I prefer open-ended questions to yes-or-no. You can learn so much more about the person inquiring. Encourage them to answer at length. (And, of course, if you are met with resistance, or they don’t answer at all, the screening process will have served its purpose.)
I think of consumer handouts in two categories: fundamental facts about your breed emailed to anyone who inquires, and then a more tailored questionnaire sent to those folks who are seriously considering one of your dogs.
Whether we have puppies to sell or not, I am a huge believer that each of us must act as a goodwill ambassador for our breeds. A bit of time spent educating potential buyers can prevent much heartache later, if someone chooses the wrong breed in haste, or perhaps was never cut out to be a dog owner in the first place.
Let’s tackle the fundamental facts first. Here are some easy items you can have on your computer, ready to send anyone who asks about your breed.
After a few email and telephone exchanges with a prospective buyer who seems a good candidate for one of your dogs, send a questionnaire to gather concrete, detailed information on home (own or rent, house or apartment, fenced yard?), family members (toddlers, singles?), lifestyle (hours at work or work from home?) and other pets.
How to get in touch with a dog breeder
We generally think we know how to apply for a job, don’t we? We reflect on our skills and aspirations and craft these into a CV. We then put together a carefully worded application form, which is relevant to the job for which we are applying. I was talking about this process with my son this week and we were agreeing that it is a challenging and time-consuming process.
I have worked in HR for many years and have seen many variations in the quality of applications. You can tell straight away whether someone is committed to the job, or if they have just sent out a generic ‘give us a job, any job’ application.
You may have already read some of my posts about the challenges of being a Responsible Breeder. What I haven’t really talked about so much is the challenge of finding suitable homes for the puppies.
Of course a Puppy Farmer doesn’t really care who has his puppies – he’s just breeding dogs to make money. They are a commodity, nothing more.
But if you care about the dog you are bringing into your home, wouldn’t you want to find the right one for you? Wouldn’t you want to ‘apply’ for a dog from someone who equally cares about who you are?
How would you feel if you received a message like this?
What would you say? I honestly try to reply to every enquiry I receive, but really, what can I say to this person, whoever they are? No. Why should I say anything else? Even if I did have a litter, why would I bother to reply to this message?
When you contact a breeder, you need to let them know who you are. At the very least, you might tell them your name! But actually, if you really want a puppy, you need to sell yourself to the breeders. By contrast with the message I received, I also had a phone call from someone. He was keen to tell me all about himself, his family and his previous dog. I told him that I wasn’t going to have a litter for a while, but he was keen to wait for the right dog, from the right breeder. He had already done some research and asked some great questions. (He’s got through to the next round :))
1 When do I need to go for the first vet visit?
How soon is the first vet visit? Most breeders recommend, or may even require, a âprepurchase examâ within 3 to 14 days of acquiring a puppy. Consider it a probationary period to see your vet and get the puppy evaluated before finalizing the contract.
Asking WANNA BE THUGS “You Want Some?” in the HOOD! (MUST WATCH)
When buying a puppy it is important to ask as many questions as possible to ensure that you are not helping fund the illegal puppy trade and that you are purchasing a happy and healthy pup.
Be sure mum is a nice, friendly dog because temperament can be inherited. She might be defensive of her puppies so take that into account. If you’re not allowed to see them together, it might be that they’re not really her puppies!
At seven weeks they should be fully weaned. If they are not, they could be younger than the breeder claimed.
It is against the law for a local authority licenced breeder to breed a bitch more than six times in her life time, however the Kennel Club Assured Breeder scheme limits their members to four litters.
All puppies have worms at birth. Worming should start with the breeder at about two weeks old, be repeated every two weeks and be continued by you.
Puppies should be vaccinated at 6-9 weeks of age and then again at 10-12 weeks. They will become fully protected two weeks after the second vaccination. You will need to do this if the breeder has not.
9. What should I feed my puppy? Do you have a diet sheet to take away?
A good breeder will give you enough food to continue exactly the same diet for a couple of days. They should also give you a diet sheet that shows how feeding should change as your puppy grows.
Puppies should preferably be raised in a home environment with all the noise and through traffic of a normal home. Those raised in kennels away from the house will need more intensive socialisation training to ensure they can cope with daily life as a pet. If puppies have already met other dogs, domestic animals and people they will have more confidence than those that have not.
A Kennel Club Assured Breeder will offer to take the puppy back at any point should you be unable to keep him. Other breeders may also offer this option.
If so, make sure you are given their Registration Information Document (which allows you to change the ownership of the puppy from the breeder to you) when you pick up your puppy. You can also request a pedigree certificate (a unique record that details your dog’s family tree). You should also get some free health insurance for the first few weeks.
It is absolutely essential to see the puppies with their mother and siblings. Some unscrupulous people claiming to be breeders might in fact be dealers who have bought the pups in. They are likely to be poorly bred, might be ill and are usually too young to leave their exhausted, ill-treated mothers. If they survive, these puppies rarely make good pets, and you will be fuelling this cruel trade where money is the priority and the welfare of the dog is ignored.
It is a legal requirement for all breeders of puppies to microchip and register their own details prior to sale. It is against the law for a breeder to not microchip the puppy. The microchip MUST be registered to the breeder and is considered an offence if they offer to chip and register directly into your name. It will be YOUR responsibility to update the registered microchip details to ensure that the puppy is registered to you when you take it home and to ensure the details are kept up to date should you move house. In some very rare circumstances puppies may be unable to be microchipped due to health reasons. If this is the case you should request a copy of the Veterinary Health Exemption Certificate.