Buying a New Puppy? How to Avoid the Pitfalls

Many books and articles have been created relating to the art of selecting a puppy ( i.e. Performing puppy tests, searching for parental OFA authentications, and so on… ), but few, if any, debate the contractual end of getting a puppy. I can tell you through private experience that getting a quality show puppy from a famous breeder can be a nerve wracking experience because no breeder would give up the pick of the litter to a rival ( for apparent reasons ) or to a beginner without co-ownership of the little dog. Co-ownership of a puppy permits the breeder to many rights to the detriment of the purchaser.

To start with, the breeder might also be a seasoned handler and might contractually require the purchaser to use the breeder as the puppies’ tutor and handler.

Agreeing to this should be a huge mistake as the patron could be needed to pay ( although they’d be part owners ) for the breeders time to coach and handle the baby dog. Agreeing to this could cost THOUSANDS of greenbacks.

In the contract, the breeder might need your bitch / dog to whelp / stud puppies. And, naturally, they might contractually need the picks of the litter ( they may select either male or a female puppies as they please ). Similarly, you as the client, could be needed to pay the expenses of breeding and whelping the puppies ( i.e. Food, vet-bills, housing, AKC registrations, stud costs, breeder’s time ) although you may not be permitted to get the picks of the litter. What’s more, you may not be ready to see nor be with your dog for the length of gestation and delivery.

Some breeders have been seen to change animals when they are sent away for whelping or stud service. I might advocate that you microchip your puppy and you get an AKC DNA ID as fast as possible after you buy your baby dog. This way, you’ll get back your loved animal without concern as to the character of its identity. When you buy your little dog, most credible breeders will ensure that your young dog will be freed from numerous infirmities for the length of two years. What they may fail to mention is that if your dog becomes incurably unwell, the replacement puppy could be one of their own selections and not yours, which translates to the indisputable fact that you may finish up with a new puppy which has a crappy personality. So, remember. The demon is in the fine print. Read your contract thoroughly, or you may become the victim of your own stupidity.