Buying a puppy

[slinkycat]

Have thought long and hard about this, decided to wait until our cat was no longer with us as he had got used to being the only pet.
Sadly had to have him put to sleep a couple of weeks ago.
Have discussed at length with the family about the sort of dog we want, which has caused a few disagreements!
Anyway, what I'd like is your opinion on is on-line sites for buying puppies.
Hopefully going to view one tomorrow, the site seems reputable,and I guess its no different from buying a dog from a classified ad. reassurance and advice please!

[divegirl]

I'd be very suspicious of buying a puppy on line. Do you have a link to the site?
If your heart is set on a puppy you really should spend time researching the breed and the breeder.
Make sure any puppy you view is seen with it's Mum [and Dad if possible]
Do your homework first.....don't rush into heartbreak.

Lisa x

[slinkycat]

Its a site called pets 4 homes. There are mostly pedigree dogs on there, many with papers.

[RATTER15]

Please be very careful about which breed you buy, don't ever buy a dog on looks alone!! A pedigree dog is a good idea to start with, you will heave a good idea what the temperament, the size and character the dog will have. Don't buy a collie if its not going to be mentally stimulated, don't buy an Irish Wolfhound if you are not at home for most of the day, don't buy a Jack Russell if you don't want to put a lot of energy into your dog, don't buy any dog if you cant devote the time, patience and money to rearing it.

We wave a rescue Irish Wolfhound, the guys we got it from couldn't believe the size of the dog at 7 months old and wanted rid of it as they couldn't cope, the dog was just over half grown. He is now full grown and a stunning beautiful dog, He was called "Spike" and came with a spiked and studded collar, the collar and the name went as we picked him up :) Irish Wolfhounds are the tallest breed and probably the gentlest breed on the planet, they obviously wanted a mean baddass dog!!

[boxtops]

The RSPCA are overloaded with dogs at the moment - could you not consider getting one of them?

[craft1948]

I got my dog from this site, although he wasn't a puppy he was one of the very few rehomes.........got all his papers etc and no problems.

http://www.epupz.co.uk/index.asp

[lankeela]

Please be very careful buying from an online site - although I know some good breeders who use pets4homes and epupz, there are also many puppy farmers who use them too. Check how many breeds the breeder has, if they have several be very wary. Make sure they do all the health checks for the relevant breeds. Make sure the puppy is Kennel Club registered if its pedigree. If you post the breed you are interested in I can give you information on health tests. To be honest the best way to find a puppy is to go to a breed club secretary, who will be able to give you names of club members who have to abide by their rules and code of ethics, and do all the health tests recommended. A good site is champdogs, where breeders put their details and you can get links to their websites if they have one.

[lankeela]

Not really an answer but a little tale: my sister picked her cats up from the cattery yesterday, and the owner showed her a dog that had been taken in. A young Dalmatian bitch, the lady who owned her had a small child and another on the way, husband away in the army and now she can't cope with the Dally. Turns out it is totally deaf, which is a common problem in the breed but the parents can be tested before breeding. The kennel owner blames the 'pedigree dog breeders' for producing a deaf puppy and selling it to unsuspecting buyers, but if they had done their homework they would have known about the problem and could have gone to a breeder who tests. Instead this poor dog has been dumped at the kennels and needs a new home through no fault of her own, and will need special training to hand signals. If puppy buyers did not buy from breeders who don't test then they would soon go out of business or have to start doing the testing. With the internet it is easy enough to find out about any problems in a breed, and easy to find breeders who do test.

[lankeela]

http://www.champdogs.co.uk/

[jules77]

Agree with Lankeela. Also many breed clubs have their own website like we do for Collies, and we only accept adverts for puppies from reputable breeders, (not accreditated breeders as that doesnt mean much at the moment).

What breed are you after?

[lankeela]

Oh jules, don't get me started on Accredited Breeders! While the intention is a good one, while anyone can join just by paying the annual fee (and in some cases without having even bred a litter!) and without having to do all the available health tests then I am afraid I can't recommend or support the scheme.
From just the few in our breed who are members it proves that there is no proof of any better breeding practices by going to one. Until they at least make all health tests compulsory to be a member then I am not interested.

