If you had a litter & you owned other members of the family would you be offended or think it a bit much if a prospective puppy owner asked to accompany you on a walk out with those other dogs?
Genuine question, any comments appreciated

I wouldn't have a problem :-)

No I wouldn't have a problem. In fact, a boy I bred (but do not own) has sired a little locally to me. The prospective puppy owners are coming next weekend to see the puppies and are then coming to see my lot (the extended family).

I insist that any prospective puppy owners meet and greet all my dogs, before they get anywhere near puppies.
It is amazing how many people can be put off by a bit of dog drool.
If i could get prospective owners to accompany the grown ups on a walk then that would only reinforce how well bred the puppies would be in terms of temperament, obedience etc.
I would be more than happy to let prospective puppy owners walk with your older dogs. The alternative may be seen as you wanting to cover up the behaviour of your dogs if you know what i mean.

It also gives you a chance to see how the react to the dogs when you are out walking and how confident they are :-)

I wouldn't mind that at all. i make prospective puppy buyers come and meet my gang before pups are even born. you can learn a great deal from their reaction to adult dogs about how they will be with their own. Its a good idea to let them see them in all thier muddy glory so they realise exactly what they are taking on.
mel.

I'm glad I'm not asking too much then.
For me being able to see relations of the pup out & about will help a lot so I can see them in motion etc. It's great to meet the dogs on their home ground but you don't get a good look at them really, if you know what I mean?
I suppose a lot to be said for visiting the shows so you can see the dogs in action (if they show), something we haven't done.

I've done this.

It is in fact something I often suggest, especially as mine is an independent breed, and I do let mine off lead, but potential owners need to see for themselves the level of obedience (or not), as if your used to a breed that simply trots by your heels and only moves away from you to fetch a ball the ranging ahead etc can take some getting used to, and not something some people can face, as you have to be on your toes and predict when a deaf ear is likely and get attention before then. 

It is also good for people to see how the dogs are when we meet other dogs and people, as at home the welcome can be pretty enthusiastic.

I have often done this with people who are thinking about the breed, some decide it isn't teh breed for them others go on to someones waiting list.

People always do this with me before they even get their names down for a puppy!

Im not a breeder but thought id answer the question anyway :-)
I think its a brilliant idea. i wanted to visit the various breeders i was interested in to see which was best before i selected where to put my name down for a pup.
The potential owner can alot from meeting breeders and dogs and the breeders can be reassured that they are the right kind of owner for the pup.

This is why I prefer to meet potential owners before the distraction of having an actual litter of pups.  Lets face it any litter of pups will have all but the most steely hearted wanting to take one home.

All our puppy owners come and meet our gang...I also like to prove that my Hamiltons run free..prospective puppy owners find this quite an experience, I also like to asses their reactions and abilities to cope with a Hamilton!!

Pam

I openly invited all potential puppy owners to meet & greet before the pups had arrived, including a walk out too if they wanted...........only 1 person took up my offer, which was nice I thought :-)

Let all my buyers see all the dogs as well as puppies and give them a grooming demonstration - if that doesn't put them off nothing does.  But I would be happy for them to walk the dogs as well.  Good point!

Thank you all for your replies.
Echo I think your grooming demonstration is an excellent idea.

Personally, this is the type of potential new puppy owner I would love to have.  I have several people coming to see my girls in the next few weeks with a view of having a puppy.  For inexperienced new owners, it does give them an insight into what to expect from the breed.  The more time I can spend with people before they commit to having a puppy, the better I like it.  I believe it shows that they have given some thought into a new family member and it not just a whim.

My thought entirely Ells-Bells. When i was looking for my dog i rang up one breeder and asked if i could visit her, see the dam, meet her (and see if shs seemed knowledgable etc) and she completely put me off-was like "oh, im not sure thats a good idea, you can have a look when you pick up the pup" I said i wasnt happy to pick the pup up without seeing where it had been brought up first - it could have been awful. She could not see where i was coming from so i told her i would be looking elsewhere and thanks a lot! Completely at the other end of the scale was antoher breeder who told me to pop to her whenever i wanted. She said they'd be around except Sunday afternoon. I liked the fact that if i turned up unannounced they couldn't hide anything - what you see is what you get kind of thing.
I thought by me wanting to introduce myself first and get a feel for them also meant they could get a feel for me. A good thing in my eyes!

hmm... i think it sounds like a great idea, give the new owner experience of the breed out and about, or if its one their familiar with, with the lines temprement. also give the breeder better experience of the new owner which is good, in many cases its not really a huge about of time you get to spend with the person before deciding if they can have a pup. however, as a buyer i might feel like i was imposing asking... all you breeders feel thats its a good idea though? it should be something a breeders eager to do?

In my breed, on the whole, we ask that people meet the breed before going onto the actual 'Have you any puppies' questions. Once you've seen a lovely clean Munster prior to a walk, the brown, muddy, smelly thing at the end of a walk is something that most people wouldn't want to have to live with ;-) Even if people do come up before they have seen the adults I don't let anyone go straight through to the pups unless they have been made welcome by my adults. My male is usually enough to let me know how people will react. Those that fall over laughing are the ones that get to meet the pups :-D Anyone that looks frightened is usually asked why they want a dog in the first place, and wouldn't something a bit smaller do ;-) Like a rabbit :-)

As has already been said, sometimes seeing the dogs misbehave on a walk, or just off doing their own thing, is enough to let someone know if they have the right breed.

Its brilliant if they go out with you on a walk and even better if they are willing to get on their hands and knees to towel down dirty wet bellys when you return.
I,d also like prospective owners to see my living room when a GSD is in the middle of a full blown moult.
Not that I,m likely to have a litter for ages yet (big sigh) but I can defenitely feel the puppy strings pulling at me ,now should I or  shouldn,t I?.

Our breed club has volunteers who let prospective owners meet their dogs before they decide whether it is the right breed, and usually  most breeders will be happy to do the same for others if they are closer than the person having pups. The person having the pups, however will usually want to meet the family before agreeing to let them have a puppy. Personally, I go on how the potential owners react to the adult dogs rather than the puppies. If they want to go a walk, fine.

as a breeder i wouldnt even consider a new owner until they had been out and accompanied me ona walk as most people have no idea what a difficult breed they are to excercise!!!

I think buyers should always meet the adults version of the sweet, butter wouldn't melt puppy!!! People fall in love with the cute bundles of fluff but when they see the adults in action it can make or break their decision as a lot of people choose a breed without actually meeting that breed in the flesh.

Also if they asked to go out for a walk with the gang, thats fine, but only if I had someone else at home with me to stay with the puppies, its horrible but I wouldn't trust someone I didn't know, I would hate to come home to find all pups have gone.

My breeder sometimes sends people to meet me and mine and see how things are when they want a pup from her - we had some lovely people here the other week - we sent them out with ours for a little walk and they are planning to join us out walking again soon and have a go at working our dogs - all good practice ;)