This is my first litter in several years, since then puppies seem to be microchipped before leving for their new home
So at what age do you usualy take them and in whose name are they put in especialy if they are off to new owners ?

I tend to do it at about 6 weeks, and I don't register the chips until the new owner has collected the pup and paid me -so I do it soon after they've left me. I have no idea how you'd go about it if a vet chipped them though as presumably they'd want owner details on the day.

I prefer to have my litters ear tattooed, £20 for the litter plus £7 per puppy and the tattooist comes to you.  http://www.dog-register.co.uk/

Chipping near me costs between £20.50 - £28 per puppy and you have to go to the vet, so unless you can find a private chipper it will work out very expensive to do a whole litter.

I then suggest that the new owners have their puppy chipped when it is vaccinated at their vet.

this way the pup has ID that links it to you the breeder (tattoo) and the new owner (chip, and tattoo if they change over the details).

Problem with chips is the last contact details are the ones they use and most do nto keep breeder details on file, Petlog if you pay for Premium are/planning to, but that isn't enough reassurance for me.

I have my litters chipped at 6 weeks... The girls who Chip complete most of the paperwork and leave the paperwork with me, when owners come to collect pups, paperwork is then handed over the the chipper, who registers them in new owners name

Collars are place on the pups with the last 6 digits of chip no. so no confusion.. if any collars come off, I nip into vet who scans and slip another collar on

> Collars are place on the pups with the last 6 digits of chip no. so no confusion.. if any collars come off, I nip into vet who scans and slip another collar on

collars would last all of a day on my lot as they would chew each others off (found to my cost) I can manage to get away with coloured wool collars (they settle into the coat), which I use from birth (change every week when I weigh them) so just means making a note of numbers against the litter notes for the puppy and it's colour.

> so just means making a note of numbers against the litter notes for the puppy and it's colour

Which is easier when you have a breed with markings .. try that with a litter of Black Labs lol :-)

Mine don't usually have any distinguishing markings either (occasionally the odd white toe, or chest spot) that is why they all have a strand of coloured wool as their ID. 

So we have Green boy, Yellow girl, Red girl, Blue boy etc.  These ID's are used in the pups notes, so you would add the Chip number to those.

I have about 15 different coloured small balls of wool which last me years.

Why all the pressure on breeders these days to have a litter microchipped before they go off to their new homes ? I much prefer my owners to get their pups chipped, especially as they are a small breed.

Why all the pressure on breeders these days to have a litter microchipped before they go off to their new homes?

Don't you read http://www.doglost.co.uk/, and see just how many dogs are lost and stolen each and every day? Including litters of pups. I'd never in a million years let a puppy (or kitten) out of my home without a chip. Should anything happen it could never be traced back to me. This way I KNOW they are done and have all relevant chip numbers to hand, which wouldn't be the case if I counted on the new owners doing it.

Just one simple example that has helped me. I once had somebody contact me (it was definitely maliciously) saying a dog I had bred was in police custody after having seriously attacked somebody. I was able to prove it wasn't one of mine by the fact I had all my chip numbers here.

Our local dog wardens recently provided 'chipping' free of charge at obedience classes.With regards to a recent Iitter I advised new owners to have it done themselves at innoculation times.

Mine are all chipped between 6-7 weeks before leaving me at 8 weeks, the lovely lady that does ours comes to our house, fills the papers out and leaves them with me until the pup leaves for its new home.  I have a hand scanner, so can double check the chip number and make sure correct paper work is given to the new owners.  Once the litter has gone, I give the copies of paperwork to the microchipper for her records and send the others off to Petlog.

I take mine to my vets at 7 weeks to be chipped. They are also then given the once over before they are ready to go to their new homes. If I know which puppy is going where then the new owners details are put on, if not then mine are.

Some rescues will do chipping much cheaper than the Vets and will come to your house.

> Why all the pressure on breeders these days to have a litter microchipped before they go off to their new homes ?

