Picking out Puppy soon.....What do I look for?????

Hi all you professionals......
We are going to pick out our puppy soon out of a litter of 6 which are champagne and black. Please help me to know what to look for in the puppy?????/ Also what should I ask the breeder?????
Your advice is greatly appreciated......we are excited!!!!!........

 

What kind of puppies are you looking at? :lol: Could be more specific if i knew, but here are a few no brainers: Are the parents on site? If they are, can you spend time with them? do that BEFORE looking at the litter........mom and dad will tell you a world of knowlege of how the youngster will grow up, in temperment, conformation, and looks. Get a breed standard on what you are choosing. READ IT. then check out the parents, again, to see how close they are. What kind of guarantee are you getting for health? What are the laws in your state regarding puppy lemon laws. Are you planning on breeding? If so, talk to the breeder about how the mom did during partuition. And how the stud did on breeding, did he need help?
What is you household like? Bear that in mind, as regards to the temperment of the pup. If your breeder has done puppy testing, (the PAT test) might be a real good idea to give them your needs, and let them choose the correct pup for you.
Basic health to look for: bright eyes with no runnieness, no signs of diarhea, strong body and legs, friendly, not cowering.
Chewed yer ear off enough? Congrats, and good luck on your pup!

 

Hi and congrats on going to pick out a puppy....

When you goto the breeder first thing you should look for is how clean the place is, When my girls had pups ( German shepherds ) The whelping room was kept as clean and sterile as possible....

If the parents are not in with the litter, Ask if you could see them and why they are not in there with them, I always had the parents with the litter when potential owners came to look...

Ask about the parents temprament and wether there is any aggression, Health problems in the line...

Ask how long they have been breeding and how many litters this dam has had and how often they breed her, Breeding at each season is an indication of a not so good breeder...

How often is the sire used for breeding....

Was there any problems during whelping, Was the birth difficult, Did the whelps breath normally after delivery are did they need so assistance...
Where all puppies normal and healthy when born,
If the pups are leaving before 8 weeks old ask why they are wanting to let them go so early, 8-12 weeks is the normal time to let a puppy go to its new home..

Ask them if you can see both parents medical records, Like vaccination, worming, hip, eyes, heart test results.
How often they worm and vaccinate.
A good breeder will produce these without any problems..

Has either parent had or come into contact with parvo,distemper....

Also you can ask wether the pup will be health checked before leaving his/her mother and coming to you, Is his worming upto date, Will he/she have first sets of shots.

You can also ask what there policy is on taking back the puppy should it either not work out with your family or a health problem arises due to some inherited problem, Good breeders will state that they will take the pup back... One that says that its upto you to resolve the problem or gives you some story then stay clear of this breeder as they have something to hide...

Thats just some of the questions you can ask, If you think of anything to ask them that you think is important then ask away they have an obligation to give you full honest answers and not hide anything from you...

The breeder should also have some questions for you...

Why do you think this breed of dog is good for your family?

What made you choose this breed?

How much do you know about this breed or any dog?

Do you have the time space and money for a dog?

How long each day will the puppy be left on his/her own while your out working shopping?

Will there be someone there to let the pup go out to the toilet?

Do you have time to walk the pup?

Do you plan on using the dog for breed, If so do you know anything about breeding and what goes into it?

If your not wanting to breed do you intend to have him neutered or her spayed?

Do you have children and what are they like with dogs?

Do you have any other pets?

How big is your yard?

Would you be happy for me to do a home check just to make sure everything is fine for the pup?

Would you be happy for me just to drop by unannounced to check things are going well?

Some breeders like myself will ask if its ok to check with vet offices, and animal control to do a background check on you to make sure there is no cases of animal cruelty against you or your family...

Thats just some of the questions he/she may ask you.....

Hope this helped a little, Abit long i know but worth it in the end....
Also you can write down all the questions you want to ask and take it with you a good breeder will be really impressed that you have took the time to ask all these questions..

Mike

 

Just wanted to add a note to this. Working with rescues, we always asked potential owners about these things, dropping by at the house, doing a house check and a background check....a lot of people got offended by it, like they feel untrusted or in some cases that we were just being 'picky' and assumed that we didnt like them....but its not that at all.

If you do find this offensive in any way just think if it was a puppy you had and that you were looking for a new home for it....and a complete stranger offers to give the pup a home, you would also want to know as much as possible about the person. So its not that the breeder is being picky or anything, they just care about the puppies.

(just thought Id mention that)

 

Thanks for adding that DeLa, I totally agree with you that its not that we dont trust them or anything like that, Its the welfare of the animals that must come first...

Mike