New Puppy Purchase: Some questions

Eglinton

Our last dog died over a year ago and it's now time to get a new one for my parents. It's taken a while to overcome the grief as he was much loved for the best part of two decades.

Anyway, I'm investigating the possibility of getting a Pom pup (fully cleared with my mother!) for them in the next two weeks. I've never actually bought a dog before, nevermind a pure bred, so I have some queries. I'm also well out of practice with pups. If I get the pup very soon I will have to mind it myself before bringing it home for Christmas so I want to make sure I'm prepared.

I've looked at a lot of ads online. There are several pups available on a daily basis it seems.

My list of questions for the sellar are, so far:
Can I see the parents?
What age is the pup?
Is the pup IKC registered and do you have the papers?
Has the pup been to the vet?
Is he wormed/vaccinated etc.
Was the breeding intentional?

Any more things I should ask them?


My questions for you folks are:
What's the youngest pup I should get? When is a pup too young?
What sort of food is ok for a young pup?
What basics will I need to purchase (basket, medication, anything at all?)
What does having your pup IKC registered actually mean in practice?
Is there anything I need to do for IKC registering?
Any caveats for buying a pup? (We've always got pups free from freinds/neighbours before)

Really looking forward to having a dog in the house again!

Thanks in advance.

suziwalsh

Cannot commend on breeders etc. as am a rescue lady myself....

But can advise on the rest no problem

If I was you I would....get a pup between 9-12 weeks old not younger than 8weeks make sure you see certs signed by a vet and the details of the clinic with vaccination card.

I would feed a pup dry Royal Canin puppy food for small dogs in a green bag or another one of the high quality foods like Science plan, James wellbeloved or Burns. You are what you eat and so is your dog. It is best to make sure you buy your food either online www.zooplus.ie or from a vets/pet shop and not a supermarket brand. This will keep your pup healthy and happy, lower vets bills, less poo, less smells, better coat etc etc.

Your pup should come with at least a first vaccination course if not two and micro-chipped, wormed etc

You should buy a nice bed easily washed and kept clean.

You should not need medication for any healthy pup but you should get some good wormer from a vet and actually have the pup checked over by your own vet also.

Make sure to buy lots of toys and chews to keep the pup stimulated.

I don't believe unfortunately that being IKC reg means anything at all as it is poorly monitored. However it does mean that your dog can be shown.

If you don't feel confident buying a pup then rescuing is always an option we have had so many poms in this year

Best of luck and thumps up for being so careful

Sigma Force

Some breeders won't sell during Xmas and be wary of ones who try to encourage you to buy for this time of year, there's always a debate wether it's a good time of year for a pup. Keep in mind if there are small kids with bits of toys everywhere and bits of xmas decorations etc. the pup could easily swallow them..they eat everything they can. Also keep in mind whoever is minding it at night will have to get up mid winter between 1 and 4 ish times a night to start with for toilet training.

My list of questions for the sellar are, so far:
Can I see the parents?
Most common and important ques. they must let you see them although if they don't own the father he may not be there.

What age is the pup?
Obviously important and with small breeds you really shouldn't take them until they are 10 to 12 weeks old.

Is the pup IKC registered and do you have the papers?
The papers take months to arrive.
What you can get is a paper with the dogs bloodline on it.

Has the pup been to the vet?
Make sure you find out who their vet is and ensure the vet is a thorough one.

Is he wormed/vaccinated etc.
Good ques, pup should be on a worming regime but don't forget anti mite/flea treatment too. Pup should have at least the first vax done but since you are paying for the dog they really shouldn't be taken until both vaccinations are done as pups can still pick up parvo if the second vax is delayed.

Was the breeding intentional?

Any more things I should ask them?
Get a receipt.


My questions for you folks are:
What's the youngest pup I should get? When is a pup too young?
10 weeks at the very least for a small breed, 12 would be better.

