After my pups went in the summer I have only kept in touch with 1 new owner out of 6 :-(

The others phoned a couple of times to tell me how they were getting on & thats it.  I do have their phone numbers / address but do not like to just phone for an update.

Do you think if I sent the puppies a xmas card with a dog treat in with a little note saying  ' I hope you are happy in your new home - please ask your owners if they could give me an update when they have a minute'  or words to that effect?

Would it be too forward of me?

I still keep in contact with my bitches breeder & I am the only one out of the 2 litters she breed that does.

Is it too much to ask for a occasionall update?

I am sure that the puppies will enjoy reading your cards and may well respond (if of course they have been well brought up) :D :D :D

Do it! I send all mine christmas cards, and not only that, I also print out a little story of what the mother and other pups (such as the ones I've kept) have been up to during the year (written from the dogs' point of view!) I will mention if the mother has had any special show wins or anything else (many puppy buyers LOVE being able to tell friends "my dog's mother got a prize at CRUFTS this year!" for instance) , and other things I've heard about litter mates etc. I include photos and print it out -usually comes to 2-3 pages. I find if I do this in early December, without fail EVERYONE will get in touch with at least a card and write a few lines, and MOST will include photos and their own news. :)

I always do - you will at least get one in return. Send birthday cards as well. Unfortunately everyone is different, and as a breeder it is difficult to say how much is too much for each individual, but certainly cards twice a year cannot be said to be pushy. I dont think a lot of people realise what a strong bond we form with our babies in that 8 weeks :(

I do it, I send a photo of mum and if I haven't heard from the owners for a while, say can I be cheeky and ask for a recent photo to add to my album.  Normally though just a card is enough to prompt the now owners into sending a card back with photo.

My 'babies' only left me last weekend and I have only heard from 3 out of 7 :(
I know it is early days but I do hope the other owners keep me updated.They assured me they would and I did put stamped addressed envelopes into the puppy packs for the new owners,I suppose they just think its too soon after them leaving.(it is a bit isn't it.)
I recieved a lovely bouquet of flowers from 1 of the pups 2 days after he left which was lovely and the card read, ' To Nanny Sarah, Thank you for giving me the best possible start in life and for letting me go to live with xxx and xxx,I am having such fun here and my new bed is so comfy,I do think about you a lot but I know you are now appreciating the peace and quiet.Hope to see you soon and give mummy a big kiss for me. Lots and lots of love, Ringo xxxx. I was nearly in tears, but am so glad the new owners of him are as potty as me :D
I do miss them and have only just got used to them not being here anymore. I have only just stopped blubbing at the thought of them all ;)
I will definately be sending xmas and birthday cards even if the owners dont reply at least they will know that I have got a genuine interest in the puppies well being.

>My 'babies' only left me last weekend and I have only heard from 3 out of 7

If it's that early days and you haven't even heard back to say they have settled in, you're perfectly in order to phone them up to check. I would.

I thought I might seem like I am too protective if I phoned so soon,but now you have pointed out that I should,to see if they have settled okay I am going to phone this evening :)

Oh waffy those flowers must have been really special! :)  Thats so nice of the new owners.

They were ice_queen, I thought it was a lovely thing to do and I just wish I had thought of that when we bought Callah.
It really made my day and they smell beautiful :)

Sounds like a really good idea we brought our Bulldog puppy in May and we have kept in touch with the owners im just at the monent putting a photo album together to give to our breeder of Spikes first 6months with us.....

I, for one, would love to hear from the breeder. Haven't heard from her in ages despite messages being left, though I did see her at a champ show in October but didn't have time to talk much :( I know she feels a bit guilty because of what my poor girl is going through, but I don't blame anyone, certainly not her as Maddie was very much my 'pick' of the litter. I will be sending Maddies mum a card, with an update on her progress,  and the breeder of course :)  And Mollys mum will get a card, even though she lives in the same area  and so is updated every day :D :D  On the other side, I know my friend would love updates from her two litters and she will be sending cards to all 16 of them :D

Dee

I received a card last year that said I would love to hear how my girls developing. etc etc Joyce.  I said to my OH who's Joyce? He didn't know.  I couldn't think who would refer to my daughters but not my son.  Eventually the penny dropped and realised it was our dog's breeder.  To be honest I didn't realise breeders were so interested in keeping in touch.  When I've rang, I am always amazed that the breeder immediately remembers me and the specific pup in detail.   I was only too happy to return a card and let her know our news.

So, it might be that the owners just don't realise how much you want to hear from them.

I think thats a lovely idea! :)
the breeder of my older bitch hasnt really bothered to keep in touch with us, we last spoke about 4 years ago? no email, no nothing. It wld have been nice to keep in touch?
We have a new puppy now 5 mths old, doing very well and i do keep in touch with breeder this time round. I send pics to her and let her know how she is getting on?
Only cos I know i wld want the same if i decide to have a litter in the future?

