All these threads lately about people being duped and so on and so forth are seriously disheartening and I bet, a bit offputting, to anyone about to purchase a pup. It's only natural to second guess everything you've done and your research when you see people left, right and centre being scammed. :-/

How about a thread about positive experiences you've had in the run up to getting your puppy, choosing a breeder, etc etc. It'll also work as tips for those looking to purchase in the future.

Great idea. :)

When I was a newly married 22 years old, neither of us ever having had a dog as a child, we decided we'd like an afghan hound as a pet.  So we found out when they would be at Crufts and for the first time went for the day.  We bought a catalogue and spoke to exhibitors and breeders in our area.  From that we were directed to a litter due in a few months.  We had to wait a while but bought home a delightful dog puppy who gave us great pleasure with few vets' bills for many years.

It was only after losing him that I bought another breed (again after spending the day at Crufts) and this time became more involved with the breed, showing and eventually breeding.

That was 40 or so years ago and so that's not necessarily what I'd suggest people looking for a pet do now - although it would be better than some appear to do!  There are far more health tests to investigate and temperaments in general are not what they used to be either.  IMO that's due to the fact that 40 years ago most breeders were very much involved in their breeds whereas today anyone with a bitch seems to think it's their 'right' to produce puppies with little experience and knowledge of their breed.

Great idea Inka. :)

I had spent some time in America and got to know a retired Malinois police dog. I really liked the fact that he was so soft with people he knew, but ready to defend his home and his family whenever needed. A few months later we had trouble in the area I lived in, and I felt I needed a dog that could guard our property if ever necessary (there had been break ins etc, and I had young children including a newborn baby.) I decided a Malinois was the breed for me (I already had 2 Golden Retrievers and 2 Cavaliers, which weren't much of a deterrent! They were all pets, not showdogs.), and went on the internet to search for more information. Absolutely everything I found was from other countries, I couldn't find anything about the breed in the UK. So I looked at the breed notes for Belgian Shepherds in Our Dogs (I had spotted the paper years earlier in WH Smith), and contacted the breed note writer asking if she knew any UK breeders. I also looked up show results in the paper and noticed there weren't many Malinois about, but they did exist. I explained  everything to the breed note writer, such as my previous dog experience, why I was interested in the breed etc. She got back to me and said she knew the top UK Malinois breeder and as it happened she had a litter of pups at the moment, and she had passed my details on to her and she was expecting my call.

The rest is history. We went to see the puppies -complete with my baby -, was asked a lot of questions, given lots of information about the breed, about the parents, the health of the breed, training etc etc, and I spent 4 hours choosing a puppy.  It didn't just give me a puppy, it changed my life entirely. The breeder became a friend who I am still in touch with more or less every week, 12 years later. The puppy, who I had had no intention of showing, I was eventually persuaded to show (not by the breeder, she would never push anything, but by another of her puppy buyers who found my website and contacted me -I had my dogs pictured on my cat website), is now a Champion, she has won BOB at Crufts, she became the foundation bitch for me breeding Malinois, and I am now the breed note writer for OD myself since 7 years. A few months after I bought the pup I met my husband, who had never seen a Malinois before and had never shown a dog, and he now handles at all the shows and we have both made so many friends over the years. I met my husband over the internet and when we decided to meet I told him I would bring  my Malinois with me and if he was not a good person, she would know and she would not accept him. She accepted him instantly (at that age, she had NEVER done so with anyone else, these days she accepts everyone) and I knew I had found somebody good. :)

Even today I still have questions for the breeder, and she has always been there for me, no matter what. And I have a very healthy 12 year old who doesn't look her age, is still winning at shows, and is my one dog in a million.

That is a wonderful story GoldMali! I love it! :) :)

One of the first thing the breeder I will be potentially be getting a puppy from said to me was that I should come to her with ANY questions/thoughts/etc and that we will know each other for the next 14 years :D It's so reassuring, and interesting, to know someone will be there to assist you.