What sort of food is ok for a young pup?
You need to feed whatever the breeder is feeding the pup, and if the breeder is feeding the dog muck cheapo stuff don't buy from that breeder. The pup should be fully weaned before you get him and be on a good quality food, if the food is fine but you prefer another brand or feel the pup will do better on another brand than a brand that's suitable for a puppy of that age and size eg if getting a toy breed royal canin have a specific food although Burns puppy is cheaper and personally I think it's better. but each dog is different.

What basics will I need to purchase (basket, medication, anything at all?)
No basket it will be chewed up ie willow ones.
Plastic bed and vet bed or fleece blankets..plenty of changes as the pup will soil them initially. Heavy bowls for water and food, puppy kongs and other safe puppy chew toys..lots of them. Puppy collar, id tag, harness is important for a small breed pup.

What does having your pup IKC registered actually mean in practice?
Just means the pup was registered check out the ikc site for more info. it does not gurantee a healthy dog.

Is there anything I need to do for IKC registering?
Keep following them up they are very slow to produce papers.
Other than that it's up to the breeder to register them.

Any caveats for buying a pup? (We've always got pups free from freinds/neighbours before)

Get a receipt and ensure the breeder is genuine, I don't understand why a lot of breeders would breed over winter though. It's not the best time of year because it's too cold for some young pups to be out so harder to socialise them at this important time in their lives. Never mind the toilet training brrrr.
Although there always doggy coats lol.

If things go wrong you may have no come back so many stories of people buying sick puppies. Perhaps contact breeders clubs and talk to other pom owners first to see if they can recommend any genuine breeders.

Know the breed yourself, know what to look for a good idea would be to ensure you are allowed to go with the breeder for the 2nd vaccination and microchip so that you can see for yourself that the vet gives the pup a good health exam etc.

Do think about checking out rescues though they do have smaller breeds and even pure breds sometimes, poms can be babied a lot and can end up yappy and nippy cute dogs though. Ensure they know the coat will need some care as well.

Ensure your mum is willing to crate train and put up with the nipping and biting and chewed up socks etc. lol

Fatcat

Hi Eglinton,
I would recommend getting the book "Before and after getting your puppy" by Dr. Ian Dunbar. It's full of excellent information on how to ensure your puppy is properly socialised, toilet trained etc in his first few weeks with you.
Ian Dunbar is a world-renowned dog behaviourist and his methods are all reward-based and motivational. This book is well worth getting in my opinion.
Best of luck with the new addition!

lrushe

Do you have to get the pup in the next two weeks? The reason I ask is that most good breeders will have their litters booked in advance of them leaving him/her in two weeks especially a small breed breeder as there will only be 4-5 pups in a litter, I'd be wary of any breeder who didn't have their pups booked by that stage. It could take two weeks alone to find a good breeder and even then you are not gauranteee they will have a litter available and you may well be put on a waiting list. I don't like to see people put a deadline on when they 'need' their pup as they are more likely to over look their gut feelings on things when visiting breeders and litters and are less likely to walk away from a bundle of fluff even if things don't feel quiet right. If you really want to have a dog by Xmas I would think rescuing would be a better idea, all your research will already be done for you by the rescue ie. personality, health etc., if the dogs is a year or so old you shouldn't be in the process of toilet training over Xmas which is a crazy time to bring a new pup into your life. If you still would like to go down the breeder/puppy route then the previous posters have given you some really good advice, best of luck!

Sigma Force

Heard good things about Dunbar books, also the RSPCA do a small basic puppy care book it's usually available in most book shops handy to have.
Or a book on that particular breed would be an idea.

Our pup is 7 months and although he's doesn't need to go as often as he used to he's still up most nights at least once for a pee. I am so glad we got him in the summer time eventhough the weather wasn't as bad standing outside in yer pjs at 3am one night he got me up 5 times in the night.

Magenta

Eglinton wrote: »

If I get the pup very soon I will have to mind it myself before bringing it home for Christmas so I want to make sure I'm prepared.

So the puppy will be going from the breeder's, to your house, to your parents (at Christmas)??

I think that's a lot of upheaval for the puppy, it's going to be a big change for it to be taken from its mother and littermates and then being moved to your parent's after that, especially at Christmas. Why does the puppy have to be a Christmas present?