Where to buy a puppy (SW London/Surrey)

Soundgirlrocks

Just the reiterate what the others have said, don't buy from a dodgy pet shop.If you don't feel rehoming is for you, there are some good website. Pets for homes is a good one. Make sure you visit the puppies and see them with mum in the environment they have been bred in, and stay clear of any one who "will deliver". Also read a good puppy book as it will have advice on picking the right puppy for you.

lynnemcf

Is there a popular "doggie" park where you live? New pup owners are usually pleased to talk about their "baby" and can give you info about the breeder. Where I live there happen to be two border terrier pups from the same litter and they are GORGEOUS. Clearly the breeder knows her stuff, both are happy healthy pups and adore my border cross (he was a stray and has been VERY hard work).

JimmyTheWig

Thanks again for all the comments, guys. We've done some research and found one!
Went to visit at the weekend. Saw both parents and all looks good. We get to pick her up in three weeks time.

gettingready

That was a quick ermmm research..

So what dog are you getting and where did you find him/her?

krlyr

Well done for doing your research - would you mind letting us know the breeder you've found? Or if you don't want it posted publically, would you be OK with PMing me their details? I'd be happy to take a look and make sure there's no red flags present, as I mentioned before, not every private breeder is a good one. My concerns with your situation would be that you saw both parents - did the breeder own both? It's not too common for the breeder to own both as it's more the norm to use a stud dog. This is because of the extra work involved in keeping entire b1tches around entire dogs fulltime, plus the idea of breeding a dog responsibly is to match it with the best stud dog to amplify the good points and mute the weaker qualities - it's unusual for a breeder to own a pair that will compliment each other perfectly like this.
I would also be slightly concerned that you managed to reserve a puppy to collect in 3 weeks time - if pup it going to be 8 weeks old when collected, I would ask why the litter hasn't all been reserved by 5 weeks of age. A responsible breeder would have a waiting list, with several backup homes should the original ones fall through/pull out for whatever reason. It can happen - for example, someone pulls out of wanting a b1tch and the people on the waiting list only want females, or wanted a dog from a winter litter rather than spring/summer, etc. but it is something that I would be querying.
Not to put a downer on your thread, but I would hate for you to leap from the frying pan into the fire, so to speak.

Frugalista

krlyr wrote: »

Well done for doing your research - would you mind letting us know the breeder you've found? Or if you don't want it posted publically, would you be OK with PMing me their details? I'd be happy to take a look and make sure there's no red flags present, as I mentioned before, not every private breeder is a good one. Could I ask what qualifies you to sit in judgement on these breeders? Genuine question - not being sarky . I have spent over 30 years on the show circuit mixing with exhibitors, breeders and judges and know most of the well known kennels in most breeds. The dog world "jungle drums" ensure there is always someone who knows about a particular litter/breeder and their reputation. What is your background? Sniffing around their website, etc, can give a very misleading impression if you don't actually know the people involved.

My concerns with your situation would be that you saw both parents - did the breeder own both? It's not too common for the breeder to own both as it's more the norm to use a stud dog. This is because of the extra work involved in keeping entire b1tches around entire dogs fulltime, plus the idea of breeding a dog responsibly is to match it with the best stud dog to amplify the good points and mute the weaker qualities - it's unusual for a breeder to own a pair that will compliment each other perfectly like this. On the contrary, I know of many breeders who have imported males to complement their existing females - or buy in females to breed to their winning male. Obviously a "breeder" who only owns the two parents is a different thing altogether.

I would also be slightly concerned that you managed to reserve a puppy to collect in 3 weeks time - if pup it going to be 8 weeks old when collected, I would ask why the litter hasn't all been reserved by 5 weeks of age. A responsible breeder would have a waiting list, with several backup homes should the original ones fall through/pull out for whatever reason. In an ideal world, yes - but life is rarely like that unfortunately. Puppy buyers will only wait around so long before looking at another kennel and, in fairness, breeders can only take bookings for approx 5/6 each sex. In my breed, at the moment, there are very few dog pups being born (and everyone wants a male) so quite a few breeders are struggling to find homes for the surplus female pups. Implying that having pups available at 5 weeks old is somehow "shady" is very unfair and unrealistic - especially in todays economic climate. It can happen - for example, someone pulls out of wanting a b1tch and the people on the waiting list only want females, or wanted a dog from a winter litter rather than spring/summer, etc. but it is something that I would be querying. Fair comment.
Not to put a downer on your thread, but I would hate for you to leap from the frying pan into the fire, so to speak.

And I don't want to put a downer on your post either (you usually write excellent posts) but I do think sweeping generalisations and uninformed advice is quite damaging and misleading.

JimmyTheWig

It's a Sproodle.
Don't want to name the breeder - don't think it would be fair on them to have people snooping around. But as I say, we've met them and are happy that all is above board.

Pthree

What the heck is a sproodle??

I am guessing some kind of poodle cross?

Person_one

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

It's a Sproodle.
Don't want to name the breeder - don't think it would be fair on them to have people snooping around. But as I say, we've met them and are happy that all is above board.

A what?

A poodle crossed with something? If its a springer I hope you've got a lot of energy and enjoy spending hours grooming.

Good breeders don't generally cross breeds unless its very very carefully and done in order to improve the health of a breed with genetic issues.

krlyr

Frugalista wrote: »

And I don't want to put a downer on your post either (you usually write excellent posts) but I do think sweeping generalisations and uninformed advice is quite damaging and misleading.

As I said - things I'm a little concerned about or that raise a red flag, not things that would immediately make me say "No way, bad breeder!". I agree that you can't get a true picture just from a website, but there are things that would make me wary and that I would go back and ask the breeder about. The OP has very little knowledge on what to look for, and presumably what to ask a breeder, so just thought I'd give some pointers (and they could go back to the breeder, clarify things, and make their own minds up)

However, seeing that the breed is a "Sproodle" raises far more concerns than any of the points I previously mentioned. As Person_one says, it is unusual for a reputable breeder to purposely cross two purebreds together - unless they're aiming to create a brand new breed that they feel is better than, say, a Springer or a Poodle. The Labradoodle, for example, was originally bred to produce a low-shedding guide dog ideal for allergy sufferers - it had a practical purpose. Unfortunately the fad of gimmick-y named crossbreeds hit off and many are producing "Jugs", "Puggles", "Cockapoos" etc. simply because these is a demand for them.
I would be very wary and ask them exactly why they have chosen this breed - what is their longterm intention, are they trying to create a new breed of dog? Do they feel it will benefit both breeds, to be crossed together? If they have no longterm goal then I would be concerned that their main priority is the profitability of this crossbreed, and would proceed with caution.