I am looking for a particular dog and have been directed to different breeders web sites which has made me think.   I would like one used to household noises, but would I?   I had a sheltie who was used to household sounds but was difficult to stop barking at the phone and cooker timer because her mother had done that and of course the puppy thought that was what you did.
The rescue dogs who hadn't had a proper life where inquisitive about the vacuum and washing machine but were calmly taught that they were natural occurances.  There are swings and roundabouts.
I think I have chosen the wrong time of year to search for a dog as not many about as breeders don't want them bought as Xmas gifts which is a good thing.  The KC website lets me know when puppies are registered to them but by then all the pups have gone.

All good breeders will raise their puppies in the house and will do their best to acclimatise their pups to normal household noises, as well as some more unusual ones.  Crucially they will also correct unwanted behaviours, or rather they'll teach the right behaviours, in their adult dogs so you shouldn't find too much of a problem with adults teaching the pups.  BUT some of that reactive barking is breed specific and to be expected.

If you live in a noisy, busy, active, household then it helps if your new pup has been raised in similar circumstances but it's never too late to start when your pup gets home.  Once I'm reasonably happy that sudden noises won't send my pup into next week then I make a point of creating, and completely ignoring, noises around the house.  Plenty of music, loud TV, washing machine, vacuum etc are all pretty easy to switch on and off.  I also make random noises too by dropping a book or baking tray on the floor, slamming a cupboard door etc.  My husband also does a fair bit of DIY so the dogs need to get used to drills, hammers and swearing (!!)

The way a breeder raises a puppy is very important but don't let 'noise' be the decision maker.  Health tested and 'qualified' parents, and good puppy husbandry are far more critical to the long term health and happiness of your new pup.  Finally don't expect to find a pup on the ground - getting to know your chosen breeder and getting on a good waiting list for a puppy can take a bit of time, but is well worth it in the long run :)

You certainly don't want one that has been raised in a shed/kennel with no social interaction.

If you get a pup at 8 or 9 weeks old then it will be easy to stop any unwanted behaviour by nipping it in the bud.

Good Luck with your search, get your name on some good breeders waiting lists and get to know them and their dogs before there are pups on the ground.

Bunnyfluff,

I'm not clear what you are looking for in a dog- however, any well socialized puppy of good breeding and temperament is likely to have been exposed through its development to all the things that make a modern household, including household appliances. If the breeder has done a good job they will also have had some exposure to different people and children. This initial careful socialization should then be continued by the owner.The puppy eventually learns that various potentially startling noises and different people etc.. are not dangerous and they mostly learn to ignore these stimuli. Most pups will go through periods of suddenly being a bit anxious about various noises and stimuli again and might bark or growl at these, but jollying them along usually gets them through this phase.

Obviously some dogs, with a strong watch dog or guard instinct are more likely to bark at anything they think is worthy of attention or that worries them. Avoiding more barky breeds may be best for you.

This is all a long way of saying that many barking issues are the result of poor puppy socialization, nervous temperaments, a breed trait or a learned behaviour where the dog has not been properly trained at a key period of development and has got into a bad habit...perhaps to expend energy/frustration; to get attention or because many dogs learn to enjoy a good bark session.

The rescue dogs who hadn't had a proper life where inquisitive about the vacuum and washing machine but were calmly taught that they were natural occurances.

You might have got lucky there and a LOT would depend on breed. Far from all dogs would be ABLE to get used to it after being brought up in kennels or similar. Many would have some problems for life.

I posted really with tongue in cheek.  It's just that reading all these postings made me think for a change.  Don't usually do that.  I have found some perfect dogs on screen, furthest away when I did route planner says it would take me 2hours on a good day to get there.  Ok, but you are advised to go back 2 or 3 times before taking the dog home. I can just imagine rushing in to a strangers home shouting where's your toilet?   I can hardly manage 30mins which is where the nearest breeder is.
I will get my dog but first of all what is the best way of taking her home?  I used to have a defender with a cage but have a saloon car now as I need automatic. 

Yes, Goldmali, I know I have been very, very lucky.  By proper life I mean bought by people who thought it was a good idea at the time and then had no time and were too ashamed to go back to the breeder.

> I have found some perfect dogs on screen, furthest away when I did route planner says it would take me 2hours on a good day to get there. Ok, but you are advised to go back 2 or 3 times before taking the dog home. I can just imagine rushing in to a strangers home shouting where's your toilet? I can hardly manage 30mins which is where the nearest breeder is.

Both my most recent dogs were 3.5 hours away (that's each way) and I'd travel further to get the right one.  I also visited several times involving overnight stays in a hotel, with both of the litters.  Buying a puppy is a huge investment and it's well worth spending the time and money at the research stage rather than finding out later that you've made a (sometimes costly) mistake.  You might get lucky and find a good one nearby but visit a few breeders first, to be sure.

I'm not sure from the tone of your posts what your expectation, or experience, is but I wonder if you know what to look for in a breeder.  Perhaps we could help steer you?

Oh and get a crate for your car - even in a saloon you should be able to organise things so that it will fit, and be safe.

Some of us will travel much farther than 2 hrs for the right pup/stud, I got lost once and a 4hr stud trip turned into 8 because my sat nav died whilst stuck in a traffic jam for over an hour on the M6, luckily I was booked in for 3 nights B&B.

