Hi

I am currently in the process of purchasing a pup that will need to be imported. It will be my first import and I am a little uneasy about being out of the loop during the critical socialisation period.

My breed are relatively few and the breeder I have found is experienced and well renowned.

What specific elements should I enquire about in terms of positive exposure, aside from children / household noise / animals / car journey / visitors / toilet training?

If I trust that the breeder absolutely puts their dogs welfare at the forefront, am I unduly concerned?

Any advice much appreciated

Breeders are all very different, I chose the breeders of my import boy not only because I liked their dogs but because I knew what intense socialisation they did with puppies having followed them on facebook for a few years.

If your pup is already on the ground then it's too late to stalk them to see what they do with litters, you'll have to ask questions, but even then you won't really know what they're doing. Some people think it's like a checklist, met one child now fully socialised with children etc rather than an ongoing process.

To a certain extent it's a leap of faith, but if the breeder is successful in their field (showing, working, whatever) then they probably have dogs of correct temperament, and the ability to raise pups to be the same, if you like their dogs then I'd trust them to do the right thing.

Thank you for your advice.
As to say to some extent a leap of faith!

Having imported (from the UK into Canada when living there) twice, the first our foundation bitch who came to us at 5 months, and the second a male to enhance our line, who came to us at 7 months, both from people I knew well but from a kennel situation, I can only say I bought them for their bloodlines first and foremost.  Even before whether or not they'd be good enough to show.  I had no problem with either in terms of socialising.  That may of course, have been breed-specific.  And both won their Canadian Championships with ease.

Our other two buy-ins ..... our Whippet came to us at 9 weeks (from a breeder here in the UK so we'd been to see her before we bought/booked) and the other at 4 months.   Again I had no obvious lack of socialising problems with them.

I'd put this socialising issue to one side, assuming you want the bloodlines of this particular dog.  Once you have the puppy, you can do all the work needed.  JMO

Thank you. Both posts have put my mind at ease. Much appreciated!!!

Personally if the breeding temperament wise is sound then the Socialisation should be of minor isue, unless the breed is known for extreme sensitivity.

I was the main visitor for a dog in a 4 way ownership syndicate.

He came into UK Quarantine at 9 1/2 weeks, and came out at 9 months.

I visited 3 times a week, did lead training etc.

3 days out of Quarantine he was at a large Open show following a Group Championship show.

He coped with being benched, all the other dogs and people, Trade stands, and was shown in 3 classes, aquitting himself well.

The following week he was BPIS, this with the person he was to live with who had only met him a few times.

I'd personally rather a breeder did less on the socialising front than too much.  A pup that is secure in their relationship with their human carers and other house animals will probably be better able to cope with novel experiences than a pup who has been overwhelmed with too many intense experiences that might be too much for them to cope with and lead to ingrained fears.
Gentle, short introductions that help prepare them for the stress of travel, vets, new handlers and noises would be plenty for me.  I would though want house training worked on consistently at that age.

Great advice everyone thank you!!!

I imported a herding breed that needs lots of careful socialisation. The breeder is renowned across Europe and as such 6 out of 7 pups went abroad. My girl did not get the early socialisation she needed in some areas; I am still working very hard on these areas. So I would say you need to consider the particular breed traits the most. Is this a breed that is generally very sociable and adaptable? As others have said, making sure they are happy and secure with their caregivers, at 15 weeks you shouldn’t have missed too much. Ensuring they have a good transport experience is key too and I would personally avoid a flight if you can help it at all, as the puppy will not be solely controlled (as in the travel cage) by animal specialists. Good luck.

Unless the pup is severely nervous, you can usually catch up even if it hasn't gone right to begin with.  My mali pup was super nervous of dogs and people, proper freaking out level, and all but 2 or 3 people didn't want to say hello too, so his early socialisation did not go well at all.  But now he loves most of both species.  He's taught me not to worry so much about that critical socialisation window.