How to buy a puppy?

[Newfluff]

I've owned rescues for 30 years, at one point fostering. I've just lost my last rescue and I am looking to get a puppy.

I have never had a puppy before, I do not want to accidentally buy from a puppy farmer but I'm not sure where to begin.

I know lots will say adopt, and I haven't ruled this out but i would like help on where to start looking, pets4homes etc seems a bit of a wild west.

Chances are, if you find a breeder in the first week of looking and they have puppies available...they aren't a breeder you want to use

This is from your thread @LandSharksAnonymous and I agree and enjoyed reading that thread.

Completely agree @Fizzygoo I've just been shocked by how many are available for so little.

@Darklane and others who have said about not needing to advertise, it makes sense, you never need to advertise the best. I know nothing is a given, but I want to do everything I can to get a well bred dog.

I think as owners we would be acceptable to most, I wouldn't have any problems fulfilling the requirements of @LandSharksAnonymous and we have experience of difficult to manage dogs.

I've mainly had pastoral breeds and it will be from that or gun that I get a puppy. The biggest issue is I need them to love water, which is pushing me towards gun dogs- my last two rescues didn't and due to our lifestyle it was a real shame.

@Newfluff glad it was helpful!

Our puppy (well she's a dog now but she started out as a puppy 🤣) came from a farm. As in, a working farm, not a puppy farm.

She's healthy as anything and also a delight to train, because she is from genuine working lines - that is to say, both parents are working dogs that actually work, and therefore come from lines of dogs who also work and have been bred over generations for both vitality and temperament. No, they aren't KC registered or health tested. They don't have papers or anything like that. But seeing the absolute state of many pedigree dogs (and breeders tbh), I don't really think any of that stuff is worth much anyway.

The farm owners own the mum, who is their sheepdog (collie) for their small flock, and also a much loved family member to them! The dad is a working gundog (black lab) from the farm across the valley.

The "breeders" (I hesitate to call them that really as this was their one and only litter) wanted to know a lot about me and our lifestyle/home situation. They are the parents of an old friend of mine so that sufficed for a reference. They were very very careful to ensure the puppies went to the right homes where they would get the right lifestyle for those particular dogs. They didn't advertise or anything like that, it was very much done via word of mouth. They put a huge amount of work into socialising the puppies around children, farm activities, car rides etc.

They also didn't do it for the money - I paid them £500 which included microchipping and first vaccinations. I can't imagine there was much if any profit in it once all the costs and time were taken into account. The mum had the absolute best of everything including a raw organic diet 🤣 which is also what the puppies were weaned onto.

So my recommendation to anyone wanting a puppy is to ask around the farming community! I'd never have found my amazing girl if it wasn't for knowing someone who knew someone, so any contacts you have are worth asking.

The biggest issue is I need them to love water, which is pushing me towards gun dogs

There's a lagotta romagnolo just up the road from us - lovely dog, and I don't think they're produced in large numbers in this country, so there's a reasonable chance of finding breeders who are doing it because they are enthusiasts.

Do remember to look at the working breeds group too. You could get the ultimate water loving dog, a Newfie!

There's a Lagotto near us, it's a very cute and playful dog but ohhh, Newfie ❤I've always fancied a Landseer Newf but then I end up playing safe with what I already know.

@Newfluff I have had rescue dogs {wonderful} but wanted a small purebred {back issues mean I need a dog I can physically lift in an emergency without too much trouble}

The breed rescue has a massive waiting list, and they like to home to people who already have a dog of this type to act as a 'companion'.

I contacted a breed club who gave me an instant knock back - I persisted and sent pics and details of past dogs we had and loved.

This worked - it was soon after lockdown was coming to an end where people were buying dogs on whim, and the breed club were inundated with whim buyers.

I had no idea at that time how the people in this breed all seem to know of each other.

I was given some phone numbers from far away , and all these people had waiting lists.

I was put in touch with someone 40 miles away who was planning a future litter from a health tested {heart and eye} 5 yr old.

She has one litter every few years just to keep her 'line' going -and one litter per female only.

she does this to keep a female puppy for herself, and the others she seeks good homes for.

It was a thorough initial interview over phone first, then another interview, nothing was promised.

{I didn't even ask for price of pups I realised until many months later after I'd met them.. £900 for girls and boys, I had ''Hobsons choice'' as the last on the waiting list.

I'd specifically wanted a boy, but was offered a girl.

Collection I was given loads of food {Josera and Butternut box} worming instructions and KC reg- plus the need to change identichip registration to our own address.

Plus the contract that gave a full money back guarantee for a month {and a sliding scale after that} - also stipulated was that if she couldn't be kept for any reason, she was to be returned to the person who bred her.

The young {9 weeks plus} puppy stage is over in an instant, but such fun! It's lovely introducing them to new things and seeing their 'wonder' in the world.

