Ringing about/going to see puppies

GT_TDI_150

Simple question guys,

I'm not going back into the 'official' breeder vs 'non-official' breeder discussion again. I just would like a list of questions that everyone should be asking when going about looking at pups and maybe even what answers to expect.

I just phoned a lady about a litter and eventhough she talked and talked about the pups and the parents of the pups, I didnt have an awful lot to ask other than

- are they used to kids
- can both parents be seen
- has the breed any know health risks
- are they ok as a (in my case mainly) indoor dog
- are they micro chipped
- will they be vaccinated


It would be nice to have a comprehencive list of questions at hand

many thanks

Cherry Blossom

Don't ask questions with yes/no answers.

Eg.

1. What types of people have the pups been socialised with? - is better than are they used to kids because everyone will just answer yes to that whether they have been or not.

2. Who owns the sire and is all his paperwork available to be seen?

3. What are the congenital diseases that affect the breed?

4. Where have the pups been raised and in what ways have they been acclimatised to every day sights and sounds?

5. Will the pups come with all their paperwork from the IKC and the Vet?

6. Who is your vet and can you let them know I'll be contacting them as they will need your consent to give out information on your dogs.

7. Why did you breed this litter, how many litters has the bitch had now, how often is she put in pup and how old is she?

8. Have you put any guarantees in place for the people who take the pups, is there any sort of sales contract put in place?

9. Have you started toilet training at all or put any measures in place to help with this when it starts? This is a very important question when it comes to Bichons and the set up could mean the difference between having a dog that already knows not to toilet in its main living areas and one that never gets to the point that it can be reliably house-trained. The pups need to be kept in spotless conditions and need to have an area away from their sleeping place they can use as a toilet.

I guarantee you that when the questions are asked in this manner, most if not all will not have a clue what you are talking about - therefore you will actually have achieved something from the call and made it extremely difficult to be lied to.

Sigma Force

They are really good ways of asking questions that way you get the info you want and more.

The only thing I wasn't too pushed about when we got our last pup was the toilet training, because our guy was being brought to a new house with new sights and smells etc. I started toilet training from scratch he settled in straight away but with all young pups you'll have a lot of accidents and having to get up in the night etc. But if the breeder has started with toilet training it is a bonus.

Make sure you get the paperwork before you leave with the pup, and make sure you get a proper receipt as well.

JustAThought

Good advise above : )
I remember not know how to go about picking a pup !! Some people said it'll be obvious, or the pup will choose you ( not!) but I wandered into Easons & there was a dummies guide to Puppies there ( downstairs O Connell St!) and that I found really helpful cos it had a whole section in how to choose one ; little fun tests to do with them when you re with the littler, how to try and select the type that might have the characteristics you want ( outgoing, quiet, passive etc) I know it sounds a bit baloney but we found it really helpful ( & hadn't come about it anywhere else despite much searching!!!!

I do remember seeing the mom of mine a few times ( I couldn't decide !)and not really properly registering that she was ENORMOUS....
Nuff said!!! I'd say drop in and have a 5 minute read... Puppies for Dummies!!

: )
( not sayin anything about you; promise!!)
Have fun
Just DON'T come away with TWO!!!!!!

JustAThought

O and here's another one ; don't ask in a v direct way but try and find out if any of the pup were sick or died :0. How many were in the litter, & how many did you sell/ are gone... ALSO really ask if the vet did the vacs for the pups or did they do them. do ask that one directly; and seriously, if they say that they did it themselves ( o its easy/we/everyone always does/vets are a rip off its so expensive we did it ourselves etc) you do need to be seriously thinking of walking away at that point. Don't let a stamp from a vet on a vac form lead you to think that the vet did the shots. Unfortunately. Ask that one !!!!
I would also ask what food the pup was on, and ask to see the bag and take a pack shot of it with your phone!!! You'd be amazed how similar looking pup foods can be; especially when the cute factor is high!!! I would also ask how long they had been on it for & if they were all eating it ok. I remember some places gave a " puppy starter kit!" which was basically a list of instructions, a 10 day supply of the food they were on, vac sheets, worming tablets/ syrup etc!
I'd also check the measurements of the food!!!!!


Have lodes of fun : )

JustAThought

Sorry ; just to be a bit mad :0
I do remember the place filling out the transfer of ownership forms for me with my address : I can't remember if I came away with it or if it followed in the post but it needed his signature & my address for the kennel club; this also had the pups official name & the dam & sires details on it too; you need to talk about that!! ( if it's IKC pup)

TooManyDogs

JustAThought wrote: »

I found really helpful cos it had a whole section in how to choose one ; little fun tests to do with them when you re with the littler, how to try and select the type that might have the characteristics you want ( outgoing, quiet, passive etc)

+1
That's a really good point, it's so easy to pick the wrong pup out of a litter, it's easy to go for the more outgoing one but a grown really outgoing dog may not be what suits your life. Like wise it's easy to feel sorry for the shy, reserved one but they may need an experienced person and tons of socialisation to prevent becoming a nervous adult.

On the changing of chip/ownership. Please bear in mind that only the breeder can change those details, don't let them simply give you the forms without appropriate signatures on them and don't be fobbed off with the 'they're in the post' excuse.

There's so many dogs turn up in rescue with chips that still reflect the breeders details it's scary. And what's even more scary is that when the breeders are rung the majority of them have no idea what dog you're talking about never mind who they sold the dogs to.

Wibbs

Go with adrenalinjunkie's brilliant advice and you'll not go far wrong.

