Bringing a puppy from the UK to Ireland?

VonVix

Doing a little bit of future planning (as in, I won't be getting a puppy for another year or so!) in hunting for a breeder for a particular breed I am interested in, I have found none here that gave me good vibes in Ireland, but I have found far better breeding standards in the UK when it comes to health testing, etc.

I feel like this question has been done to death in various ways, but I haven't found answers for my specific query when I searched the forum.

So, my question is this! What's needed to bring a puppy from the UK to Ireland via Stenaline? I had a look on their website here, but I can't find anything that mentions the age required for a puppy to travel or the documentation needed, if any? Is it different for boats compared to flying? Or same regulations?

muddypaws

They need to have a microchip and have been given the rabies vaccination, this information must be contained on an EU pet passport. I believe that the rabies vaccine can not be given any earlier than 12 weeks of age, and has to be given at least 21 days before travel, so the youngest that a pup can come into Ireland from the UK is 15 weeks.

As to whether its different for boats, the laws are the same, but the checks aren't. You may be stopped and checked, you may not. The chances of being stopped coming from the UK I would say are lower than going TO the UK, as there now seem to be fairly regular checks to try and catch puppy farmers.

Of course if you got the ferry into Northern Ireland, then no passport or rabies would be needed. However, I don't know what the procedure would then be to get the micro chip changed into your name when here, whether the vet would need to see evidence of rabies compliance, like they have to now see proof of address.

Choc Chip

On muddypaws point, i didn't need to go near my vet to get the microchip changed into my name, just sent away the relevant part of the Cert and waited for my new cert back. That was the same scenario btw - uk dog coming over to ROI. My worry would be driving back with a puppy with no passport in a southern reg car. There is a tiny risk they wouldn't believe you were remaining in the uk and would try to confiscate the dog but I'm not sure of their legal powers to do so.

I've seen a couple of uk breeders that won't sell abroad btw, their reasoning being that they would find it harder to take back the dogs if owners circumstances changed and passport requirements hadn't been kept up to date. Just something to be aware of, I know lots do!

Jambo

OP im just at the end of process of having done the same. Totally agree with what the other posters said but in addition (assuming its a pedigree dog) you will need to register the dog in your name with the UK Kennel Club, get a certified 3 generation pedigree for it in your name before you can think of registering it here with the IKC.

Registration with the IKC will transfer the microchip registration to their database.

If the dogs a working dog you may need extra papers, but this will be a formality coming from a reputable breeder.

VonVix

Thanks guys, you're great. I want to do everything aboveboard. It helps knowing how much socialisation I will have to find a breeder doing as well.

aonb

what breed are you looking for? (just being nosy here!)

mozzy

I would strongly advise at getting a dog from anywhere that you need to wait for that long a period to bring them home. I work with dogs full time and I have many clients who have brought dogs from abroad and missed the dogs socialisation period before bringing their puppy home. This sometimes creates massive behavioural issues as the puppy has missed out on vital time mixing with other dogs, people, noises, sounds, trips to vets etc. that they would normally have when bought at a younger age. All of the dogs without fail have issues socialising no matter how good the source that they come from because a breeder cannot replace what the puppy needs in early life that a home can.

tk123

mozzy wrote: »

because a breeder cannot replace what the puppy needs in early life that a home can.

My girl was in the breeders home and was exposed to everything you've listed - more than she would have in our house in some cases eg kids and a cat? I don't see how it's any different tbh apart from socialisation/bonding with us but plenty of older/adult dogs are rehomed and bond with their new owners and acclimatise to their new surroundings?

Knine

mozzy wrote: »

I would strongly advise at getting a dog from anywhere that you need to wait for that long a period to bring them home. I work with dogs full time and I have many clients who have brought dogs from abroad and missed the dogs socialisation period before bringing their puppy home. This sometimes creates massive behavioural issues as the puppy has missed out on vital time mixing with other dogs, people, noises, sounds, trips to vets etc. that they would normally have when bought at a younger age. All of the dogs without fail have issues socialising no matter how good the source that they come from because a breeder cannot replace what the puppy needs in early life that a home can.

Eh of course a breeder can give a puppy what it needs in early life. Reputable Breeders provide what a puppy needs until they leave for their new homes. They don't just sit in a puppy pen until the export requirements are met. The puppies are socialised here just like any puppies staying here. I have sent puppies from here to the UK & they are fantastic family dogs with no issues. I have also had dogs come over here & again no problems.

