I spoke to a work colleague the other day who tells me he's decided to buy his five year old (who loves dogs :rolleyes:) a puppy for christmas.  One E-Mail to a 'breeder' later and one has been reserved (scottie) not only that but its now eight weeks old - however he doesn't want it yet of course because its not christmas - so the breeder is holding it for him   Can anyone believe this?  I'm shocked because I spoke to another friend recently (who has two kids) and she say's she wants to get the girls a choccie lab for christmas (as if that breed hasn't enough problems right now)  Who actually sells pup's to families as surprise christmas presents???  I made my feelings known to the people interested but my colleague is actually placing a deposit this weekend!  I'm interested in the breeder view on this....
Sarah

No, I wouldn't let a pup go for Christmas, if I had pups that would have been ready christmas time or just before, then I would keep them until well into the New Year.

I had  a grown man on the phone a few days ago asking to buy a pup for his wife as a surprise christmas present!
I said no & i'd advise him to tell his wife & get her views first............he did & rang me back to say a pup is the last thing she needs to look after as she has enough to do with the kids.

No, I would definately NOT let a pup go as a present UNLESS the person receiving it was there at the time and chose the pup themselves. Even then, I don't know. I sold a pup to a couple some years ago. The wife bought it for her husband, he came and chose it. A year late I had to take it back as she was unhappy. The dog would only listen to him. It was shut away in the kitchen most of the day because she didn't want anything to do with it. I firmly believe that the whole family have to want the pup, and want it for itself, not just as a present.

I would buy a puppy for a present but only from me to me I don't do Xmas(non christisn)so any time would be right for me. But seriously the only time I would buy a pupp for someone else would be to replace another dog that had died or for someone who wanted a dog & that came akong to choose it(for Example my parents wanted a dog so I agreed to buy it for them)none was a "surprise"gift tho' just a case of me paying for a dog for someone eslse

but thats not a christmas problem Lindylou...that happens all the time
Archer

It depends.  If it was a present that the person recieving the pup knew about. And the person themself came to choose the pup, and the whole family was for the idea.  Then yes I would sell a pup as a present.

But if it was to a "surprise" or for christmas, then it would be NO. :)

i was given a puppy for my 14th birthday.  I went with my mum to choose the pup.
In some ways, i think perhaps she shouldnt have got one for me, as i was far too young to be expected to look after a puppy, what with school as well!

I dont think puppys should be brought for kids especially!  unless the parents really want one themselves and are going to look after it.

but as a xmas present, is a bit stupid, its mostly going to be spur of the moment or a suprise.  and also not a good time to introduce a new puppy.  the hype soon wears off :(

and people who breed dogs especially for the xmas hype... well thats another story

I was given a border collie for my 10th birthday present ... the best birthday present I've ever got in my life. Parents didn't really want another dog so it was on the condition that I did everything for him... well 6 years later he needs 1 more win to qualify for championship agility and is working A obedience, and is a BOB winner in the breed ring... he's my dream come true and I don't know what I'd be spending my life doing if I hadn't had him.

who will sell them???  Well someone I once thought was a friend (well acctully I was going out with her son but....) and she was planning on breeding her bitch and said "I will have no-problem selling them as many people want christmas presents"  Now at this I flipped, we managed to convince her to have health checks at least done...hip scores came back poor and so she got her bitch speyed (and vets found tumor while speying!)

I dare to ad this was for a Labardor...Oh do I need tell you I have since hated this lady......

I know it sounds strange, but i would hate to be given a dog as a present. I would want to choose the breeder, visit a few times e.t.c. I think that is half the fun of getting a pup. Not to mention that christmas is probably the worse time to get a new dog anyway! 

Which is my point of view I have gone with my parents to see a litter & paid for the puppy which makes it a gift, but they chose the dog & breeder All I did was supply the money

On the other hand I was given my pick of a litter by a very dear now deceased friend when my boy died suddenly, but although he was a gift he was born over two months after my boy died & as my friend had used my boy for free in the past it was his way of repaying me(these were ISDS BC & my friend taught me how to work my dogs with sheep & in return used my boy The breedings clicked both physically & on paper they were not a xase of using the dog up the road)

Giving a living animal as a surprise gift is totally unacceptable

I totally agree with you there L&M. :) 

I see what you mean L&M but you know about the ownership of dogs etc.  Many people go out and buy the first they see.  I will even admit, if I knew what I know now, then, I wouldn't have got the dog we first had!  But we all learn.

