Time wasters

[ljs1612]

Hi, has anyone had any experience with selling on pets4homes?
We recently bred our dog (responsibly before I get jumped on) and are selling the pups on there but it is absolutely full of time wasters, people just messaging wanting a chat I think. I don't understand why you would message unless looking to buy lol

@rottweilersrock I would of happily shared all of that if it wasn't for people telling me I hadn't had them done before even asking and saying I've cross bred and have a mongrel now I just think why should I when I was judged before even being asked.

Also I wasn't asking what needs to be done for breeding as I am fully aware of all of that I was just wanting opinions on the site, I've removed my post now anyway on there and just use word of mouth again and if it means 3 more additions to our family then so be it 😂

Also, I guess it depends if yours is a common and popular breed, or a common but unpopular breed, or an uncommon and sought after breed, or an uncommon and unpopular breed. E.g. Labradors are common and popular, but there are also lots of lab litters, so you'd have a lot of competition. Cane Corso X Belgian Malinois is much more...niche!

Wouldn't touch that site with a bargepole!

Compared to the long nose breed it’s not a healthier cross

And hybrid vigour is a feature of Heinz (57 varieties), not a single cross.

And it’s clear we agree that both parents each need all the relevant tests for their breed, because ‘designer’ cross puppies can have the genetic weaknesses of both/either parent (which may be well be more than sticking with a single breed, but which has not yet reached the total patchwork of a Heinz mutt)

I got my last DDog from there and he was the love of life 😔 so I'm just wondering what breed you have OP. Sorry if you don't want to answer I understand

Give it another week and all the people who want a puppy for Christmas will take them off your hands.

☹️

Hybrid vigour kicks in at first cross. It's why so many highly productive farm animals are first crosses.

Also, if you cross two breeds that suffer from different recessive illnesses, the puppies are very, very unlikely to develop these illnesses (you'd have to very unlucky and have not only a carrier parent from the breed that often has it, but also a carrier parent from the breed that has no/very few recorded cases). It's obviously different with things like hip dysplasia, which have a very unclear pattern of inheritance, the observation of which is almost certainly confounded by environmental factors.

As an aside, I have a dog who came from an ad on P4H. We did our due diligence (as did the breeder, who was very thorough, and who kept in touch for about five years), and the dog in question is a really excellent little dog (healthy, sound conformation, confident and environmentally stable, biddable, great worker: if I could have a clone of her as my next dog, I probably would).

I can see why P4H has a dodgy reputation, as it accepts ads from all and sundry, but if you take responsibility and check out the breeder, you can find some very good dogs on there. In all honesty I don't think ChampDogs is morally much better, given the eye-watering COIs of some of the breedings on there - we crossed several CD litters off for just that reason when we ended up with our P4H puppy.

why would you breed your dog and then advertise her pups on a puppy farming website?
Are you that desperate for cash?

@GreekDogRescue haha thank you for your reply you are a bit late to the judgement party and if you had taken time out of your day to read all replies you would of known the answer to that before commenting

Thank you and good night

It’s just that rescues are overwhelmed with beautiful dogs, many of whom are pedigrees or good natured healthy mixed breeds. There really is no need to breed yet more dogs. I’m aware that my post won’t convince you but many hopefully others may take note.

Because it’s Christmas, what a bad time to deal with a puppy.

I would never get a puppy off Facebook, Pets4 homes, gumtree etc. They have awful reps for puppy farming. Friend went to get a puppy off one of those sites. She ended up meeting in a car park, felt sorry for the puppy and took it home.

I think it depends on what your advert is missing and what people are actually asking you?

For example, if you don't have the exact health tests on your advert, people ask you for that info and you don't have it then perhaps they might appear 'time wasters' to you, but they are just seeking information or clarification.

To me, 'all blood tests' means nothing if that is how it's worded on an advert (I'm currently puppy hunting, but I've owned, trained and competed dogs for 25 years, I've also responsibly bred two litters under the Kennel Club Assured Breeder scheme before it became somewhat diluted). I'd want to know what DNA tests had been done, what those results were. Health specific tests for the breed, how those pups had been brought up and sometimes even the words used in the advert can put people off. I also look at the background of photos. If there is scruffy surroundings or it looks like pups are in some kind of barn, it's an instant dismiss.

Edited to add: decent litters should never need to be 'deflead'. I would also be wary of litters that were wormed with anything other than vet strength wormer. Owning both mum and dad as 'much loved pets' is also different from a planned litter where the sire is chosen to carefully balance out the positive/negatives of the dam. What was the reason for breeding them together if this is the only litter?

Perhaps if you pm me the wording, I could have a look and see if there is anything that could be changed that might help?

Don't worry I'm not running a puppy farm and she will not be bred again.