It is a requirement for accredited breeders to Permanently identify breeding stock by DNA profile, microchip, or tattoo

I am well aware of how dogs can get lost, blimey, how patronising. Quite frankly, if I have entrusted someone to have one of MY puppies then I sure as eggs trust them to have their said pup microchipped -at the time of the second vaccine, which is what I advise !  I wonder just how likely a pup that is not yet able to go out for walks is to get lost ?? !!! Not very. Thank goodness I am not an accredited breeder(although I meet all criteria, well apart from the microchipping lol).

I wonder just how likely a pup that is not yet able to go out for walks is to get lost ??

All it takes is for the new owners to have a car accident on the way home. Or for somebody to steal the puppy from their garden like my friend had her Papillon stolen from a back garden, one person distracted the only person at home by knocking at the door whilst the other went into the back and stole the dog. He was found after a year due to being microchipped.

It's just not worth the risk of losing the dog for the sake of saving a few quid.

Why all the pressure on breeders these days to have a litter microchipped before they go off to their new homes ?

It is a requirement for accredited breeders to Permanently identify breeding stock by DNA profile, microchip, or tattoo

Yes 'breeding stock' ie. parents, need to be permanently identified, not the actual puppies.

Mine are done between 6 and 7 weeks I couldn't cope with them going to their new homes and not having had it done.

> It is a requirement for accredited breeders to Permanently identify breeding stock by DNA profile, microchip, or tattoo

but that is not litters.

Our litter will be docked but the vet won't chip them at the time of docking, she will return at 5+wks to chip them then.  The chipping is a requirement for docked dogs.

my vet docked the pups at 3 days then chipped them at 6 weeks.

I suppose it depends on the breed size as to when you would get them microchipped, mine would be too tiny at 6 weeks I think, would prefer they were covered by vacs first unless being done at home for fear of picking something up at the vets/chippers.

There was someone in the vets one day with a tiny pup they had bought as a "pocket" JRT, the vet felt it wasn't even 8 weeks old and they had had it for 10 days, they agreed to vaccinate it but refused to chip it,said they would think about it when the next dose was due depending on how much it had grown, it was generally thought that they had been sold an underage pup to make them think it was going to be much smaller as an adult.

If the pups are docked, they must be chipped before leaving the breeder's, by law.  Obviously doesn't apply to folk who aren't docking, unless it reassures some people that others are (must) do it early.

Thanks for that clarification re Accredited breeders only having to ensure adults are microchipped. My adults are all microchipped in any case. Nothing has swayed me on here into believing there is any real need for the breeder to get the pups microchipped. I trust my new owners implicitly. Oh and it's nothing to do with cost (!), it is just my personal preference not to do it, the first vaccine is quite enough for them at 8 weeks old imo.

> Accredited breeders only having to ensure adults are microchipped.

That is incorrect, the breeders breeding stock has to be permanently identified, the choice is left to the breeder, be it tattoo, DNA profile or Chip.

The chip does not reliably link the dog with it's breeder (too many different chips and databases now, mine have 3 different kinds, and I had to pay to get them moved to Petlog database) once new owner details are recorded, so no use to me for peace of mind, which is why I get mine tattooed.

Personally I believe every puppy should be easily traceable back to it's breeder, whether it is an accidental crossbred puppy, one bred by a BYB or Puppy farm, Responsible breeder or anyone else.

It would certainly show where the dogs ending in rescue originated, and the ones from commercial breeding at least should have some sort of sanction (have to pay for the kenneling) if it happens regularly

Barbara, how much does it cost to get a litter tattooed?

And, where do you go to, to trace dogs?  Is there an online registry where you can enter the tattoo on a dog's ear and get up results for the owner and breeder?

Thx

It costs £20 for the litter plus £7 for each puppy. 

The NDTR keep a database withal the details of breeder and owners, and when contacted re a lost or straying dog will supply them. 

The database is not publicly viewable for obvious privacy reasons.

Details here: http://www.dog-register.co.uk/ they have a nationwide list of tattooists so you just find the one for your area and they come out to do it, if it's a litter, otherwise you visit them with an adult (Usually let friends know when I am having a litter done so they can come and have any of their dogs done too). 

With my own breed we have found the best age is 7 weeks.

Great, thanks.