Having been looking for a Lab puppy I have come accross some not due yet but am faced with putting down £100.00 deposit for a puppy, hence I have not been to see the bitch or anything yet. Is this the normal way of going about things now??  I find this very strange and am worried about doing so.

What if I don,t like the puppy? what if she does not whelpor does not have a bitch etc??

Would be interested to hear your views on this

Bella, some breeders may do this, but I personally do not know any, and I certainly dont!!  How does the breeder know if she will have enough pups for the people on her waiting list?  How do you know if you will even like the pups once they are born?  How can you make a decision like this without even seeing the mum?

I personally wait until pups are born before contacting prospective owners, I then prefer to wait until pups are around 4/5 weeks old before inviting them to see the pups.   Notwithstanding all the germs that people may bring, but at this age the pups have developed their own little characteristics.

Also, I have never taken a deposit, though it is not uncommon, after pups have been viewed and a decision has been made.

Please think very carefully.  What is the procedure for refund of deposit if you decide that any of these pups are not what you want.  Remember, do not buy a pup just because you feel obliged to.  If you pay a deposit you may well feel that you must.

Kay

I take a deposit when the new people have seen the pups and Mum, and are happy with eveything - usually when the pups are about 4 weeks old; occasionally a little sooner.

I wouldn't be happier any earlier, and certainly wouldn't pay a deposit before the bitch had whelped - most deposits are non-returnable.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

It is more normal to put a deposit down AFTER you have seen the puppies :)

Exactly I have never put a deposit down I paid for my last pup when I had seen her and then I paid in full.  I will not be going down this line as if they take a deposit and then there is not enough pups top go round then I suppose I am held to wait for the next litter and so on. So therefore I will not be using this breeder that was kindly recommended to me.

I was due for a pup out of a litter due on the 24th but have heard that the bitch absorbed 5 and then had a ceaser and had a dead pup, so I am now left looking again and having looked forward to this, feeling very dissapointed!!

I dont agree with deposits at all. A pup is not like buying a car. What if someone changes their mind and just takes the pup as they have already paid so much for it. No id sooner have to find the pup a new home at 8 weeks than send it to a home where its not really wanted.
I only took deposits if the new owners wanted me to, maybe gave them peace of mind. I made it very clear that if they changed their mind for whatever the reason the money was fully refundable.

http://www.scottishkennelclub.org/  or Tel:  0131 6653920

Hi Bella, Try the above link or telephone.  The Scottish Kennel Club have a list of members who have a litter of pups at the moment.  If you need any further help pm me I can certainly recommend a few reputable Breed Club members.

HTH if I can
Kay

I didn't put a deposit down on either of our two, just paid in full when we came to pick them up (I hadn't even asked how much my youngest was until a couple of days before we collected him, so I could get the money out of the bank :rolleyes:) It is fairly normal though to put a deposit down after you have seen the pups.

Yes I don,t mind putting a deposit or paying in full when I have seen the puppies but it is unheard off to do it before they are born, Damn right cheeky I thought.

I agree, and I wouldn't so it as it would be tempting fate.  I like to be sure the litter have arrived and all look to be survivors befor3e I take depostis.  I don't take a big deposit, but I do think it helps eliminate timewasters. 

As for it encourageing people with second thoughts into having a pup they don't want, at £50 I don't think so, but it does stop those who are just window shopping. 

People know if they want to be sure of the pups not being offered elsewhere then they pay a deposit, if they have to think about it some more they can do but have to be aware the pup may not be available if they take too long.

I have turned away good enqiries from people who have made lovely owners only to find they could have had one of mine if someone hadn't been wasting my time.

i agree with Brainless
i only take a deposit when the pups are here and are at least 3 weeks old.  i only ask for 50 as i, as well as them know that the pup is sold.  if they have to go away and think then that is fine with me but i only hold a pup for 3 days with out a deposit then if some1 does get in touch 3 days is not to long for them to wait to know if the pup is sold or not.

