The individual puppy which you bring home determines a lot of what will follow. Already, at the age of 7 weeks, the basis for the adult dog this puppy will become, has been laid down.
You are not buying a 'blank slate', which you can fashion as you want. You are already buying a dog with a history; a dog which has already been shaped and informed by this history. Combined with this history, is a genetic predisposition, inherited from both parents.
When you understand this, then you will understand the importance of finding a good breeder.
Living in Jersey, it might be extra-tempting to buy puppies advertised in the back of the JEP, rather than making an expensive trip over to the UK or Europe. Wherever your puppy comes from, do use the points described on this page to choose your breeder, your litter and your puppy. If a local litter has not been health-tested, you’d be best travelling further afield: Dogs with health issues can cost thousands in veterinary fees.
If you would like (free!) advice on finding a puppy of a particular breed, or help deciding on a breed - then please do get in touch with me at jo@dogworks.org.uk
Choosing a breed, cross-breed or mixed-breed
If you are buying a pedigree or a popular cross-breed, you should know the breed you are buying, thoroughly. This means not only its physical appearance, but its character and temperament as well. Many are the folk who love the appearance of mini schnauzers - only to find that they have a tendency to bark at everything. German Shepherds might be faithful and loving - but come with guarding tendencies.
Know what the purpose of the breed originally was, and know about the predispositions the dog will come with, as a result. These include physical and psychological issues. If you are purchasing a crossbreed, know about the characteristics of both parents' breeds. It is a little harder to say which qualities your puppy will inherit, or how these qualities will interact, if you're buying a crossbreed.
Often the positive qualities you love about the breed, will also have negative aspects to them: Weimaraners form intense attachment bonds with their owners… and are also more prone than some other breeds to separation anxiety. Two sides of the same coin…
Try to meet as many dogs of the breeds concerned as possible and to speak with owners. There is no substitute for meeting breeds, in the flesh. Ie: Curly-coated retrievers and chesapeake bay retrievers are very attractive, but did you know their coats are oily? Many breeders are happy to receive email enquiries from you about their breed of dog and to answer any questions you might have.
Each November, the Kennel Club holds an event called Discover Dogs at Earls Court in London. Every pedigree breed is represented there, with a booth for each breed, where you can speak to owners and meet the dogs. (Pictured, left, is the bichon frise booth.) If you've narrowed your choice down to a few, or if you can't find any owners of the breed you're interested in, it is well worth a trip to London for Discover Dogs.
If you are interested in a rescue puppy, be aware that often the dogs behind that puppy are unknown quantities and, until a dog is mature, you won't know what you will end up with. For this reason, it can sometimes be a better idea to home an adolescent or adult rescue dog, when the dog's personality will be much more evident.
Health
Some popular breeds have been bred, by show breeders, to have exaggerated physical characteristics which can cause the dog great pain and a shortened life span. To read more about this and the breeds affected, see the Pedigree Dogs Exposed blog or have a look at the programme which generated the blog, Pedigree Dogs Exposed, which can be viewed entirely on YouTube. Here is Part 1. The following parts should come up as options on YouTube to view once Part 1 has finished:
Not all pedigree dogs are affected by such exaggerated breeding. Certainly pedigree dogs bred with any working or functional purpose as a priority are unlikely to be so afflicted - because they are not being bred with exaggerated physical characteristics in mind, but for other qualities.
If you're looking for a pedigree puppy and you want to avoid the heartache shown in the video above, it's important to educate yourself about possible health defects which the breed can be prone to, and any tests which exist for these defects. So you can ensure the parents of your puppy have had the necessary tests.
How to find out about all this?
Steps to finding a healthy puppy…
1) A good starting point is the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme recommendations for the breed concerned. You will find here a list of 'Requirements' which those breeders who belong to the Assured Breeder Scheme must comply with, and also a list of 'Recommendations' - which are not compulsory. This document will tell you the tests which you really should expect a breeder to have carried out on breeding stock, before breeding - whether or not the breeders are members of the Assured Breeder Scheme. Please note that belonging to the Assured Breeder Scheme is no guarantee that a breeder is a 'good' breeder: Many breeders belonging to this scheme are not 'good' breeders (in my opinion), whilst there are also many excellent breeders who are not Assured Breeders. But this document is an excellent place to start learning about the health issues in various breeds.