I have just phoned all of my 'babies' new owners and all are doing really well :D
They have promised to keep in touch and weren't at all bothered by my phoning.
I can relax now knowing they are all safe and well :)

The breeder of my ex racing greyhound never contacted me after I took her home. Unfortunatly i had to have her put down 18 months later and to this day he doesnt know. (Although Fern would be 12 now so he has probably forgotten her)
The rescue centre where I got Gemma from at 7 weeks old i never heard anything from after I took her 8+ years ago and I have never contacted him(But the centre wasnt exactly the nicest place)
Whereas where i get Beano from the co owner is on here so sort of gets regular updates. When I ask things ;)
I was under the illusion that once the puppies/dogs went to their new owner the breeder/centre doesnt care :( Ooooooooooooppppsssssss how wrong am I!!!!1
Lea :)

I tell new owners that they will never be able to get rid of me as long as the puppy lives - and they don't! :D

The only one of my dogs who came from a breeder is now 3 and a half and I still write to his breeder every couple of months with an update on how he's doing in his training and what places he's had in comps. The youngest came from Battersea and I am still in touch with his foster carer and email the working dogs co-ordinator at Battersea regularly and they have all had an invite to his first agility show. Which is on Sunday! *shudder*

I would be delighted if any of them rang me or even better asked to visit him. When you put so much into your dogs you want to show them off to ppl who had a part in your being together.

What a nice idea! I'm lucky that I know Nipper's breeder very well and since I do a regular photoshoot with the little divil I make sure she has prints. But if she wasn't someone I was already friends with I know I'd have loved to get a card.

Hi Lea,  Of course I am always interested in hearing about Beano (as is his half brother Junior) :)

bye
Gwen

I think thats a lovely idea. I wish my huskies breeder was as interested as you :) We used to send letters with photos and updates every few months but she never replied or got in contact. When we did phone her asking advice about his diet - well she didnt want to know! I think its really nice when breeders keep in touch - my new dogs breeder has had to look after my dog for 8 months (as she is being imported) and we are always chatting and exchanging photos via email :)

One of my dog's breeder is now one of my best friends. My 2nd dog's breeder only rang me once when my other dog got a ticket, though she's always friendly when I ring her. And my puppy's breeder mainly keeps in touch through her friend who has email, as neither of us are very good with phones! :-)

My puppies will be receiving chrissy cards and 1st birthday cards.  I love looking at my DVD of them that I did on my camcorder, - 8 weeks condensed into 1 hour, can't believe how quickly they grew.

The time flies doesn't it :)
I am so glad I took photo's daily otherwise I would have no way of remembering them in their 'smaller' days :o
This was my first litter and I honestly didn't realise what an emotional rollercoaster it would be.
I cried when they were born at the experience of seeing them emerge and take their first breaths,the whole miracle of it and being there to witness it. I was ecstatic at how mum was being such a natural and took everything in her stride. :D I then spent the next 3 weeks worrying and slept by their side everynight to make sure they were ok.My OH was worried I'd never get back in our bed till they'd gone
I was so excited when they started to 'do' things :) and then so sad when they all had to go :(
I really enjoyed every minute of it and was so proud when potential owners came to visit and fell in love with them.I was also overjoyed when our vet said I had done a fantastic job and they were all in tip top condition when I took them for their final checkup and I realised then, that all the time I had spent worrying if I was doing things right and asking everyone here for advice had all been worthwhile.
I think I will need 12 months for my nerves to settle down before I could even think about going through this again.Thats if I could cope with saying goodbye again :rolleyes:

Waffy I'm with you all the way!!   My first litter only consisted of the 2 puppies, one stayed here & the other went to a couple who had been waiting a year & who we have become great friends with.  I was chatting to her last week about how I only really hear from a couple of the owners from my last litter & it really upset me but then my friend told me I was "a weird breeder anyway" :p as the breeders she's had dealings with in the past haven't wanted to know once they've got their money where as I'm the opposite ~ lol!!

I remember when the first of Daisy's 6 puppies left, I was so concerned that I'd given them enough stuff (I filled the cars!!) & that everything was in order that it wasn't until they were walking out the door when his new owner said "haven't you forgotten something?", I hope not said I wracking my brain ~ she then handed me an envelope with the money in!!  I'd like to say I only did it the once but hey ho, not!!

I do warn my puppy owners that they will hear from me during the first week at least & I do ask that once they've got home & settled & puppy is asleep that they please phone me to let me know.  I also make sure I know when they're going to be registered with their new Vet, going for jabs etc & then phone to see how they've got on.

Maybe I am a bit weird, too soft, whatever, I really don't mind as these puppies will always, always be my babies.

I'm actually going off to see one of the puppie's tomorrow & I can't wait, so excited :D

I send all my "babes" christmas cards - and some of the babes are now old boys and girls!  I love receiving updates about them - in fact have recently been kept in touch about the ear surgery one of the "oldies" (Benji, aged 10) had gone through.  Lots of the ones who have been sold locally come back to me for hairdos, which is great, I get to see them regularly, and of course get to see the show pups when they are showing.
I like to make my puppy people secure in the fact that I am always here for them, will be happy to hear from them anytime, to help with problems or just chat about the dogs, but I don't want them to feel I am hassling them.
bye
Gwen

I think it's lovely that you keep in touch with your puppies. I'm so lucky with my breeder because not only is she now a friend, she also loves having pups back for "holidays" too. Earlier this month I had to go up North for my mother-in-law's funeral and she was absolutely delighted to have Nips for 2 days. On the first night away - and knowing I'd be missing him badly - she sent me a text to say he was all played out and now curled up asleep next to his brother and sister. It made a bad time much more bearable to know he was happy and I'm already designing a special Christmas card (featuring the little poser!!) for him to send her!