To determine if a breeder is reputable is basically using your own sense of judgement and for everyone that is different.
A question I would definitely want to ask if the mom and dad are on the premise and if I can see them. Also anything relating to maybe health issues they may have had with mom or dad. I think that could help in seeing what may be genetic in their pups. Also asking them about how the birthing process went with the mother, whether it was an easy birth or if there seemed to be any complications. Also, don't be shy to ask if they have any recommendations from owners that own one of their puppies so you can follow-up on them.
Things I look for in a breeders home are obviously the living conditions for mom, dad, any other animals, the puppies, ect. I mean this is also part of your own personal sense of judgement but I really would be skeptical if a breeder was putting her dogs and the puppies in disgusting conditions. That's just unacceptable. Also, hopefully they'll be able to show you the area where the puppies spend their day with their mom.
I honestly wouldn't know of any physical characteristics that would signal an unhealthy puppy other than obvious ones - maybe panting, very inactive...i mean it's hard to say cause we visited the breeder three times before getting our puppy and the one time, he was napping and not really in the mood to play, the second time he was all over me, licking my face, ect, and the third time, he was a little tired but willing to interact.
Also, if you feel like something is off about this breeder, than sometimes it's not so bad to trust your gut. Whatever your concerns may be when you go meet a breeder, definitely voice them. If they are reputable, they will have no problem answering any questions, won't give you the run around, and hopefully won't mind to have you visit more than once to see them before you take one home.
I'll let other people answer this cause I know they'll have a lot more questions to give you to ask a breeder. We got lucky with our breeder because she was a friend of a friend, we knew people that had some of her puppies, and she worked down at a vet office so she was incredibly knowledgable in everything about the breed and her animals. She had no problem allowing us to see them as many times as we wanted and answered all of her questions very thoroughly before we even took him home. She also had both mom and dad in the home so we got to meet them as well and see what there temperment was like. |