Puppy Purchasers....taking Your New Puppy Home

[MsBex]

Hi, Good thread and good suggestions here.

I just bought my puppy home a week ago, and like others have said I'd have appreciated a bag of what he was eating, as he ended up with diarrhea for a few days.

Also, the option to speak to the breeder whether on email or phone for any follow up questions.

Pics and genuine information about parents/temperament, puppy pack etc.

Oooh, and especially a blanket with the mum/littermates scent on it!!

Sounds like alot of people on here have some really good breeders that provide all that, but from my experience, having bought this new puppy, and previously a mature dog (both advertised on Dogzonline), I'm feeling a little jaded

[SilverHaze]

Do many people ask the breeders of their pups what the dogs are being fed on before they pick the pup up?

With our last litter each pup went with a big bag of puppy food, however all puppy buyers already knew what they were eating anyways! And they certainly weren't expecting the big bag of food went sent home with them!

[MsBex]

Do many people ask the breeders of their pups what the dogs are being fed on before they pick the pup up?

With our last litter each pup went with a big bag of puppy food, however all puppy buyers already knew what they were eating anyways! And they certainly weren't expecting the big bag of food went sent home with them!

The info I was given was pretty generic ... ie. dry food for lunch (choice of 4 brands), raw meat for dinner, and cereal for breakfast. If I was given a specific brand or specific diet I wouldn't have needed a bag of food, but sure is a nice touch

[Pepper and Jax]

We knew Pepper's dam was pregnant weeks before the pups were born, so we had lots of opportunity to talk to the breeder about how she was going up until the birth... including some exciting emails like "she's nesting, we expect pups in the next 24 hours..."

From then on we got weekly photos of all 11 puppies, right up until we'd chosen Pepper at about 6 weeks. Then, when we only had eyes for our girl, it was just pics of Pepper and the odd one with her siblings (e.g. standing on top of them to get to her preferred nipple at feed time).

I really appreciated the opportunity to see how all the pups were developing, and get email updates of little personality traits as they started becoming apparent. When Pepper was actually flown over to us, she was sent with a blanket that had been in with her dam and litter mates, a familiar toy, and the t-shirt we had sent over weeks earlier. (The t-shirt went over to the breeder with our scent on it, in advance of Pepper's grand journey across the country, so she would be a bit more comfortable with us).

We were given advice on food type/ meal times and ongoing reminders like "don't take her running", and "the weather's getting hotter, provide plenty of water and shelter"... these all came by email and phone conversation, rather than in a folder, or as a puppy pack. I'm assuming all puppy purchasers had email in this case. The registration/ pedigree papers came to us after a couple of weeks, a bit delayed because they apparently took a while to be issued by Dogs NSW.

Buying a pup again - I would also like to see photos from week 1 until week 8 (or whenever pick up is), be it email or hard copy. Something with dam and litter smells. Pedigree information and obviously papers. Full contact details for the breeder and an invitation to call them if I had any queries.

Edited: spelling

Edited September 16, 2009 by Pepper and Jax

[Red Fox]

I'm talking about what "items" you'd like to receive....ie food, toys etc.

Is there anything that you think the breeder could/should provide with a puppy???

Apart from the standard general puppy pack info, vaccination card, registation papers, etc:

-a toy or blanket that smells like 'home'

-a bag of food which the puppy has been eating (and a scedule of puppy's normal feeding times

-A book on training and some info on how to select an appropriate puppy pre-school/obedience club

-Next dose of worming tablets, or if the puppy has been treated with a monthly treatment before leaving some info on when next treatment is due and where to buy it from.

-CD with pics of litter-mates and parents would be nice too.

Kei's breeder gave us a big folder with information on everything from breed standard to toilet training, feeding times, info and amounts, worming scedule, photo's of parents and litter mates, plus lots of other stuff that I can't think of right now lol. It was, and has continued to be, a great reference.

The folder also contained contact info for the breeder and our contract, plus a slip for his ANKC papers when they arrived few weeks later.

