Just wondering how people arrange their puppy visits by prospective owners. I can see in smaller litters it would not be much of a problem, but with large litters and most people wanting to come at the weekends so the whole family can come. How do arrange it so you get to spend as much time as possible with each prospective owner.
When I had my last litter visits started from approx. 4 weeks old,  and I had a relatively small litter of 7 for the breed, and at that stage I had not decided which puppy I was keeping, it would have been impossible to assess movement and temperament etc.
A lot of the prospective purchasers wanted to put a claim on a particular puppy at that stage. I refused to take any deposits and did not make my final choice till the pups were approx. 7 weeks.
With my next litter I want to make sure I have a proper plan in place, whilst not whishing to put off good homes my breed does tend to have quite large litters, and I want to welcome people and spend time with them, but do not want to have the pressure of deciding which puppy goes where till they are up on their feet and I get to know them as individuals.
Also I do not want to inconvenience anyone travelling a long distance and then have to tell them that I do not have a puppy of the correct sex or colour etc.
So over to people on here who have more experience, how do you do it ?

I don't know if this will be helpful to you. I'm not a breeder, but a prospective puppy buyer. Hopefully my pup to be will be born about the 20th of July. The breeder has told us that we will be able to come and look (not touch) the pups when they are two weeks old, presumably through the window so not allowing even any germs we might be carrying on clothing will not get to the puppies. When they are 4/5 weeks of age we will be able to sit and play with the pups and make our choice. As the breeder will be keeping a pup from this litter and she will not be making that decision until they are 6 weeks and 3 days old, we will be asked to select two pups that we like, pup A and pup B. Everyone else will do the same. During this time she will also be watching the puppies to try and ascertain their temperament and will give feedback if necessary particular if someone has selected a shy pup which would be going to a boisterous outgoing family home. Obviously the breeder would have met prospective owners beforehand and has some idea what kind of dog they are looking for. When she has selected her dog, then everyone will be notified who got what. Apparently it has all worked well in the past and everyone has ended up with their first choice apart from only one occasion. I don't know if this system will work for you, it's the first time I've been through this kind of selection system. In the past I've contacted a breeder after puppies have been born and had what's available. This time I wanted to make sure we got a particular type in my chosen breed and a good temperament and so have come in very early, so early that pregancy has yet to be confirmed.

I have a large gundog breed and we tend to have large litters. I try to make the appointments with a 2 hour gap, but it isn't always possible. If they all want to come at the weekend then they are warned that they may meet up with other potential puppy owners. I've not had a problem with this as they tend to chat to one another, and sometimes one will ask a question and the other will go - 'Oh, I never thought of asking that' ;-) When it is families I always have someone else on hand (usually daughter) so that the pups are never left alone with the potential owners.

I will still speak to each potential owner/family separate from the other, especially when going to hand over documents. That way they understand everything I am telling - I hope :-)

I haven't had a problem yet.

I did something similar last time everyone made  a first and second choice and I knew them all quite well by talking on the phone and several I knew from shows and breed events. It worked out well  as everyone got their first choice and as I had only six of the seven puppies who were going to new homes and  I did manage to persuade  some people to come on a weekday.
The average litter size for the breed is around 10 but litters of 11 & 12 are quite common and having spoken to a breeder who had a litter of 15 she said it was a nightmare. The pups were easy in comparison to the logistics of organising the puppy visits, lovely when the whole family mum, dad, children & grandma turn up, but if you get several families all at once, not sure if I would have enough cups or chairs LOL.
One thing that concerns me with booking two hourly slots, is that if people are coming a long way, they can be delayed due to traffic etc. So slots would merge, also I would not want too many visits in a day, as I think mum and her pups do need some intervals of piece and quiet and pups need plenty of sleep, I don't like the idea of them being constantly disturbed.
Just wondered how people organise it. The mum to be comes from a line that does not tend to produce big litters so perhaps the dilemma will not arise, but just want to be prepared for all eventualities.
 