TooManyDogs wrote: »

That's a really good point, it's so easy to pick the wrong pup out of a litter, it's easy to go for the more outgoing one but a grown really outgoing dog may not be what suits your life. Like wise it's easy to feel sorry for the shy, reserved one but they may need an experienced person and tons of socialisation to prevent becoming a nervous adult.

+1000. I recall seeing an interview with the Shaun Ellis guy, he of the "I am part of a wolf family" fame and he had some interesting points on this with regard to dogs. To be fair to him he doesn't come out with the wolves/dominance/Cesar Milan BS at all.

He made the point that even very young pups are starting to show their adult side and position they feel comfortable with in the family. He reckoned that the advice of "go for the one who comes to you" means you tend to pick the "enforcer" in the family. The outgoing strong, even willful one. That people make the mistake of thinking that's the "alpha" or leader when instead the leader is the one sitting back observing, using the other pups to gauge the situation. Like you he reckoned the enforcer would need a stronger mindset from the human family down the line. The calm, quiet but not submissive one in the back would really need a consistent and firm mindset. Like you he also advised against the overly shy one for all the reasons you laid out. AFAIR he suggested the one that is not so forward and not so submissive as the best bet. The one involved in the meeting but not overly so as the best overall bet for the average family/owner. Made sense to me anyway. In my past I've had the inforcer, who was a constant battle to keep on side. I've had the shy sad looking fella who was a constant battle to integrate into life. Now I reckon I have the "leader" type and fun and frolics ahead. I need to learn to heed my betters advice

Then again this goes out the window when you meet pups IME. You go in and they all pile on to you at once. Game over for choice there and like JustAThought said coming away with two is a real tempting idea

Cupcake_Crisis

When we were getting our Bichon's I made sure I asked (on both occassions)

-Can I see and spend bit of time with both parents?
-What are they used to eating?
-Have been around people of all ages? (From babies to the elderly)
-Have they got their injections/ been wormed/ chipped?
-Are they IKC registered?
-Can I see all necessary paperwork from the vets?
-How many males/females were in the litter? And how many liters has the mother had?
-Can I get in touch if there are any problems or I need any advice?

Discodog

Wibbs wrote: »

+1000. I recall seeing an interview with the Shaun Ellis guy, he of the "I am part of a wolf family" fame and he had some interesting points on this with regard to dogs. To be fair to him he doesn't come out with the wolves/dominance/Cesar Milan BS at all.

He knows that if you try any of that with Wolves - you end up dead Many responsible breeders will not let you choose the pup - they will match the pup to you.

Much of the advice here is identical to previous threads.

The key thing for me would be to work on the principle that I am going to assume that you are an irresponsible breeder, because you are selling pups now, & it's your job to convince me that I am wrong.

Never go & see a litter until you are very sure about the breeder. Once you are there it may be very difficult to say no.

I would also get some friends to phone, posing as potential buyers. This way you can ask more questions without ringing any alarm bells. Make a list & decide who is going to ask what - oh & record the calls ! Run any info like phone numbers, names etc through google. Go into detective mode.

Even if the breeder passes your initial tests be on guard. Never assume that anything you see is real. Turn up an hour early for the viewing. Ask to use the loo - you might see something that they don't want you to see ! Keep an eye out for sheds, garages & outbuildings - are there any other dogs around ? Talk to any locals. Talk to their kids - especially when they are not listening. Kids will often "give the game away" without realising. "Does Mummy breed lots of puppies ?"

Explain nicely that you saw a terrible program about Puppy Farms - the seller will agree that it was awful. Then say that you know that they will understand that, as a responsible owner, you have to check & double check everything.

Asking the questions is easy. Verifying that the answers are true is much harder. Assume that you are being lied to until you know otherwise. The closer we get to Christmas the more desperate the sellers will be - no one wants to be left with pups.

It could be an interesting exercise & I wouldn't be surprised if no seller passes the test.

JustAThought

Seriously; this is getting out of hand.
The OP said he didn't want to get into the breeder/ non breeder argument and here we are again.

I've never heard of a breeder having to decide what pup a person gets?recommendations based in specified traits, but not otherwise.

Don't forget to ask OP if you can leave a towel overnight in wih with the litter & mom before you pick the pup up so that you will have the scent of the litter & mom on it when
you pick te pup up. And
When you get it cut in in half or better, quarters leave a bit out for the journey home & you will still have it nice and comforting and smelly for the first few weeks.
Mine used huddle up with hers weeks after we came home :$
I made the
Mistake of putting the while thing in the crate with her on te way back and she was carsick on top of it : 0
Had to jigsaw it up into mini bits; yeugh!!!!

She loved it thou!!!

Discodog

JustAThought wrote: »

Seriously; this is getting out of hand.
The OP said he didn't want to get into the breeder/ non breeder argument and here we are again.

I've never heard of a breeder having to decide what pup a person gets?recommendations based in specified traits, but not otherwise.

Well I enquired on behalf of a friend regarding a Newfie pup from one of the top Irish breeders & she made it absolutely clear that she would match the pup to the owner.

But in any event litters get booked in advance so you are never going to have a choice of pup from one of the recognised breeders. Even if you go a see a litter that are unsold the breeder may well of reserved puppies.

JustAThought

You rang on behalf of a friend. To buy a dog.
Sounds like the breeder was palming you off to get rid of timewasters.

zoby

OP, did you go and see the pups

GT_TDI_150

zoby wrote: »

OP, did you go and see the pups

no, the person was in dublin, I'm in cork and she had 2 litters avail, one lot ready for dec 10, the others for 01 Jan.

This didnt sit well with me.

john t

Op, ask questions yes but dont be too offical, if you act as a law officer you may be asked too leave a premises..if pups and owner appear good relax a bit on questions knowing you will bring up a pup 2 be a good dog..