or take a plunge and get one of unknown origin from the rescue, with older puppies you might get some idea how big they might be and what is in the mix, my all dogs were surplus animals, unwanted or fruit of illicit liason, all of them gave me a lot of joy, there are homeless puppies waiting for those who like surprises...( my supposedly small breed pup grew to a biggish laika, but was most faithful, trustworthy, clever dog we ever had. good luck, whatever is yuor puppy to be...
)

Hello

Thanks for sharing this nice information. I have got lot of information from this post.
Please keep sharing more and more infomation.....

Thanks

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Nice Forum

Hi

Thanks for the great advice on this thread, i have been researching the breed i am interested in for quite some time now.

It is great that there is so much information here on the do's and dont's to buying a puppy.

There are so many people out there who are just interested in making a quick couple of hundered quid in selling these little furry friends, rather than thinking of the animal as the most important feature.

As you can tell im still looking for my friend,and i intend to wait as long as it takes.

Thanks again
Emma x

What a brilliant thread!! Ive already chose my puppy and will be getting her in 2 weeks but this has totally put my mind to rest. As a first time puppy owner i've been soooo worried!!

This post had made me certain my breeder is a good reputable one
She asked me loads of questions and was happy to answer my questions too! My pup is KC reg'd and she even let us pick the name...Shes not a 'proper' breeder - as in she doesnt breed regularly enough to have her own prefix so yeah i'm technically buying from a backyard breeder but this lady is sooo lovely it doesnt bother me. Shes had her dogs tested for Pra and FN and a few other genetic diseases and has the certificates to prove it, she also dotes on her dogs and you can tell they are very spoilt. This breeder also let me visit as often as i like from when the pups were a week old (amazing experience seeing your baby grow like that each week)

She then offered us our deposit back when because she made a very easy mistake - when the pups were 3 days old she told us the one we had chose was a chocolate roan but at a week old she appeared to actually be a parti coloured cocker

She is also making a puppy photo album for each of the pups and has already started the puppy packs which so far consist of...
5kilo bag of puppy food
3 toys
doggy towel
teddy bear with mum, dad, siblings and other dogs scents on it
small blanket with scents on it
puppy kong
small cat colar with bell (so you can hear and dont stand on it)
matching lead and harness set
feeding sheet
toilet training routine sheet
almost a whole book of her personal hints and tips for training, socialising etc
photo album
and probably a lot more


So sometimes it is better going to a 'backyard' breeder opposed to a KC accredited breeder - i know for sure my puppy is being brought up well and very much loved and healthy

I dont think that constitutes a BYB. You dont need a prefix, or to be accredited or have bred multiple times to be a good, ethical and responsible breeder.

She sounds like she has the dogs bests interests at heart

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Knacker Lacquer - Adds Luster To Your Cluster

Nice advice! Me and my partner have just got a 6 week old Jack Russell puppy. I know they say they cant leave until 8 weeks but he was pretty much totally weaned off his mum anyway and hes on hard bakers puppy food which he absolutely loves! I dont see anything wrong with that ey. gotta wait 5 weeks till we can walk him though he only had his first jab yesterday! Bless!

hi there,

it has little to do with being weaned off the mother that a puppy shouldnt leave at 6 weeks of age. Its to do with socialization within the litter and learning bite inhibition and canine behaviour from its litter mates

I've found another article with some useful tips: 10 Questions You Should Ask a Breeder When Buying a Puppy
10 Questions You Should Ask a Breeder When Buying a Puppy: GoArticles.com

You really pays to be careful! It shocks me when people tell me they got their dog delivered to them and never saw the home or puppies home environment!

Hi there if there are any westie owners out there that can give me tips or advise on breed be most welcome thanku ..

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Hi all

I'm a first time puppy buyer having wanted a Beagle for many years, I have the opportunity to purchase a pup in early June but my problem is that I'm going to be away for 3 days in July. I have the option of leaving the pup with the in-laws for that period (although they don't have any pets at the moment they do spend a lot of time around other family dogs) or I could put her in a Kennel (don't really want to do that). My concern is changing the pups environment again so soon after bringing her home and starting to train her.

Any advice from people who have been in this situation or have more experience with pups, especially breeders would be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks
Mike