New puppy "process" - does this sound right?

[tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz]

Morning folks looking for some advice/reassurance ...

After years and years of wanting we are finally at the stage in life where we can provide a good home and life for a dog. We have decided, after consider in and trying the rescue option, to go down the puppy route.

We found a local-ish breeder on Champ Dogs who x 2 people I know well have had their beautiful dogs from so that's reassurance in itself.

Mum is confirmed pregnant and puppies expected in December. We haven't been to see her yet and haven't been invited to. Is this normal?

But anyway crux of my post - breeder has advised that order of who gets pups is based on who pays a deposit first.

How will this work? As I'm assuming in order to be first to pay people will not have been to see the puppies? Which is absolute imperative surely? I know she's legit but still - handing over a wad of £ based on some photos doesn't sound sensible?!!!

Can someone advise what the process is?

Thanks all. I want to do this the right way x

Two bitches having a litter in a short space of time to each other is fine. It’s no different to two women deciding to try to conceive at a similar time and one having a baby in January and one in March due to their fertility and cycles. Given she is a breeder, it’s quite normal to have more than one bitch.

A good breeder won’t let you see the bitch whilst pregnant. A deposit on a first received basis suggests she’s weeding out those who aren’t serious and if she has a good reputation then that should be enough for her to protect if the puppy isn’t right for the person who has reserved it.

I’d expect a good breeder to interview you just as much (if not more) than you do them and the questionnaire means they can pair you up with the most suitable puppy available.

Given you have opted to buy a puppy which means the personality isn’t so clear, and you have chosen to go for a specific breed, what is your concern about putting down a deposit and then meeting the puppy? If it’s ill health, then that’s what your research should be for. If it’s that you just don’t think the puppy chosen will be pretty enough or something frivolous like that then tell the breeder that. Some will probably decline to sell to you on the grounds that you might dump the puppy if something happens further down the lines to make it look less aesthetically pleasing but I’m sure you can find some that don’t care. The questionnaires and a good breeder should be enough to make sure you are able to bond happily with the puppy (assuming you have made the right choice with the breed).

We got our beagle almost seven years ago.

We never met the breeder before the puppies were born, but we did speak on FaceTime which is when we were added to the waiting list. When the puppies were about two weeks old, we saw them on video and paid a deposit (but not for a particular puppy).

At five weeks we went to meet them and chose which one we wanted. If at that point we changed our minds, we'd get our deposit back. Our puppy came home at 12 weeks - which is old by MN standards but which meant he was already well on his way to being toilet trained and could go for walks straight away. We only had a handful of accidents.

We found our breeder via word of mouth and are still in touch all these years later. There were another two litters born after ours but now he's stopped breeding and the dogs are just family pets. He wasn't on Champdogs or anything like that but the puppies were all KC registered and we have all their lineage and all the health tests of parents/grandparents etc.

Out of interest, what breed is the dog,?

It's not a case of 12 week.old puppies being old by mn standards,there are guidelines. We have had a lot of collies,all bar this last one,8 weeks old, they got used to the car,they were put in a front baby carrier and taken places to get used to familiar sights and sounds,on the advice of our vet of 25 years. We live 10 minutes away from the beach, and several years ago our 2 borders were terrified of the sea. We had a Phalene and because of his size he was 11 weeks old, when we got him, I had to do a 4 hour journey to go and be met and vetted by the breeder, before I was even considered as a potential purchaser.

Breeder seems to be suggesting we pay a deposit of £400 before pups even born. This seems a large deposit but as this is all new to me I'm doing my due diligence to be as sure as we can she had dog's interest above everything but also to protect us too financially.

If this is a normal amount then that's good to know and makes me feel better.

Border terrier

No red flags apart from the deposit thing is a bit weird.

I'd be reluctant to pay money for a puppy that hadn't been born yet, I have to say. I know some breeders do take deposits that early but unless I knew the person really well, I'd feel a bit iffy about it.

Those of you who paid a deposit either before born or shortly after - does £400 for a £1200 dog seem the norm?

Yes, that seems about right. We paid a £200 deposit for ours and he was £750.

Bit high to me. I paid £500 deposit for £2500 - and I had seen the puppy twice before...

We paid £200 for a £2k dog (big breed, KC pedigree) and handed over the deposit six weeks after birth. By then we'd met the litter twice, had been vetted by the breeder and been assigned our puppy. Only then did we pay.

I think this thread just demonstrates that, confusingly, there are lots of different (yet legitimate) ways to buy a puppy from a breeder, lol.

I don’t think £400 seems unreasonable or excessive but I’d be looking for reassurance about what happens to the money if there aren’t enough puppies born or who survive.

We only paid deposits after the puppies had been born, just to add to my previous messages. I don't think I'd put any money down before that.

Re. Choosing a pup it’s a lottery on temperament really as there are so many factors. Our pup was calm and laid back at 8 weeks. Now she’s a hell child at 3 🤣 Absolutely lovely but calm she is not. Fabulous adventure buddy though which is what we wanted.

Deposit amount seems fine. We didn’t pay one as we collected ours the day we viewed. Two pups had become available unexpectedly and there was no reason not to. Breeder didn’t normally advertise as she went on word of mouth. We were ready for pup and had been looking for a while and had viewed other litters which we weren’t happy with. It was a four hour drive so that was also a factor. We were sent away for two hours to think about it.

Borders are fabulous but they are working terriers. They can be a handful, especially the girls. They are very trainable and eager to please but also sensitive and respond well to choice based and reward training. You cannot bully them. Find a trainer who understands terriers and how to motivate them. Also make sure parents and preferably pup has had SLEM tests. Also eye tests for at least one parent is preferable. They are working dogs so should be fit and healthy but because they have become popular a lot of problems are creeping in. I know a few and those that are health tested are happier and healthier dogs.

If the breed is popular or scarce they may well take deposits before birth, though more normally I think they put you on a waiting list. So five people put a deposit on puppies as they have decided they want one from this breeder, and they probably also have a waiting list. The buyers may specify sex. You are third. So pups are born and after a few weeks first person is invited to come choose. Then the next one. Then you from what's left. It may well be that you want a boy and all the boys are taken. A decent breeder would then refund your deposit. Or there may not be as many puppies as expected. Again, refund.
They may well send videos out of the pups too.
Other breeders don't take deposits until after the pups are born and they know exactly what they've got. You are invited to come, you choose pay a deposit until the pup is old enough to go home.

My breeder put me on a waiting list. Then when the puppies were born she took a deposit. We had had several long conversations previously to ensure we we both happy. I got daily videos and photos of the litter, seeing how they were developing and how they were kept. Then another long chat about which puppy, if possible, and I asked for the boldest dog. 24 hours before collection I paid the balance. The first time I met the puppy was when I collected him. The order was that of the waiting list.

Thanks everyone - I think I'll arrange to have a conversation with her and in the meantime ask the two families we know what they did with her deposit wise and when, I'll look back at this thread to think of questions to ask her and once we've spoken I'll revisit how my gut feels.

I'll also contact the other breeder who is waiting for the lady to come into season and ask what her process seems to me too.

As a pp here said it clearly varies. As I've mentioned my absolute priority and the reason this is all taking's so long is, it's imperative we do it properly so our beautiful boy or girl (DH wants a boy as feels outnumbered in a house full of females. Plus has fallen in love with Colin from Accounts ) is through someone who is reputable and has the dog's interest central. Immediately after is not being swindled!!

So I may not be back to this thread for a while now but thanks again to all who have offered advice and experience .... it's been very helpful x