Vonvix I don't know what breed you are looking for but just make sure the breeder is reputable.

mozzy

Was your pup in the breeders up to 16 weeks of age and exposed to more than a hundred people, walking on the streets, in cars, hearing traffic, meeting strangers?

Very few if any breeders bring their pups outside of their home environment (garden included) and this is where the issue becomes the older the pup gets...no exposure to the outside work is what I really mean. For example the majority of people are so excited about having a new pup that they bring them everywhere, dog classes included out and about...very difficult for a breeder to do this with a dog that is not going to be their own. Studies have shown that dogs need to meet about 100 strangers and similar amount of dogs before they are 16 weeks old to be a solid confident dog. This generally happens naturally when people get a new pup with little effort as they are so excited by their new family member...not the same in a breeders.

I am saying these things as a word of help and caution working with multiple dogs who were brought from overseas as pups and they all have socialistion issues with new people and some with new dogs but less so. Its just a word of advice for someone about to get a pup not a critic of anyones current dog.

Knine

Lol Mozzy. I am sorry but that is a huge generalisation you are making. I breed quality dogs so I am one of the people you are more or less slating. All puppies here are brought absolutely everywhere as soon as vaccinated regardless if they are staying or not. Those needing rabies vaccines included. I see & handle 100's of the dogs you are talking about. All lovely well adjusted happy dogs. Are you suggesting that puppies not staying are left sitting in a crate & never brought out to see the world?

Of course you probably see a lot of problem dogs & if these owners are struggling then they are also more likely to be novice owners & probably do not know how to pick a reputable breeder.

Very few if any Breeders? I don't know what sort of breeders you are talking about but one thing is for sure they are far from reputable.

mozzy

Knine wrote: »

Eh of course a breeder can give a puppy what it needs in early life. Reputable Breeders provide what a puppy needs until they leave for their new homes. They don't just sit in a puppy pen until the export requirements are met. The puppies are socialised here just like any puppies staying here. I have sent puppies from here to the UK & they are fantastic family dogs with no issues. I have also had dogs come over here & again no problems.

Vonvix I don't know what breed you are looking for but just make sure the breeder is reputable.

Goodness I am offering someone a word of warning which I still stand by as something to be very wary of. It is not a criticism of you as a breeder nor am I trying to start an arguement. I also didn't say anything about a puppy sitting in a pen until they leave, so don't put words in my mouth.

Age definitely matters in terms of socialisation and be very wary of that when you get a puppy and I wanted to let the poster (who is asking for advice from anyone willing to give it) know my experiences.

Knine

mozzy wrote: »

Goodness I am offering someone a word of warning which I still stand by as something to be very wary of. It is not a criticism of you as a breeder nor am I trying to start an arguement. I also didn't say anything about a puppy sitting in a pen until they leave, so don't put words in my mouth.

Age definitely matters in terms of socialisation and be very wary of that when you get a puppy and I wanted to let the poster (who is asking for advice from anyone willing to give it) know my experiences.

Sorry but the words you used is very few if any breeders bring their puppies outside. This is simply not true from my experience & I see a huge amount of these dogs, not just dogs with problems. Age does not particularly matter with a decent breeder as the new owner simply carries on with exposing the puppy to different environments when they collect them, whether they are 8 weeks or 16 weeks.

mozzy

Knine wrote: »

Lol Mozzy. I am sorry but that is a huge generalisation you are making. I breed quality dogs so I am one of the people you are more or less slating. All puppies here are brought absolutely everywhere as soon as vaccinated regardless if they are staying or not. Those needing rabies vaccines included. I see & handle 100's of the dogs you are talking about. All lovely well adjusted happy dogs. Are you suggesting that puppies not staying are left sitting in a crate & never brought out to see the world?

Of course you probably see a lot of problem dogs & if these owners are struggling then they are also more likely to be novice owners & probably do not know how to pick a reputable breeder.

Very few if any Breeders? I don't know what sort of breeders you are talking about but one thing is for sure they are far from reputable.

So sensitive there..... I was giving advice which I stick by. I was not shaming any breeder. I am not arguing about this issue the poster can take my advice or leave it but at least its something that he/she is aware of now.

Why not say something positive like " yes thats a good positive, I myself do put a huge amount into socialisation for my pups and I do x,y,z but many other breeders may not and its important that you check out what socialistion the breeder you pick is willing to do"....Nope instead you get on your high horse and read my post incorrectly and make a lot of assumptions yourself, which is exactly what your criticising me for.

