Choosing a pup

cosnochta

I know this thread has been done before but I can't find it anywhere.

I'm going to see a litter of poodle pups later today. I would love some advice on what I should be looking out for.

I would hate to accidentally buy from a puppy farmer, or buy a sick pup, so what are the signs that will tell me to walk away.

Thanks

SarahSassy

I am no expert but when we got our pup lately we were impressed by the surrpundings and that the remaining pups were part of the family, not scared of the owners, kids etc. Likewise, we were brought into their house to choose one of the pups and nothing seemed secretive. Check if the Mother looks healthy and if you can see the sire. Will the pups have papers? If not, then maybe its because the IKC would not register the pups given that the mother has had too many pups.

What kind of pup are you getting?

cosnochta

SarahSassy wrote: »

What kind of pup are you getting?

Nothing's definite yet, I'm just looking today! If I like what I see then I will put a deposit down. I'm looking at poodle pups.

They're not registered currently, but sire and dam are and breeder will register pups if the new owner wishes. (costs extra though). I'm happy enough with an non-reg pup as I won't be showing or breeding.

Thanks for your tips.

SarahSassy

I dont think it costs much to have them registered and you may change your in in times to come about breeding...

cosnochta

SarahSassy wrote: »

I dont think it costs much to have them registered and you may change your in in times to come about breeding...

I don't mind paying to have the pup registered. It's just that I know for sure that I won't be breeding. I'd be having the pup neutered at six months, so wouldn't need the papers.

cosnochta

Anyone else got any advice on what I should be looking out for?

I'm excited and nervous at the same time. :rolleyes:

lorebringer

When buying a puppy, if anything doesn't feel right - walk away. Chances are something isn't right so trust your gut instinct.

See the mother with the pups and see the father when possible (some breeders don't own all their studs, they pay for their service - this is totally ok). Ask to see the mother and fathers IKC papers. See the pups away from mother (if she will let them away from her, generally depends on age) - are the confident? Do the play happily? How are they with the breeder? If they are scared stiff the obviously have not been away from their mother, been handled and socialised with now surroundings. There may be one pup that is not as confident as the rest, but look at the litter as a whole.

Once (if) you decide to take one, pick it out from the litter. Take it away from it's siblings to see how it reacts. Is it still ok to play with you? Does it seem frightened? This will depend on age a bit too, but if you are looking at pups of 7/8 weeks they should be ok away from their mother for a short period of time. Pups act differently away from their comfort zone so spend a good 15 minutes playing with it and just letting it wander around with you. The pup should want all the attention you are giving it, not shy away from you or sit still, scared.

Quiz the breeder, they should know the good, bad and ugly of the breed. They should be able to tell you about health problems (I don't know too much about Poodle health, they do suffer from Bloat a bit but do your research and question the breeder), they should be open that there are health problems within the breed. Ask why they have not registered the pups automatically. Ask for certs from mother and father, where applicable. If the breeder does not have certs, ask why? You are going to have this dog for the next 12-15 years, you will want it to be happy and as healthy as possible for that period of time.

Finally, see where the pups are being kept. Ask how many dogs the breeder breeds. Often, it is in a large shed or other our building - have a look around (the breeder shouldn't mind). If it is dirty or crowded with pups and bitches, walk (actually, run!) away. Some breeders breed more than one breed, if there are a lot of different breeds that they deal with, walk away.One or two, maybe three (at a push) breeds shouldn't be a problem. If they can offer pups at any time, they probably have quite a few breeding bitches, not a good sign. There should be a waiting time between litters, not "I have a new litter every 2 weeks". Ask what they are being fed, how long have the been weaned etc. Don't be worries about pissing off the breeder with questions, they should be happy to answer them and be very open with you. Ask about if you can't take care of the pup anymore, will they take it back? Breeders, genuine ones, should be dedicated to their pups for life. if something goes wrong and you can't look after it anymore they should be willing to take the pup back.

