Following on from the thread how much would you expect to buy your breed for? Lucy raised the following:

What questions do reputable breeders ask potential buyers???

For mine I first ask for an email or phone call. If it is an email I ask that it contains information about yourself, your family and work commitments, other pets, experience of the breed, where you are based, what you want the dog for and how you see the dog fitting into your home etc etc.

This gives a basis for taking the enquiry further. I would then decide whether I was happy with the information before taking it any further.

I like to stay in contact with those on the list and i think the more you talk as the months pass the more information you get as the potential buyer starts to relax and open up. Sometimes they slip up If they are members of a message board you can read alot about them from their posts!!!

I have had buyers on waiting list for 2 years and then on meeting them told them no but this is rare. In 10 years have only turned 2 people away at the time of meeting them, and have also homed pups twice to the wrong homes.

I always tell potential buyers they are welcome to visit us before the bitch is mated so that everyone is happy with the situation (me and them)

If I receive an email which simply say I would like a puppy, I reply with an email going something like

"Thank you for your interest. 

In order for me to ascertain if this breed and you are likely to be compatible can you let me know more about yourselves, your family make up, previous experience with dogs and the breeds, your working patterns and other interests. 

Who will be at home the greater part of the day to care for the dog,a nd if you work/both work what arrangements for the daily care of a puppy have you put in place.  Do you have areas where a dog can safely be let off lead away from roads and livestock."

This will usually deter time wasters.  If they reply then I will ask more questions depending on their answers, and offer them my telephone number in order to get more information and to get a feel for them.

The more questions will include:  Have you met and spent time with the breed before, if you have had a previous dog then I will ask about it to find out what happened to it (this needs to be asked with subtlety, and can show how much commitment they have to dog ownership).  If they currently have  dog what breed what is their daily dog routine, and how does it behave.

Depending on circumstances I have also asked for references, from a Vet, canine organisation, and personal ones fro a dog owning friend. 

If I am happy with them or they are very determined to have the breed I will invite them to meet the dogs.  I will tell them that they should prepare to go for a long walk with me and the dogs to see how they are off lead (including how naughty my Jozi can be delaying her recall), how they interact with other canines and people, let them have a go with the dog on lead who will promptly take liberties and haul from side to side so they can sniff and scavenge out the gutter :D.

If I am not happy that they really are suitable but they are still determined I will try to get them to see why dog ownership, or this particular breed are not for them.  I try to do this in such a way that they realise I have done them a favour and stopped them making a mistake they would be living with for perhaps 15 years.  This will stop them from going elsewhere or to a pet supermarket or pet shop, one hopes.

Those who I am happy can offer a pup a good long term home and are aware of the commitment have a realistic idea of what ownership entails and can supply all a pups needs as I see it will get to go on my waiting list, and if I cannot help them out then will pass them onto a fellow breeder as already vetted.

There are probably other things that I can't think of right now.

I have to admit to a degree of self interest in my vetting.  As I take lifelong responsibility for the pups I breed I want to be as sure as I can be that the dog will be a permanent fixture in it's new home.  Having back at any time with often no notice a canine delinquent to then rehabilitate and re-home is not something I relish.  It may be very inconvenient (I don't have kennels as such to segregate dogs, all dogs have to live together as part of my family), expensive and difficult, and the dog may have bad habits or experiences to sort out.

Does anyone ask if a family is being planned? years ago this was one of the questions asked of me, as we had not long been married. I said a def NO.....however, nature jumped in a bit quick and puppy and my bump grew together :D :D :P :P

Yes definitely as had a dog for re homing for this reason, couple didn't want to have children, but then did.  So i discuss this aspect even if they say they aren't going to have children.

I was asked loads of questions for a puppy I was going to have, everything was ok till I told them I had a Rottie

Depending on what breed it was they may not have been compatible. 

For example a very feisty small breed may have got right up the nose of the most mellow rott, and there wouldn't be much left once it had been taught it's manners. 

May not have been any negative feeling toward the breed you have, but an understanding of theirs.

Someone in my breed a while back decided to have a smaller breed.  Now my breed are pretty easy with other canines, but this little madam had a death wish and was really pushing and pushing the Elkhounds too far, and short of total segregation it just didn't work.  They had the facilities but not the wish to live that way.  So the pup had to go back.

wasn't a small breed and they encouraged me to go elsewhere in the breed, said it  was a personal thing. Id sussed they didn't like rotts from the conversation even before I told them I had one, things like rotts only winning best in show to balance the recent  bad press rotts had had rather then being deserving winners . I could have neglected to mention it of course but I decided to go elsewhere.