Many people want, see, get attitude.  Unfortantly too many people are like that and not like all of us on Champdogs who know more or less at least the basics and have a general Idea of what to look for in a puppy and how to go about buying one :) thank god! lets just hope we can all educate as many peple as possible! :)

If only !

I did get a friend in Germany a puppy BC for her parents as a gift  from her(again they wanted the dog but Petra wanted a working bred BC) She trained him up to IPO working level & he lived a long & happy life with her parents travelling all over Europe.

When we had a litter of Beardies we had some one wanted a dog for a Xmas present & would be keep it until Xmas eve Turned down obviously but the litter was born in July !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I suppose they wanted a fully house trained puppy  !

There are so many people who will buy a pup on a whim.  When we had pups earlier this year I had a guy knock on the door because a relation of his who is a neighbour had told him we had cute puppies.  He wanted one for his new girlfriend who already had one dog but loved puppies, he wanted to cheer her up because she was undergoing chemotherapy and coudn't get out much.  We have working spaniels!!!!!

As long as there are people to buy them, there will be breeders to sell them :-( Sad but true.  I guess that as with lots of things, information is the key.

Depends on the circuimstances. Normally no. But my nephew is having 1 of my pups as a b.day pressy. He wanted 1 from the last litter over 2 years ago. He talks about nothing else and I think my pup will be getting a very good devoted owner.

That's different Sharon, he's a relation of yours and has shown interest for years, not just a whim. I didn't have a dog as a child, but I know for a fact that if I had, it would have been looked after with the same devotion I show to my current dogs. So age isn't a reason for not letting a teenager have a puppy and I do feel birthdays are a bit different to Christmas, just think of the hype, decorations, Xmas tree, family descending (shudder), etc. So I hope your nephew is thrilled with his pup and lucky him for having an auntie like you. :-)

Claire 

The pup I sold as a present was a birthday present. The guy had had one before, but let it go as his previous wife had moaned. His second wife was adament that she wouldn't do the same thing. Yeh, right. :( Don't think I would do that again.

Mind you, I'm getting one for Xmas :D (It's been booked for over a year, though ;) )

I think that the word 'present' conjures up the wrong image for alot of breeders.  Someone who simply buys a pup as a present as he/she would any other gift is definitely doing the wrong thing, but it depends on the circumstances.  I would have no hesitation in buying  a puppy for my family as a surprise present as I know I would be the one doing all the work, training, cleaning up, etc anyway and they would love another puppy.  If I was prepared to do that, then I don't see why any breeder shouldn't sell me a puppy as a surprise for my children.  However, I would never tell a breeder it was a surprise present as they immediately would think 'oh no puppy for her then'.  I understand it is not good for a puppy to go to SOME people homes at christmas, but then other people have quiet christmases - they are off work and it is the ideal time to introduce a puppy.

It is obvious that many irresponsible people buy puppys - more so at Christmas, but I do feel there are some exceptions and everyone should not be tarred with the same brush.  I know someone who did buy a puppy for her son as a surprise for Christmas.  The breeder let them pick it up Christmas Eve and even handed it to her son in a box (not sure if I agree with that bit) so he had no idea until he opened the box.  They had had a dog for years who had died (after many years being treated for diabetes).  They are very good, responsible people and their dog is treated very well - lots of walks, etc.  So what did they do wrong.  All circumstances are different.

Fiona

I must admit we once sold a Pomeranian as a wedding present.  The husband kept coming to see her through the weeks and we could tell that he wd. really look after it and he'd said that his wife to be had always wanted one.  Well she was over the moon when she got her and they had her for 14 years and bought another off us in the meantime.  Must admit, don't know whether I'd do it again especially these days where many people seem to think that they are a money maker but fortunately that one and only time did work out the way we wished and they lived close by so we got to see her grow up and for the people who bought her have a family and see their children grow too :d

4 years ago we had a GSD that had 14 puppies they were 8 weeks old 2 days before christmas people came to see them before christmas but i wouldn't let them go untill after the new year. What a noisy christmas we had. us, 3 daughters, their partners, 2 grandchildren and 12 puppies ( we lost one at birth and one 2 days after) sometimes i wonder if the pups would have had a quieter christmas if they had left at 8 weeks lol ;-) I was asked about some of the people having them for christmas but i refused and said if they were still interested come back after new year and they all did along with their families one even brought his grandmother

Pauline

We got our Scottie on 19th December last year, that was the time they were going to be ready so that's when the breeder let them go - I probably agree that a breeder shouldn't let puppies go as surprise Christmas presents (the breeder actually contacted me because I had posted on a website that I was searching for a Scottie in the previous summer so I guess she knew I didn't want it JUST for Christmas as I had been searching for about six months), but I don't necessarily agree that no puppies that were ready for Christmas should be sold and that having a puppy at Christmastime is necessarily bad, and that breeders should hang on to them until after the new year - most of the buyers of Millie's littermates said that it worked out well because it meant they would be off work for a few weeks - in our case I was at home all the time anyway, but it meant we had the added advantage of OH being at home for a couple of weeks too so there was shared responsibility - because we all know how exhausting an 8 week old puppy is!

