On the subject of 'deposits' and should you take them....

Those of you who DON'T take deposits, at what stage do you (say) get pups chipped with microchips containing new owners' details, OR set up free PetPlan insurance for 4wks using new owner's details?  Do you do all that with the new owner there in person, when they come to pick up the pup?  (Not sure I want to do that, at least the first time!) 

OR do you do that in advance of them coming to get their pup?  (If so, how far in advance, a week before?  2 weeks before?) 

And do you ever have the situation where you have set everything up for the new owner - chipped in new owner's name and PetPlan set up for them, and then they cancel and back out at the last minute? 

I just can't quite decide what to do re whether to take a deposit or not.  I'd rather not, but then I worry about last minute people backing out and meanwhile I've turned away suitable homes.

If it helps the pups I've got that have been chipped are initially registered their breeders details and I've changed them online when I got home or the breeder has added my details after I've collected the pup.

I've only had 2 pups with free insurance and that's been done while I'm there at the breeders house collecting pup.

Eight weeks my pups have 1st vacc...at 10 weeks 2nd vacc and chip.
No one tkes a pup from me until that's done.

On collection... chip form is handed to new owner, filled in with envelope.
And on  collection day and with owner present I phone  the insurance line and give full details, detach the receipt with activation /policy number and include in paperwork folder.

I add all the adhesive m/C bar codes to pedigree, registration form, vaccination card and puppies first eye certificate.

Oh and definitely NO deposit.
Case in point...a seemingly lovely lady came to see me recently to discuss when she was having her puppy...bringing an older son who lives with her.
I hated him...horrible nasty piece of work.
When I told him they  couldn't have a puppy he was extremely unpleasant and I can guarantee would have taken it to law.
Thankfully I was able to tell then to sling their hook.

I have chipped pups for people who registered them in new owners names but now they have to be done by law in N.Ireland they have to be in breeders name first.

Isn't it up to the breeder to microchip their puppies and then once they are sold and go to their new homes, the new owner does the update, just as with registering the Transfer with the Kennel Club.   And as for insurance, doesn't the puppy come with 6-weeks (I think it is) 'free' insurance via the Kennel Club?  So again the new owner's name isn't needed at that early stage.   Forgive me as it's been a long time since we had our final litter ..... and for sure, microchipping wasn't involved then.

As said, I have never taken deposits, preferring to keep my options open to the time the new buyer comes to collect at which point they pay me the full sum - much as on occasion I have taken the bulk of the money up front, and allowed the new purchasers to pay me the rest later - provided the home is likely to be a good one.   For me, the homes has always come first.  I also never took deposits because for me at that time, it was all too easy to spend the money and once gone, it was gone!   There are enough expenses with doing a litter after all.

I chip pups at about 5 weeks or so, but DON'T register the chips until AFTER the new owners have left with their pup. Usually as soon as they have walked out the door. Of course, from next April that will no longer be possible. As for the insurance, you can only activate it one day in advance or a few days after, so there I activate it the day BEFORE the pup is collected. Little to lose the way I see it.

In all my years of puppies and kittens, I have only once had somebody change their mind after collection -the kitten "ran around too much" and was returned after 48 hrs. So there I had to get the new owner to sign a chip transfer.

I don't see that a deposit would make any difference one way or another.

I'll be chipping mine at 6-7 weeks and will be registering them in my name. I planned to do it that way anyway but by time I have the litter it will be law to do it that way anyway.

For insurance the free puppy KC one says "You may activate cover up to 10 days before the puppy is collected. In this instance, cover will start from the time of collection". So you could do it the day before.

For me personaly I don't want to take deposits and be bound to supplying someone with a pup. I want to be able to back out just as I want them to be able to back out if they have doubts rather than going ahead due to having allready payed a deposit.
IF your doing a waiting list (which I think u said you were) and if your lucky enough to have more homes than puppies you can ask the other homes if they would like you to let them know if someone pulls out. You would have some back up homes then Incase something came up with one of the others during that 8+ weeks between being born and going home.

Ok, that all sounds good.  I will do it the day before... I'd guess, if anyone was going to back out, they would have by then!  Thanks everyone...

Chips are put in and I get blank paperwork to add owners details when they come to collect, insurance is set up at the time of collection too.

Sorry, I've thought of an extra question...

What happens if a new owner can't collect a puppy at 7/8wks, and you keep them up till 10wks to complete vaccinations before they leave you?  OR - if a puppy is going abroad and needs to stay with you up to 10wks or (if Europe) 15wks? 

Would you ask for a deposit or for payment in full at 7/8wks, via BACs or something?  Or would you again take payment when they take possession of pup?

