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Breeder Advice (Part One)
If you are thinking about buying a puppy, you will naturally want one with a good temperament who will adapt happily to life as part of the family. One of the most important factors involved in achieving this is to buy from a specialist, reputable breeder. On the following pages, you will find advice on what to look for when contacting breeders and the warning signs that indicate a breeder is not reputable.
The popularity of some breeds (eg Cocker Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, West Highland White Terriers) has meant that some breeders produce large numbers of puppies purely for commercial gain which is not in the best interests of the breed - such breeders often pay little regard to the health or temperament of their puppies & they will sell a pup to whoever wants one, no questions asked. Many of these pups are taken away from their mothers at an early age & are transported long distances to be placed on sale in pet shops & puppy supermarkets - these pups often have health problems & sadly may have poor temperaments. Some of these breeders, commonly called "puppy farmers" operate outside the law & keep their dogs in appalling conditions; their pups may or may not be registered with the Kennel Club. Other commercial breeders may be fully licensed & register their pups with the Kennel Club - they also may place enticing adverts in the local press, but this does not mean they are reputable! More information on puppy farms can be found on the following sites :
Reputable Breeders do...........
- Have a serious interest in their breed - they often take part in activities with their dogs such as showing, field trials (in the case of working gundogs), agility, obedience training etc. All reputable breeders will generally be a member of a least one recognised Breed Club.
- Try to ensure that any puppies they breed go only to the most suitable homes. They will ask as many questions of you as you should be asking of them. If a breeder does not ask you any questions at all, ask yourself why they apparently don't care what sort of homes their puppies go to?
- Understand that breeding & rearing a litter of puppies with care takes enormous effort & commitment & therefore only have a few litters a year which will be carefully planned with health & temperament as top priorities. They will make every effort to ensure that puppies are well-socialised before they leave for new homes (something that is impossible to do if the breeder has numerous litters at the same time) See Puppy Socialisation for more details
- Willingly offer advice on the breed to potential buyers even if they do not have a litter & will honestly discuss the breed's requirements (e.g. grooming, excercise ) & any hereditary problems that are known to occur in the breed (e.g. Hip Dyplasia or eye diseases such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy)
- Provide back-up help & advice on a long-term basis to their puppy buyers. They will also make clear that if the owner of one of their puppies is unable to keep the dog for any reason, then they will take back that dog & find it a new home.
- Provide puppy buyers with all the necessary paperwork at the time the puppy is collected. This will include a copy of the pedigree, a diet sheet, worming certificate & the Kennel Club Registration Certificate. Many will also provide comprehensive information on grooming, training etc. It is also common practice to provide free insurance for the puppy for a minimum period of 6 weeks (depending on the insurance company preferred by the breeder)
- Insist potential puppy buyers meet their dogs, including "Mum", all the puppies in the litter & possibly other relatives too. If all the breeders' dogs seem happy & pleased to "meet & greet" visitors, then this is a good indication that a puppy from this breeder will have a happy, outgoing temperament.
Reputable Breeders Do Not................
- Sell puppies under the age of 8 weeks
- Breed puppies purely for financial gain
- Sell to agents/dealers/pet shops/puppy supermarkets or sell to buyers they have not met personally and screened for suitability. If you are unable to meet the Mother of the litter, then this indicates the seller is not the breeder & is most likely to be a dealer.
- Have more than one or two litters at the same time or advertise multiple litters from a variety of popular breeds (those who do are clearly commercial breeders or dealers)
- Offer to deliver puppies to buyers (unless in exceptional circumstances) or offer to meet potential buyers in locations such as motorway service stations. Puppy farmers often use these tactics to prevent buyers from seeing the conditions in which puppies have been born
- Charge buyers extra if they want a puppy with KC registration
- Sell puppies without KC Registration unless this is clearly explained to the buyer at the time of sale
- Claim the breed has no hereditary problems - every breed generally has at least one or two
- Go for the "hard sell" approach & try to persuade enquirers to buy one of their puppies as quickly as possible, "before they all go!"
- Advertise puppies in local free-ad papers/publications like Exchange & Mart or Loot or on similar websites (eg Findit). Puppy farmers/dealers frequently advertise in such papers & on such websites whereas reputable breeders rely more on word of mouth & recommendations from other breeders or Breed Clubs
