Questions to Ask When Purchasing a Puppy

Questions You Might Want to Ask When Purchasing a Puppy

 

· How old are the puppies when you allow them to go home?

· Although it is very tempting to take home a puppy as young as possible that is not always what is best for the puppy.  It is important that the puppies remain with their dam and littermates long enough to get the primary socialization that is necessary for them to develop into well adjusted adults.  Additionally by taking home a puppy to early you are running a greater risk that the puppy may not be properly immunized when you take it home and thus be at a greater risk of contracting a puppy disease.  Ideally you want your new puppy to be at least 8 weeks of age, remember this is a minimum.  Many responsible breeders may keep the puppies even longer, particularly in the toy breeds where the puppies are particularly fragile when young.

· Will I be able to see the puppies parents and littermates?

· Unless you are considering purchasing an older puppy (over 4 months), you should be able to see the dam of the litter.  Puppies younger than this benefit from dam-puppy socialization and as such the dam should be available.  There may be occasional exceptions to this, but any exception should be a red flag.  Additionally if there are littermates available you should be able to see them as well.  There is never a reason to only be allowed to see one puppy at a time and restricted from seeing the rest of the litter.  The sire of the litter may or may not be available.  Many times litters are sired by males that are owned by another individual, there are even times when the dam may have never been with the sire, such as in cases of artificial insemination.

· Will I be able to see where your dogs are kept?

· It is always a good idea to have a look around the facility.  By its condition you can see how the puppy you are considering was raised.  If the puppies are kept in filthy conditions, go elsewhere.  Also ask to see other dogs on the property.  You can get a very good idea of what the puppy might look like when it is older, and of the overall care the breeder gives their dogs.

· What preventative health care has the puppy received?

· By the time that a puppy reaches the appropriate age to go home they should have received the appropriate preventative health care for their age.  If you are taking home a young puppy they should have had a minimum of 2 vaccinations (Parvo being one of the most important), and been wormed (Many puppies are born with Roundworms) at least one time.  One additional item to note is that it is not uncommon for many breeders to give their own vaccinations, so just because you are not getting a veterinarians vaccination certificate doesn’t mean that the vaccinations weren't given.

· Are the puppies AKC registered? (Applicable only for AKC Registered Breeds)

· Although AKC papers are not an indication of quality it is a good place to start when looking to acquire a puppy.   There are other registries out there, but no other registry has the stringent requirements that the AKC does.  In order to get AKC papers on a dog both parents must have been AKC registered, along with their grandparents and, great-grandparents and so on.  Many of the other registries will simply allow you to send in pictures, state what breed you are claiming the dog is, pay the appropriate fee and amazingly you now have a registered dog.  In other words if you want to be assured that the breed you are seeking is the breed you get make sure the puppy is AKC registered.

· What clubs do you belong to?  What types of events do you participate in?

· Most responsible breeders will be highly involved in their dogs, they will be members of a local all-breed club and commonly members of a specialty club or two.  They will be either competing in Conformation Events, Obedience, Agility, Rally, or any number of other performance events.  Although not being involved isn’t a definite sign that they are not reputable it is definitely a red flag.

· What health testing do you do?

· Every breed is different as far as the health and genetic tests that are available and common in their breed.  Some breeds have been actively doing health testing for many years such as Golden Retriever, Labradors and many others while other breeds have just recently began to recognize the importance of health testing.  Although it would be nice to have parents that are health cleared prior to breeding in some breeds you will find it very difficult to find such a litter.  Additionally it is important to note that just because the sire and dam are clear does not necessarily mean that the offspring will be.  So although health tests are a good thing, in some breeds it is still not the most important.  The Canine Health Information Center (CHIC), is a central database that many breeds are beginning to use in order to tract health clearances that have been done on purebred dogs.  On their website you look up a breed and if they are a participant you can see the test that the parent club recommends and what dogs have been issued a CHIC number for completing all of the tests.  One important note is that a CHIC number will be issued whether or not the animals were clear, it indicates only that the testing was completed.

· If you are comfortable with the answers to all of these questions be sure that you ask about the terms of the sale

· Before placing a deposit or taking a puppy home make sure you understand and agree to the terms of the sale.  Most responsible breeders will require that their puppies be spayed or neutered at an appropriate age, and many will place the puppies on limited registration.  If you are looking for a family pet these terms are probably fine with you, but if you are looking for a dog to do more make sure you discuss this with the breeder from the start.  Some breeders will want to co-own the dog with you and require additional things from you at a later date, such as the dog being shown or perhaps producing a litter.  If you agree to such terms be sure that you are ready to fulfill these requirements.  Although having a litter or showing a dog may seem like fun it requires a great commitment from you as the owner and a good relationship between you and the breeder.  If you are not sure that you want to make such a commitment do not agree to the contract.