I think it just puts more onus on the breeders responsibility - if you're going to mate your bitch so that she has a litter due just before Christmas then extra effort is needed in finding the right home so that puppies don't end up being bought as surprise Christmas presents, but that the right people want them, as it can be beneficial due to the amount of time the family spends at home with the puppy during this period - I don't agree that the hussle and bussle of Christmas and family visits to an 8 week old puppy's home is a bad thing, its all good socialisation!  And we didn't worry about Millie with the Christmas tree at all last year (she couldn't reach up to the boxes we had barricaded it in with!! Now THIS year is going to be the problem, a 14month old puppy who can climb and likes investigating is going to give us the headaches - we had a discussion just tonight about the possibility of chicken wire, around the tree and staple gunned to the living room walls.....!!)

But I do agree that the situation regarding the original post is terrible, that puppy will be nearly 12 weeks old by the time its collected - and people often stop to say hello to Millie and then tell me how "they once knew a Scottie....grumpy, unsociable thing it was...scared of everything...or suchthelike" and I remember dog trainers on here telling me how difficult Scotties can be if they're not socialised properly.  We're not experts and there's probably a lot of things we could have improved on with Millie in the 8-12 week period (which we will know for next time...whereabouts is the breeder who has the 8 weeks old ready anyway! (joke)) so I would definately have to have a SERIOUS think about taking on a 12 week old Scottie myself.  There was several cases of parvo reported in my town when Millie was 8 weeks, and vet warning posters that puppies should not be taken out, even when carried, and that owners returning from outside should change all their lower half clothes, shoes etc. before coming into contact with the puppy.  This made me EXTREMELY paranoid and Millie only went out in the street in my arms once (to the corner shop and back) until 10 days after her second jab, which was when she was nearly 14 weeks old.  Consequently she's crap at the big wide world - alright once she gets going, but hates lorries, hates building sites, not keen on motorbikes, doesn't like men digging the road, hates trains...and because we have a building site in our road now, most days she won't go out for a walk until after 5pm.  She gets as far as the gate, then turns round and squeaks at the door, begging to go back in.  I don't give up trying though (some days she has bold days and strolls right past), but I would give anything to go back to that 8-12 week period and ignore the drama of the warnings and take her out (in my arms) as much as I could.

Yes I know Claire. And I know whats being said here. I had somebody intrested in my pups for her son who was only 1 year old at the time.
As you can imagine they didnt end up with 1. Some people.

well not much more to be said :(  no wonder so many rescue centres are bracing themselves for the after mass of christmas. I am helper with Labrador rescue and in just the last couple of weeks they have had pups in where people have given them up because they realised they 'made a mistake'.  There are many many breeders out there that would NOT sell a pup for christmas, but unfortunately there are many that would.

carol

I am looking for a CKCS puppy at the moment, but I will be honest, although I am more than happy to take puppy home for Christmas, I do wonder if that is a good idea. With all the goings on and in and outs etc the poor pup could feel totally lost in some households. We stay at home for xmas just the 4 of us, so it would not be a problem for our new arrival (when I find him/her)!!!

If I was a breeder I would'nt let any of my pups go before xmas, i just think it would be too much for the people taking it and much more importantly to much for pup to digest.
A new pup needs space and quiet time and lots of love and attention. Not loads of noise, and people and tv blaring out all day long !!!!

I have visited a few people selling pups, and I would not part with my money, that's all they were interested in, though I did want to buy all the pups and bring them home with me to give them the love i thought they needed. Hence now waiting until the right Cav comes along for us.
That's my thoughts on this matter !!!!!!!!!!

I will be picking up my new pup just before christmas but he has been booked for a while and is certainly not a present (wish he was, would save me a fortune if some kind person paid for him ;) ) we are having a quiet christmas though and there are no kids in our family so hopefully he should settle in ok.