Buying pups

Merch

How do you confirm know a pup reg'd with IKC or that has been vaccinated/wormed is the one that has been or at all?
Likewise how do you confirm a chipped dog? bring it to a vet??
How much does that cost, but if buying from someones home, presuming they wont want you leaving with the pup, how do you confirm the above?

Dangerdunf

The seller of the pups should have a cert to show the pups are registered with the IKC. They should also have a cert showing the vacines the pup has had with the signature of the vet that vaccinated the pups. As far as I can remember the pups micro chip number is on these certs aswel. When the seller registered the pups with the IKC, they should have received a micro chip scanner to read the micro chip in the pups neck, You will be able to match the number on the scanner to the number on the certs. This will also make sure you get the right pup you picked out when you first went to see the pups.

Merch

Do you receive any and all documents at the time of purchase?

Cherry Blossom

Well I for one would be sourcing the breeder through the breed club, IKC shows or working dog competitions so hopefully the person would come highly recommended to start with. I'd thoroughly do my homework on the breed and ask lots of questions I already know the answer to. I'd ask to see proof of testing for genetic problems that are common in the breed and they should be giving you proof of vaccinations and the microchip number, this is one of the easiest things to verify, you just ask their vet to confirm. There isn't really much point taking a young pup to a vet for so called 'health checks', as the vet isn't going to be able to tell much more than would yourself. What you want to see is extensive proof of testing done on the parents to make sure they were fit to breed from in the first place.

Cherry Blossom

And no, I'm afraid breeders do not have mico-chip scanners, I'm sure they'd probably laugh you out of the place if you asked them this . The only places that would have these are vets, dog-pounds, rescue centres and sometimes groomers or boarding kennels that offer a micro-chipping service.

Merch

Its not for the purposes of future breeding really, I just see, while looking for a dog that some say IKC reg'd and I want to avoid any kind of scam (ie paying for something that isn't) or dogs bred just for sale (if that makes sense).
Cheers for the advice, we are looking for a pet, a westie

Cherry Blossom

Merch wrote: »

Do you receive any and all documents at the time of purchase?

No, the breeder has to send off the registration forms for you to change ownership of the dog. If the micro-chip has been registered in the breeders name you will have to re-register it in your own name or the dog won't be traceable back to you if lost.

You do realise though that IKC registration is just that? It's just a registry of dogs of each breed, it doesn't mean the pup is healthy, has been bred with the best standards of care on anything. On it's own registration is basically worth nothing. Any pup can be registered if it's parents are registered and fullfills a few other criteria eg. the mother was not too old or young for them to be allowed to register the pups.

Dangerdunf

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

And no, I'm afraid breeders do not have mico-chip scanners, I'm sure they'd probably laugh you out of the place if you asked them this . The only places that would have these are vets, dog-pounds, rescue centres and sometimes groomers or boarding kennels that offer a micro-chipping service.

I was breeding Rottweilers 2 years back. Registered 11 pups. Micro chipped at the local vet. Was given certs of vacines with micro chip numbers stuck onto them and a micro chip scanner. How to you expect a breeder to know which papers go with what pup without a scanner?

Cherry Blossom

Westie owner myself, great choice Unfortunately they are what puppy farms are made of though! They can suffer from very sever food allergies though no matter how careful you are choosing the breeder, there isn't really anyway of guaranteeing this won't show up in a pup no matter what tests have been done on the parents. I will say from day one get them on the right diet to prevent issues cropping up in the first place. They do very well on foods that are based on lamb and rice as the main ingredients. If you contact the Westie club of Ireland they should be able to give you details of breeders. They are based in Wicklow but will have contacts around the country.

Cherry Blossom

Dangerdunf wrote: »

How to you expect a breeder to know which papers go with what pup without a scanner?

Well anyone I know of that breeds dogs generally uses a colour coding system, I know my vet anyway would never hand out expensive pieces of equipment to breeders all over the place, she'd never get any of it back.

Sigma Force

As said the IKC is a starting point but also use common sense, make sure the home you visit is clean, the dogs and pups are healthy, the breeder isn't breeding form the same dog often, that they don't have pups available all the time a good breeder won't be breeding non stop there may be a waiting period.

As said you need to check that they have all the papers, and if unsure of the microchip no. just ask the breeder if they have a scanner to confirm the chip or if they wouldn't mind you tagging along at the next vet visit.
A good breeder will want to know where the pup is going so should ask you as many questions as you ask them to built up a relationship so both of you are ok with each other.

Westies are pretty common and can have some health issues so do plenty of research on what to look for in a healthy Westie, don't be afraid to turn away and not take a buy a pup from someone if you're no happy with the set up then walk away.

There's also Westie Rescue in Ireland, mainly adult dogs don't think they have pups but an adult dog can be less work although obviously there's sometimes a little extra work involved with a rescue dog just depends on the dog. The girl that does it is brilliant with dogs, she really knows her stuff and is also a prof. trainer/behaviourist so knows Westies inside out.