I kept two back, monies offered but I declined, I did full vaccinations along with my girl. They paid in full at time of collection. If anyone wants to change their mind in that time then again I didn't want them tied in. It worked on trust on both sides. One family visited in between their holidays and brought their other dog along to meet the puppy they were having.

I didn't ask for any money for boarding or food etc, only cost of vaccinations.

Ditto to suejaw.

Personally I would only export to somebody I already know, that's my own rule. So when I have done, money has not been an issue as the trust was already there.

I have always taken a deposit and will continue to do so.  A deposit lets me know that the people are serious about their commitment.  I have a form we fill out, and the people know that if I cannot give them - for whatever reason - the puppy (it dies, there are no males or no females, or whatever), then they get their money back.  However, if they call me and tell me they fell in love with a puppy somewhere else and will not be taking one from me, I wish them good luck, and the deposit remains with me.

Naturally, I have met prospective owners in person - including their children - before a reservation is made definite with a deposit.  I never spend the money, I keep it intact until the day I place the puppy in the hands of the new owner. Despite the deposit, the people who have reserved have no claim to the puppy, except that it has been reserved for them alone.  The puppy remains my property until the day the full amount has been paid and the papers transferred.  However,  should I sometime beforehand become less than sure about going through with everything, I simply return the deposit and explain why I have changed my mind.  I have done this in 20 years about 4 times.  Of course, I never hope to have to do this, but I WILL do it if I feel it is called for, meaning that I am no longer convinced I want to place my puppy in those hands.

That is exactly what I do.

In a numerically small breed I don't like to keep potential owners hanging, so If I know there is no pup for them I like to get them onto someone else's waiting list or spare puppy, nor do I want to send away good potential homes only to find I still have pups to home.

Good potential homes don't always come along at the time pups are ready to go to new homes, so by taking a 10% deposit, we all know where we are.  Only ever once had to change my mind and return the deposit, and once the cancelling party had what I considered a very good reason so I returned the deposit anyway.

Good potential homes don't always come along at the time pups are ready to go to new homes, so by taking a 10% deposit, we all know where we are.  Only ever once had to change my mind and return the deposit, and once the cancelling party had what I considered a very good reason so I returned the deposit anyway.

Exactly! 

For me personaly I don't want to take deposits and be bound to supplying someone with a pup. I want to be able to back out just as I want them to be able to back out if they have doubts rather than going ahead due to having allready payed a deposit.

You can always back out of a deposit - and so can they - if there are valid and acceptable reasons.  Deposit or no, I would NEVER force anyone to take a puppy, as no puppy of mine deserves that.  And I would NEVER allow a deposit to pressure me into giving a puppy to people about whom I had become insecure along the way, for whatever reason.  Should someone want to back out after having paid a deposit, I would assess the situation and refer them to the reservation contract which they signed, in which it is stipulated that in most cases of cancellation, the deposit remains with me (as I must again look and wait for a new owner).  However, it is up to me to decide whether I want to engage in any kind of altercation about it, and frankly, I would prefer to return the deposit and be rid of the whole thing, if things became unpleasant or threatening.  I'm not up for that. 

A deposit is more a declaration of serious commitment from both sides than anything else, and for the people, a feeling of sureness that they WILL have a puppy.  Most people, after all, are just fine, and they too like the feeling that an agreement has been reached.

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Jo Cartwright says: I can tell you from the other side of it. I recently got a pup and my KC registered breeder microchipped the pups at 7 weeks in HER name so all owners had to pay to have details changed and the same with the free KC insurance, that also had to be changed into owners name. I would imagine that this was done so she wasn't inconvenienced should owners back out. She didn't take deposits on the pups but went on "trust"

Nimue good post sensible approach.

I like the idea of getting serious commitment, but I am wondering if there are other ways to ascertain that - like sending emails asking people to let you know, asking people to feel free to ask you any questions they have, inviting involvement from prospective owners etc etc - and being suspicious of anyone who isn't showing enough interest.

As for the microchipping, it is a responsible breeder who will put their details on the chip and from April 2016 it will be law that the breeder's details are the first keeper on the chip, and that breeders have chipped all puppies by 8wks.  All new owners will have to pay to change the chip to their name - UNLESS (as it seems they are going to) the KC remove that fee for new owners.

> UNLESS (as it seems they are going to) the KC remove that fee for new owners.

Well the KC will get their pound of flesh either from more people transferring pups into their name or from them having to change the Petlog details.

Personally it will encourage breeders to use Petlog chips, and more pups will be transferred to their owners and breeders won't have as many dogs in their name they no longer own.  I must have over 40 in my name and have only ever owned 11 dogs (though my first of another breed doesn't appear on MYKC record) plus one in partnership