[woofgang]

I think that the KC should make all relevant health tests mandatory for dogs shown at their shows...

[lankeela]

I totally agree, and also both parents before they register any puppies.

[woofgang]

so far as the websites, they can be a good place to start BUT you should expect the third degree from the breeder and should be asking them the standard stuff. Can i meet Mum, who is dad, can i meet him (maybe not) how brought up? how many breeds bred (steer clear if more than two, three max) how many litters per year, KC kennel name if they are registered, anyone who has had a pup from them you could speak, to health tests of course, how long have they been breeding, why this litter, why choice of stud, how are pups being reared.

[lankeela]

Good advice woofgang but in my experience puppy buyers tend to think that as they 'only want a pet' they don't need to ask all these things. If only people would do more homework there would be less animals in rescue homes and less vets bills to pay when they buy a pup with health problems. If I were spending the sort of money a pedigree puppy costs these days I would make sure I knew what I was getting. Actually, thinking about it, I just have! I bought a GSD two weeks ago and both parents have been health tested. I saw the breeders other dogs (I already knew the mother) and yesterday I met the father who I knew of as he is a very successful show dog. He went Best in Show yesterday, four shows in this country and unbeaten so far.
I visited the litter twice before making a decision (taking the breeder's advice on which one was most suitable for my lifestyle). I followed the advice on which food he had been reared on, worming regime, he had been microchipped and my vet checked him over when he had his first jab. He has now had his second jab, and I have been religiously getting up about 5.30 every morning to let him out and he is now clean as long as I let him out often enough and stay out with him till he goes. He now goes through the night till about 6.30, He has travelled in my van (over 1000 miles in a couple of weeks) and apart from a bit of a dribble the first time no problems. He has met all my friends dogs and gets on well with all mine except one who thinks he is the spawn of the devil! He sleeps in a puppy pen at night and during the day between play sessions. He travels in a cage in the van and he has lots of chews/toys/bones etc to keep him occupied. He actually prefers to play with empty plastic milk bottles!
He is going to classes from this Thursday and after basic training he will do some show training. He already sits on command for a titbit. We are going to have such fun!

[woofgang]

Ha Lankeela people do more research when buying a new telly than when buying a new best friend. Have a lovely time with your new baby, it sounds like he has fallen on his paws!

[slinkycat]

Thanks for all the answers, had put a lot of thought into getting a pup, Have wanted a Jack Russell for a long time, but was put off by reports that they are not great with cats.
Decided to go see the pups anyway. They are in a family home, with an experienced dog owner. The mum was very friendly, even though we were handling her pups. Also they have three cats, which the mum gets on with.
Anyway, have gone for it, getting the pup in 3 weeks, then the fun starts!

[RATTER15]

I have had Jack Russells for many years and always kept cats without a single incident, if your pup is brought up with cats it may still chase others but not yours. You will need to start training your pup from the day you get it, a JRT is a fantastic companion, will give you a laugh a minute but if you don't let him know who is boss he/she will tell you who is boss! they are not yappy or snappy so ignore such stupid remarks but they will hunt anything that moves.

They have endless energy and don't ever think you will tire him out with a few minutes walk, they really do need plenty of exercise (not so much as a young puppy though) or they will chew and be very destructive. I love JRT's and they will be very loyal and give you many years of fun, they are also very intelligent, though sometimes it can be hard to find, they are also very naughty as pups lolol

Enjoy them!!

[slinkycat]

Thanks ratter, they sound like great fun. Any idea what they are like with chickens?
Or should say a chicken (see above post) are they likely to bother them?

[RATTER15]

As long as they are brought up having regular contact with them they will be no trouble, the only problem is having them together as pups is they will want to play with them, this will need to be stopped as chickens aren't known for their playfulness and the JRT will persist and then it could go wrong, let your dog with your chickens but be very careful how they interact and don't let them play with the chickens. when JRT gets older it will also protect them against foxy :)