My breed are all the same colour so that isn't an issue so those who are on my waiting list are allocated the sex they wish (or are happy to have), and largely get to choose in the order of first come first served after me. 

I do say that I will allocate my personal pick of dog and bitch to hopefully be shown.

Long journeys are likely so most people will only be able to visit once before collection.

Right from birth my puppies are identified by wool strand collars, and I take at least weekly photos that are sent to all the people who have booked/been allocated.

So in reality people can express a preference from what they see based on photos, but won't actually get to choose until pick up, though quite often I have picked for them, and they have agreed. 

It's amazing how after getting to know the new owners and their situations and seeing the pups develop, that my suggestions nearly always coincide with the peoples favourites from the photo's.

As for visits I tell people they are welcome to visit when or as often as they like, within reason.  After all I am home with the pups anyway.

I live in north east Scotland, so anyone visiting either live very close, or the visit is when they come to pick up pup. I hope that by then I have learned enough to be able to steer them in the right direction (out the door if need be ;-) ) If, once they arrive, I do not like them then they just don't meet the pups. However, I would hope to have chatted several times on the phone and by email prior to this. Even then, people can and do lie.

My mum to be comes from a line that has big litters. Her sister recently had 11. If any children visit then they do not get to see all the pups at once, only those I think may be suitable. Even then, if the kids misbehave, you can tell a lot by how the parents react. Naughty kids mean no discipline, so no pup for them. I don't mean kids acting up the way a lot of kids do, but the ones that are naughty all the time and the parents just laugh it off as funny.

> Naughty kids mean no discipline, so no pup for them. I don't mean kids acting up the way a lot of kids do, but the ones that are naughty all the time and the parents just laugh it off as funny.

So very, very true.  I had people visit, and they had come a long way.  Four hour drive, so they must have wanted a pup.  The children ran riot, while I sat gobsmacked. 

Not one of the kids even stroked a pup, they just raced round like demented animals.  And they stayed 3 hours.  My pups have to come first.  So, while it does make you feel uncomfortable saying no, it's only until after they leave.  When you sigh with relief!

The thing is, the mother had phoned and had long conversations with me, and had seemed ideal.  I agree that people can lie.  I had someone who was about to be invited to view, who said, oh I don't finish work until 9pm.  Mmmmm.  She had told me that she didn't work earlier in the conversation. 

> My breed are all the same colour

That certainly must make it hell of alot easier...at times I feel like saying ' I will just get my paint brush out'!

>That certainly must make it hell of alot easier...at times I feel like saying ' I will just get my paint brush out'!

I'm pleased that my breed has different markings so I can recognise them easily ;-) I, personally, would hate a same coloured breed :-) >>Takes foot out of mouth.

To be fair here, the would be owners are not allowed to pick out a puppy they want. They can indicate which ones they would prefer, but until they are temperament tested I will not place the pups. My breed does darken over time as the spots come out, so if someone chose a light coloured pup it could still end up dark. We can usually tell by the colour of the skin just how dark, but not always. ie a pink skin sould have a whiter colour, whereas a grey skin would mean a darker colour. A mottled skin is anybodies guess ;-)

Back to the visits. The potential owners do not spend the whole 2 hours with the pups. I will, and have, put the pups away after a short time if I felt they needed the rest. The rest of the time is spent getting to know the family. How they react to the pups being put away can tell a lot too. It's the little things that tell, when you ad them all up you have to ask yourself if you are still happy with them as potential owners.

>> That certainly must make it hell of alot easier

Maybe. Although I knew someone who chose a puppy out of a litter of almost identical puppies, Then got home and found they had brought home a dog puppy rather than the bitch they had picked!

