Suggestions on where to get a dog from?

[Wingingit202122]

First time owner trying to find somewhere reputable to buy a dog from!
Was advised to look on pets4homes but not sure how reputable the sellers are
Spoke to one woman who told me she would only allow me to do a doorstep viewing! This immediately raised my suspicions so was wondering, how do we go about not falling foul to a backstreet breeder?

We found our Cockapoo on the U.K. Cockapoo Club list of approved breeders. They were really amazing breeders.Couldn’t have asked for better and our pup has had a lovely start to life. Ignore the MN Cockapoo hysteria they’re lovely dogs. Ours is our first dog and everything we wanted. She’s the perfect size, intelligent, lovely natured, so funny, adaptable, takes everything in her stride, v easy to train, gets on well with any dog and has proved to be hypoallergenic for our son who has a lot of allergies. Does not need a lot of grooming by any means unless a quick once over every day and a 2 month groom is a lot.

Go for it, they’re gorgeous.😍

You won’t find them specifically bred for health. They aren’t a breed. Decent poodle breeders care about the breed and do health tests etc. these trendy crossbreeds are purely bred for profit. Plus they can have the worst of each breed.

I’d expect any dog to be bred for profit. Who produces 6 puppies for anything else?

How true. Don't understand the crossbreed snobbishness on here at all.

Also as people have said this is a breed of two working dog breeds. They are clever, energetic and diligent But you won’t know which bits of which breed you have. If you are happy with a cross breed honestly put your name down to adopt something.

The will not work at their best in a slow, young child centred home. They need an interesting, energetic lifestyle. Older children, outdoorsy lifestyle great Think about what you can offer the dog.

Think that you need to take it out twice a day everyday for 15 years no matter if the kids are in pushchairs or need walking to primary or if you work. You can’t decide to go shopping if you have the dog in the car. For 15 years. Holidays abroad won’t be AI if you take the dog and sitters are £££ for 15 years.

And dogs die. Their favourite family member will inevitably get put down whilst they are doing teenage angst. It’s good for them to understand death but also it’s traumatic and you can’t help.
, .

I’d expect any dog to be bred for profit. Who produces 6 puppies for anything else?

the lady who bred mine shows. It’s her life. There’s a show community that breeds for each other, they match up their show winners, each has a pup or two to show, usually another shower will have a pup to show or diversify their own lines. Huge community worldwide.

it’s a breed that usually only has litters of 3 or 4. The have a litter once every 4 years or so as their current dogs retire from the ring.

some dogs are bred for a working purpose- guide, police, sheep. Some are bred to compete in other competitions like obedience and agility.

not all are bred solely for money. If you breed ethically it can be quite difficult to make a decent profit, when you factor in time, vet checks pre conception, stud fees, puppy checks, chips, vaccination etc…

All dogs should have an interesting lifestyle and define energetic. Ours has two walks a day and the run of downstairs and a medium sized garden alongside any errands.She’s pooped.

Fail to see what is so superior about breeding to show and have no problem with breeding for profit at all as long as they have a good, healthy and happy start.

Fail to see what is so superior about breeding to show and have no problem with breeding for profit at all as long as they have a good, healthy and happy start

didn’t say it was superior. Pointing out to the person who claimed all dogs are bred for profit and didn’t see why anyone would breed for any other reason.

Yes my dog's breeder breeds to show. She loves the breed. She's a bit bonkers but she is absolutely committed to breeding dogs which show well and are brilliantly healthy.

She absolutely doesn't breed for profit

My cockatoo breeder shows poodles and cockers. They also breed to sell. 🤷‍♀️

To show.
To work - gun dogs, guide dogs, therapy dogs, sheep dogs etc.
To continue the line (ie. to keep a puppy to continue breeding).

Lots of dedicated breeders only charge "cost" - to cover the costs of breeding, vaccinations, food and microchips but not to make a profit, or they charge enough to cover the above and any time off work to raise the pups properly.

Great so they’re breeding for their interests. As I said previously if breeders ensure dogs have a healthy, happy start it makes no odds as to why litters are brought into the world.

Wow that breeding really went badly!

@dustofneptune I was also going to say to avoid Humphries Poos/Raffles!
To anyone reading this who doesn’t know, they 100% are a puppy farm. I’d advise anyone considering them to look at the “All about Humphries and Raffles (breeders)” Facebook page.

Also, OP, please do consider what others are saying about cockapoos. They cannot be health tested by nature. They do attract a lot of dodgy breeders looking to sell a dog to inexperience owners who want something cute. Cute they may be, but life isn’t cute for the poor dogs left behind….