Yes, I've said to my puppy buyers (only one of whom I didn't already know) that they are not just getting a puppy, they are getting me as a friend and advisor for at least the life of that puppy. When I went looking, hubby and me each knew what breed we wanted, luckily the 2 breeds were fairly similar so fitted nicely in our household. I got the 3rd degree from both, particularly from my Cavalier's breeder, and we went up to meet them and the parents, and I phoned once or twice in the intervening month until pups were old enough (I would have like to phone every day, but suspected that might be ott.....). And I am still in touch with all my various breeders, Henry's breeder I consider a good friend, George's breeder we exchange xmas cards and sometimes meet at Crufts if I go up on gundog day, and Ellie's breeder I email a good friend of hers and we exchange news like that. I've made so many friends through owning and showing dogs, and of course the dogs themselves are one of the most important things in my life (can't say THE most important or hubby gets upset, haha).

After looking in books, contacting the breed club secretary etc we decided an Elkhound was the breed for us. My hubby and I visited the breeder before any pups were born, but the bitch had been mated, and were lucky enough to be trusted with one of her precious puppies. 16 years later we have Elkhound number 3 living with us from that same breeder. We've had Aunty, Nephew and great,great great niece. Although not in each others pockets I know that I can pick up the phone night and day if necessary and she will always be there for us.
I wander if it's because this breed is not very common and that makes a difference??

> I wander if it's because this breed is not very common and that makes a difference??

I think that breed does make a difference - if they aren't two a penny then you have very few 'expert' sources you can access for information

We found our breeder at Crufts after looking at dogs in the breed ring and visiting Discover Dogs.  My husband and I were visiting Crufts with no voiced intention to get another dog - but we were certainly both thinking along the same lines and the journey home was spent discussing exactly how ready we were. :)

I did some more research online in the weeks following, I read all the breed specific information from the breed club and the KC.  I then called two breeders to get a feel for what might be involved, and we agreed to visit them both.  My eventual breeder also suggested someone more local to us that we could visit first to meet some more adult dogs (and I think to get pre-screened by this friend!!)

We've had some very good advice and a huge amount of support and I'd count my breeder as a friend.  I wasn't overtly interested in showing but now have two show dogs from her. She runs special breed ring craft days for her show owners and we've been to field training days too.  I've made some very good friends from the owners of litter mates and my youngest dog is the product of one such friendship - he's so well connected!!  I really appreciate knowing exactly where he's come from, and all of the decisions behind his breeding.  Breeders like mine knock these puppy farmers into a cocked hat...

It's worth mentioning too that timely medical advice from this breeder, given in a casual conversation, almost certainly saved my mongrels life too.  Her general dog experience is invaluable AND she suggested I join CD.  All good! :)

After our lovely rescue crossbreed was PTS through old age, I decided that I wanted a puppy this time and a Pedigree.  I'd always wanted a Bedlington Terrier and after researching different breeds to find one with the type of temperament of our beloved crossbreed, we found the Bedlington Terrier was the closest :)  Same body shape and a little smaller, but different coat - close enough for us.   So whilst I saved for a pup, I did loads of research on the breed, health tests etc. but not having internet I couldn't find a breeder apart from one in Scotland who advertised regularly in the dog mags, which I felt was too far to research properly.   I managed to get the 2 books of the breed written by the most knowledgeable Bedlington Terrier people in the UK, the one of which detailed extensive pedigree lines etc and a record of show  and CC winners from the turn of the century.   I did manage to contact the breed rescue lady but she just recommended I get a puppy not a rescue and gave me a number to call in Wales, but I couldn't get an answer there - turned out he was on a long holiday LOL

Luckily I knew the retired secretary of the local Canine association and rang him and asked if he knew of any local(ish) breeders, he did and put me on to a breeder just 4 miles away, she didn't have pups but after a long telephone conversation we agreed I would wait for her next litter.    Next day a friend of hers called, he had a pup who had been reserved but it had fallen through and the first breeder had suggested us, was I interested?   OH said to go see as I would regret not going and as they were only 2 miles away we had nothing to lose, so we did and after being vetted again, seeing all the health test papers of the parents and being given the full Bedlington Welcome by the rest of the doggy family we met our first Bedlington puppy, she was a gorgeous scruffly little thing and came home with us that night!   Her pedigree was everything I could have hoped for, so much so I did wonder if it was just copied out of the Breed book LOL But it was real!