As part of my check list of questions at first contact I ask if they would be willing to travel to meet us at least once before they would hope to be taking a puppy home from me at 8 weeks (if they couldn't spare the time then I wouldn't have been very impressed and they wouldn't be getting a puppy.) I had some families visit before the puppies were born but once they were here it was 2 families visit per weekend day from 3/4 weeks. They were told that they were visiting me and my dogs and maybe the puppies if I thought it was ok. I only brought out 2 puppies that I thought would suit them after they had spent quite some time talking and visiting with my family and adult dogs, you can tell a lot from the interaction (or lack of it) with a big full-on greeting from a Dalmatian!! Once I had met them I was happy I let them pick a first and second choice but explained that I hadn't picked and wouldn't be picking until after at least 6 weeks (hearing test) It worked out great.

Thanks Paula, Lindy and everyone for the information. All mine did at least one visit sometimes two prior to picking up there puppy. I like the idea of only bringing a couple of puppies out at a time.
If they only want a girl only bring girls our and vice a versa with the boys.
I did stick to my guns last time, but I did feel increasingly under pressure to make a decision.

I guess I just have to learn to develop a thicker skin, and be firmer, also I did have quite a number of people who were looking for a puppy to show, so they do tend to be a lot harder to deal with than the average family who are just looking for a pet.Obviously they want to see the puppies stood and take photos and watch movement, the puppies did have a break and I put on refreshments or a light lunch for those travelling a long way. But I did kind of get the feeling with some that they were going to move in !!!

> Back to the visits. The potential owners do not spend the whole 2 hours with the pups.

Lord no.  Most of the visit I want to see how the people cope/act with up to 6 adults and/or older pups attentions.

After a long chat, discussions of various things viewing contracts and paperwork (health certs etc) they will see the pups if they are awake.  If over 5 weeks they will be running around playing outside (unless it's really pouring), so most people won't want to be sat on their haunches too long.

I also forgot to add that I opened a photobucket account that had a password set and from day one I posted videos and photos of the puppies with mum and my family and I emailed the password to the prospective owners so they don't feel left out ;-) the feedback was very positive and the password could easily be changed if needed.

That's a good idea Paula. I may pinch that (darling bitch has started digging this afternoon so not long now ;-) )

I have found that one of the hardest things to say is NO to someone. You do have to have a thick skin, but you also have to think of the life you are letting you pups go to. If something doesn't sit right you either have to ask questions to find out exactly what is bothering you, or just say sorry but you don't think that one of your puppies is right for these people. Maybe the wrong breed entirely. The awful thing is that if things do go wrong in the future you will be thinking that you should have listened to your inner gut feeling. The pups are yours, not theirs. If it takes a bit longer to find the right home then so be it.

Funnily enough saying NO would not bother me that much, I had to say no to a couple last time, but as I had very valid reasons it was not as difficult as I thought it was going to be.
I took lots of photos and emailed them to all the prospective owners, but did not do videos, so I think I will also pinch that idea.
I have seen that some people have a CCTV video cam set up and running for most of the day. I think that could be rather intrusive, especially as the first few weeks I sleep with the mum and pups. I could see me putting prospective owners off as I look a bit scary first thing in the mornings, especially if I sleep deprived. Not a pretty sight me in my PJ's either LOL.

CCTV ! Ye Gods ! there's  no way I'd want anybody seeing me first thing in the mornings -or most of the time for that matter . I've only just noticed this thread and am reading it with interest. One visit that will remain with me forever is the one where the lady brought her entire playgroup with her -she was a childminder. It was Hell ! I had seven  4 -5 year olds running wild with 8 collies and 4 retrievers. I'd cleaned up the garden before she arrived but of course other 'deposits' were done during the two hour hell that was the puppy visit. If I wasn't cleaning poop off shoes and socks I was I trying to prevent them causing damage to my home. At one stage an entire rocking horse was tipped  over the dog gate into the kitchen ( why?!) My dogs loved it . Much more fun than boring old me .
She didn't get a puppy.

oooh no, no CCTV! just carefully picked video (preferably without me or my scouce accent on it!!! :-P )