My friend has a litter of cockatoos every year because frankly it makes her a fortune.
She lives on a farm and the mum has full run of acres of fields plus other animals. My friend does the school run in the car, does farm jobs with the cocker all days and takes all dogs for a walk to the beach in the evening. All happy as Larry and no issues.
People who buy the puppies think their life will end up like that. Mmm, no.It will be 20 minutes on a lead for the school run ( not long enough for Cockerpoos) . Maybe a walk or maybe dog walker at midday .A walk to the beach once a month if it’s still sunny at 7pm. Dog ends up on tons of medication because it’s over fed and under exercised and gets euthanised at 13 if not earlier because it bit someone from lack of being taught social skills.

My friend has a litter of cockatoos every year because frankly it makes her a fortune.
She lives on a farm and the mum has full run of acres of fields plus other animals.

The mum? Please tell me your friend isn't breeding from one dog every year...?

lightisnotwhite

That’s just a ridiculous assumption. Most dog owners think long and hard before getting a dog. How much research and preparation owners do doesn’t hinge on what breed they pick. For all dogs size v accommodation , free access to adequate outdoor space, how much they’re left alone and quality of exercise are crucial. None of these hinge on breed. If you really want to get irate over dog issues I’d focus on the hoards of dogs of all breeds trapped in accommodation not big enough with not enough outdoor space left alone for hours during the day and with no access to decent walks either.

So mum is just bred from constantly to make your friend money?

Grim 🤢

Yep. Grim. I couldn’t be friends with someone who thought that was ok.

We used pets4homes, ended up with a gorgeous cockapoo from a woman who keeps dogs to work in films/tv….. she was breeding from her cockapoo to refit out the conservatory where they all slept, she had 15 dogs of various breeds. One was very famous! She said the mum was going to have 1 more litter and then she would have enough. She was totally open and honest and was an absolute dog fanatic. We met them all and they were all beautifully trained lovely dogs. Health tested for the recommended conditions for cockapoos.

There are lots and lots of families out there who only have 1 litter from a beloved family pet because they want the experience/their children to help raise the puppies etc etc. I’m not sure why that is less acceptable than people breeding for show or whatever (and breeders breeding for show is a closed shop when it comes to a normal
family just wanting a dog). Rescues won’t rehome to those with young kids so what choice is there? Just have to really trust your instincts and check everything out carefully before committing. Just don’t “feel sorry” for the pups and get one even though you can see the living conditions aren’t right.

There are lots and lots of families out there who only have 1 litter from a beloved family pet because they want the experience/their children to help raise the puppies etc etc
These are generally the type of people that are breeding with no genetic testing of the animals and IMO your dog is not beloved if you are willing to put it through a pregnancy just because you fancy it .

Ask people with cockerpoos you like where they got their dogs. There is a huge variation in cockerpoos, the reason why mumsnet does not like them is because so many are batshit, if you know one that is sweet and settled- ask the owner- it’s the best way.

Cockerpoos can be very hard work - they are from two working parents who need lots of stimulation and training. And I've got two span so I do love the spaniel madness, but they are not what some people think they are. I've met some lovey ones and some nutcases due to poor training.

There are lots and lots of families out there who only have 1 litter from a beloved family pet because they want the experience/their children to help raise the puppies etc etc. I’m not sure why that is less acceptable than people breeding for show or whatever (and breeders breeding for show is a closed shop when it comes to a normal family just wanting a dog).

Because as a general rule, those people don't do any genetic testing on the dogs and have no experience of breeding, raising a litter of puppies or starting socialisation properly. If you make mistakes socialising a young puppy, you can cause life-long issues with fear and aggression. It's a huge undertaking and not something to take on just because you "want the experience".

I also don't understand why anyone would risk purchasing a puppy from someone who doesn't know what they're doing and hasn't even done the most basic of checks on the parents.

Rescues won’t rehome to those with young kids so what choice is there?

They won't re-home to families with young kids for a good reason - because rescue dogs are hard work and it's even harder if you're also having to control small children at the same time.

A good breeder won't sell to families with small children for the same reason. Puppies are bloody hard work and nobody is entitled to own a dog - if you're being turned down by decent breeders AND rescues, there's probably a damn good reason for that and you should probably reconsider whether you're in the right position to own a dog, IMO.

I have no issues with breeders, btw, my own dog is from a breeder, but he did all the health checks, the genetic tests, got the dogs hip and elbow scored etc.