To answers the original question;
I filter initially from the first phone call, Im so fussy that the slightest thing will put me off. First questions like " Ow much?", "where do you live", "how many dogs have you got" " oh good you live nice and close to me". I dont mind any questions  at a later date but not their 1st question.
Then they get to the inner sanctum.... I used to let all the dogs in at once in a big whooosh and watch their faces, if they start picking dog hairs off their clothes then they are out! Dog numbers are down in my house now so a choice few come to meet and greet and then I take their questions.
BUT it's gut instinct that has worked for me over the years and to my knowledge, the only dogs that I have ever had to rehome have been for genuine and often sad reasons.
I may have mistakenly turned down some wonderful people but they are my puppies and I take responsibility for my decisions.
I turned down a lady( dressed in thigh length leopard skin boots) 20 years ago because she told me she was going to call the big boned chunky dog puppy offered to her ....ASHLEY!
I relented a while later when she suggested 'Benson'. That lady became one of my best friends and BENSON lived to 15, and  loved to the very last minute of his life.

well when I got my second girl i did actually get her from a reputable breeder, i will admit that my first I got from a certain website that advertises pups:rolleyes:
Anyway when I initially contacted them regarding a pup I was on the phone for over an hour and a half :D
Questions I was asked was everyting from daily commitments to the area I live in!
I thought it was fantastic how dedicated they were to the breed and they only wanted the best.

After many trips to see the breeder and literally endless questions I was finally deemed good enough to have one of their little girls :D

I just want to add I was in now way put off by the amount of questions they asked me.
I sometimes get the impression that potential puppy buyers are put off by all the questioning and this can be a good indiciation for breeders what buyers are dedicated and what buyers are not.

When I was contacting breeders, for my little girl, I first called friends who we had also boughten a previous bitch from.  They knew me, I would say rather well, so the "trying to impress, leave a good first impression" part was over. 
Talked to the one, who I knew just had a litter of pups he was trying to home. He thanked me for my interest, but when he knew I wanted a female, he was sad to say he didnt have a female available, but put me in touch with another breeder.

I called her, not even knowing where she lived.  We talked and she asked what experience I had with the breed, what type of housing situation I had, whether I had kids or was planning to have kids (my answer being a definate NO I dont want kids), what my future plans were (ie schooling, work, etc) and whether I wanted show or pet. 

Even after I found out where she lived (6 hours away) I was still happy to talk with her, and her with me.  We talked for over a month before I even came down to see her pups.  When she asked how I was getting down there (since I dont have a car) I told her I could taxi it.  I told her, it didnt bother me how far, or how much I would need to spend, to get to see her and her pups. 

After getting there, we spent several hours in the sunroom with the dogs, and having tea.  She was quite happy with me, and I went home with Cher. 

We are such close friends now, and talk quite often online, and have met up at a couple shows. 

When I sell pups, I try to find out as much information I can, but tend not to ask direct question after direct question.  People when they talk, tend to be more truthful when it is a flowing conversation, rather than an interview type one. 

I smiled at something in tooolz post.  I am going back a long time - early 70's when I visited a breeder after asking about a Toy Poodle puppy.  When I walked in her front room, I was beseiged by Standard Poodles!!  The largest had her feet on my shoulders, and was thoroughly washing me.  An hour or so later, after seeing her Toy Poodles, I was informed that if the big dogs had taken a dislike, I wouldn't have got a puppy!

i ask them to fill out my puppy form pm me if you want to see it
Stephanie

I had a super comment this morning while speaking to a lady who was enquiring about our current litter.

" I saw a dog running the other day and it had awful frothy slobber round it's mouth. I think it's a defective gene. I don't want one like that....."

Also had:

"Oh! You are rather a long way away!" ...to which my husband wanted to reply "Would it make help if we moved house closer to you?"

What's going on??? What ever has happened to common sense!!

I had a lady ring me up form scotland remember i am in west sussex on the coast!! ''you are not that far from me are you'' thought id miss heard her maby their is another plase local called scotland!! ''i have not got my map out yet but i think you are only a few hours away from me'' i said if you are in scotland look down and we are on the south coast as far as you can go ''o i thought you where only up the road'' !!!!!!!