Would this put you off a breeder?

[DueyCheatemAndHow]

Only looking at kC assured breeders. I contacted them in Jan and they said they were hoping for a litter in May. They have me health testing details and a sentence about how the puppies are raised before they are let go. They asked me about my situation. I replied, didn't hear back. Sent a follow up email to see if everything I said was OK and if they had any questions,.they said not we are on the list, we could join their fb group and they'd let me know when a pregnancy was confirmed.

Is this unusual? It seems quite sparse in terms of conversation, eg I've no idea how long the list is or how much the puppies are or anything about how many dogs they have etc. I am on a end waiting list and we had a 90 min phone chat then all of us went to visit her, I know a lot more info.

Is one just exceptional or OTT or the other one a bit lax?

From buying my cats from breeders I'd say just that. They go across the spectrum from super friendly and engaged to barely responsive .. I'd not want a puppy from an uncommunicative breeder - if they're like this now .. maybe they'll be rubbish at providing updates once you've reserved (and paid a deposit). I'd say follow your instincts and if a breeder doesn't look like they'll satisfy your needs as a serious potential buyer I'd go elsewhere. Just my opinion.

I haven't bought a puppy from a breeder. But I have registered pedigree cats. With my first cat I honestly thought I was being scammed because the contact was very sparse. Especially when kittens aren't allowed home until after 12wks. When I got my second cat (different breed) it was completely the same. Also with my last kitten!

I personally wouldn’t like that and would make me suspicious, rightly or wrongly. Being KC registered just means they have a pedigree line and have done the requisite health tests but doesn’t have any requirements or checks on the actual welfare of the dogs. I’d want to visit the parents (or at least the mum) at their home - inside their home not meeting at a public location as puppy farmers sometimes do this - and meet the breeders in person.

Thanks. The FB shows they have I think 6 dogs and there are lots of posts from people who have had puppies from them it just makes me a bit hesitant.

The “join the fb group” makes me think puppy farm, and this post kind of confirms it.

i am always suspicious when there’s a need to set up a fb group.

are the 6 dogs different breeds? Do they have just one, or several breeds? Any crosses?

No all one breed. Lots of photos communication between the breeder and people who've had puppies from them (photo updates)

@TedMullins actually the seeing mum in home can easily be faked too, I watched a BBC show on the lengths they will go to especially when popular breeds are involved that people are willing to pay far too much for. So many people end up with farmed puppies without realizing it.

Not a popular breed, but the difference between the 2 breeders is really marked

@LosingMyPancakes yes that is true - some do go to great lengths to hide what they’re really up to. Agree with a PP the Facebook group rings alarm bells too.

My dog is one of 11 puppies from a litter, we are part of a closed fb page for that litter and communicate with eachother. Fb groups do not = puppy farming.

There's no reason why a Facebook group alone should be ringing alarm bells.

I'm in a Facebook group for my beagles' littermates - there's two litters in total over six years and the group is just a quick and easy way for everyone to stay in touch and share any problems.

Definitely not a puppy farm!

Closed facebook groups for those who own puppies is very different to a general Facebook group for prospective owners and nosy people.

I had very little communication with my dog's breeder before there was a pregnancy. We had a first very long and pleasant phone call where I explained who I was, what sort of life the pup would lead etc...but after I booked my pup, nothing much. And in fairness, what would she have said to me, no pregnancy, no female in heat...so I just waited and one day, I had a text saying in substabce "female in heat soon" then "pregnancy confirmed" and then comms started again and never really stopped since!

Also we need to understand that not everyone is comfortable with online / text messaging. I see that all the time on Gumtree, Nextdoor etc...people reply in a quite abrupt way but as soon as I meet them, they're lovely decent and honest people.

I wouldn't dismiss the breeder for that. However, as with any breeder, I'd want to see the dogs, where they live, I'd like to know who they are, what's their relationship with other breeders of the same breed, Kennel Club etc...

It's possible the person prefers dogs to people? Or is dyslexic, direct to the point, not a flanneller, spent hours and hours previously with potential customers to find out six month down the track they went elsewhere without ever the manners to let them know. You never know.
As for FB groups, we have one for our kennels. It's an easy way for people to keep in touch, to arrange meet ups, to see how the pups are doing as they grow on. Ours has been running for years and is still well used by both potential buyers and previous. We keep it hidden and private so people can share things they may not want friends or family knowing with regards to their dogs/puppies.

It does boggle me to think uninvolved people think they know THE best way to raise/breed animals whatever the species, and that they jump to conclusions with no facts to back them up.

It's a private fb group

I had several conversations of around an hour before I made it onto the waiting list with no idea how many were ahead of me. Luckily I got my dear dog at first shot. But I would expect more engagement with potential buyers than your first breeder demonstrated.

I would defo be annoyed at sparse communication, but it also doesn't seem like there's much to communicate. The breeder doesn't have a pregnant bitch.

When I bought my puppy there was a breed specific website that listed breeders who were expecting or had litters. Is there any more breed specific website out there, rather than trawling Kennel Club?

@Mythril I suppose i just expected a bit more questioning, we have young children so I expected a breeder to want to know more?

I've been waiting 25 years for a dog so I may well have built this up in my head!!