Hi

We are going to look at a Standard Poodle puppy tomorrow evening.  The puppy is 13 weeks old, the breeder says its not had its injections because she had a litter of 13 and could not afford them.

What age should the puppy have had its first, second and third injections?

Are there any questions that we should be asking the breeder???

we are a bit jubious about this now

Any advise would be very grately appreciated as its the first time in about 20 years we are looking at puppies!

Thanks

She couldn't afford them?  That would suggest that she was not prepared for raising a litter and all that it entails.  I'm not sure that I would bother to even go.  If the pup hasn't had it's innoculations then it is unlikely that it has been very well socialised so I would look elsewhere.

Andrea

Puppies usually have only two injections, at either 8 weeks and 10 weeks or 10 weeks and 12 weeks (depending on which manufacturer's vaccine is used). The vet practice I work for won't give the first vaccine until the pup has been in its new home for a week, to allow it to settle in and for any illness it might have contracted to become evident. That would mean your pup would be 14 weeks before it had its first injection - nearly twice the ideal age.

If a breeder keeps puppies past 10 weeks they usually have at least the first vaccine because of the importance of socialising pups in public, which becomes increasingly difficult after 16 weeks, when any bad experiencs are more indelibly printed onto a pup's temperament. At 13 weeks a responsible breeder would have had the pups vaccinated (coming to an arrangement with the vet) and also had the pups out and about, doing lead training etc in just the same way a new owner would had the pups been sold.

Personally I'd give the pup a miss, unless you're very experienced with potentially nervy dogs.

Agree with whats already been written here, a breeder that cant afford to have her dogs vaccinated sounds like she's breeding on pin money just to make money, bet the parents haven't been health tested either, there are many decent caring breeders around you would be far better contacting one of those, just get in with any of these listed on this website and they will be able to point you towards a decent breeder, you will end up with a far better dog all round than one that's being sold by a possible back yard breeder, here's the link, best of luck :-)

http://www.poodlecouncil.co.uk/breedclubs.htm

My advice would be don't look, you will most defintely unless you have *balls of steel* walk out with one.

Go to the Standard Poodle Breed club, find a breeder on there who will have had all the breed health checks, KC reg etc, and you will find a recommended breeder, it is best to get it right, after all we have a dog for many, many, years. :-)

I agree with everyone.  personally I would give this a miss.. If a breeder does not have the funds to raise a litter, especially in the event that she cannot sell the pups...

Its worries me why she still has(if she still has 13pups) or if she has sold a few, then surely money from sale of pups would well cover any vaccination costs for the remaining pups..

I have just been asked to hold on to one of my pups for an extra week, and I said that I would hold her for 2 weeks.. that way she will go to new home fully covered with injections.. (I dont let a pup go with just one inj.) I would rather do that, than let her go without injections, and the new owners having to wait another 3 weeks before getting her out and about.... those vital couple of weeks could mean the difference between a well adjusted dog, or a nervous worrier... You cannot put a price on that!

Early Socialisation and training is very much a key factor in bringing up a well adjusted dog...

>Its worries me why she still has(if she still has 13pups) or if she has sold a few, then surely money from sale of pups would well cover any vaccination costs for the remaining pups..

My thoughts exactly. The sale of a single pup would cover the cost of the first vaccines for the rest ... if she's sold zero pups out of 13 in 13 weeks, you've got to ask yourself what's wrong with them.

i agree with everyone you definantly have to ask yourself why has she still got this pup at 13 wks especially as its not had any jabs

Thanks everyone for your advice. We have been doing the sums, it does not add up to be honest. She has sold 11/13 pups and at £350 a pup there should be more than enough to cover the vaccines!

I think this one is best left well alone.

The KC recommend hip scoring and eye testing under the BVA schemes and the Breed Club recommend sebaceous adenitis testing so unless they can give satisfactory responses to these I would not even be going to look.  £350 seems suspiciously cheap to me for a large breed too.

Also I seriously doubt if the breeder has gone to the not inconsiderable expense of health testing the parents.

Makes you wonder how she's sold 11 of them? it's a shame THAT program didn't educate them people which I thought thats what it was broadcasted to do?

Well we got in contact with the breeder to "quiz" her a bit more, about hip + eye testing - she said that she would only recommend it if the dog was to be used for "full time breeding" or show purposes.

That was enough for us - we did not even bother to go and look.

Thanks for all the replies.

Very sensible :-)  If you are still interested in finding a standard poodle puppy you can get a lot of help and information on finding a responsible breeder from the KC website.

Nearly 2 years ago I met our breeder for the first time at Discover Dogs at Crufts.  This was part of a fairly long 'gestation' and research period whilst we thought about exactly what we wanted.  When we later went to visit her and her dogs at home we decided that she was the right person for us.  We might have been able to get a puppy sooner but we felt so confident that she and her husband were the right breeders for us we joined what we thought was going to be a 14 month waiting list.  We were lucky that it didn't take that long and when someone came off the list we were offered a puppy from an earlier litter.

All this time later, and with a perfect wee doglet asleep on my feet, I'm still reminded that we chose very well.  There's nothing I can't ask her, and no advice she wouldn't give.  In the nicest possible way she's been there, done that, and nothing phases her.  This is not our first dog, or only dog, but he is our first show dog.  I can honestly say that she's taught me more in these last 20 months than I've learned in all my other years of dog ownership!!

If you are thinking of getting a pedigree dog it's as well to choose your breeder long before you choose your puppy.  You may not need much support but it's nice to know you can access it whenever you need to and, that there is always at least one other person that cares as much about your dog as you do :)

And D, if you're reading this; thank you.

just don't take it that an accredited breeder is the best, they buy that and for the 1st year after joining they don't have to do any health tests.

My breed has no health tests in place, the puppy farmers are using it to look reputable

Reading...... with blushing cheeks!

Diane

> for the 1st year after joining they don't have to do any health tests.
>

Do you mean there is some sort of amnesty?   I have read nothing of that order.