First timer looking for advice!

[Ahbahbahbah]

We have never had a dog, but would really like to get one. Likely to be later this year/early next year.

I’m trying to work out how to prepare ourselves/choose and buy a suitable dog.

Is there some kind of “intro to dogs” book or course we could do?

How do people who haven’t had a dog before work out what type would suit them and find a reputable breeder etc?

@AvocadosBeforeMortgages - can I ask why being in west Wales is a red flag? We’re close to wales, should I not use breeders there?

@Ahbahbahbah

Hmm, yes that’s a good point. I suppose I’m sort of thinking that somebody who seems like a good dog owner would have a better idea than I am whether their breeder was good?

See my comment above about wilful ignorance.

In addition, however, in my experience anyone who's reasonably clued up about canine behaviour is probably that way because their dog (or a previous one) is a bit of a twat. I'll freely admit that acquiring a dog with issues forced me onto a crash course of learning about canine behaviour - I never would have gone into it in such depth if I'd acquired a dog which was the perfect family pet!

I wouldn't take information about breeders from people in the park as having any more weight than telling you that they exist. On the other hand, talking to them about the pros and cons of their breed is rather more useful.

Buying a puppy is a bloody minefield, so I really don't envy you that one! One thing I will say is that the less popular breeds are less likely to have come from a puppy farm, because they don't have the same mass market appeal and aren't targeted by puppy farmers in the same way.

It's not because there's anything wrong with the breeds at all - it's just that some have never quite caught on. Pomeranians, for instance, seemed to become fashionable when Paris Hilton had one, and never quite fell out of fashion. On the other hand, Papillons are equally small, cute and fluffy, have fewer health problems and are frankly less grouchy, but have never caught on in the same way and don't routinely appear in puppy farms in the same way that Pomeranians do.

[quote Ahbahbahbah]@AvocadosBeforeMortgages - can I ask why being in west Wales is a red flag? We’re close to wales, should I not use breeders there?[/quote]
It's a hub of puppy farming. I'm sure there's a handful of good breeders in West Wales, but they are seriously outnumbered by the puppy farmers.

I would treat any puppy located in West Wales with extreme caution.

On a related note, Many Tears rescue specialises in taking ex-breeding dogs from puppy farms. They're located in West Wales because that's where the supply is. They rehome a very large number of dogs each year, most of which arrive in dire condition and invariably never having been inside a house before because they've been kept in a shed. The mess Many Tears has to clean up is absolutely diabolical, both in terms of severity and quantity.

We’re getting a pup in the next few weeks OP.

I researched different breeds for a good 18 months on and off- got in touch with some contacts in various breed clubs and they were very happy to chat about their breeds. I hung out on here a good bit too and picked up some great resources in terms of preparing myself to know what to expect- I’ve been watching a lot of kikopup on YouTube and reading through the Dog Training Advice & Support page on YouTube. Also did lots of reading on how to spot puppy farms, what questions to ask breeders, what they should be asking you etc.

We’re going with a miniature schnauzer. I think at the end of the day you just pick a breed that seems to tick the most boxes for you and whose “faults” you can live with (I.e. we’re in the countryside so barking isn’t a huge problem for us).

We got our puppy by just contacting some breeders on champ dogs who at least looked legit and firing loads of questions at them- the good ones fired equal amounts back at us and some of them obviously know each other as one of them passed us on to the owner of our puppy’s mum who checked all the boxes for us.

So I think find your breed and then get chatting to owners/breeders who might be planning litters down the line to get on a waiting list or two!

Sorry that should say Dog Training & Advice on Facebook!

I really recommend the book 'Easy Peasy Puppy Squeazy' by Steve Mann

@RedLimoncello - thanks that all sounds very sensible :)

@swizzlestix - great thank you, will order it.

@AvocadosBeforeMortgages - thank you, I had no idea about that.

Bear in mind a lot of puppy farmers are clever and will use family homes as a front to sell their puppies. Google names and mobile phone numbers.

I think the main tell is that a good breeder will really care where their animals are going, will ask you lots of questions, may well have a waiting list for puppies. Whereas puppy farmers are probably more likely to put on the hard sell.

Puppy farmers also tend to focus on popular breeds and crossbreeds eg poodle crosses, pugs, French bulldogs etc.