I don't agree, I wouldn't want to put a deposit down on any until they were 7/8 weeks old, their temperments change so much, I wouldn't want to end up with one with the markings that I liked so I'd put a deposit down on it but when it came to leaving it was the most shy pup! If I bred a litter I definitely wouldn't take deposits, maybe you don't think people would mind losing £50 but I'm sure some would, and I would much rather they said no thanks and I found it a new home rather than they bought it because they'd put a deposit down on it.

Char

It may vary from breed to breed.  I own and occasionally bred a breed where numbers bred are small, and enquiries about the same.

When I bred my first litter I thought I had all 3 pups booked (litter of four) but in fact 3 people let me down.  I had passed on around half a dozen enquiries on to othr breeders whose bitches had been mated or had whelped after mine, and apart from one had been let down by my prospective clients and had to advertise the reqamining pups who didnt go to new homes as a result until 12 weeks old.

After that I decided I would take a £50 deposit ONCE THE PUPS WERE BORN.  I inform the people that I have vetted that there is a puppy available, and if they wish to secure it then they should send a deposit otherwise the booking would not be considered firm and I would accept anyone else suitable if they were willing to solidify their resolve for a pup.

This helps an awful lot, especially when you find that some people have been hedging their bets and booked with more than one breeder.

Brainless like you I have a numerically small breed.  I too ended up with my last litter with 7 people either having their circumstances changed or had ended up buying a totally different breed although some of them had already been waitng a year for their supposed favourite breed!  I ended up phoning over 20 people who were on other breeders lists and like you I ended up with 2 pups at 12 weeks old whom before they were born expected them all to be sold!

I don't request deposits but I'm in the same situation at the moment.  I have a dog who is late coming into season, have had people on my waiting list for some time and because my girl is a dog and not a machine they are going elsewhere for there pups leaving me in the position as to decide whether to breed or not this year.  As my dog is 5 years old soon this puts me in a awkward position as of course she'll be 6 next year, yes they are a long living breed but even so she's not getting any younger.

Our criteria for taking eposits is as follows -
we ask people to meet the mum to litter before they are born this give the puppy buyer and us a chance to meet and vet each other.

we then take a deposit when the puppies are 3 days old and have had a vet check as our breed is a docked bred the vet check is done at the time of docking.

The deposit is returnable if a problem is found with the puppy at a later date.
The potential puppy buyer is issued with a copy of the sales contract that will be placed upon the litter ,plus a reciept for the deposit detailing the outstanding balance and the terms of which the deposit would be returned. :)

I don't breed & had to share the sadness of the breeder I want a puppy from when his bitch lost most of her litter, I am quite willing to wait as although I desparately want a puppy I am going to wait as I want a puppy from the bloodlines that I admire rather than just a puppy from anywhere

Yes this is why I wanted to wait for these but it has been devastating all round.  I will keep on searching until I find the right dog I am in no hurry and it has to be the right sort otherwise it will be not living here with me.  I have to want it badly and I never thought I would walk away from litters but I have been strong on this one and I know in my heart I will find the right dog one day.

The best things come to those who wait.

Yes i would definitely say wait this particular breeder is not following unwritten rules at all, keep your money in your pocket until you find the right pup and the right breeder. good luck in your search.

Regards Frank

I am not a breeder but also I wouldn't put a deposit down on a puppy until I had seen the pups up and about. How can you get to know a pups personality at such a young age? In my opinion I would want to see them and chose my pup when they were running around and playing etc. This is from a buyers point of view, obviously not a breeders, :-)

I usually take a £50 deposit once someone has chosen a pup,the balance to be paid on collection.However I do have a lot of people who insist on sending me a deposit through the post without seeing the litter just to make sure they get one....I'm happy to do this providing they give me an indication of the type of pup  they are looking for and they realise they will not get the whole litter to pick from.I usually in a case like that set aside 2 pups I think they may like and ring them to come and make their choice when they are a little older.