MAHONEYGOLD

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ABOUT THE BREEDER

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It is strongly recommended that you do not buy a puppy from anyone other than directly from the breeder.  This ensures you can see the puppy interacting with his or her mother and siblings in the place where the puppy was born and raised.

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ABOUT THE DAM

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How many caesarean sections has the mother had, including this litter?

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In England, licensed breeders must not breed from a dog who has already had two caesarean sections.

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How many litters has the mother had, including this one?

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When did the mother have her last season?

 

Mothers should be allowed at least one season between litters. 

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How old was the mother when she had her first litter and was it on her first season?

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Responsible breeders should not breed from their bitch's first season and should not breed from bitches under one year old. This makes sure the mother is fully grown, mature and is as capable as possible of coping with pregnancy and birth. 

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Is the mother up to date with UK vaccinations?

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It is very important that the mother's routine vaccinations are up to date. She needs to be vaccinated to make sure her puppies are born with a good immunity to certain deadly diseases. This will keep the puppies healthy until they can be vaccinated themselves. Ask your vet if you are not sure what vaccines the mother should have had.

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When was the mother last treated for worms and which product was used?

   

Has either parent had any surgery to correct features that could be inherited by the puppy?

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ABOUT THE SIRE

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Contact details: owner of the puppy’s father

This information can only be included if the stud dog owner has given permission for their contact details to be shared with a prospective owner.

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ABOUT THE PUPPY

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Date of birth or when the dam is due to whelp?

The puppy should be at least 8 weeks old before they can leave their mum.

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Is the puppy subject to any Kennel Club endorsements?

Before a puppy is sold the breeder can apply to the Kennel Club to place endorsements on his/her records (including the registration certificate).

 

For example:

R – PROGENY NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REGISTRATION

or X – EXPORT PEDIGREE NOT ALLOWED.

The breeder must explain what the endorsements mean before you agree to buy the puppy.

   

Will the puppy be microchipped?

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It is a legal requirement in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland that all puppies are microchipped by the time they are eight weeks old and before they go to their new homes.

It is also a legal requirement for the new owner to contact the relevant database to update their records with their contact details.

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Is the puppy covered by a breeder’s insurance policy?

Breeders often insure their litters. Some insurance policies provide free cover for new owners against a puppy's illness or injury for a limited period after the puppy has been bought.

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Will the puppy be vaccinated before being sold?

Vaccinations are very important to prevent certain deadly diseases such as parvovirus. If the mother was vaccinated properly the puppy should have resistance to these diseases for roughly the first 10 weeks of his/her life. If your puppy has been vaccinated, the breeder's vet will have given them a vaccination certificate which shows the vaccination date and the products used. 

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Details of worming treatments the puppy will have received.

Regular worming is important for all puppies, whether the mother was wormed or not, for the health of puppies and humans. Ask your vet about any products listed and avoid buying from breeders who have not treated their dogs for worms at all.

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Has the puppy had a health check or been treated by a vet for any reason?

   

Details of the puppy’s diet.

It is important that you know the type of food that the puppy is used to and how often and when he/she is used to being fed, so that these can all be kept as similar as possible when you take the puppy home. Puppies should be fed a weighed or measured amount of food at regular times.

 

Will the buyer be given enough of the puppy’s current food for at least one week?

When you change to a new food, you should do this gradually over four to five days, with increasing amounts of the new food replacing the previous food each day. If you change the puppy's food too quickly, this can cause stomach upset or diarrhoea.

 

Will toilet training be started before the puppy is sold?

Puppies start to learn a preference at an early age for the surface that they toilet on. The more they use a particular surface, the stronger this preference becomes. You can then continue training the puppy in a similar way, or expect to be really patient and consistent if you want to change their preference.

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Where is the puppy kept for most of the time?

A puppy's early social and physical environment strongly influences their behaviour as adults. A puppy that has lived in a home environment, particularly in a part of it where people come and go, is more likely to be prepared for life in a home. Where puppies have been kept in kennels, you need to check that they have experienced some aspects of a normal home environment at least some of the time.

