What questions to ask breeder?

[letsgowiththat]

Bit of a newbie to this.
We are going to view a puppy in a few days time. The breeder is registered with their local council and the dogs are their house pets, both mum and dad available to meet.
They are KC registered and tested and cleared for hereditary diseases common in that particular breed.

We have made it clear that one of us works from home on a permanent basis and thats not affected by the pandemic so there will generally always be someone in the house.

They said they can provide references from families/buyers and pictures of previous litters - do we ask for them?
It's a cockapoo puppy - what documents should we be expecting to walk away with if we decide to go ahead with the purchase?
What general questions should I ask when we meet them?

I've had dogs before but never been involved in a purchase so would appreciate some tips and advice to what to ask and look out for.

The fact they are regustered with the local council suggests they have more than one breeding bitch and possibly produce more than one litter a year.

There wont be pedigree papers as they are cross breeds. Not of great import if you want a family pet.

You just have to swallow the fact you are paying over the odds for your pup. Thats how it is at the moment if you want a cockerpoo they are £££ sobe wary of someone cashing in.

You should be provided with vaccination details, it might be worth checking what vaccine pup has had as not all vet practices use the same so its good to know before you book for 2/3 vaccinations.

Pup should be microchipped and you will need to register this in your name. Its easy to do, just put # in petrac (or what breeder tells you) , there is usually a nominal fee for this.

A record of worming will also be provided.

A good breeder should be vetting you so be wary if they were keen to sell without asking questions etc.

It soundslike you are doing everything right.

Some breeders offer 4 weeks free insurance. I strongly advise you take this or take up the offer youre vet will likely offer you. This means youre covered from day one and avoid the nightmare of 'pre- existing conditions. This will require a vet check before you set up.

Pup will need its initial vaccinations this is usually two lots of jabs 4 weeks apart or three jabs two weeks apart. You will need flea and worm control monthly, again dependant on age and products used. Do not waste money on products sold in home bargains etc, at best, they dont work.

You must be very excited. Good luck with your new addition

Good advice from LEM. A breeder only registers with the Council if they are breeding more than 3 litters a year - it is not a badge of honour nor a sign of quality, puppy farms would be registered with the Council.

When you say KC registered, I presume you mean the parents and not the litter? Cockerpoos are crossbreeds and therefore cannot be KC reigistered. I presume one parent is Cocker Spaniel and one is Poodle - you want to see mum interacting with the puppies, it's been known for some breeders to use "stooge" parents as the real mum is knackered and overbred. It's also been known for "Cockerpoos" to be nothing of the sort, there was one in the paper today that was sold as a Cockerpoo but actually an Irish Doodle (Irish Setter x Standard Poodle) and grew enormous.

Speaking of parents, do you know of the Spaniel portion is Working Cocker? Show Cocker? Have they gone wild with an American Cocker? Is the Poodle a Mini, Toy or Standard? Behaviour will vary depending on what the parents are. Is it an "F1" cross (two purebred parents resulting in a crossbreed)?

Is this your first dog? Have you read up on the challenges that can come with Cockerpoos? Including resource guarding, separation anxiety and inheriting the super-moulty spaniel fur rather than the poodle coat.

Thankyou.
Yes it's the parents that are KC registered.
They have 2 female dogs, all family pets and at least one male as both parents of the cockapoodles are available to view alongside the pups.

It's a show cocker with a miniature poodle F1 mix.

They are wormed every 2 weeks and flea treated. The pup would be microchipped with our details and had their first vaccine and come with a copy of health certificate.

They did ask about our situation but were satisfied once I explained I exclusively WFH part time and will be for the foreseeable.
They are happy to provide pictures and references from previous litters - should I take them up on that offer?

And what should we ask when we are meeting the pup?

I have a miniature poodle, the breeder I bought him from lived breathed ate slept poodles, I had to complete an extensive questionnaire and include references photos of previous dogs garden family before she would put me on a waiting list and it still wasn’t a guarantee that she would sell me a puppy. At 4 weeks we were allowed to visit she went over the questionnaire again and then told me about herself her poodles including their show record pedigree of the parents grand parents how many were grand champions etc and the genetic screening that had been done on the parents. Poodles have a genetic eye condition called PRA they can be screened for it she showed me the parents results and what it meant for the puppy she might sell to me; he might be a carrier irrelevant unless you plan to breed as it’s a recessive gene. She clearly expected me to not only have done research into the breed but also to ask questions. I was then allowed to meet mum and puppies there was then a 48 hour period where either of us could decide not to go ahead I was then asked to pay small holding deposit which would be returned if she decided at any time not to sell me a dog. I felt very nervous which is completely out of character the bar for being allowed to buy one was very high and I worried t we wouldnt pass.
The outcome is that we have a fantastic example of a miniature poodle, he was well socialised by his doting breeder he has an amazing temperament is happy and healthy. We also have life time back up from her.
I don’t know if there are books about cockerpoos if there are read one and if any concerns/issues are raised ask the breeder about them sound them out what do they know about their breed what advise do they give say around resource guarding if that is know to be an issue in cockerpoos. Does it sound sensible?
My dog groomer says the coat on poodle crosses can be difficult to look after and often requires more input than a poodle.