Getting a slightly older pup/health?

[TempleSpam]

A puppy has come available at a KC reg breeder who has been recommended to me. She is a bit older than most puppies leaving home (5 months) and the breeder says this is because she had puppy vaginitis which they wanted to make sure was fully better before they looked for a home for her.

Just wanted to check 1) whether adapting to a new home is likely to be harder for a slightly older puppy, and 2) whether you'd be concerned about the health issue. From my googling it looks as if vaginitis is an infection any bitch can get and so not likely to mean she's predisposed to it, but I don't really know anything about it.

Thank you.

I know nothing about the condition. But I'm sure your puppy will settle very quickly. So you're nearly missing out on the constant hand chewing, hopefully the pup will be or nearly house trained. Still young to be full of the puppy energy. I think you're getting a pup at the right time lol. Good luck. Stick to the breeders food, feeding guidance till she is fully settled. 😍

They sound like a very responsible breeder. Vaginitis is fairly common and easily treated.

My only concern would be whether she had been socialised as that window would now be closed.

Thank you both! Good point about socialisation.

This would be my worry too. What I would do is go and meet the pup and see what they are like at home then ask to walk the pup and see how they react to strange people/dogs/situations then make my decision.

The breeders sound good. My spaniel became available at 7 months when crooked teeth stopped her career as a show girl. She’d been well socialised within the family, including grandchildren. She lived in the house with their 5 spaniels so was house trained.
shed been well socialised by going to regular dog shows etc l. They interviewed 3 prospective owners. We were lucky to have a reference from a mutual friend. She’s 6 now and a lovely, sweet natured companion.

5 months isn’t too late - socialisation questions needed but as they seem responsible hopefully all ok

I got my dog from a very reputable breeder at 10 months. The breeder had kept two dogs on to see which one would be the best for winning in the show ring and standing as a stud dog mine didn’t make the grade. He’d been well socialised around people and other dogs, he was used to travelling by car going in the show ring and being handled by judges etc and walked beautifully on his lead he’s a friendly confident out going dog he took the move to me in his stride. I walk a lot and I don’t think he’d been let off his lead in wide open spaces seen rugged terrain or been used to walking in lots of mud he also can’t swim and for the first few days he couldn’t understand kissing gates or small bridges over streams he just walked of the side but within a fortnight you’d have thought he’d been with me since he was a puppy. I would do it again someone else did all the difficult bit associated with getting a puppy I got a nicely trained young dog.

No harm in meeting the puppy. The breeder sounds really responsible tbh.

That being said, if you do ask to take the dog for a walk, please ask the breeder to come with you.

This is for two reasons: (1) you just say 'can I take the dog for a walk' a good breeder will immediately say no and that'll be the end of you getting that pup (because IME there's no coming back from sounding, even inadvertently, like you're trying to get the puppy by itself) and; (2) the way the breeder acts and the way puppy acts around the breeder will tell you a lot about the bond they have built. At five months, the puppy should trust that breeder absolutely and so look to them on the walk for reassurance.

If you decide the puppy is yours, it won't be too hard to build that bond with it. But you want to be sure the puppy has been out and about with the breeder - because if they haven't, that's a red flag for so many reasons.

I went for a walk with the breeder and my older dog, I watched how he walked on the lead reacted to his surroundings etc and also how my older dog and the young dog got on.
He was fairly friendly he wagged his tail and sniffed me but not all over me, ditto my older dog no hostility a little indifferent, but this is a trait of the breed. But friendly to the breeder and his other dogs. He’s currently fast asleep at my feet having had a lovely autumn walk, those he knows family and friends he sees regularly he greets with enthusiasm he’ll ignore most people and dogs he doesn’t know.