When you visit the puppy ask to see where he/she has been kept. Although you may be introduced to the puppy in a house, he/she may not usually be kept there. Are there food bowls, bedding, pens and so on?  What is the puppy’s experience of contact with people?

 

The period from 3–14 weeks of age in a puppy's life are critical in determining how he/she will react to people and new situations. Lack of social contact during this period increases the risk of behaviours associated with fear and anxiety later in life.

 

Puppies need to have contact with men, women and children during this period. In general, the more people that puppies have interacted with the better.  Puppies which have had positive experience of lots of different types of people are less likely to be wary when you handle and approach them. Ask the breeder if you can take as many members of your family as possible on your second visit. Watch carefully how the puppy responds to adults and children who are acting normally and reasonably. Look for signs of the puppy withdrawing, struggling to get away, cowering, putting their tail between their legs or hiding.

 

The puppy’s contact with adult dogs and other animals

Puppies need to meet a variety of other dogs in order to learn social skills and how different types of dogs communicate. If the puppy is vaccinated, ask to see him/her interacting with adult dogs other than his/her mother so you can see if he/she is confident and happy to interact and play with another dog.

If puppies have experience of other animals, they will be more likely to adapt quickly to any other animals they have to live with in your home. If the puppy is very excited or nervous with other animals, he/she will be more likely to be like this with other animals when you take him home.

If possible see what other animals are in the environment where the puppy lives and watch how he/she reacts to them.

   

The puppy’s other experiences
Early exposure to a range of experiences and noises prepares the puppy for encountering this later in life so

he/she remains calm and is less likely to be afraid when you take him home.

Watch how the puppy responds to things that are happening during your visit. Ask the breeder to show you how the puppy reacts to household noises, wearing a collar, or being separated briefly from littermates. He/she should stay calm.

 

Do not expose him/her to sudden new noises that he/she has not experienced before, or expect the breeder to do so.

 

Before the sale, will the new owner have the chance to interact with the puppy’s parents and other puppies in the litter, if there are any?

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Licensed breeders in England must only show you a puppy with his/her biological mother. Regardless of the law where you're buying your puppy, it is very important that you see the puppy's mother and the other puppies in the litter. You should also try to see the father if possible, although this may be difficult in some circumstances.

Make sure you interact with the parents, handle them if safe to do so, and assess their reaction to you. Check they appear healthy, check the environment that the mother and puppies are in and check the temperament of the mother, father and the rest of the litter. The parents' characteristics can influence how the puppies develop and behave. In particular, look for signs of fear, such as withdrawal, cowering, urination, and tail between the legs. Also watch for signs of aggression such as growling, lunging and barking.

 

Unscrupulous breeders may try to show you another dog instead of the puppy's mother. To avoid this, make sure you see the mother and puppies together, and check for signs that the dog you see has given birth recently, such as enlarged nipples. They may also give excuses for why the mother isn't there, such as 'she's at the vets' or 'she's gone for a walk. These are not valid reasons so you should avoid these breeders/sellers.

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If the puppy’s pedigree is known and a pedigree certificate will be attached?

The pedigree certificate shows the puppy's ancestry and may go back up to five generations, starting with the puppy's parents in the left column through to the great- great-great grandparents in the right column. The top half shows the puppy's ancestry through his/her father and the bottom half is the mother's pedigree.

 

What is the relationship between the puppy’s parents?

If the puppy's parents are related to each other, the puppy is inbred. The degree of inbreeding depends on how closely related the parents are. If an ancestor's name is repeated in both the father's and the mother's halves of the pedigree certificate, there is inbreeding.

Inbreeding is not desirable as it increases the risk of inherited disease such as cancer and blindness. Avoid a puppy from matings between first- or second-degree relatives, for example:

• 􏰀  first degree – mother/son, father/daughter, brother/sister; or

• 􏰀  second degree – uncle niece, aunt/nephew, grandparent/grandchild.

 

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