Where and how to buy a puppy?

Beautiful advertisements for the sale of purebred puppies “with a pedigree” or “from champions”, unfortunately, do not guarantee that the pet will be healthy, and do not demonstrate the responsibility of its breeder. What should you pay attention to first of all?

Nursery, market or ad?

It should be noted right away: you can’t buy a puppy at a bird market, in a store or from an ad if your goal is to participate in exhibitions and breed breeds. Puppies bought from unscrupulous breeders are usually of dubious origin, which includes both genetic diseases and deviations from breed standards.

The most obvious and best way to choose a breeder is on the advice of people you know. However, not everyone has friends who bought a puppy from a kennel. In this case, for advice, you can contact a veterinary clinic or independently find a cattery on the Internet. Pay attention to the information provided on the website of the nursery: it should be as complete as possible.

Conditions for keeping a puppy

Let’s say you found a few breeders and made an appointment with them. It is reasonable to immediately come to the kennel to look at the conditions of the puppies. Please note: a responsible breeder will not let you near the puppies, so as not to infect them, if you have visited other kennels before him.

When visiting the nursery, it is important to look at the behavior of animals in their usual conditions. Puppies should be active, playful, have a shiny coat and white teeth. Ask to see their mother, as some breeders, in pursuit of profit, seek offspring from a titled, but already too old or sick dog.

Agreement and documents

The very first dog document is a metric, which is issued to the breeder 45 days after the birth of the puppies. The metric indicates the breed, nickname, date of birth of the dog and the nicknames of its parents, special marks and, most importantly, the name of the owner. The metric should have a blue stamp. In addition, the puppy must be branded, and brand data must also be indicated in the document. Later, at the age of 15 months, you will exchange the metric for the dog’s pedigree in the Russian Cynological Federation.

The second document is a veterinary passport. It is issued at the first visit to the veterinarian. So, if you take a puppy over 8 weeks old, the breeder must give you this document. The first vaccination is done at this age. A responsible breeder will tell you about further vaccinations and anthelmintic treatment of the animal. He will also offer to conclude a contract of sale, which will spell out the basic provisions for keeping a puppy and even cases of his return to the kennel.

When choosing a puppy, don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions.

The breeder will understand that you are a responsible owner who cares about the future of his puppy. And you, in turn, will see the reaction of the owner of the nursery and will be able to assess who is standing in front of you: a person who loves animals, or a seller, for whom the main thing is profit.

7 2017 June

Updated: February 8, 2021