Confused about looking to buy a dog on net!

Hello all,

Got a question for you, some people have said on here to stay clear of buying a puppy/dog from looking on sites such as pets4homes and dogandpuppies,I am unsure as of these breeders are no good why would they be on this site, also saying there dogs are registered etc with all paperwork, checks etc! I have looked on kennel club however find this not that good as it shows no dogs, just telephone numbers for breeders and some of them look and are the same as people on these websites? Just wanted to know some people opinion and where people on here buy there puppies from?

Thanks

there are no checks on who can advertise on these sites. Many people do buy from these sites, and many people ( a few on here) have come home with pups far too young to have left their mums, or poorly or both. Bringing up a litter of puppies well is very very hard work, sleepless nights, piles of washing, vet checks and jabs, temperament testing, getting them used to being handled, propelrly worming them and the mum, and on and on, its not something you can make a lot of money from, unless you are prepared to do it badly, or sell the pups too young. A responsible breeder does not need to advertise on some site like that because their reputation is advert enough. I read something on here the other day that said as many as one in 5 puppies bought in the uk are from puppy farms, and/or are shipped in from abroad. I'm sure you would want to buy a dog that you could be sure had come from a happy home and not been abused in this way. If you don't know what i mean by puppy farm, google it.

The breeders that you find on the kc site will be some of the same people because you literally pay a tenner to register as breeder, and get on their list with very few checks. Advertising pups as kc registered, means naff all i'm afraid. My dog is a full pedigree kc registered whippet. He was owned by TWO different breeders and has sired many many pups. He also developed juvenile cataracts and has a pretty awful temperament, not really breeding material, yet they didn't care as he made them some cash. I could have become a breeder, nothing to stop anyone. Kc registered means nothing apart from you can look to see the family tree of the dog. It does not guarantee health or anything else.

People have been advising you to research a responsible breeder, and by this they mean; choose a breed, find a local or national breed club, ring them and ask them for some numbers of breeders, then ring them up and ask them as many questions as you can about the puppies and the parents. Or go on a breed specific site and make a request there. Or ring up a rescue centre for your chosen breed, and ask them who they might recomend, or if they'll put you on a list for a rescue pup.

For instance: you want a labrador, so you need research the health problems of that breed, and then ask for all relevant health checks, hip score etc. Find out what a 'good' hipscore is and what that means then go to the breeder armed with that info. If anyone can't answer your questions, find someone else.

I personally would not buy a puppy, fullstop. There are too many in the world already, and thousands in rescue waiting for homes. I think of dogs as family members, so the thought of making them have babies and selling them for cash makes me feel a bit ill, but thats just me. Many folk really care about their chosen breed, and in order to promote the overall health of that breed, very selectively breed to ensure a healthy future, they are also very selective about who they would sell to, and offer a lifetimes home for the dog should it ever need to be rehomed, that kind of thing, they actually really care about the pups rather than the money. I found a list of questions to ask a breeder the other day, i'm going to hunt for it now and repost it on here for you.

hi again sorry for that monster post, im a little tipsy, and you caught me on a subject i tend to rant on

http://www.ckcsc.org/ckcsc/ckcsc_inc.nsf/Founded-1954/breederquestions.html

here's a list of breeder questions, i can't find the one i was looking at the other day which was far more comprehensive. I went for the cavalier king charles one, so as to give you some idea of the numerous genetic issues that pedigree dogs can suffer from. There are many articles out there outlining exactly why websites such as those should be avoided, for everyones happiness!!

Good luck!

Really good advice there!!

The best advice I was given when I was looking for a breeder was 1) don't rush in to anything - it's very easy to get carried away and not think things through 2) make sure you go to the breeders home and see all of their dogs and how they live.

Also, be aware that a good breeder will be asking you questions too to find out if you are a suitable owner for one of their beloved pups. I don't mean that they interrogate you, just that they want to know why you've chosen their breed, what research you've done, what you are prepared for, etc. Our breeder and I chatted several times before the puppies were born, I told him that we had an elderly cat and 2 little kids as I felt that if he had reservations about that, then I would go with his judgement call on suitability, I told him why we wanted a whippet, what the house and garden were like, I asked him about whippets on stairs as I'd read something about it being dangerous for whippet puppies, etc etc. Coming across as a slightly overly planning ahead woman, who had read way too many books on the subject, but obviously as someone who would care about an animal as part of the family.

If they don't try to find out about you, then why not? They presumably don't care about their puppies very much.

Tanya

Buying a dog from a website is a very risky thing to do. The seller cannot check you or the potential puppies new home out either. They could be selling to absolutely anyone, and often do.

I would always get a dog from a rescue centre as they do vet potential new owners and do a home check before you bring the dog home,

which I feel is far more responsible.