Good luck!

wush06

You don't have to spend money.

www.lostdogs.ie

cosnochta

wush06 wrote: »

You don't have to spend money.

www.lostdogs.ie

Thanks for that but we are specifically looking for a poodle pup. I have had many rescue dogs in the past and I have fostered for rescues in England and Ireland. This time, I feel I want to get a young pup so I can see it grow up and be part of it's life from the beginning. I have had my heart set on a poodle for a long time and they never seem to come up in rescue. I have been searching rescues for about a year now and have not had any luck finding a poodle in rescue.

cosnochta

lorebringer wrote: »

When buying a puppy, if anything doesn't feel right - walk away. Chances are something isn't right so trust your gut instinct.

...

Good luck!

Thanks for that detailed post lorebringer. I've asked the breeder some of those questions already and was happy with the answers, so I guess it all comes down to the gut feeling when I get there.

SarahSassy

cosnochta wrote: »

Thanks for that detailed post lorebringer. I've asked the breeder some of those questions already and was happy with the answers, so I guess it all comes down to the gut feeling when I get there.

Good luck and please put up a pic if / when you get puppy.

cosnochta

SarahSassy wrote: »

Good luck and please put up a pic if / when you get puppy.

Of course!
In fact will bring my camera today and get some cute puppy pics even if they're not the right puppies for me.

Here's some photos of my other pets:


10 week old kitten Shelly:







13 year old Shih Tzu, Munchy. She still loves her walks but doesn't always have the stamina, hence the backpack so she can have a rest!

SarahSassy

Ah how cute.. Would love a cat but am allergic....

This is our fella last night - he doesnt like the bath but he was filthy...

lrushe

cosnochta wrote: »

I know this thread has been done before but I can't find it anywhere.

I'm going to see a litter of poodle pups later today. I would love some advice on what I should be looking out for.

I would hate to accidentally buy from a puppy farmer, or buy a sick pup, so what are the signs that will tell me to walk away.

Thanks

If the breeder is a good breeder he / she will ask more questions of you than you will of them. They will be eager to answer any questions you have. Preferably the pups will be raised in the breeders home rather than in the shed down the back of the garden. The mother should of course be healthy and good tempered, ask how many litters she's had and how old she is. Ask what the breeders what their reasons were for breeding. My first meeting with my rottie breeder lasted about an hour, he was so proud of his dogs and wanted to show me everything, even took me down to his kennel block to show me the pups aunt and uncle ( pups father's littermates). He took the time to endorse his pups so they can't be bred from by the wrong people, should my pup suffer any genetic problems in the future I will get half my money back or swap for a healthy dog (not an option as I love my pup now!!), if for some reason I can no longer care for the dog in the future he will take her back no questions asked so she will never see the inside of a shelter. These are some of the trade marks of a good breeder, puppy farms or BYB will not offer you these options or be as entusiatstic about the future homes of their pups

teacherspet

They're not registered currently, but sire and dam are and breeder will register pups if the new owner wishes. (costs extra though).

This screams puppy bad breeder to me. (The breeder usually say's an extra 100 euro. ) for papers. Not so, it does'nt cost that much to register a pup. If the breeder is not registering the litters, he can therefore breed the bitch as much as he wants and the IKC are none the wiser.
I personally would not buy from some one like this.
A proper breeder would like to keep the lineage of puppies and be proud of them.

cosnochta

Update on pup. We went out to view the litter yesterday. Breeder was lovely. The sire and dam were her own dogs (and her only dogs) and we met both. Lovely dogs with great temperments. We were there for around an hour asking questions and answering the breeder's questions. Mammy and pups had the run of the kitchen.

Puppies were happy and confident and played happily with me. Breeder was frank and honest about poodle health and warned me how to avoid bloat and showed me how to clean the eyes.

Anyway to cut a long story short, I got a good feeling about everything, so this little man came home with me!!

lrushe

V.cute!!!!:D

cosnochta

lrushe wrote: »

V.cute!!!!:D

Thanks! I'll try to get a better photo soon. It's hard to get a good one....no flash and he comes out darker than he really is, with flash and he comes out lighter. He's a lovely rich chocolate brown.

lrushe

cosnochta wrote: »

Thanks! I'll try to get a better photo soon. It's hard to get a good one....no flash and he comes out darker than he really is, with flash and he comes out lighter. He's a lovely rich chocolate brown.

He's a lovely colour alright, enjoy him, they grow up so quickly, feels like I've just blinked and my girl is nearly 4 months!

SarahSassy

Cant see him?

OP congrats