Please make sure you
see the mom
with the pups and where possible meet the father. Not all breeders have
the father on hand but you can get a picture and maybe, if it is not
too
much trouble, go pay a visit see what the father is like in the flesh.
Make several visits to the breeder with your family. Get to know your pup and let the pup get used to your smell and touch so pup will be less stressed when he leaves his mom and siblings.
The breeder should love the breed and be fully committed to producing healthy, happy pups with sound and secure temperaments. Make sure the breeder has carried out all the relevant health tests, hip scoring and eye tests and don’t be afraid to ask to see the documentation (if they have nothing to hide this shouldn’t offend them anyway). If they don’t screen for health problems more likely than not the breeder is more interested in your money than the dogs physical and mental well being.
Make sure the facilities are clean. Ask to see where the dogs are housed; if at a kennels ask to see the rest of the dogs and view how the set up works. Make sure the other dogs are in good clean condition and groomed and cared for properly. Make sure the mother of any pups looks in good condition. If she is feed properly and helped every step of the way she shouldn’t look to worse for wear. in fact with the right amount of love and help she should look in pretty fair shape, so if mom looks skinny and tired, sad and worn out, she 's probably just been left to get on with it.
If dogs
look over weight and out of
shape this is probably due to lack of exercise rather than good food.
Check out if there
are any older dogs
on the premises - say 6 to 7 years old; especially females, as bad
breeders
seem to re-home dogs when they are past their ‘breed by’ date. Never,
never
ever buy from someone who excepts credit and debit card payments and
PayPal,
this is a dog for goddess sake not a pair of trainers anyone with this
type of service must be making good money so please don’t line their
pockets
with you hard earned cash, the only one who will gain from this
transaction
is the breeder.
Reputable
breeders don’t need to advertise
using classified free ad papers, but you are just as likely to come
across
backyard breeders and puppy farmers on the net or through any form of
advertising.
Even the kennel club cannot guarantee the breeder of each litter of
pups,
but there are several things you can look out for when meeting a
breeder
to determine if they may be puppy farmers.
- Anyone who is frequently advertising pups for sale
- Anyone frequently advertising more than one litter of pups at a time (having several litters within days or weeks of each other)
- Anyone who makes a living from selling dogs (please don’t be fooled into thinking someone should do it). There are plenty of occasional breeders to keep the dog population alive and plenty of pure breeds in the rescue centers for there ever to be a shortage of any breed. At the very worst you may have to wait a little longer to get your pup. If you want a good pup you should anticipate a wait anyway, especially if you want a potential show dog or particular line.
A bad breeder
doesn’t ask many question
and doesn’t answer many either but they like to talk about the cost of
the pup which usually crops up quite early in the conversation, like
first.
Reputable breeders don’t have to secure puppy sales with non refundable deposits.
And lastly
trust your gut instinct and
how comfortable you feel with the breeder after all you may need
ongoing
help and advice and the breeder will most probably like to see the pup
again in the future so it’s nice to feel at ease and comfortable with
your
chosen breeder.
We endeavour to comply with and endorse the use of Alaskan Malamute Club UK code of ethics
We are Kennel Club accredited breeders
Visitors by
appointment are warmly welcomed