What to look for when buying a puppy?
Discussion
After much deliberation we’ve decided on a Cavapoo puppy to be a welcome addition to our family. We are all very excited and are about to begin the search.
We are happy to pay a little extra for a dog with better background, but it seems a minefield and don’t want to pay extra unnessessarily. I’m looking on pets4homes.com. What key things should I be looking for?
We are happy to pay a little extra for a dog with better background, but it seems a minefield and don’t want to pay extra unnessessarily. I’m looking on pets4homes.com. What key things should I be looking for?
Pets4homes is marketplace where breeders of all types advertised their dogs.
Personally I'd focus on licensed breeders as these are checked by local councils.
If buying a pedigree dog I would personally wants a Kennel Club (KC) registered dog so you know it's family tree. Cavapoos themselves can't be pedigree as they are a mix of 2 breeds but their parents can be. So you could look to check atleast 1 parent is KC reg.
I'd be asking about the parents, is the Mum a cavalier and the Dad a poodle or the other way around, as far as I know there is only 1 strain or Cavalier but Poodles come in miniature and standard sizes.
I'd ask if the dogs have had litters before and can you see photos so you know what your dog will grow into
Always ensure you see the parent dogs too, there are stories of popular dogs like this not being what they are sold as.
Ultimately you are buying into the dogs heritage and it's upbringing, those first 8 weeks are very important, if the dog has lived in someone's home, been socialised with kids, other animals, been handled correctly etc it can make a massive difference
Personally I'd focus on licensed breeders as these are checked by local councils.
If buying a pedigree dog I would personally wants a Kennel Club (KC) registered dog so you know it's family tree. Cavapoos themselves can't be pedigree as they are a mix of 2 breeds but their parents can be. So you could look to check atleast 1 parent is KC reg.
I'd be asking about the parents, is the Mum a cavalier and the Dad a poodle or the other way around, as far as I know there is only 1 strain or Cavalier but Poodles come in miniature and standard sizes.
I'd ask if the dogs have had litters before and can you see photos so you know what your dog will grow into
Always ensure you see the parent dogs too, there are stories of popular dogs like this not being what they are sold as.
Ultimately you are buying into the dogs heritage and it's upbringing, those first 8 weeks are very important, if the dog has lived in someone's home, been socialised with kids, other animals, been handled correctly etc it can make a massive difference
Lots of good advice above, but if you haven’t owned a dog before then visiting the dog with the owner in the environment they have been raised in will give you a view on temperament which is very important. The owner/breeder is as important as the dog itself. Speaking to a breeder who knows the breed well and their potential pitfalls is very useful.
matt21 said:
Thanks for the feedback all.
Regarding rescue, we would prefer not for various reasons.
Hi Matt,Regarding rescue, we would prefer not for various reasons.
I’ve picked up a cavapoo who’ll be 2 in February. Mine is a KCxToy poodle.
His temperament is wonderful with all other dogs and humans, he is very very cheeky and will steal any food left unsupervised in a heartbeat. I picked him up at six months old so missed out on the early training opportunities you get with a new puppy. They as I know realise are very important but these are a very bright breed and patience was key for me as he’d spent a lot of time on a farm so toilet training took ages.
So to see the parents and visit the breeder, if you can’t do either of these then alarm bells should ring immediately and look elsewhere.
Barney:
He does like a pub and will steal a seat as fast as he will food.
Edited by Gone a bit AMG on Saturday 28th December 12:39
We have one and are picking up our second on Tuesday! We’re a family of three young daughters and our current dog, Benny, is a dream. He’s never once barked, growled or snapped at the girls or any children. He’s great at school with other kids as well including special needs kids that grab him and he never so much as flinches. They’re wonderful dogs, clever, loyal and just want to be loved. I couldn’t imagine life without Benny.
An interesting article here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/pets/news-features/why...
(I am not necessarily saying I agree with all of the article's findings, although I do have an issue with bad breeders churning out these dogs just to make money).
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/pets/news-features/why...
(I am not necessarily saying I agree with all of the article's findings, although I do have an issue with bad breeders churning out these dogs just to make money).
All my experience is with puppy Great Danes and puppy German Shepherds.
