There are some very important questions that you need to ask of every breeder, weather it be D & L Doodles or someone else. Sometimes you'll get answers that sound ok, but are really code for "We don't do that". Here are some things you can ask, and the answers you should be leery of:
1) Never ever ever ever buy a puppy from a pet store! EVER! (this does not include rescue groups who occasionally run adoption days at places like Petsmart or Petco) If you want more information about why, I'll be happy to give it to you. Every GOOD breeder knows that puppies have NO BUSINESS being in a pet store environment. 6-12 weeks old is a CRITICAL time in the psychological development of a puppy. Being in a pet store significantly robs a puppy of the necessary stimulation it needs to become a psychologically healthy adult dog later on. The vast majority of puppies in pet stores come from puppy mills or puppy brokers. Buying a puppy from a pet store to "rescue" it from an uncertain fate perpetuates the puppy mill industry/bad breeder problem. So, even when you see that cute puppy that's now been marked down to $100...run...run the other way! Don't look back! We refuse to even shop in stores that sell puppies. Hopefully one day the practice of selling puppies in stores will be outlawed.
2)Are you parent dogs CERF, OFA or PennHip, and vWD tested? (please see this link of explanations about these tests) If the answer is yes, then ask if the breeder is prepared to show you proof of testing.
If you get an answer that says something like, "All our dogs are vet checked and their hips and everything are clear." Well, that is a wrong answer. All the dogs should be "vet checked" but the testing listed above is very specific, expensive, and necessary to assure the parent dogs to not have the above mentioned conditions. There are many breeders who don't believe all this testing is necessary, but it is, and if you're going to pay a high price for a puppy, this testing needs to be done.
3) How many DOGS do you have on your property? If you ask how many BREEDS, you may get an answer that is a bit deceiving. Not a lie, but deceiving. After all, I might have only one breed, but I might have 70 of them! PLEASE look carefully at websites and do the math! When you see 15 or 20 parent dogs listed, how many puppies does that come to in a year?
4) How many litters TOTAL do you breed per year? Beware of the breeder that claims to have family raised dogs, but breeds 20 litters a year. Can you imagine someone really having up to 600 puppies per year in their house? Or even 100 for that matter? Some breeders idea of "family raised" means that everyone in the family participates in the care of the dogs and puppies. To us at D & L Doodles, "Family Raised" means the puppies are in our house from birth to about 4 weeks when they're moved to a 3 season porch. From that time on they're brought into the family area several times per day and treated like one of the family. YOU decide what definition of "family raised" means to you.
I have seen web site pictures of KNOWN puppy mills who claim to have "family raised" puppies. Watch the prices. If they seem significantly lower that what you're finding on the web, that is a red flag!
5) "Do you have a USDA number?" or "Are you USDA inspected?" Breeders and Brokers who sell in the retail market (such as pet stores) are required to have a USDA number. At D & L Doodles, we openly frown upon any breeder who sells to pet stores or to puppy brokers. (who eventually sell to pet stores.) To read more about this issue, please follow this link.
6) Look carefully at the pictures of parent dogs on web sites. How are the dogs controlled to have their picture taken? We see many web sites where the dog is either obviously on a leash, or tied to something, or even behind a fence. It is the opinion of D & L Doodles that this says a couple different things. Either the breeder doesn't know how to train their own dogs to do a basic "sit -stay", or they have too many dogs to be able to train them all. In all of our pictures you'll see our dogs posed together with nothing on them holding them there. That's because they have been trained. (an exception would be a very young puppy, a picture sent to us by one of our buyers, or a picture taken during a leashed training activity.) If you are a first-time dog owner, you're going to need some guidance with training your puppy. Your breeder should be able to help you with that, but if they can't train their own dogs, they're not going to be able to help you either. Some breeders will disagree with this. YOU decide for yourself what's important to you when buying your puppy.
7) Do NOT agree to meet your breeder in a parking lot! Unless you're having a puppy shipped from out of state (in which case, please check out their references and ask around at doodle sites about their reputation) you should be able to go pick up your puppy. You should also be able to see at least one of the parent dogs. (many breeders do not own both parents, which is fine, but they should at least have the mother.) Remember that licensed brokers can sell puppies that belong to other people and may not have either parent on site. If you're shown the mother, check to make sure she looks like she's recently been nursing puppies. Although they've been weaned, her bags should still be loose and floppy, kind of stretched out feeling. She should be very social and not shy. She should be comfortable on leash (if she's off leash, ask to see how she is on.) Most mill dogs have never, or only rarely seen a leash and will not be comfortable on it. Look to see if she is obviously attached to the sellers, if not this could be an indicator the dog does not belong to them. Call her by name...does she respond to her name? If not, this could be a mill dog who doesn't know she HAS a name. Follow your gut. If your gut says, "something doesn't feel right here", say goodbye and leave without a puppy.
8) Am I allowed to visit your property? Many breeders will no longer allow you to visit their puppies until they are over 6 weeks of age, and then they will limit where you can go on the property. This is because of the rampant spread of Parvovirus that can kill and entire litter in 3 days. But there are some breeders who simply don't want you to know what their property looks like or how many dogs they really have. You'll need to use your best judgment and carefully listen to your gut when you ask this question. At D & L Doodles, we will allow you to visit, but only after you have agreed to follow our guidelines for doing so.
9) What is the breeders rehome policy? A good breeder wants to make sure their dogs are always in good hands. Sometimes things happen within a family that cause you to have to give up a beloved pet. D & L Doodles has a strict rehome policy that is included in our contract. Under no circumstances do we want one of our beautiful dogs to end up in a shelter. Read this....
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