Hello, hope someone can help me out a little. I am looking for a breeder and am having a hard time locating anyone close to home (Swindon, Wiltshire) that has pups at the moment, some are available, but choice is limited as all pups are same sex, also they are slightly older than I anticipated, 12 weeks old. I am a little concerned whether I am looking for the right things in the breeder, without seeming too fussy, I am looking for someone who has the mum & Dad on premises or at the least the stud they used is within easy travelling to view. Shoudl I go for a pup from a family environment, but where only mum & dad are around? or should I see pups from mum & more family members on premises? also anyone have any tips on bitch v's dog? have only owned dogs, (my rottweiler passed away, & many people are saying stick with what I know & have another male?) Sorry so many questions!!

HI guest.

firsly, it takes time to pick a puppy from litters. Dont go for the first  one you see. Really, you should have visited the pups BEFORE 12 weeks old, more around 4 weeks is better.

to get a good match for the breed standard, and to get a dog and bitch which are well suited, the sire is not often on the premises. Often- you cannot see the "dad" because he live sso far away. Good litters are bred from people who care, and want their pups to grow healthy. Thus- the sire and dam dont often live close. I would be more conserned if the sire and dam lived together than not as this shows it could be ill- planned.

You do not state what breed you are interested in.

Have to agree with Tots, most breeders will look for the best possible stud for their bitch and that is not often the one they own. If it is a long established kennels and they have over a dozen dogs then they may have the experience to have bought in or bred a dog that suits some of their bitches, but even then they will go outside if they think their own stud is not suitable or not producing what they hopped for.

Think you should start again after Christmas and find the breeder you want to buy from if possible before the litter is born, for someone to have bred a litter and still have several pups left a 12 weeks may mean that they did not plan the litter very well, a case of breed and hope.

Hello

Even with the most responsible of breeders having the sire and the dam present in the same home is not always possible, most will show you pictures of the sire though if they dont own him.
But sometimes you are able to see brothers or sisters from previous litters as some breeders do pick puppies to keep back for themselves, most breeders that i know do not keep the sire of the puppies themselves, and have travelled miles away for the best sire that they could find, in that respect i think you are expecting a little too much.
I find bitches more faithful than a dog, but i find dogs are easier to housetrain, theres little differences between the two, its just preferences at the end of the day.
I would be slightly doubious of a sire and a dam raised together in a family envoironment, it could be the possible sign of an accidental mating if the breeder owned both dogs, and accidental matings usually consist of dogs that have had no health checks at all.

Hi,

As others have said, be cautious if the breeder has both sire and dam. The breeders of the quality puppies generally travel to the best stud dog with the traits they need to highlight their bitch's best characteristics - and usually the most suitable dog is over 100 miles away! If they have both parents, it's possible that they are just putting them together because it's cheap (no stud fee). That doesn't bode well for the standard of puppy they produce.

I personally like to get pups from breeders who have mum, maybe auntie, granny, hopefully great-granny (and even further back!) too. That way you can see, over several generations, what they are producing, and how longlived (always a good sign) they are. A related dog or two is nice, but only rarely would I expect that to be the sire of the litter.

Agree witht the others about the stud dog. i've just mated a bitch and, as usual, the sire is at the other end of the country! I'm intrigued by Jackie's remark tho'. Would love to know how to plan a litter so I could guarantee that I won't have any puppies left at 12 weeks??
I do keep keep saying to Mum-to-be "2 bitches & a dog", but I don't think she's taking any notice!!!

OK slapped wrists, that's what comes from being in a breed when it is more normal to have to wait a couple of years for a pup and most people not breeding without having a good few people on their lists. Having said that there seems to have been a bit of a glut of pups in my breed in the last month or so. Did not mean the odd one or two pups was thinking of most the litter.