The other thing we recieved were:

-A copy of the Ian Dunbar book 'After you get your puppy' (we also were given 'Before you get your puppy' before Kei was born)

-A 20kg bag of food that the breeder organised for us as she knew we couldn't buy it where we lived

-A toy that had been with the litter for the past few weeks

[atua]

I am also getting my new puppy in a few weeks and things I would like to know is-

- The weight of my puppy each week until it arrives. This one I would really love to know so I know I am doing the right thing and also for future reference as I plan on becoming a breeder so would be ideal to compare to later on down the track

- Some information from the breeder on various diseases and problems that happen in the chosen breed Ie- hip displacia info, heart problems,bloat But what information I would like to receive is basic facts and also what to look for incase any of these problems arise.

-Copies of parents health tests and a photo copy of their pedigree until I received my pups papers.

-Breed standard

-Copies of parents highest acheivements

- Sample of the dog food and a list of the breeders feeding routine as well as what soft food she feeds.

- Worming routine

This is all I can think of for now,

I dont expect things like a collar or lead or a toy but I guess it would be a bonus if you receive it.

[dogdogdog]

I would have liked both my pups to have arrived completely house trained and obedience trained.

[Ons]

lol at webdogs

Onsy came with so much information about golden retreivers and his diet. She even gave me some of his food as well.

tilly didnt' come with much

BUT this is what means more than anything to me than any puppy pack, both breeders said that I could ring them at any time to ask any question

Some of their food is handy though, when i got my kitten I tried everywhere to get the food that she was being fed and couldn't find it anywhere so had to ask the breeder for some which wasn't a problem - Zinnia was flown down and the food was taped on the top of her cage

[Sheridan]

I would have liked both my pups to have arrived completely house trained and obedience trained.

My puppy was pretty much housetrained when we got him. Obedience training, er, not so much.

[indigirl]

I think its a little unreasonable to expect breeders to supply a bag of dog food if the puppy is arriving on a plane flight. Posting even a 1.5kg bag of puppy food accross the country plus all the other bits n pieces would be expensive. If the puppy is being collected in person however I think this is perfectly reasonable.

I like the idea of providing a CD full of puppy's pics from birth - 8 weeks tho. Plus I would include a toy that smelt of mum/littermates.

I wouldnt provide a collar as I think dogs are safer without collars at home - unless it is a breakaway collar.

Info sheets on diet, exercise, rest, growth, worming regime, training etc are all things I would like to see. I would also consider providing the next couple of worming treatments.

Of course all puppies would have all their registration information, health records, plus birth records (weight etc) with them.

I think grooming advice and specific breed information - useful websites etc - is a great idea.

Dont think i would go to the expense and hassle of having a bowl engraved with the dogs name tho! Nice idea but to me thats a bit like overkill. Besides, some ppl change their minds about the puppy's name once they get it home.

Some good ideas in this thread though

[Serket]

We just recently got a new puppy (see avatar), and we got a folder from the breeder with a 5 generation pedigree, feeding information, toilet training, weight guide from birth to adult, information on crate training, basic obedience info, etc. We got regular photo updates via email prior to picking her up. I was happy with what we got in terms of information - we also got a bag of the food she'd been eating although I would have been happy just to get some ourselves as we knew already what they were eating.

Some of the suggestions that I think are especially good are:

*Grooming information, ideally a demonstration (only needs to take a minute or two) - mainly applies to long haired breeds of course, but things like nail trimming and ear cleaning would apply for all breeds.

*Providing the next worming treatment not just the information so it's not forgotten in the excitement of the new puppy

Things that I don't feel are necessary and would just add to breeder's costs:

*Collar & lead

*Toys (except if it's for the reason of having the scent of mum and littermates on it)

*Other accessories - it's a lovely gesture, but personally I prefer to pick things like bowls, collars and leads out myself. It might be good to have some guidance on size, and type though, and quality as someone else mentioned for larger breeds.

[Mags]

Besides all the things other people have mentioned one of the best things we got when we got our first purebred cats was a detailed grooming lesson - demonstrations were done on first a kitten and then an older cat. The difference in the coats were explained and all the grooming tools (and shampoos etc) needed were shown to us and discussed. It was the most useful exercise and ensured our kittens stay in the condition they arrived in & held us in good stead at that first show and ever after. We left with a comprehensive list of what we needed (2 lists in fact one for a pet and one if we were going to show) and where to get them. Of course over many years of owning and showing fluffies of a couple of breeds we have changed some of the things we do and refined them as you learn what works for you and individual animals. Tips from a local breeder with many years experience and then an o/s breeder with 30 yrs experience when his wife was here judging didn't hurt either.

