We have many discussions on here as to what constitutes a really good breeder, and rightly set our standards very high. In an ideal world, everyone would be prepared to research carefully, to build a relationship with an excellent breeder, and be ready to wait as long as it took for the right puppy to come along. But unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world...
In the hope of possibly saving new puppy owners from heartbreak, here are a few absolutely basic checks to go through when looking for a pup.
Absolute basics of puppy buying
• Caveat emptor - buyer beware.
• Visit the puppy at its home, and see it with its mother.
• Understand and expect basic health tests and checks for parents and for puppies
• Get copies of registration and other documents with the puppy
Caveat emptor - buyer beware.
Most puppies are friendly, honest, desirous of pleasing, and want to be with you for the long term. Some, but not all, puppy sellers are the same. Would you buy a car sight unseen, from a small ad giving only a mobile phone number? Without registration papers or proof of ownership? When you buy a puppy, you are taking on responsibility for a living, breathing, thinking creature for the next 15 years or so - you can afford a little (or even a lot of) time, thought and research to make sure you choose wisely.
Visit the puppy at its home, and see it with its mother.
If the seller makes excuses - fear of animal rights extremists, in the process of redecorating, mother is elsewhere/out for a walk/too protective of her puppies to be seen, it is easier to deliver the puppy or meet you half way - there is a very high probability they are running or fronting a puppy mill. Practically all puppies in pet shops or sold through dealers (including internet dealers) are produced in puppy mills. Many small ads and free ads - online and in newspapers - are placed by dealers. Dogs in puppy mills are kept and treated as livestock, to be bred till they are no longer useful and then discarded. Every puppy bought from one encourages the business to continue. Every puppy they are unable to sell discourages the continuation. Don't support them - you may believe that you are rescuing the puppy (although if unsold, it will probably eventually find its way into rescue and a good home that way without enriching anyone along the way), but you are supporting the exploitation of the parents. Insist on seeing the puppy with its mother and litter mates, so that you can judge for yourself the puppy's health and the environment it has been raised in.
If you decide to have the puppy shipped to you, be even more careful. Deal directly with the breeder, and expect to have many detailed conversations before they accept you as a home for one of their pups. Look for genuine references (not celebrity endorsements), and ask for veterinary and other references. If at all possible, visit yourself, if not, ask a friend or relation to visit for you. Don't be misled by contracts that are all to the seller's benefit, and avoid anyone who is only interested in getting your credit card details, and not in the kind of home you are offering. And if the offer seems too good to be true, it probably is - there is a well known internet scam offering puppies "free", but then asking huge shipping fees for a puppy that never arrives...
People who love their dogs and their puppies care about what happens to them. They will want to talk to you about whether the pup is right for you, to know that you are able to look after it well, to meet you and show off their dogs and pups. They will not treat the puppy like a commodity, with money the only consideration. They would not dream of selling puppies through a dealer or pet shop (not even Harrods!). They will be busy looking after dogs and pups, so may not always answer the phone immediately - schedule a telephone conversation, and then a visit, before making any decision, to make sure this is the right pup for you, and that you are the right human for the puppy.
Understand and expect basic health tests and checks for parents and for puppies
Most breeds, including poodles, have a number of inherited health problems that can be avoided by proper testing before the parents are bred. These include PRA (a form of blindness), and joint problems with hips and knees. Because many of these problems are common to several breeds, poodle mixes are not immune - and parents of crosses need to be tested just the same. There are different schemes in different countries, you need to check which are relevant to your country, but be aware that a puppy from untested parents - particularly closely related untested parents, as is often the case in puppy mills and back yard breeders - may have very significant health problems. Familiarise yourself with what the test results should look like and what they mean, and ask to see them.
Puppies need regular worming, and the breeder should have a record of which wormer has been used, and when the pup was last treated. Pups should have clean coats, bright eyes (some pups get tear staining while teething, but extensive tear stains can indicate eye problems that might need veterinary treatment), clean ears with no smell, no signs of diarrhoea around the anus, and should generally smell of puppy. Check the bite - the top teeth should very slightly overlap the bottom teeth like the blades of a pair of scissors. Pups should be cheerful and playful - be wary of a puppy that seems lethargic or overly fearful.
Get copies of registration and other documents with the puppy
If you are buying and paying for a pure bred, registered puppy, make sure you are given all the relevant documents with the puppy. If they are not available for some reason (and Kennel Clubs can be very slow with documentation), and you are not dealing with a highly reputable breeder with a reputation to maintain, it is quite possible that the papers may never materialise. Be aware that not all registries are equal - some are there purely to make bad breeders look good, and have been known to register invented breeds, cats, and even kangaroos! Check other papers - vaccination certificates, veterinary certificates - carefully. In the UK, most good breeders will take advantage of the insurance schemes for breeders to ensure pups are covered for the first few weeks in their new homes - make sure you have the documentation for this.