2) Each breed will have one or more UK 'breed clubs' - which can be joined by anyone owning the breed who complies with the membership criteria. The breed club often has more stringent membership criteria than the Kennel Club does, in terms of standards, health testing and breeding requirements. Google '[breed of dog]' and 'club' or 'society' to find the UK breed clubs for the breed concerned, and then see what health tests are recommended by the breed clubs.
3) Watch Pedigree Dogs Exposed on YouTube, so you get some idea of the issues involved and some breeds afflicted.
4) One of the ways in which health issues are bred into a breed, is from inbreeding: In order to 'fix' a physical characteristic into a breed, breeders breed closely ('line breed') - say, by breeding a niece to an uncle, or even a father to a daughter. Although this fixes the desired characteristic, with too much line-breeding in the pedigree, other undesirable health issues get inadvertently 'fixed' too - which breeders may not be aware of, at the time.
This is how recessive genes function: Qualities which may not crop up when breeding unrelated dogs together ('out-crossing'), do show up when closely related dogs are bred, because the recessive genes are then present on both sides (maternal and paternal). When recessives are present on both sides, they can become manifest.
What can you do about this? Look at the pedigree of any mating closely: You should be able to request the pedigree of sire and dam from the breeder. Do the same names crop up repeatedly, on both maternal and paternal sides?
Example of line-breeding:
The amount of inbreeding in any dog's pedigree can be calculated, and given a % result. This is called the COI, which stands for 'co-efficient of inbreeding'. The lower the COI, the 'better' and the less inbred.
Recently, the Kennel Club have made available an online tool which will allow you to calculate the average COIs of any breed. Use the Kennel Club's 'Mate Select' service, selecting your breed(s) from the drop-down list, to find out the average COI for your breed(s).
Remember: The lower the COI, the better, and the less inbred. If you can't decide between several breeds, you might want to choose the breed with the lower average COI.
5) Consider a crossbreed or a mixed-breed rescue, instead of a pedigree. Even a first-generation crossbreed effectively doubles the gene-pool through breeding completely different breeds together - resulting in an extremely low COI, and less chance of nasty recessive genes being present on both maternal and paternal sides. Crossbreeds live, on average, longer than pedigrees and have fewer health conditions.
Caution: If the same health conditions exist on both sides, then the risk of a health problem is still the same with a cross-breed. For example, labradors and poodles both experience hip dysplacia, as breeds. As a result, a labrador x poodle (labradoodle) will have a similar risk of hip dysplacia as a pedigree dog of either breed.
Opting for a cross-breed can also make it harder to find a breeder who meets the criteria (below) for a 'good' breeder. Deliberate breeders of crossbreeds are more likely to be breeding purely for financial gain - since they are definitely not breeding for success in the show ring (as crossbreeds can't be shown) and not many litters are crossbred for working purposes. (See question 1) below - Why has the breeder bred this litter?).
Breeders breeding for financial gain are likely to breed too many litters a year; to not give each litter the time and attention needed; to provide inadequate socialisation; to cut corners financially by not health-testing breeding stock - and so on - in many ways, to be a 'bad' breeder. So don't sacrifice everything to get a crossbreed: There's little point in buying a crossbred pup which has lived its first 7wks in a kennel outdoors, and therefore whose brain development will have been stunted by a lack of adequate stimulation and socialisation. There are 'good' breeders of crossbreeds out there, but they may take more finding than a pedigree litter with a low COI.
What to look for, in a breeder?
You've chosen your breed or crossbreed now. You just need to find a breeder and a puppy…
There is no one magic way to find the perfect breeder. For every suggestion I make here, there will be many excellent breeders who don't comply - and there will be many bad breeders who seem to make the cut. All I can do is to give you a feel for what to look for: A breeder who meets almost all of these criteria is likely to be a good breeder. A breeder who meets only a couple, is unlikely to be.
1) Why has the breeder bred this litter? And why now? This information will tell you heaps about the pros and cons of a puppy from this mating. Is it a deliberate and carefully planned mating? Or an accidental mating with an unknown male in the local park? Has the breeder used the closest stud dog, perhaps even their own - or driven miles to find the most suitable dog? Is the agenda to produce dogs which are successful in some way? Is this in the show ring, or in terms of working ability? Is the purpose of the mating to have 'just one litter' from the family pet dog, before she is spayed? Is the agenda to make money?
