Hi which way round do people do this! I have made a waiting list and vetted most of the people on it but having spent ages visiting people and talking to people some of them have got fed up of waitng and bought a puppy else where! am I doing this back to front should I have waited until the puppies were born then vetted people? i did it this way round because i didnt want to put off potential good homes by having a large waiting list when half of the people on might not have been suitable!
I would be interested to here your veiws
cheers

Admin edit: terms of service

You will always get people that go elsewhere even if you don't do any vetting. There is none so queer as folk!

I have had people arrange date, time and place to come an see me, ask for detailed directions and then don't turn up, so don't worry about the drop-outs, this is usual behaviour. Their reasons could be anything but unfortunately usually because they think they can find a cheaper deal elsewhere. They don't appreciate the hard work we put in to trying to be a conscientious breeder.

I have made many friends over the years through breeding the occasional litter and they often laugh and say 'we thought we were going to give you the third degree, but instead it was the other way round'.

Carry on.

Hi,

We always vet our people just before they come to see the pups (on the phone) and then properly vet them when they come down to see us. The vetting on the phone is to make sure they fit our criteria and if they pass this, they get to come and see the pups.

I think you are doing a great job, vetting homes is so important, there is nothing worse than breeders selling their dogs to anyone who comes along, just to get rid of them. BUT even when vetting, there are still the occasional one who lies through their teeth and then has problems because of it, believe me this has happened to us. Only once, so far!! :(

manda
X

I do the same as mandatas, plus the ones that live too far away for a home visit; then i get someone in my breed to go & visit their home. this is a reciprocal arrangement & I have done the same for other breeders over the years.
I will never sell a pup to someone who isnt prepared to come & meet me before the pups are ready, no matter how far away they live. no 1st visit then no puppy!

Hi Sam,
I once had a 'potential buyer' phone me and say "I can't come and see the pups, you're too far away, but I'll send a cheque and my son can pick it up in a couple of weeks."

My reply is unprintable.

Yes we had one of those a week ago but as with you my reply was unrepeatable! they will be asking us to post them next!

What you mean you don't already do that??

Wendy;)

Hi,
This is what happened to me, a week or so before the puppies were born I started vetting people on my list. When the pups were born I then recontacted them and arranged for visits/deposits at four weeks. This was a huge mistake. I was messed about and let down by three people within the first week, so I contacted everyone on my list and said if you are serious about having a pup I would like a deposit straight away. They were all brilliant about it and sent me the deposit immediately. I was fuming at first as I had turned down some lovely homes as I had a full waiting list and wanted to be fair to those that had been on it the longest, but half of them just melted away. One sent a terse email, another went and bought a black pup even though they had spent over an hour telling me they couldn't live without a chocolate one.
Eventually I thought everything was sorted but then at seven weeks two people on the list backed out. Luckily I didn't have too much trouble finding homes for the pups but it really was hard work. I would personally keep a few names back and tell them they are in reserve if anyone lets you down, that way if someone does back out you will have a few people on standby. I was surprised at the people that backed out at seven weeks as we had met several times, emailed each other every week and spoken regularly on the phone. But it does happen so its best to be prepared just in case.
Best Wishes
Amy

I don't think you can blaim people for getting a pup elsewhere while they are waiting prior to the deposit stage after all the otherside of the coin is you may have a list of 8 people and only have 6 puppies so it cuts both ways, I just see a list at this stage as expressing an interest. Once the pups get to about 4 weeks and deposits are taken then no its not on to back out, I hope you kept the deposits :)

I had similar experience with my first ever litter. There were just four pups, one of which I was keeping. I had three people of the original list let me down for two of the pups (1 lady who booked stayed firm, and has since had another). I had turned lost of enquirers down and passed them down to people who were expecting pups after me, only to find at 8 weks I had two unsold pups!

I now tell people on my list when pups are a few days old that I will count a puppy as booked when I receive a non refundable deposit of £50, and that until all depostis are in then any new puppy buyers that prove suitable will be considered. I have had a few people undecided loose out when they finally did make up their mind that an Elkhound was for them, but then I passed them onto the next breeder that had pups available and they just had to wait a bit longer.

In a popular breed perhaps it doesn't mattter, but in a numerically small one like ours the supply of pups and new owners is fairly evenly balanced, and putting off a good home who then goes on another breeders waiting list, and to then find you have a pup ready with no home is not the best situation, as you can hardly pinch the puppy home back from the other breeder.

hi
im due to put a deposit on a boxer who will be two weeks old on saturday
im quite nervous of getting the third degree. or saying the wrong thing.
do you think its ok to go and see the pup with my 8 year old daughter and partner or would it be a bit over whelming for the mum

Hi Emma,
We got our Boxer puppy a week ago.I asked the breeder if I could bring along my 5 year old son when we first viewed at 3 weeks and she said "of course,he's got to live with the puppy too!".I liked that attitude!Although a bit boistrous he was as gentle as anything with the puppies and the mum was lovely,so friendly and proud of her pups!The best thing to do is just ask first,I am sure they won't mind and will think you are considerate for asking.When we went to the second viewing we took our son and my parents in law,our breeder was so friendly and welcoming.Good luck with your pup,ours is red and white too with a white blaze and white socks!!
Hazel

hazel
i can't wait. we have been searching for 5-6 months for a good breeder ive done all my homework ,introduced my daughter to a full grown boxer male for her to understand that puppies grow. so the pup must not be allowed to jump up.
hows the first week with your pup.
(mines black mask with two white front paws possible name bradly or appolo)
em

Hi Em,
This is boxer number 2 for us so it is all coming back to me!the biting,pooing etc but also how lovely it is to have a puppy.We had George for 8 years and lost him to cancer after christmas,my son has never known life without a boxer but this is the first time he's had a puppy and it is proving to be harder work teaching him how to deal with the puppy than teaching the puppy anything !It's only been a week and they seem to be settling down a bit now that we have a routine and a stairgate!
Charlie is wonderful as are all boxers - i'm sure you will find out.My only bit of advise as a boxer owner is to try not to let him jump on people,note I said try...........George was very easy to train but the only thing we found impossible was keeping his feet on the ground when he over enthusiasticly greeted people-he LOVED everyone.I think we let him do it when he was a puppy without realising what it would be like when he was fully grown,they are soooo cute that you find it hard to tell them off !Well this time we are going to take a different aproach!
Good luck with your puppy,I'm sure once you visit the breeder your mind will be at rest about everything,
Hazel

Breeders like to see the whole family, and the breeder will tell you how she wants to handle the introductions with Mum and pups knowing her bitch, and how she feels at present. some adore showing off their pups, some don't mind but hover slightly anxiously, so one visitor at a time is better, but you all get to see.

All the breeder is hoping to ensure is that you and the pup will be a good match and that the pup will hopefully have a lifelong loving home.