Jo

[Red Fox]

I would have liked both my pups to have arrived completely house trained and obedience trained.

Yes, me too! And if my pup can be trained to do the dishes occasionally and help out with the housework that would be much appreciated too. Can anyone recommend a breeder

[ness]

SecretKei - should have got yourself a BC ;) .

Complete with photographic evidence

[Red Fox]

SecretKei - should have got yourself a BC ;) .

Complete with photographic evidence

Excellent, thats just what I want! A dishwashing BC pup If I PM you with my address do you think you could post one out before the weekend?? I will send you a very lazy Ridgie in return. Thank you :D

;)

[percyk]

i dont think id need photos - im not so much into the tiny wee puppies but if i got an older dog thatd be nice i suppose

hmmm

really i dont know cos i have had so many dogs in my lifetime and havent really had to rely on a breeder for anything but the actual pup

what about a horoscope?

lol

are we going to get on? what do the stars say about us? are we compatible?

[ness]

;) SecretKei - sure I'll post her over for a test run . Winpara breeds excellent dishwashers .Only the dishwashing pup has grown and is now nearly 18 months although still pretty cute and just as useful for dishwashing purposes .

She has now progressed to housework but is yet to master car cleaning :D .

Edited September 16, 2009 by ness

[ozjen]

Putting this in General so as to get a wider cross section of replies if possible.

As a puppy purchaser what would you like (or even EXPECT) to receive from a breeder when you take your new puppy home?

The Code Of Ethics of the ANKC state that all purchasers are to be provided with appropriate literature pertaining to the care of the puppy and that is of course a very BASIC "given".

So, if you were able to have a choice as to what you'd actually receive in addition to that, what would it be?

In my puppy pack I start with a file containing the puppies eye test, copies of parents health tests, microchip change of owners details, copy of spay/neuter contract signed by all parties plus copies of any other Canine association papers, vaccination certificaite, copy of health issues associated with the breed and some details on these. An outline of the puppies upbringing, worming and feeding, some websites pertaining to the breed or dogs that might be of interest. Also a puppy pack supplied by our canine body which includes info on the canine clubs etc. Membership form for the breed club in our state. DVD of puppy pictures from birth until rehoming. A bag of dog food, 1ltr of lactose free milk, a ball and a teddy bear(with familiar scent) and I think the last couple of pups to go went with collars and worming treatments (usually out of date before I need them again anyway) as well. I also ensure they have my details in the file so that they can stay in touch or contact if they have any problems. Also if families are visiting their pup before it is ready to go home with them I usually give updated pictures to each of the children to take home.

While I do discuss everything with the new owners I find the file gives them the chance to absorb the information at a latter date . The food gives the pup time to adjust to a new diet and the toys hopefully help the pup to settle in its new home.

I am looking forward to reading this thread and finding out what people would prefer to have in their puppy packs.

[helen]

Books - I sent links to the Before You Get Your Puppy and After You Get Your Puppy long before the pups went home.

Puppy people got a copy of a Gwen Bailey book either "Perfect Puppy" or "Puppy School", both excellent books and one of the best things you can arm new puppy owners with

They got a toy and bedding with mum and litter's scent on it

A lead and collar - blackdog puppy collars are great as I found they have more room to grow than other brands

I feed Purina Pro Plan and get a breeders pack which contains food, 1 kg pack.

For interstate people these items can be sent in a post bag with papers etc, the blanket in the airline crate

I had photos they could see any time on Flickr

and of course free pet insurance with Petplan

Edited September 16, 2009 by helen

[SilverHaze]

We supply a collar that will last the pup from puppy right through to adulthood - and of course give our puppy people the choice of colour! We like to supply these collars as then we know they pups have got a good strong collar that they can't break or slip out of.

Such a small thing to do to ensure the continued safety of our pups.

We have done rescue in the past and the kinds of collars i've seen dogs come through on make me shudder.

As the pups are growing i send a friendly reminder to puppy owners to adjust the pups collar now and then (just in case!).