There are no absolutely right or wrong answers, here: Someone may use their own stud dog, and it might be a great dog, from very different lines to the bitch, resulting in a low COI. Or an accidental mating may have happened - but the owner of the bitch might be very committed, have done lots of research, health-tested her dog, and provide excellent socialisation for puppies…making it not a bad proposition. There are no absolute ways to be sure of finding a 'good' breeder, but the breeder's agenda is crucial to know.
2) Has the breeder carried out the health tests recommended for the breed? I discussed above how to determine what the required health tests are, for different breeds. If you are going for a first-generation crossbreed, the sire and dam (if Kennel Club registered) should still have been given the required tests for their individual breeds: Even if your puppy won't be a pedigree, his parents might be. (Again, as mentioned above: If health conditions exist on both sides, then the risk is still the same. For example, labradors and poodles both experience hip dysplacia, as breeds. As a result, a labrador x poodle (labradoodle) will have a similar risk of hip dysplacia as a pedigree dog of either breed.)
Don't just take the breeder's word that these tests have been done: You can request copies of the results to be emailed or posted to you. Even easier: Using the Kennel Club registered name of the sire and dam, you can look them up using the Kennel Club's Health Test Results Finder. You should be able to find the records for all health tests administered to all Kennel Club registered dogs, online there.
3) What is the COI of the proposed mating? This is relevant for pedigree puppies only. Using the Kennel Club registered names of the sire and dam, the Kennel Club's 'Individual Inbreeding Coefficient' calculator will tell you what the COI of the proposed mating will be. This would be the COI of your puppy. Compare this to the average for the breed, which will also be displayed. Remember: The lower the COI, the 'better' and the less inbred.
For example, the average Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer COI is 11.5%. If a proposed mating was going to produce puppies with a COI of 20.3%, you might want to avoid a puppy from that mating.
Try to choose a mating which has a COI at or below average, to minimise the health problems which can occur with inbreeding.
4) At what age will the breeder allow you to collect the puppy? Advice from the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors is that the optimal age for puppies to come to their new homes is at 6 weeks. However, 6 weeks is younger than what most UK breeders allow: Most commonly, UK breeders prefer 7 or 8 weeks. It might be hard to find a breeder which will allow a puppy to go at 6 weeks, but it should be possible to find one who will allow 7 weeks: It has been shown that puppies homed at younger than 8 weeks have fewer behavioural problems as adults, than puppies homed 8 weeks and older.
The weeks of waiting to bring your puppy home, whilst it is being raised by the breeder, is a very important time for you. It is easy to be impatient and to buy the first pup you find which is 7/8wks old at the time you are looking. However, this period of waiting - no matter how frustrating for you - is important. It is only partly about preparing the physical space (your house) - it is also, more importantly, about preparing the space in your mind, for a puppy. Don’t be in a rush; choose a litter which involves waiting some weeks if you can. Spend these weeks imagining life with your pup, and what he or she will be like. What sort of puppy will you have? What will you do together? Have you found a training club to join? What are your socialisation plans for your puppy?
Older pups: Occasionally breeders have older pups available. This may be because they were 'run on' as show prospects, but it then became evident they weren't going to make the grade. Or it may be because the breeder was unable to find a home for them, at 7/8 weeks. Breeders are often very keen to home these pups and may put considerable pressure on you to take one.
Whatever the reason for it, I wouldn't advise that you take on a pup which is any older than 7-8 weeks. By this age, pups really need one-to-one attention from a dedicated human carer, in order to bond closely with humans (rather than other dogs) and to receive adequate socialisation during the very short socialisation period.
Although breeders often insist that they have provided puppies older than 8 wks with sufficient socialisation, in reality this is unlikely to be the case: It is very difficult for someone who is tired after having just whelped and reared a litter, and who has their own dogs to care for - and frequently a family and/or work commitments as well - to have sufficient time to adequately socialise a puppy, which they have no intention of keeping themselves. Done well, bringing up a puppy is a full-time job - a bit akin to having a human baby for a short period. So: Opt for a puppy no older than 7/8 weeks.