Knine

mozzy wrote: »

So sensitive there..... I was giving advice which I stick by. I was not shaming any breeder. I am not arguing about this issue the poster can take my advice or leave it but at least its something that he/she is aware of now.

Why not say something positive like " yes thats a good positive, I myself do put a huge amount into socialisation for my pups and I do x,y,z but many other breeders may not and its important that you check out what socialistion the breeder you pick is willing to do"....Nope instead you get on your high horse and read my post incorrectly and make a lot of assumptions yourself, which is exactly what your criticising me for.

Or how about Vonvix just be careful & make sure you choose a reputable Breeder. I read your post very correctly as did other posters who brought it to my attention.

mozzy

Knine wrote: »

Sorry but the words you used is very few if any breeders bring their puppies outside. This is simply not true from my experience & I see a huge amount of these dogs, not just dogs with problems. Age does not particularly matter with a decent breeder as the new owner simply carries on with exposing the puppy to different environments when they collect them, whether they are 8 weeks or 16 weeks.

Listen let this be my last post (tbh I knew I shouldn't have posted advice to the poster to begin with)

Great that you have such brilliant standards I applaud you, I really mean that and if every breeder were like you then the dog world would have less problems.

No one had pointed out the the poster that socialisation could be an issue when getting an older pup and maybe I do have too many behavioural clients with this issue but it is an issue to be aware of. On a whole I thought you would agree that there are far fewer breeders doing what you are doing...no? If you agree then you are in the minority of breeders with these good standards....then generalisation in this case is necessary as by far the majority of breeders no matter how well intentioned wouldn't go to the lengths that you are saying that you do.

Very few people know what being a reputable breeder means and what it is involved.

tk123

mozzy wrote: »

No one had pointed out the the poster that socialisation could be an issue when getting an older pup and maybe I do have too many behavioural clients with this issue but it is an issue to be aware of.

Very few people know what being a reputable breeder means and what it is involved.

There'a more than one doggy pro in API and VonVix is one of them! That's possibly why nobody gave all the usual warnings!

VV what breed is it?!? I guess Belgian shep oh or a Newfie!!!

muddypaws

mozzy wrote: »

Very few people know what being a reputable breeder means and what it is involved.

This is so true unfortunately.

I think as Mozzy doesn't post in here that often, he/she probably isn't aware of VonVix's post history and what she does day to day

VonVix

aonb wrote: »

what breed are you looking for? (just being nosy here!)

Groenendael. Or a Tervuren, but leaning more towards a Groenendael. We have been doing lots of thinking of what would fit into the dynamic of our group, it seems to be the #1 fit at the moment, especially for our very active/agile GSD!

Knine wrote: »

Vonvix I don't know what breed you are looking for but just make sure the breeder is reputable.

Definitely, that's largely the reason I'm thinking we are going to have to go overseas.

tk123 wrote: »

There'a more than one doggy pro in API and VonVix is one of them! That's possibly why nobody gave all the usual warnings!

VV what breed is it?!? I guess Belgian shep oh or a Newfie!!!

:eek: A Newfie! I like hairy dogs but that would be taking it to the next level! I don't think I could own a giant breed, that would be basically like owning, feeding and grooming six Shelties... much rather six Shelties!
Didn't realise I'd be that transparent, but yes, a Groenendael is what we are looking at.

tk123

VonVix wrote: »

:eek: A Newfie! I like hairy dogs but that would be taking it to the next level! I don't think I could own a giant breed, that would be basically like owning, feeding and grooming six Shelties... much rather six Shelties!
Didn't realise I'd be that transparent, but yes, a Groenendael is what we are looking at.

Oh I'd love a Newf lol I can just imagine it jumping on the couch and breaking it though :pac: Then there's the thought of 5 foot me walking one :pac::pac::pac:

VonVix

VonVix wrote: »

Thanks guys, you're great. I want to do everything aboveboard. It helps knowing how much socialisation I will have to find a breeder doing as well.

mozzy wrote: »

Listen let this be my last post (tbh I knew I shouldn't have posted advice to the poster to begin with)

Great that you have such brilliant standards I applaud you, I really mean that and if every breeder were like you then the dog world would have less problems.

No one had pointed out the the poster that socialisation could be an issue when getting an older pup and maybe I do have too many behavioural clients with this issue but it is an issue to be aware of. On a whole I thought you would agree that there are far fewer breeders doing what you are doing...no? If you agree then you are in the minority of breeders with these good standards....then generalisation in this case is necessary as by far the majority of breeders no matter how well intentioned wouldn't go to the lengths that you are saying that you do.

