s4sugar
Well-Known Member
Looking to buy a puppy this weekend -
In the first instance choose a breed or type to suit your lifestyle not just just because the advert has a cute photo. A dedicated breeder will be honest about their breed and tell you the pros & cons those in it for the money will only stress the good points and everything they breed will be perfect for your family.
Always google the phone number before ringing, always say I'm ringing about the puppies........if they ask which ones it may be a red flag. Ask for the parents registered names and what health tests they have had the breed clubs will have a list of recommended checks and you can look up specific dogs on the kennel club website http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/services/public/mateselect/test/Default.aspx Even if that dog has no health tests it will state the breed and confirm such a dog exists.
Always, always, see the puppy with it's mother at the place it was born. Don't accept any excuse, OH has just taken the mum out, she is at my Mothers, Sisters, great aunt Mathildas etc. The only reason for mum not to be present and with the puppies is if she has died in which case you need to ask for the name of the vet practise to confirm this.
You should see the puppies at a home, it may be at a hobby breeders home which also is a kennels, it should not be a multi breed puppies for sale establishment which all too often pass themselves off as breeders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsnVaLH1DRw
A good breeder probably wont have the sire onsite as the best option is rarely owned by the owner of the dam. You should be able to see the sires details, photos and health test information and be given contact details for his owner. All paperwork should be available for you to see.
If the pups are purebred and can be registered there is no good reason for them not being so nor for breeding from an adult without full registration.
Avoid the scam registries. Dog lovers and Kennelreg are there to assist puppy farmers and dishonest breeders. Kennel club, ISDS, NGRC are no guarantee of quality but not having proper documents is proof of dodgyness. A common scam is parents are registered but we havent registered the puppies because we only want them to go as pets which is another way of saying we have bred from dogs we agreed not to breed from. It costs £15 for a breeder to register a puppy with the kennel club so anyone giving two different prices for registered and unregistered is best avoided.
Just because somewhere calls itself a rescue doesn't mean it isn't an outlet for a puppy farm.
Please don't buy a deliberate cross breed - ask yourself would you buy it if it ended up with all the bits you don't like in the parent breeds plus if someone has a quality health tested bitch they should be using it to promote that breed.
Crossing two breeds does not produce a healthier dog as the puppy may get the worst of both parents.
Cross breeds are often to fool the books as a bitch is only allowed one registered litter a year and rescues are being flooded with dogs that do not do what the seller promised eg. poodle crosses that shed heavily.
Recently puppy farmed puppies have been shipped in by the van load from Eastern Europe. These are mass produced and often have false papers. They are advertised from private homes who may be selling on commission.
If you dont specifically want a puppy try breed rescues found via the kennel club or general rescues or your local pound.
If you see an advert and are not sure about anything you can ask on this forum and people will be able to read between the lines or find you contacts in the breeds you are interested in.
Please either buy a puppy from a reputable caring breeder or rescue an older dog but please dont hand money to puppy farmers and scammers.
Finally-
If you are in any doubt about the puppy, its health, its origins or the conditions where you see it please dont buy it, however hard it is to leave it behind, but do report the place to their local council.
This could save you a lot of heartbreak and if people stopped buying their product the puppy farming would be stopped.
In the first instance choose a breed or type to suit your lifestyle not just just because the advert has a cute photo. A dedicated breeder will be honest about their breed and tell you the pros & cons those in it for the money will only stress the good points and everything they breed will be perfect for your family.
Always google the phone number before ringing, always say I'm ringing about the puppies........if they ask which ones it may be a red flag. Ask for the parents registered names and what health tests they have had the breed clubs will have a list of recommended checks and you can look up specific dogs on the kennel club website http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/services/public/mateselect/test/Default.aspx Even if that dog has no health tests it will state the breed and confirm such a dog exists.
Always, always, see the puppy with it's mother at the place it was born. Don't accept any excuse, OH has just taken the mum out, she is at my Mothers, Sisters, great aunt Mathildas etc. The only reason for mum not to be present and with the puppies is if she has died in which case you need to ask for the name of the vet practise to confirm this.
You should see the puppies at a home, it may be at a hobby breeders home which also is a kennels, it should not be a multi breed puppies for sale establishment which all too often pass themselves off as breeders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsnVaLH1DRw
A good breeder probably wont have the sire onsite as the best option is rarely owned by the owner of the dam. You should be able to see the sires details, photos and health test information and be given contact details for his owner. All paperwork should be available for you to see.
If the pups are purebred and can be registered there is no good reason for them not being so nor for breeding from an adult without full registration.
Avoid the scam registries. Dog lovers and Kennelreg are there to assist puppy farmers and dishonest breeders. Kennel club, ISDS, NGRC are no guarantee of quality but not having proper documents is proof of dodgyness. A common scam is parents are registered but we havent registered the puppies because we only want them to go as pets which is another way of saying we have bred from dogs we agreed not to breed from. It costs £15 for a breeder to register a puppy with the kennel club so anyone giving two different prices for registered and unregistered is best avoided.
Just because somewhere calls itself a rescue doesn't mean it isn't an outlet for a puppy farm.
Please don't buy a deliberate cross breed - ask yourself would you buy it if it ended up with all the bits you don't like in the parent breeds plus if someone has a quality health tested bitch they should be using it to promote that breed.
Crossing two breeds does not produce a healthier dog as the puppy may get the worst of both parents.
Cross breeds are often to fool the books as a bitch is only allowed one registered litter a year and rescues are being flooded with dogs that do not do what the seller promised eg. poodle crosses that shed heavily.
Recently puppy farmed puppies have been shipped in by the van load from Eastern Europe. These are mass produced and often have false papers. They are advertised from private homes who may be selling on commission.
If you dont specifically want a puppy try breed rescues found via the kennel club or general rescues or your local pound.
If you see an advert and are not sure about anything you can ask on this forum and people will be able to read between the lines or find you contacts in the breeds you are interested in.
Please either buy a puppy from a reputable caring breeder or rescue an older dog but please dont hand money to puppy farmers and scammers.
Finally-
If you are in any doubt about the puppy, its health, its origins or the conditions where you see it please dont buy it, however hard it is to leave it behind, but do report the place to their local council.
This could save you a lot of heartbreak and if people stopped buying their product the puppy farming would be stopped.