I have deleted my post and they are not advertised anywhere else, as I have previously said I didn't realise how much pets4homes and the people selling on them was frowned upon. We will just rely on word of mouth and if we have to keep them then so be, they definitely won't be getting abandoned

Not many people will pay anywhere near full price for an 11 week old puppy.

That period of socialisation time between 8 and 12 weeks is vital.

I got my puppy at 13 weeks old. Wasn't even planning to get a dog but when I heard through friends of neighbours of acquaintances (you get the idea...) that there was a little pup who got left behind and no one chose her....I was a goner 🥹

I now think actually it was the perfect time to get her, she seems to have benefitted from the longer time with mum and dad and littermates.

She was also waiting for me. I understand her like no one else can and my home is the perfect place for her and I'm so happy to share it with her.

This breeder also had an advert on pets4homes which is how I viewed the photos of the little wee soul (I wasn't searching for a puppy on the website, just the link someone sent me to photos and contact info)

When I got there she was discounted as there was a litter of 6 week olds coming available....broke my heart. Like why is she literally worth less?! 😭💔 I would have paid the same price anyway, discounting would have bore no influence.

All.of this happened from zero to puppy home with me in 36 hours.

Anyway, all this is to say, there are people out there who will be interested and not necessarily wedded to the idea of picking up the tiniest ball of fluff at the earliest possible stage.

Out of interest, what’s happening to the puppies you don’t sell? Have you agreed to take back puppies if the owners don’t cope?

Asking about hip/elbow scores being done isn’t rude, it’s an honest question. Are you planning on neutering now to avoid further litters?

You say you aren’t in it for money, so why did you breed them? I have a dog where I was told I should breed from her as she’s lovely, but there’s no way I’d do that to a pet I love just because ‘it’s a nice thing to do’. She’s spayed.

Congratulations! You are the definition of a backyard breeder

We bought a pup off there last year, I approached about three breeders before I chose one, and read lots of adverts that didn't convince me that they knew what they were on about over a few months before we decided to go with one. We then had a visit and after that put a deposit down.He's wonderful, perhaps to the first two I was a timewaster but they helped me be confident the one I actually got was the right dog for us. We've put a huge amount of time into training him, but he's an absolute gem.

If you aren't breeding for money then why are you?
I can think of absolutely no other reason people would risk their bitch and put themselves through the hassle of it all if it wasn't to make money.

Hi @ljs1612, I hope you see this post. I’ve just read all the posts and feel for you. I’ve bred a very few litters in 40 years of having dogs and it’s a tricky situation. If you have non-Kennel Club dogs then you don’t have access to a breeders’ club and therefore you have no option but to use Gumtree or P4H.

There’s nothing wrong with these sites, as others have said, except that puppy farmers use them. However, you’ll still get genuine enquiries. I learned to weed out potential time wasters by asking detailed questions during the first phone call. It’s useful to have a checklist to refer to. So you can say, thanks for the call, can I ask a few questions and then go through:

1. is there someone at home all day?
2. do they have an enclosed garden?

And so on. If the replies are unsure, gently but firmly turn them away. Don’t get involved in long discussions about breeding and so on. You’re looking for lovely, responsible families.

If suitable, ask them to come as a whole family and take it from there. I got people to sign a contract and took a deposit. Lots of people will still want a puppy at 14,16 weeks or older. Many breeders will hold onto the nicest pups for a time until they decide which one looks best so this frequently happens. No need to reduce your price too much. After all, you’ve got all the feeding, vaccinations etc to cover. You can also explain that the pups have been well socialised and are doing well with toilet training.

I’m sure you’ll find good homes for them but it is very time-consuming and worrying. I took back a 6 month puppy from a family who weren’t coping and found another lovely home for her. There are nice people out there.

All best wishes.

There are good reasons why people breed from their dogs. The best reason is to improve the breed by using genetically and phenotypically sound animals. Often people want a pup from their own dog and must find excellent homes for them other puppies. I bred 6 litters in 40 years of having dogs, each time for good and carefully considered reasons. Of course we took full responsibility for them all and kept in touch with the new owners during their dog’s lifetime.

Doesn't matter what type of breeder or where you advertise you will get what you believe are time wasters. Some will be ringing to ask further questions (are they hip and elbow scored? What is their coefficient? What genetic testing has been done? Are you following Puppy Culture or Aviddog? How old is mum? What is in your puppy contract?) Others ring to get a feel as to what sort of person you are and whether they feel comfortable getting a puppy from you.
At 11 weeks they are running out of their socialisation and habituation window so educated buyers will be more unlikely to buy.

Let's for homes is also rife with scumbags buying cheap animals to be used as bait in dog fights. It's reprehensible to sell any living creature on there.