Clearly trying to meet both parents is helpful and you should really be looking to pick up all the right vibes from the breader. With my first couple of Great Danes it almost felt like an interview process from them to see whether I was suitable for the pup rather than me just wafting some money and joining the queue. More recently with the GSDs I've wanted a pup from a particular dad or a particular breeder but again its been a vetting process from both sides which is how it should be I think.
Clearly trying to meet both parents is helpful and you should really be looking to pick up all the right vibes from the breader. With my first couple of Great Danes it almost felt like an interview process from them to see whether I was suitable for the pup rather than me just wafting some money and joining the queue. More recently with the GSDs I've wanted a pup from a particular dad or a particular breeder but again its been a vetting process from both sides which is how it should be I think.
renmure said:
All my experience is with puppy Great Danes and puppy German Shepherds.
Clearly trying to meet both parents is helpful and you should really be looking to pick up all the right vibes from the breader. With my first couple of Great Danes it almost felt like an interview process from them to see whether I was suitable for the pup rather than me just wafting some money and joining the queue. More recently with the GSDs I've wanted a pup from a particular dad or a particular breeder but again its been a vetting process from both sides which is how it should be I think.
Absolutely this. People complain about having to 'jump through hoops' when adopting a dog from a rescue centre but I think the process of buying from a breeder should be just as rigorous. Clearly trying to meet both parents is helpful and you should really be looking to pick up all the right vibes from the breader. With my first couple of Great Danes it almost felt like an interview process from them to see whether I was suitable for the pup rather than me just wafting some money and joining the queue. More recently with the GSDs I've wanted a pup from a particular dad or a particular breeder but again its been a vetting process from both sides which is how it should be I think.
Good luck, hope you find your perfect dog.
We went through this a couple of months back after our last dog passed away. I wasn’t really sure I could love another dog as I was heartbroken at loosing our last one. We looked at a couple of older dogs up for adoption and a few pups which fit the bill but my heart wasn’t in it.
We then went to see a litter of three about an hour away from us and one of them just seemed so right to me. We spent quite a while there getting to know his character, checked out the mother but didn’t meet the father. The mum was a family dog which had a previous litter and the lady was still in touch with the people who had taken pups from the last litter and they met up every so often which was encouraging. We had a vet check him out and agreed to take him.
It seems that there are two choices on pups, you can contact a breeder and arrange to take one from their next litter or go with an ad on a pet site like dogs4homes. I wanted to be able to look at the character of the pup rather than have to take one based on a previous arrangement with a breeder. The latter is probably a safer route if the breeder has had the parents scored/ checked for whatever the typical problems are with whatever your breed is.
We have had this breed before and so knew to some degree what the most common issues are, but I’m not a vet. A couple of months in and he’s absolutely wonderful.
We went through this a couple of months back after our last dog passed away. I wasn’t really sure I could love another dog as I was heartbroken at loosing our last one. We looked at a couple of older dogs up for adoption and a few pups which fit the bill but my heart wasn’t in it.
We then went to see a litter of three about an hour away from us and one of them just seemed so right to me. We spent quite a while there getting to know his character, checked out the mother but didn’t meet the father. The mum was a family dog which had a previous litter and the lady was still in touch with the people who had taken pups from the last litter and they met up every so often which was encouraging. We had a vet check him out and agreed to take him.
It seems that there are two choices on pups, you can contact a breeder and arrange to take one from their next litter or go with an ad on a pet site like dogs4homes. I wanted to be able to look at the character of the pup rather than have to take one based on a previous arrangement with a breeder. The latter is probably a safer route if the breeder has had the parents scored/ checked for whatever the typical problems are with whatever your breed is.
We have had this breed before and so knew to some degree what the most common issues are, but I’m not a vet. A couple of months in and he’s absolutely wonderful.
I’m so glad it worked out. Beautiful dog.
We went today and have reserved a beautiful boy Cavapoo. He is 4 weeks and 2 days old. Went on gut feel, but the breeder is reputable and gave us confidence. We met both parents who had a great temperament. We pick him up on Feb 8th. First dog in the family so have a month to get ready.
We went today and have reserved a beautiful boy Cavapoo. He is 4 weeks and 2 days old. Went on gut feel, but the breeder is reputable and gave us confidence. We met both parents who had a great temperament. We pick him up on Feb 8th. First dog in the family so have a month to get ready.
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