If am travelling without human company I secure a plastic carrier with bungee cords to the passenger seat so I can see and reassure the pup

Bunnyfluff, I think it is about choosing the right breed for you - as someone mentioned, some breeds are much more barky than others... 

> I think I have chosen the wrong time of year to search for a dog as not many about as breeders don't want them bought as Xmas gifts which is a good thing. 

Breeders will breed when the bitches choose, but will not SELL over Christmas (many of us prefer if possible to have litters outside the busiest show season, or shooting season) , unless they know the person and that it will not be a disrupted time in that home.

>The KC website lets me know when puppies are registered to them but by then all the pups have gone.

That is because most good breeders will have a waiting list (especially in the current climate), so any puppies that they do have available are only going to be so due to cancellations, more pups born than generally expected, or most often a skewed litter sex wise my last but one litter was all one sex).

If you go on a breeders waiting list before a litter is born, you will be able to visit and see how the mother and other dogs behave, etc, that will give you a good idea whether their upbringing will be helpful in fitting them into your home, but at 8 weeks there are few habits that will be so firmly fixed that your own training cannot alter.

I have not often sold a pup (numerically small breed) to people who even live as close as two hours away.

I did Manchester to north of Scunthorpe at least 3 times possibly four... and thats a trek in itself but then add in the fact that I don't drive and we didn't have a vehicle of our own.. we had to get a friend to drive us.. Our only friend with a vehicle drove his bands beaten up ancient transit van! So thats what we went in (having explained this to the breeder so she didn't think we were scary!).

Took us a fair old while in the old rattle trap and yep, we turned up needing a wee, a cuppa and a sandwich - whilst I think the sandwich was probably above and beyond the call of duty, I have to say a breeder who doesn't want you to use their loo or make you a cuppa is probably not the breeder to buy from!

Cost me plenty as well, paying friend for his time on top of fuel in a very uneconomical vehicle - but worth it, absolutely!

One of the reasons for visiting so many times is that you get to see how the adult dogs in the house behave, including the parent dogs - so IF you find that the mother or one of the dogs who will be around the puppies as they are learning, has a habit of barking furiously at the door or at the microwave pinging or the phone ringing, you know this BEFORE you go to pick up your pup, hopefully you know this before your pup is born!

I had a sheltie who was used to household sounds but was difficult to stop barking at the phone and cooker timer because her mother had done that and of course the puppy thought that was what you did.

:-D The breeder should have sorted that out with their Sheltie, it all comes down to training, copied behaviour's do happen but I'm surprised you could not deter this behaviour if you got the pup at 8-12 weeks of age.

Pups raised in the home and used to household noises will have the opposite affect to that, it makes a pup not scared of the noises hence no fear or defensive barking or turning it into a game, they should not flinch at the sound of a washing machine etc it should all just be normal everyday noises, the same with rescue dogs it is all about the character and the way they are raised.

I wouldn't actually turn my nose up at pups reared in outside kennels either if from a good breeder (beware puppy farmers, please make sure you go to a good breeder) breeders socialise them just the same and they should be happy and confident when met, if they are timid or scared then they have not been socialised and just left in the kennel, you should stay clear, over the years my mother and brothers have had many of their working dogs from reputable outdoor breeders at 8 weeks of age they are in the home and socialised to any noises they may not have met very quickly never had any problems, it all comes down to the one to one training and bonding you have with a pup which moulds how they grow into well mannered, obedient adults.

Choose your breed, then very, very, carefully choose your breeder or rescue dog and don't base your conclusions on dogs behaviour on only a couple of dogs you have had they will all be different characters even within their own breed traits. :-)

Best of luck. :-)

> don't base your conclusions on dogs behaviour on only a couple of dogs you have had they will all be different characters even within their own breed traits.

Absolutely.  I've got 8 here now and I've owned 13, including 3 dobes and all of them have been completely different characters.

How you raise them does make a big difference though, even with tendencies towards certain things - Opi was an accident, born from a VERY nervous rotti, she was a very nervous pup herself about other dogs but with careful work on it she is my most confident dog around other dogs and has been from 16 weeks old :-)

Not entirely sure what it is you're posting about. I have puppy buyers travel many hundreds of miles. They come prior to a mating to meet the parents and rest of the pack - that way I see if they're suitable and they see if what I might be able to offer is suitable. Then they visit when pups have hit the ground ... depending on where they are, that might be a few times a week, from when I say they can, until leaving or for those living much further afield it might be just the one visit and then the final visit on collection of puppy.

You need to know what breed you're looking for. What you expect the breeder to have done - in my view that should be everything to make the transition from moving home from breeder to you as easy as possible.

I can't dismiss dogs being raised outside as being no good for living in a pet household. I have a couple who were just that and are fabulous, and I know many more. But, what I want, and so should you, is a dog exposed to as many good experiences as possible before it leaves the breeder. Whether reared in a house, or not, it should have been exposed to household sounds, people, etc, etc. But certainly do not expect a 'quick fix' to buying a puppy. If you do you are guaranteed heartache.

Is the "where's your toilet?" comment some sort of code? Some of my puppy owners have done just that after a 6+ hour motorway drive. Is that wrong in your eyes?!!

Also find it a bit odd that you appear to deem a saloon car inappropriate, automatic at that :-O, to take a puppy home in? What about a puppy crate?! Can be seatbelted onto front, passenger seats or even in the boot. Maybe I should have had my weetabix for today before responding to this rather strange post ....