[Closed] Questions to ask when buying a Puppy...

Kennel Club have some good advice on their site - it's all fairly common sense stuff.

This may sound harsh but don't take one with any issues, even if they drop the price 'it's the last one' - you'll be paying extra on vets bills for years to come.

One of the few times you can legitimately say, "Show me your puppies, then!"

Ask to see the pups with their mum, if they cant do this or you aren't convinced its the mother walk away
and kennel club for advice

on cockapoos, you need to see evidence of the genetic blindness gene test and also they are prone to hip displaysia

There are some others here but they were the two biggies for us

http://cockapoo.me/cockapoo-health-problems-7-genetic-diseases-cockapoos-inherit/

If the father is there then that should raise a red flag. Ask if they will have been wormed/vaccinated/chipped (should be yes to all three) and what they've been fed on. If the breeders are on the ball they may be able to show you how the puppies weight has changed since birth.

Other than that it should be the sellers who are asking the questions really. If they don't ask questions of you (work situation/leaving the dog at home alone/garden/previous dog experience) then they may not care which would be a bit crap.

We had a litter of [s]proper dogs[/s] working cockers at xmas and could have sold the pups three times over. We had enquiries from Glasgow to the South coast and we vetted the prospective owners harshly as we wanted the pups to go to the best homes we could find.

I'm not sure this is the same with designer dogs 😉

Oh, you could also ask them why they charge more for a mixed breed than you would pay for a properly bred dog with clear lineage showing lack of inbreeding? 😈

Do I really want to pick up warm dog shit twice a day for the next 15 years?

🙂 @sharkbait

@sharkbait - I'm not sure I agree re seeing the sire. Depends on the breeder. What's your reasoning?

Personally I'd prefer to get the dog from a proper breeder than someone doing it on the side, just trust them more. I bought my two labs from a proper breeder down in Kent, they also run a kennels and do gundog training too

One of the things I'd be looking for in a new puppy, regardless of the breed is whether it's confident or not. Confidence seems to me, to be largely genetic in dogs, and unconfident parents will lead to unconfident puppies. Generally speaking, good breeders will only breed from confident dogs.

A unconfident dog can have all sorts of issues,such as inappropriate responses and behaviours to stimuli. It'll need a lot of work to make a good, reliable companion.

To start with, I'd take a puppy into a new environment, away from its littermates, and see how it behaves. A confident puppy will enjoy exploring the new area with it's tail up, wagging. It should sniff objects and ideally physically interact with them. For example, putting front paws up on a chair to further investigate. A confident puppy should approach you and attempt to gain attention too.

Handle the puppy, stroke it, with long, deliberate strokes down it's body, the puppy should relax and should enjoy the attention.

Expose the puppy to a sudden, unexpected noise, like dropping keys on the floor. A confident puppy will probably startle, but recover quickly and approach and investigates the keys (sniffing and/or pawing) without fear.

Finally, I'd see how keen the puppy is to accept training. Show the puppy some soft food treats, and give a couple to start, then move away. if the puppy quickly and enthusiastically approaches the food treats it's a good sign, especially if it follows the food treats with his eyes and body. If the puppy initially doesn't show any interest in food treats, try a squeaky toy.

Thinking of buying a puppy? Take this test first!
Test best taken in the autumn or mid winter.
1. Buy a lead and tie it to a big stone, walk around dragging the stone behind you.
2. Get up at 5am, go out in the pouring rain and walk up and down a muddy path, repeating good girl/boy, wee wees...poo poos, quickly please
3. Stuff your pockets with plastic bags and pick up all the poo you can find, obviously not your dogs as you have not bought it yet

 

@dan1980 I understand what you're saying but that sounds like the sort of job interview I'd fail!

Agree with the breeder asking you questions, they should give you a proper interigation.