The person I got mine off had varying ages {all the same breed} from elderly to three years old at that time, so the pups got used to older dogs who taught them 'manners' before going to new homes at 9 weeks old.

I'd advise never get a puppy from an online ad, or any ad, as a reputable person will operate via word of mouth via breed clubs- and no need to ever advertise, due to waiting lists.

@Newfluff Re water, ours hovers over it! massive leaps to clear it.

if you know what breed you are interested in join some fb groups and look at posts which will give you lots of information about the breed

This is really good advice. I'm on a couple of FB groups for the breed of our DDog and sometimes people join, read the post for a bit then say it's not the breed for them. To me fair though most of the DDogs mentioned are utter dicks. Lovable but not well behaved

We were at vets recently for routine check, and it was surprising how badly behaved some dogs are- charging in, ahead of the owners, on a baggy ill fitting harness and a massively long lead, making a beeline for the well behaved dogs patiently waiting, trying to sniff the cats. {the cat owner had covered up the boxes but cats are no fools, they know when a maniac dog is nearby.

It's very foolish to allow any dog to approach other animals in a 'stressful' place like a vet's waiting room.

We could hear the 'naughty' dog scrabbling around and being difficult in the consulting room.

Cats, of course, get a ''pass'' for being rather tricky at the vets, but dogs are trainable.

I'd be in your badly behaved group - my dog absolutely loves the vets, does rush in to say hello to the receptionists (who are equally pleased to see him and give him fusses) and struggles to wait patiently for his turn (he wants in, whereas most dogs want out!). However, he's on a short lead and is never allowed to approach the cats, or other dogs unless they approach him with relaxed interested in saying hello body language. You would hear him scrabbling sometimes as I tell him to sit or lie down and shush. His behaviour is not perfect but we've come a long way (he was a rescue and had never really been to the vets until I got him aged 8). We're now at the vets a lot (chronic conditions) so I'm pleased that he sees it as such a positive place full of great people, fusses and treats. He's a perfect patient once he's in the consulting room and is often used as for training folk as he's so biddable. He just struggles in the waiting room as it blows his excitement brain.

It depends on the context, Larger breeds tend to struggle on slippery floors in the vets waiting room. It is also very easy for people to think a large dog is being "badly behaved" when it's actually just a gigantic puppy.
We took our pup to the vets at 4 months and she was all over the place; I'm sure owners of small sedate or timid breeds would have been rolling their eyes in disgust at her scrabbling for grip but the staff knew she was just a baby.

I don't deny that there are some badly behaved dogs but it isn't always so cut and dried as it can first appear. I suspect your idea of a "naughty" dog is very different from mine.

Thanks all for the information, I've Googled Lagottos they look like a good match and apparently the second most expensive dog in the world, I didn't read anymore but have added them to my list.

Agree with the posts about working dogs, have found a few adverts where people are breeding to keep a pup, it is certainly something I would consider.

I'm not ready yet but taking this time to learn as much as possible, googling and reading books on having a puppy, much is similar to having a rescue, and I haven't ruled out an older dog either.

Apologies if I haven't replied directly, all post have helped loads.

Tollers are bred in the U.K. It’s worth seeing if you can get to Discover Dogs at Crufts. And contact the breed club for the breeds you are interested in. Definitely avoid P4H.

There is loads of good advice on this thread.

If you've had tricky dogs before, a working line gundog might be a good fit. It might be wise to stay away from the really high-drive field trialling lines. I'd had two working line gundog puppies out of working parents, but the third was field trial lines and she was a nightmare puppy, almost broke me and I am made of tough stuff - she was almost three before the glimmer of a nice dog began to show.

If you look through internet ads, you do have to do your due diligence very carefully. My older dog came from a P4H ad, and the breeder wanted to know loads about us, showed us the pedigree of the breeding and videos of the dam working, let us visit as much as we wanted, had us a sign a proper contract and kept in touch for a good five years. He was very anxious that the puppies should go to good homes, and had a lovely relationship with his own two dogs. And she's a really lovely dog, a solid worker with a fabulous temperament.

Good luck in your hunt for both breed and breeder/puppy.

If you're looking for a gun dog water loving. I'd contact some gamekeepers. They know who's breeding what. Also FB groups as pp said.

We've bought this way a few times and never had health issues. Word of mouth works. Just last week we heard of lab puppies coming up.

I know it’s covered above but I really loved @LandSharksAnonymous’s ethos asa breeder. An example for others for sure!

@LandSharksAnonymous can tell you're a goldie owner just from the name 🤣

Mines now in velociraptor stage and by god I'd forgotten how difficult puppyhood can be. And now he's in adolescence he's gorgeous but insane and has forgotten everything he knew only a month ago. Not to mention the complete inability to walk on a lead without being an utter dickhead and pulling me over.

OP good luck!

you just need to follow well established puppy buying rules and you’ll be fine