Toy breeds: If you are looking for a toy breed, it might be difficult to find a breeder who will allow a puppy to go to her new home even by 8 weeks: Toy breeds of dog are so much smaller than many other breeds and breeders seem to assume that they must also be psychologically less mature. (This assumption is endemic in many toy dog owners, who 'baby' toy dogs throughout their lives.) This is simply not the case: Toy dogs mature psychologically at the same pace as larger breeds, and the socialisation window closes for them at the same ages.
Toy dogs are notorious for ending up with socialisation problems, often ending up yappy or aggressive towards other dogs, or particularly shy. It is understandable that many toy dogs end up like this - since breeders often insist on keeping puppies until they are around 14 weeks old - which is well outside the socialisation period!! If you are looking for a toy breed, you might want to consider a crossbreed instead - or look for a pedigree family pet which has been bred as a one-off mating: You are probably more likely, in these circumstances, to find breeders prepared to home at 7/8 wks.
5) In what environment will the puppies spend the first 6/7/8 weeks of their lives? The socialisation period begins from the moment the puppies' eyes open at around 2-3 weeks of age, and peaks from around 5-8 weeks. Most of this precious time, your puppy is with the breeder. A puppy which spends these early weeks in a kennel outdoors, with limited stimulation, is not going to experience enough to best prepare him for life. Puppies generate mess, and this mess will mean that many breeders will want to house them in an outbuilding or kennel. A 'good' breeder will recognise that it's worthwhile putting up with the mess, to enable the puppies to be raised in the thick of family life.
Here is a really rich environment for a litter of puppies, with lots of different substrates for them to walk on, objects for them to climb on and toys to play with - providing new objects, smells, sounds and sights. There is a separate area for toileting, so the puppies can start to learn not to toilet everywhere but in one specific place before they even come to their new homes, and the dam can join the puppies whenever she wants to:
A good breeder can do so much to give your puppy the best start in life. Looking at any Puppy Playgroup class at School for Dogs will illustrate a wide variety of temperaments. Puppies have only been in their new homes a week or two, by the time they come to School for Dogs. These temperaments are partly the result of genetics, and partly the result of the experiences the puppy has had to date: Nature and nurture. A 'good' breeder should only breed dogs of sound temperament and should ensure that their early lives are rich.
A puppy brought up in a stable or kennel containing only straw and sawdust, and seeing only the owner a few times a day, is not going to be well-prepared for the world at large.
Another example of a lovely, enriched environment:
Some breeders even integrate an Early Neurological Stimulation programme into their breeding plans. This involves 5 simple exercises carried out on each puppy between the ages of 3 days and 16 days old. These exercises are used by the military and service dog breeders to create 'super puppies':
6) How often does the breeder, breed litters? This is something you can determine by reading around the breeder's website, looking at previous adverts, googling the breeder, and finding out how many dogs they own, of which sexes. How much of an 'event' is a litter of puppies, in this household? The more of an 'event' it is, the more 'love' will go into the litter and the more attention (from everyone) the puppies will receive. Breeders who breed many litters a year tend to have more of a 'conveyor-belt' approach to the production of puppies, whereby all their physical needs might be met with very advanced technology and a clean environment but, emotionally, something is lacking.
7) Does the breeder 'vet' you? In the same way that you are sussing the breeder out, the breeder should be returning this, to decide if you can provide an appropriate home for a puppy. Lots of questions about your family, your daily timetable, your house and your lifestyle might be asked. If no questions are asked of you, you might feel good about not being interrogated - but it means that the breeder is placing puppies in homes which may not be suitable. Such puppies might later end up in rescue or needing to be rehomed, as a result. How much does such a breeder care about their puppies, to find out nothing about the homes they are going to? Welcome the breeder who questions you - and question them in return.
8) Will the breeder allow you to go and meet the puppies and the dam? If the mating hasn't happened yet, or if the dam is already pregnant, now is an ideal time to visit the mum and the breeders - before the chaos of puppies arrives.
It is normal for breeders not to invite visitors until the pups are 4-5 weeks old but, after this age, you again should be able to visit.
Always view puppies with their mother. Be very sceptical of any reasoning for a mother being kept away from you - reasons which might be given include things like: 'She has shed her coat, and isn't looking her best'. (Who knows if this is the real reason you can't meet her, or if there is another?)