The breed guide on Pets4Homes is good [url= https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/dog-breeds/cockapoo/ ]https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/dog-breeds/cockapoo/[/url]

I thought the usual questions were

"who's a good boy, then?"
"You are, aren't you?"
etc

4. Start wearing your shoes indoors, especially during muddy times
5. Collect leaves off the ground and spread them on the floor
6. Carry sticks and branches indoors and chop them up on your carpet
7. Pour cold applejuice on the rug and floor....walk barefooted over it in the dark
8. Drop some chocolate pudding on your carpet in the morning and then try to clean it in the evening
9. Wear socks to which you have made holes using a blender
10. Jump out of your favourite chair just before the movie ends and run to open back door
11. Cover all your best clothes with dog hair, dark clothes with blond hairs and light clothes with dark hairs
12. Tip all just ironed clothes on the floor
13. Make little pin holes in all your funiture, especially chair and table legs
14. When doing dishes, splash water all over the place and don't wipe it.
15. Spread toilet paper all over the house when you leave the house and tidy up when you get back home
16. Forget any impulse holidays and/or breaks
17. Always go home straight after work or school
18. Go walkies no matter what the weather, and inspect every dirty paper, chewing gum and dead fly you might find
19. Wake up at 3am. Place a correct size bag of flour on top of yourself and try to sleep, whilst wiping your face with a dishcloth, which you have left next your bed in a bowl last week.
Repeat everyday over 6 months and if you still think getting puppy sounds like a good idea, Congratulations, you might be ready to get your puppy.
AUTHOR UNKOWN

who's a big, grumpy boy then ?

😆

All of the above, we welcomed our working cocker into the family last November. The breeders were great, straight talking, ensuring their pups went to the best homes etc. Understand the breed you would like, research it, find a good breeder, quiz them, they should quiz you more. And good luck..

Just come from cleaning up the apple juice..... and shredded wood.....

Ignore the sniffy comments about cockapoos being designer dogs and not "proper dogs". All dogs originate from wolves so would have been cross bred at some point to get the desired character traits.

Our cockapoo is a great dog. She's friendly, outgoing, intelligent, easy to train, enthusiastic and greatly loved. We saw several puppies before we settled on ours. We chose the breeder we felt happiest with. A gut feeling based on how the breeder interacted with the puppy and its mother, too, plus the dealer's knowledge of the requirements for that 'breed'. Because she had been living with and around 2 older dogs, we didn't need to house train her, as she'd learnt it from the adult dogs. Small things like that help you build up confidence in the breeder.

Surely you'll need a talking dog if you want to ask it questions? Do they exist?

[I]One of the things I'd be looking for in a new puppy, regardless of the breed is whether it's confident or not. Confidence seems to me, to be largely genetic in dogs, and unconfident parents will lead to unconfident puppies. Generally speaking, good breeders will only breed from confident dogs.[/I]

+1

My wife had chosen a working cocker pup and when we went to see him he was a bit quiet, whereas one of his brothers was hassling the litter plus trying to get out etc.

We choose that one instead. Now 10 and been brilliant, if often a PITA as almost TOO intelligent. No medical issues either.

who's a big, grumpy boy then ?

I know! I never wanted a dog but the Mrs did so we got.....

Wima!

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Who now looks like this.....

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What I said is still pretty much on the mark though. 😕

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Going up fast but still only 17 weeks old

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All previous dogs have not gone on the furniture...

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Spotted in local coffee shop. Wire haired fox terrier. Called Woodchip, pretty sure owner is a carpenter.

1. Buy a lead and tie it to a big stone, walk around dragging the stone behind you.

You mean people with dogs have heard about using leads in public places?

Who Knew.

designer dogs

Seems nothing more "designer" than "working" Cocker!

Tbh surfer that's what i was thinking as i read it....Either that of Stw has lots of farmers and game keepers I didn't know about.

I live in a city. Everybody's cocker is a "working" cocker.

Don't you know. 🙂

I've got the non "working" model, imagine my disappoint.

I also have a Lakeland terrier and not a Border. I am surprised you let me post on here.

Check they have been vet checked before you collect them.

Alfie says hi

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