When on the journey to getting your puppy, part of the application process is to meet in person with the prospective breeders or have a chat over the phone. It’s at this point you’ll want to be prepared to answer some questions! Some of these may have already been asked in initial correspondence but let’s assume a blank canvas for this!
Classic questions breeders may ask prospective buyers, which current Kennel Club Assured Breeders have verified, are “why do you want a dog?”, “why this breed?”, “are you out of the house all day for work?”, “is this your first dog?”, “are you aware of this breed’s typical health issues?” Some breeders may not be so direct and will find out this information more subtly, but these are the classics to know! Some may go more specific to the breed, so best to be prepared.
Don’t be put off by these, but if you are struggling to answer or need a bit of guidance, read on!
Classic Breeder Questions
So let’s break down some of these classic questions in more detail to best prepare you to make the best first impression. See my related blog on how to impress a dog breeder!
- Why do you want a dog? – This should be easy to answer and expect it to be asked! Your breeder will never have a dog go to someone that doesn’t want a dog or doesn’t know why they want a dog!! Your answer to this may vary if it’s for working dog purposes but assuming it’s not and just for having a dog at home, you need to show your passion for wanting a dog in your life. You need to portray that you understand the notion that a dog “isn’t just for Christmas” If it’s your first dog, have you wanted a dog since you were young? Show your love of dogs!
- Why this breed? – If getting a puppy via breeder, it will be for a specific breed. It’s likely the breeder will have only ever bred that specific breed, so will be passionate about them! Show you are passionate too! Ask yourself the breed traits which have attracted you in the first place. For us, a golden retriever is so friendly and an excellent family dog, and are the most beautiful dogs we have ever seen, but we are obviously biased!! 🙂 . Our breeders did in fact ask us if we are house proud due to the hair and mud a retriever may leave everywhere! See my post on golden retriever traits! Perhaps your lifestyle suits the breed, where you are very active and would love a dog to match that like a border collie, or aren’t that active and are considering a greyhound (the couch potato of dogs)!
- Are you out of the house all day for work? – Breeders will want to know your lifestyle. They will not allow you to adopt one of their puppies if you are going to leave them alone in the house all day whilst you’re at work. They want to know if their pup will be cared for properly and exercised/played with. This could be a defining moment in your decision to get a dog. Take time to consider this carefully and if you can give a dog a good life.
- Is this your first dog? – Don’t be daunted by this question. Everyone has a first dog! Just be prepared for the question and be able to show you’ve done your research on dogs and what it’s like to own a dog, as well as breed-specific information. Perhaps you have experience with friends’ dogs, so also good to mention that if applicable. Albus is our first dog, and our breeders had no issue with us having him as we showed we were prepared.
- Are you aware of this breed’s typical health issues? – This is both a classic question and an opportunity to impress! Knowing breed-specific health issues is good not only to impress but will allow you to assess if the breed is right for you in the first place. Following that and you have the dog, you know what to keep an eye out for. For golden retrievers, we went prepared understanding that they are susceptible to issues with their eyes and joints, like hips and elbows. We understood that there is a scoring system for these and it’s crucial to understand it so you don’t have a dog which may develop issues later. Other issues in goldens are hot spots as well as sadly, cancer 🙁 . Know all these inside out!
Should a Breeder Ask For a Deposit
So you have impressed and the breeders have you down on the waiting list for the next litter of puppies! But should a breeder ask for a deposit?
It’s typical practice for a breeder to ask for a deposit. This will secure your place on the list for having a puppy. This will occur after the puppies have been born and it’s confirmed that you definitely have a puppy from the litter – usually after you’ve picked your puppy during a visit to see them. The remaining balance is paid on collection.
Be extra careful if you’re being asked for a deposit too early in the process, and never pay the remaining balance until you have the puppy in front of you if you aren’t 100% trusting of the breeder. It’s most likely that if you’re going via the Kennel Club and assured breeders, this won’t be an issue as you’ll have developed the trust. We were happy to send our remaining balance the day of collection prior to arriving to pick Albus up.