And if in doubt, walk away. And if you doubt your ability to walk away, take a hard headed friend or relation with you. It can be very, very difficult to do when puppies are so adorable, but much better to take time to sleep on your decision than to get it wrong.
In the hope of possibly saving new puppy owners from heartbreak, here are a few absolutely basic checks to go through when looking for a pup.
Absolute basics of puppy buying
• Caveat emptor - buyer beware.
• Visit the puppy at its home, and see it with its mother.
• Understand and expect basic health tests and checks for parents and for puppies
• Get copies of registration and other documents with the puppy
Caveat emptor - buyer beware.
Most puppies are friendly, honest, desirous of pleasing, and want to be with you for the long term. Some, but not all, puppy sellers are the same. Would you buy a car sight unseen, from a small ad giving only a mobile phone number? Without registration papers or proof of ownership? When you buy a puppy, you are taking on responsibility for a living, breathing, thinking creature for the next 15 years or so - you can afford a little (or even a lot of) time, thought and research to make sure you choose wisely.
Visit the puppy at its home, and see it with its mother.
If the seller makes excuses - fear of animal rights extremists, in the process of redecorating, mother is elsewhere/out for a walk/too protective of her puppies to be seen, it is easier to deliver the puppy or meet you half way - there is a very high probability they are running or fronting a puppy mill. Practically all puppies in pet shops or sold through dealers (including internet dealers) are produced in puppy mills. Many small ads and free ads - online and in newspapers - are placed by dealers. Dogs in puppy mills are kept and treated as livestock, to be bred till they are no longer useful and then discarded. Every puppy bought from one encourages the business to continue. Every puppy they are unable to sell discourages the continuation. Don't support them - you may believe that you are rescuing the puppy (although if unsold, it will probably eventually find its way into rescue and a good home that way without enriching anyone along the way), but you are supporting the exploitation of the parents. Insist on seeing the puppy with its mother and litter mates, so that you can judge for yourself the puppy's health and the environment it has been raised in.
If you decide to have the puppy shipped to you, be even more careful. Deal directly with the breeder, and expect to have many detailed conversations before they accept you as a home for one of their pups. Look for genuine references (not celebrity endorsements), and ask for veterinary and other references. If at all possible, visit yourself, if not, ask a friend or relation to visit for you. Don't be misled by contracts that are all to the seller's benefit, and avoid anyone who is only interested in getting your credit card details, and not in the kind of home you are offering. And if the offer seems too good to be true, it probably is - there is a well known internet scam offering puppies "free", but then asking huge shipping fees for a puppy that never arrives...
People who love their dogs and their puppies care about what happens to them. They will want to talk to you about whether the pup is right for you, to know that you are able to look after it well, to meet you and show off their dogs and pups. They will not treat the puppy like a commodity, with money the only consideration. They would not dream of selling puppies through a dealer or pet shop (not even Harrods!). They will be busy looking after dogs and pups, so may not always answer the phone immediately - schedule a telephone conversation, and then a visit, before making any decision, to make sure this is the right pup for you, and that you are the right human for the puppy.
Understand and expect basic health tests and checks for parents and for puppies
Most breeds, including poodles, have a number of inherited health problems that can be avoided by proper testing before the parents are bred. These include PRA (a form of blindness), and joint problems with hips and knees. Because many of these problems are common to several breeds, poodle mixes are not immune - and parents of crosses need to be tested just the same. There are different schemes in different countries, you need to check which are relevant to your country, but be aware that a puppy from untested parents - particularly closely related untested parents, as is often the case in puppy mills and back yard breeders - may have very significant health problems. Familiarise yourself with what the test results should look like and what they mean, and ask to see them.
Puppies need regular worming, and the breeder should have a record of which wormer has been used, and when the pup was last treated. Pups should have clean coats, bright eyes (some pups get tear staining while teething, but extensive tear stains can indicate eye problems that might need veterinary treatment), clean ears with no smell, no signs of diarrhoea around the anus, and should generally smell of puppy. Check the bite - the top teeth should very slightly overlap the bottom teeth like the blades of a pair of scissors. Pups should be cheerful and playful - be wary of a puppy that seems lethargic or overly fearful.
Get copies of registration and other documents with the puppy
If you are buying and paying for a pure bred, registered puppy, make sure you are given all the relevant documents with the puppy. If they are not available for some reason (and Kennel Clubs can be very slow with documentation), and you are not dealing with a highly reputable breeder with a reputation to maintain, it is quite possible that the papers may never materialise. Be aware that not all registries are equal - some are there purely to make bad breeders look good, and have been known to register invented breeds, cats, and even kangaroos! Check other papers - vaccination certificates, veterinary certificates - carefully. In the UK, most good breeders will take advantage of the insurance schemes for breeders to ensure pups are covered for the first few weeks in their new homes - make sure you have the documentation for this.
And if in doubt, walk away. And if you doubt your ability to walk away, take a hard headed friend or relation with you. It can be very, very difficult to do when puppies are so adorable, but much better to take time to sleep on your decision than to get it wrong.