Very few people know what being a reputable breeder means and what it is involved.

Just to put emphasis on my 5th post in this thread. My main reason for making this thread is to do with the age that a puppy needs to be in order to travel from the UK to Ireland by boat and not knowing if things varied between flying and traveling by boat.

I have also dealt with a client for many months now, who imported a large breed puppy from abroad and has ended up with a very fearful dog as a result (humans, sudden movements in surroundings, sudden loud noises, but extremely social with all dogs and shows wonderful body language, all of which points to poor socialisation/exposure outside the breeder environment and possibly spending more time with dogs than people), so I have a fair idea of what to be on the look out for.

Choc Chip

Quick Q - how much do you know about traveling them by air VonVix?

Perhaps it's because I don't know anything about flying dogs, but I'd be more confident moving a pup via ferry - there's only 2 hours where you're going to have to leave them in the car and the rest of the time you're in there with them. You've probably already thought of that though!

I'm over and back a good bit - I'd only love to collect a belgian shep puppy... no promises I'd be able to hand it over!

VonVix

Choc Chip wrote: »

Quick Q - how much do you know about traveling them by air VonVix?

Perhaps it's because I don't know anything about flying dogs, but I'd be more confident moving a pup via ferry - there's only 2 hours where you're going to have to leave them in the car and the rest of the time you're in there with them. You've probably already thought of that though!

I'm over and back a good bit - I'd only love to collect a belgian shep puppy... no promises I'd be able to hand it over!

Nothing! Its been over 15 years since I last flew anywhere, but I'm more used to ferries. That's why I would ideally be going with the ferry + car route, I wouldn't be the most comfortable flying with a puppy, for the puppy's sake, seems like it would be a scarier experience.

Knine

Have you looked at Breeders in Ireland & just prefer a puppy from the UK? As there is a couple of breeders here.

VonVix

Knine wrote: »

Have you looked at Breeders in Ireland & just prefer a puppy from the UK? As there is a couple of breeders here.

If you know of any in Ireland, it would be great to throw them in my inbox and I'll check them out if I haven't already. Of the ones I have come across, they are mainly "show" people, I'd be ideally looking for a breeder who has a competitive obedience and/or agility background with their dogs, rather than just show ring.

Knine

VonVix wrote: »

If you know of any in Ireland, it would be great to throw them in my inbox and I'll check them out if I haven't already. Of the ones I have come across, they are mainly "show" people, I'd be ideally looking for a breeder who has a competitive obedience and/or agility background with their dogs, rather than just show ring.

PM sent

Bunnyslippers

Unless they've changed the rules in the last year or so you don't need a rabies shot coming from the UK as its a rabies free country. Ive seen plenty of pups brought over on the ferries, they do have on board kennels but to be honest they really don't need one if you have a good size dog crate in your car, most dogs just sleep on the trip over, it's only a short journey.
You used to be able to bring dogs up on deck and sit in the hallway area but they've stopped that now. We brought our six dogs and numerous other furries and feathereds with us when we moved here from UK, they came in a horse transporter, no parperwork was needed and no one checked at all or even asked for that matter, i don't even think they checked the horse passports.
We did get our UK vets to check if we did need anything and they came back with nothing other than pets needing a microchip and horses pass ported and chipped and that's it. If you were buying from Europe you'd need a passport and rabies shots.

muddypaws

Bunnyslippers wrote: »

Unless they've changed the rules in the last year or so you don't need a rabies shot coming from the UK as its a rabies free country. Ive seen plenty of pups brought over on the ferries, they do have on board kennels but to be honest they really don't need one if you have a good size dog crate in your car, most dogs just sleep on the trip over, it's only a short journey.
You used to be able to bring dogs up on deck and sit in the hallway area but they've stopped that now. We brought our six dogs and numerous other furries and feathereds with us when we moved here from UK, they came in a horse transporter, no parperwork was needed and no one checked at all or even asked for that matter, i don't even think they checked the horse passports.
We did get our UK vets to check if we did need anything and they came back with nothing other than pets needing a microchip and horses pass ported and chipped and that's it. If you were buying from Europe you'd need a passport and rabies shots.

They changed the rules a few years ago. Both Ireland and GB are rabies free, which is what makes the rule completely nonsensical but it does exist. There are only spot checks, they don't check every vehicle, but if you are one of the ones that is stopped, then your dog may be quarantined, and you will be refused permission to travel.