It’s easy to find people with puppies to sell. However, there are some things you can’t tell just by looking at a puppy. If you want to be sure of your dog’s character and health, the best thing to do is to choose a reputable breeder. They will be able to provide a guarantee and you can be sure of what kind of dog you are getting. If you really want to find a good purebred dog, here are some tips for choosing a good breeder.
Reputable breeders know a lot about the breed they specialize in. If you really want to choose the best breeder, the best thing to do is ask several people. Ask veterinarians, groomers and other people directly involved with dogs every day. They will have some good suggestions for you.
If you want a reputable dealer, you better not choose one of the classified ads. As with anything, if the breeder really is top quality, then they have no reason to advertise in the classifieds. Some breeders have puppies reserved years in advance. Another reason you don’t want to find someone in the newspaper is that they don’t offer guarantees. Forty-eight hours is usually all you get and if something happens to that pup six months from now, most will just say it’s not their problem. Most reputable breeders will not only give you a one year warranty or more, they will also give you lifetime support.
Another sign of a good breeder is that they are involved in some type of rescue of the type they breed. Breeders will generally seek to help their breed. Also see if they will accept a puppy back if for some reason the buyer is unable to care for it. Most won’t refund the money, but at least they care enough about the puppy they’ve raised that they’ll always have a home to turn to.
The most obvious clues to breeder quality are found in the puppies themselves. Puppies are products of their upbringing and a healthy puppy will have a pleasant temperament and a healthy appearance. This means he has no runny nose, clear eyes, and of course, a wagging tail. If you’re buying online, see if the breeder can send you a video of their puppy.
The environment in which the puppies are kept will also tell you a lot about the level of the breeder. If the environment is clean and the puppies have space then the breeder is more likely to be a good one.
It’s a good idea to talk to and find out about your intended breeder before you see the puppies. See if they have children and participate in social activities. Most Puppy Millers wouldn’t have time for this. Often once you see them you can be much easier to convince, because those big eyes have convinced you! Ask to see the dog’s parents and try to assess their behavior. Stay away from dogs that seem unusually fearful or aggressive.
You should already know quite a bit about the breed you are interested in. Ask your breeder any questions you have. Don’t forget to ask about chronic conditions and special care. After all, this is their passion and many have spent years learning about and living with their chosen breed! If a breeder is good, then they will be just as concerned about whether you are going to be a good dog owner. A good breeder cares a lot about the puppies and the homes they are sent to.
For most good breeders, the main goal is not to make money. In recent years, however, finding a puppy on the Internet has become popular. It is a bit more difficult to find a good breeder on the internet, but all the tips I have given here will help you. You may not be able to go in person to see where the dogs are bred, however you can learn a lot through conversation. Just by talking to people you can tell if they are educated or not and they should still be able to tell you about the breed(s) they breed.
Now that you know what to look for, there are a few things you should avoid at all costs.
Any puppy that comes from a backyard or puppy mill can be a dangerous purchase. A backyard breeder will know little about breed standards. They often do not maintain the pup’s health properly. Backyard breeders and puppy breeders often sell puppies at six weeks of age because they just had too many; having to take them out for the next litter.
Puppy mills produce large numbers of puppies, often in horrible conditions. There is no proper medical attention and most of the time, the puppies are not well fed. Puppy mills often sell directly to pet stores. For this reason, it is best to avoid puppies purchased from pet stores. Puppies are often separated from their parents too young, often as young as 4 or 5 weeks of age, in addition to other issues of lack of medical care, love, and attention.
When choosing a breeder, find out how many breeds they breed. Usually two or three different breed types is what seems to be the standard. However, this is no longer the case. If a breeder breeds more, the person most likely started with one. Find out when they started with it and you can find out a lot about how it progressed. Judging from the phone conversation with them, you can usually tell their level of knowledge. If he is just a puppy and doesn’t know anything, then that is a clear sign to move on.
Most reputable breeders will not let puppies go before they are eight weeks old or older, depending on the breed. Most puppies are not fully weaned and are self-sufficient younger than that. This varies between breeds. Most breeders will talk about how old they are, when they let them go and also about the transition from one home to another before they sell the puppy.
There is much more that could be said about choosing a good breeder, however, space here does not allow for it. If you just follow these simple steps, you will have already beaten the odds of finding a good puppy. It goes both ways, not only do you, the buyer, want a happy puppy, but the breeder also wants you to have a happy and healthy puppy for years to come.