Both breeders became our friends and even the breeder who was on holiday is now considered a friend, we haven't just gained a breed we love but a whole new group of friends - I suppose as a numerically small breed we are bound to know most of the people who attend the shows  :-D

As the pup we bought had been run on for someone, we promised to show her for the breeder (I felt it was the least we could do as he had trusted his baby with us) as he felt she was 'a bit nice'  -  he wasn't wrong and at 3 years old she became his, and our, first Champion within just 12 Champ shows!  She also has her pictures in the NEW Updated Book of the Breed, written by the person who gave her her first CC and BOB

The breeder has always been there for us, as has the first breeder, something I never expected.  Now I am there for my family of puppy owners.

I'm so glad I did all the research, I was looking for a pet but ended up with so much more!

We did endless research in the breed first- the good and the bad (including health issues, temperment and of course the drooling and slobber), looked at the website of the breed club and joined, looked at various breeders listings and websites.

Finally narrowed it down to 5 ish and emails about their breeding plans for that year.

In time we were vetted and we vetted our breeder. After narrowing it down to two, we went to first the 1st one, over 3.5 drive away, and were blown away the clear passion for the breed and meet all the adults dogues in the rain and were covered in slobber-loved it tho :)

also got to meet mummy, and other relatives to the litter, looked at litter pedigree, health test results and the breeder went into detail about the aims of the litter and what she hoped the combination would bring to her kennel.

We ended up picking the breeder over the other and in time we brought home our little bundle of terror- (now 19 months). we have constant reassurance that our breeder is just a call or email away, and we keep in touch via facebook for photos and news.

We have also added a older adult to our home from the same breeder and she is the perfect fit for us and our home. No doubt if we ever add another addition which i sure we will we definanatly know it will be from the same breeder :)

we lost our Basset hound at the tender age of 5, we decided that we couldn't replace him with another so looked into other breeds. We decided on the Bull terrier, researched a lot, went to shows, read books and found a local ish breeder.
We waited over 12months for our 1st boy, we started showing him with the breeders help and for a 1st BT he has done us very proud, by no means champ status but many awards RBDs, 1st in classes and a third in his class at crufts last year. Our breeder then offered us another pup, a bitch out of his next litter. Even though there were only 2 in the litter and he had plenty of enquiries for her he GIFTED her to us, in our name no strings attached. We have become very good friends with them and our bitch is great she got the RCC in her 1st champ show and she is due to be mated this year to start our own kennel, we will return the compliment and offer them a pup.I know he will be there for us when we whelp and has already mentioned our name to several potential puppy owners.
So not only did we get 2 fantastic dogs but we gained very good friends.
Our experience couldn't be any more positive.

Slightly a different track but the stud dog owner we used has been invaluable to us.  Apart from the huge amount of help she gave us through the planning, mating and whelping the litter. She's helped us into the world of showing, taught us how to groom our dogs, given us 1:1 ring craft sessions, introduced us to her friends and just been amazing.

As a breeder I am so proud to say that I couldn't be happier with our puppy buyers - we hear from all of them get photos every couple of months, they ring and email with problems and we meet up with some of them when we can (obviously we see the local and show boys lots).  I thought giving them up would be the hardest thing I'd ever do and whilst it was difficult i was excited for the new owners - they were soooo happy with their new pups and I knew they would get the best of everything (including the individual attention that you just can't give when you have 12 dogs in the house - puppies and oldies combined). 

I still have tears of joy when I read their emails and hear about their adventures.