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 The right dog is a huge asset for any household - a reliable, faithful companion that's always pleased to see you and offers love unconditionally. It's a wonderful feeling to come home to a house that is never empty, plus they can provide motivation to take the exercise that you may have been putting off !
On the other hand getting a dog that does not fit your lifestyle or is simply badly bred can lead to heartache and financial disaster.
With this in mind we've put together a list of do's and don'ts to consider when searching for your puppy : |
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| Do research your needs - before committing yourself to anything make sure that the breed you are buying is compatible with your circumstances. 90% of pedigree dogs that find their way to dog shelters are there because their owners didn't understand the breed they were taking on. Learn as much as you can about your chosen breed and never buy for looks alone - you can learn more about any of the UK pedigree breeds through our breed guides here. |
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| Do question your prospective breeder. Any responsible breeder should be open to your questions and be able to provide solid answers, they should also have plenty of questions for you ! |
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| Do insist on seeing the prospective pup in the place where it was bred with it's siblings and mother to allow you to gauge the temperament and general health of all concerned. |
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| Do take notice of the conditions in the place where the pup was raised, for instance are the pups clean ? is the breeders property clean ? is the mother of the litter and any other pets clean and healthy ? |
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| Do find out from the breeder exactly the state of the pups health and any treatments to date - have they been wormed, flea treated, inoculated, micro chipped etc. |
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| Do research any inherent health problems in your chosen breed and check with the breeder if any necessary tests have been carried out e.g. hip scoring for German Shepherds or the parents heart rated for Boxers. |
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| Do insist that any paperwork such as Kennel Club registration papers, inoculation records etc. are there to be picked up at the same time as the puppy. |
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| Do discuss insurance for your puppy with your breeder, all KC registered puppies are entitled to six weeks free insurance, you can find further details here. |
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| Do discuss with the breeder any terms of sale or contracts that will be in place, including breeding and export restrictions that can be put in place by the breeder with the Kennel Club. |
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| Do ensure you have everything you need for your new puppy BEFORE picking him / her up. Things such as crate, bed, food and water bowls, toys, collar and lead, grooming equipment etc. |
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| Do take your new puppy to the vets for a checkup as soon as possible after getting them home. |
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| Don't agree to take a puppy without seeing yourself where it was raised, the conditions it was raised in and the temperament of it's siblings and mother. |
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| Don't take a puppy without full medical history and a diet sheet from the breeder. |
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| Don't ever take a puppy that appears to be unwell, a small sniffle now may become a much more serious condition later. |
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| Don't agree to meet up to collect a puppy, insist on picking it up from the home so you can see it's condition - this is a favourite of puppy farms, once they have met you and presented you with a cute little bundle few people can say no, whatever it's condition. |
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| Don't accept a puppy without ALL relevant paperwork including Kennel Club records and proof of any inoculations etc. that the breeder says have been carried out. |
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| Kennel Club Registration |
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| If you are looking to buy a pedigree puppy in the UK you must look for puppies that will be UK Kennel Club registered, this is the only recognised pedigree in the UK, any other pedigree is worthless. |
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| The UK Kennel Club oversee all UK dog shows and keep a comprehensive pedigree database of pure bred dogs in the UK. Whilst not necessarily a guarantee of quality if your pup is UK KC registered you do at least know that it's breeding is pure for five generations and it will be eligible for showing and other activities organised in the UK. |
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| There are other pedigree registries running in the UK but most are nothing but dubious money making schemes and likely to be connected to puppy farming. It only costs a few pounds per dog to register puppies with the Kennel Club and if your prospective breeder has not registered the dogs you can be 99% sure that this is because they can't due to a problem with one of the parents. Potential problems could be that one of the parents is not a true pedigree, one of the parents was endorsed not for breeding or even that one or more of the parents are stolen. Don't take the risk, insist on KC registration. |
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| Puppy farms |
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| The term 'puppy farm' has been in use for the past few years, the term 'farm' may bring to mind pleasant notions of cows in fields and well cared for animals however this can be far from the truth and a better term would be 'puppy factory'. |
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| Puppy farms are facilities that breed puppies on mass purely for profit, in the past their stock was sold through pets shops and the like but with most pet shops no longer selling puppies and kittens they now sell directly to the public, often through duplicitous means masquerading as legitimate, conscientious breeders. |
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| Not all puppy farms produce unhealthy pups but neither is the health and welfare of their dogs top priority. Apart from the health issues there are also other issues which should dissuade you from supporting these people - pups raised in these facilities are typically raised without human interaction which means that they don't socialise with humans at a critical stage. This can lead to pups that, although physically healthy, have deep behavioural problems which may take a long time to overcome, if ever. |
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| We would highly recommend that you steer well clear of this type of facility, any dog you get will be the result of farming for profit and NOT breeding for the welfare and betterment of the breed. |
