred one twice only. She might not be telling the truth, but she started a facebook group for the pups and is still active on it 2 years later. When we went to visit the pups, they were in the living room with their mum - which is a good sign - and teenage DDs were playing with the puppies who seemed used to human company.

We picked up rookiepup last and apparently on his last night the teenage DD had him in her bed to keep him company, so I think we were very lucky.

We both work, but I took a couple of weeks off when we got rookiepup , then DS 12 was off school for a couple of weeks, and DH and I both worked from home for a while. We managed to find dog walkers who would take him on short walks but he'd travel round in the van in between and would stay with them during the days we didn't wfh.
It's important to build up with short periods of separation- we started by leaving rookiepup alone for 5 mins then built up to 1.5 hrs quite quickly. The more you put in for the early days, the better adjusted your ddog will be, but if you rush leaving it alone or for too long periods it's likely to be nervous and barky.

Sorry if I’ve missed this, but if you’re desperately after the cavapoo can’t you ask your relative about their breeder? If they aren’t breeding they can generally put you in touch with another reputable person.

We have found our breeder through word of mouth, and have been talking regularly since before Christmas. Some pups now here and some on the way, it’s been a positive process so far. I would be very wary trying to go it alone to find a breeder without going through the breed clubs or kc.

Hiya, I'm a pro walker and day care provider, properly insured, police checked, dog first aid certificate etc. Ideally you want to take at least six weeks off to settle pup in, but sometimes that's not possible. When we've been booked for a long term job where the pup will eventually be going out for daily walks when she's old enough, we bill the three visits a day that are necessary for a young pup at the same price as the daily walk will be. Currently £12 per day plus mileage - rural area here. Anyway, that should give you an idea of budget.

Oh, and two of our clients are Border Terriers, they're both great dogs. And we've currently got two Flatcoat Retrievers, will be three come the summer, and we have looked after five others who are now sadly crossed over rainbow bridge, and they have without exception had the most wonderful temperament! Although two of the six were/are definitely ditzy . We've looked after various poodle crosses, two were distinctly difficult dogs and one was so impossible with other dogs temperament wise that we had to give notice. Most are/were fairly good natured though. Three grew up very much different size than expected, and of these three two also developed various expensive health conditions that strongly indicate the genetic tests on the parents were not carried out despite what the seller said. All these dogs were bought by inexperienced first time owners. One thing about ALL the poodle crosses, I second what various people upthread have said about their coats. Utter filth magnets without exception, the only way to get them properly clean and dry after a walk in anything other than drought conditions is a bath and a blow-dry!

We have found our breeder through word of mouth, and have been talking regularly since before Christmas. Some pups now here and some on the way, it’s been a positive process so far. I would be very wary trying to go it alone to find a breeder without going through the breed clubs or kc

So two litters in a short space of time?

Does that not ring alarm bells? The only reason to produce that many puppies has to be profit?

It would make me think the puppies aren’t living in the home either. Two litters at once is very full on in a house.

Do they own any other dogs? Produce more than one type of cross? And has the cavalier parent in particular had genetic tests?

Thanks all - have asked on our local Facebook page and there appear to be loads of local pet sitting/ dog walking services around us, have had lots of recommendations including in our fairly small village, so looks like may be doable from that point of view. Expensive though!
Think all the issues with poodle crosses which have been raised (while acknowledging all the people who have lucked out and got a great cavapoos/ cockapoos are making me have second thoughts about these breeds, also now have started to think about border terriers I feel this might be the right dog for us. Hadn’t even thought about grooming, but our (retired, no young kids) relative is constantly washing her cavapoo with lemongrass shampoo and brushing it, and I’d rather not have to spend lots of time doing this!

Please make sure you can see the parents and the pup is not from a puppy farm. If you are not used to handling dogs find a Proper Trainer and remember, your puppy starts his/her education from when you first bring it home.

Hi, yes the reason for starting the thread was my concern about puppy farms and what to watch out for as a first time, possibly naive, buyer. Have had lots of good advice as to what to look for/ask about. That’s a good idea to involve a trainer from the outset, hasn’t considered that, thanks.