Looking at/buying a puppy a long way from home

galaxy

galaxy

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So looking at German Shorthaired Pointer puppies. Problem being that all the ones I can find are nowhere near where I live (like other end of country!).

I was always advised to go and view the puppies with the parents etc before buying. So what do people do? Do people make several trips to see them, reserve one, then go back and collect once ready?

May seem a silly question, it's just not something I had thought about.
 
I have bought a puppy unseen (my second whippet) but only on the recommendation of a very knowledgeable breeder friend - usually I would expect to visit once or twice, then go and collect the puppy when he/she is old enough
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Dont do what I did either, which was to "just go to look" at a litter of lurchers which turned out to be stunning, we went home with one then and there
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Had to buy Lactol etc on the way home, thank god we didnt accept the guy's 'buy one get one free' offer
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We bought our first rotty a 4 hour drive from home. We saw both parents and were "interviewed" by the breeder. Obviously we were deemed suitable to take one of her puppies and brought Holly home the same day. She threw up all the way home but she was a superb dog and we were privileged to have her in our lives for 8 years.
 
My Parent's bought a puppy from Aberdeen (they live in Leics!) so going to visit them before picking one up was not practical!
They know the breed well, knew what lines they wanted, knew the breeder and had regular puppy/mummy/daddy pictures via email.
Drove there, spent about two hours there, selected the puppy and drove home - it took them about 16 hours to drive there and back!!
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I wouldn't recommend it though, unless you know the breed/breeders well. The first time my parent's bought a Working Cocker, they drove to Yorkshire to see a litter, didn't like them, drove to Somerset to view another litter, selected a puppy then drove back a few weeks later to pick him up!
 
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lol Splotchy, I had 'just gone to look' at a litter of Italian greyhounds - had never seen them in real life before, and came back with one straight away. Oops.

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So glad it isnt just me
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Lurchers can be so many things, so I wasnt sure, but these were deerhound types and were just what I was wanting - luckily OH fell in love instantly with Mac when he got stuck behind the kennel and screamed his head off, so he just had to come with us
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I have someone from scotland booked in for one of the puppies from my litter of weimaraners due in 4 days time.
They were the first people on the waiting list so have pick of the litter, but because of the distance are picking via photos and any info i can give them, they will then only see her in the flesh when they come to pick her up.
 
we did not see Chimo before we got her, we picked her from a photo at a few hours old whe she looked like a horrible little rat! breeder sent us pictures of her and we talked on the phone. We live in the channel islands and it costs about £400 to get the boat over!! it was a risk but the breeder was recomened and she is a lovely dog (well most of the time!!) took us about 4 hours to drive from the breeders to the boat, 4 hours on the boat and then 10 minutes to get home, she was sick and weed and pooded in her cage but was fine when she got home
 
I knew exactly the type i wanted and googled away til I found a dog whose offspring were all fab (he was the common denominator!) Then got in touch with his owner looking for a cross with a working bitch. She put me in touch with the breeder and as I was going to be less than an hour away (actually live 5 hours away) I got to see them at 7 days old and had my pick! I saw them 3 times and my mum visited once too (I managed to wangle an awful lot of work trips that month in that direction!!)

He travlled home no bother in the car (stopped for a pee at a service station (he went on a training mat!!) and slept most of the way!!
 
iv had a mixed experiences with looking at dogs far away....

after travelling a few hours with my dad and little brother to get a pup we ended up in what basicly was a puppy farm..

pups packed into wooden crates in an outhouse
no sign of the mothers let alone sires and owners who immediatly handed us kids a pup each so we'd want to take them...

it was horrible i wanted to bring one home to get it out of that hell hole.luckily my dad had more sense told them we wernt intreasts in dogs from these sort of conditions and that that this was blatent cruelty..
Il never forget him explaining in the car that us 'rescueing one of those poor pups would just encourage them to keep more like that..took a while to explain to an upset eleven year old im sure...

the only other dog we traveled far to see went much better tho.We ended up taking on a year old labrador that was too full of energy to be kept in the town in a house with small kids..he was able to knock a 4 year old over with only his tail...and he was an absolute dote tho just lacked any basic manners...he eventually got over the crazy hyperness with lots of walking and football helped and a lot of time being thought basic obedience and he was the best and most loyal dog we ever had...

All il say about travelling to see a pup is to go in with your eyes open if your only traveling once...ring ahead ask the breeder what they usually expect as regards reserving a pup...ask things like if they can send pics of the pups and parents,expect the breeder to ask you some questions,good breeders will want to know the sort of home there pup is going to....and when you get their be prepared to walk away if your not happy wit the pups in spite of the time it takes to get to them...
 
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