This is the adult dog which has had the most impact on your puppy-to-be's identity, as a dog. You need to ascertain the personality of the mum: Is she strangely shy? Is she aggressive? How does she behave? If possible, view dad as well - although he may live some distance away. When visiting, take note of the environment the puppies are being raised in. Walk away and don't succumb to cute puppy eyes, if you're not happy.
9) Is the breeder keen to stay in touch, after you take the puppy home? A 'good' breeder will be open to a long-term relationship with puppy-buyers. She will welcome photos and news of your puppy and show interest in his achievements. You may see this on her website, where she will list photos of dogs from previous litters with their new families. She will be available for help, support and advice on breed-related issues. The end of your relationship would not be the day you collect your puppy.
10) Who will decide which puppy you get? When will this be decided? Puppies change a lot from the day they are born to the day they are homed. It is not possible to know what character or temperament any particular puppy will have, when they have just been born and are wiggly worms - or even at a few weeks old.
Yet some breeders like people to choose a puppy and want to take a deposit when puppies are still tiny. This is not ideal, and the main reason breeders want to do it, is so they can relax and know that they are not going to be left with this puppy, come 7/8 weeks. Ideally, puppies would not be assigned to owners until they are collected - when more is known about each puppy's individual personality and qualities.
Many breeders like to assign puppies to owners and won't allow people to choose. Breeders have lived with the puppies for 6/7/8 weeks and they know their personalities better than anyone. If you have chosen a 'good' breeder, you would be well-advised to take their suggestion or recommendation for a puppy. If you are getting a rescue puppy, from a litter at a rescue kennels, ask the kennel staff about the personalities of the pups.
If you do have to choose your own puppy, take along a couple of new toys (a ball and a tuggy, for example) and see how the puppies relate to these. Which puppy takes the toy and keeps it from the others? Which puppy gives the toy up to another puppy? Which puppy just isn't interested in toys?
'Accidentally' drop something loud (an umbrella, or a cardboard box) and see how the puppies respond. Which puppies are very afraid and take a long time to recover? Which puppies are momentarily startled, but quickly gain confidence and check out the object? And which puppies don't care and are not worried at all?
Crouch down and make high-pitched 'pup-pup-pup' calls. Which pups come running and are naturally interested in you, and want to be with you? Which completely ignore you and are more interested in their environment?
11) Rescue puppies: Puppies are the dogs most in demand and most readily rehomed, from rescue kennels. If you do want to help an unwanted dog, your help is much more needed to rehome adolescent and adult rescue dogs. The advantage, for you, in doing so, is that you will know what you are taking home: You get what you see.
Rescue puppies, although the cutest things available, are unknown quantities and what they will mature into (psychologically, if not physically) is unknown: Their parentage is often completely unknown, or only the mother is known. The mother might be aggressive, may have health issues, is unlikely to have had health tests before being bred, may not have been wormed during pregnancy or fed adequately - and so on.
The amount and type of socialisation the pups may have received is unknown and often their exact age is unknown.
Rescue kennels know that, the younger the pups, the easier and faster they will be rehomed. So pups are often a few weeks older than you might be told they are, by kennel staff. This means, in turn, that they are often outside the socialisation period - or further outside it than a 7/8 week old puppy from a breeder would be. Which in turn means that you have less time (if any) to socialise them, before the socialisation window closes.
If you would still prefer a rescue puppy, try to ensure it is from a litter which was actually whelped in kennels - ensure that the bitch came in, pregnant. That way, the kennel staff will know the history of the litter from birth and will also know the mother - who you should be able to meet, also. You will be able to find out what sort of socialisation has been provided for the litter, in the rescue kennels. More importantly, they will know the exact date of birth and you will be able to bring your puppy home at 7/8 weeks, which is important for optimal socialisation.
Where do breeders advertise?
Champdogs - a website largely consisting of 'show' breeders (pedigrees only)
The Kennel Club - (pedigrees only)
The Gundog Club classifieds - for all working gundog breeds (not show) (pedigrees only)
For pups in Jersey, check out the JEP or the JSPCA. But be prepared to travel to find the right litter and breeder.
Googling will bring up other results. Be aware that puppy farmers try to disguise themselves as reputable! Stay away from anyone breeding more than one or possibly two breeds - puppy farmers often breed many different breeds of dog.
Good luck in your search, and do get in touch if you are looking for a puppy.
