I am no expert but having bought one the wrong way, I did a little more research and made sure to buy my last two at least a better way.
First of all, how did you hear about the puppy? It seems like to me, at least in our area, the best breeders do not have to advertise in the paper. You have to seek them out (in my case, I talked with the best grooming shop in town). Then you get on their waiting list. Before they allow you to do that, they want to meet you, and ask a lot of questions about how you will care for the puppy. They ask about children and other pets, experience with small dogs, where I live, and I can tell they are sizing me up.
Once I pass muster, I can look at their home. Are the dogs obviously a part of the family environment? Make sure you see where they eat and sleep. I did not want another "concrete-building-out-back" bred dog! Are the parents well cared for? Do they meet the Yorkshire Terrier breed standards? Are the dogs well socialized. Do they obviously like people? You will be able to tell if they are used to lots of people play or if they are kept in cages.
I did not want them to own more dogs than they could personally care for. No multiple breeding centers. No mixed breeding going on. Breeding parents kept in the home is what I wanted to find.
Then I want to know about pedigree. I insisted on AKC and did not even go look if they were not. The breeder should be willing to show a pedigree and let you know about champions -- just making Champion does not give a guarantee the dog was wonderful -- but it says at least more than the breeder evaluated the dog. I want to know that the line is free from genetic disease. The parents at least should be tested for infectious and genetic diseases. Ask about other litters -- any health problems? How often are they bred? Some breed every other time, some twice and then skip a heat. At least make sure the female is getting some recovery time. Realy look the parents over well to see that they are healthy, well-cared for and good representatives of the breed standard.
Try to avoid breeders that specialize in "teacups." Some puppies are going to be small and they will need a home. But the breeder who purposely puts the tiny mothers at risk is no one to do business with. I personally do not believe Yorkies of off-color should be bred either. Yorkies are meant to be black/blue and tan/gold. Those are the only 4 colors that are accepted as not being a fault. If a chocolate turns up naturally in a litter, I think they should be loved, spayed and a good home provided. But .... I do not believe in breeding chocolates to propagate a fault. Same with any other color outside the breed standards. But this last part about color is hotly debated and others feel just as strongly about bringing new colors to the breed. You will just have to research and make a decision about your own opinion on this.
Then you need to see the health guarantee. Make sure it is clear what happens if illness is found in the first few days, genetic diseases are usually covered for a year -- some actually do lifetime on genetic disease. Make sure it is clear whether vet bills are taken care of, puppy return allowed, puppy replacement and/or refund. What happens if you put down a deposit and the puppy dies before you get it?
What sort of support will the breeder provide? Will she be willing to answer questions for the life of the pup? That is what both breeders I bought from told me. "Anything, anytime as long as you have that baby -- call me!"
Check the AKC banned list just to make sure their name is not on it. Make sure they do provide the puppy registration request form. If it is not provided at the time you take the puppy, then I would defer some of the cost until the papers are provided. I have heard too many promised papers "as soon as they come in" that never get them. Most organized breeders would have requested the litter registration in plenty of time to have them for delivery with the pups.
These are just some of the things I tried to keep in mind. I am sure there are lots more and I am forgetting a lot of what happened when I got mine. I did most all of my research (except for the actual visual evaluation) before I got to the breeders. I wanted to make sure about as much as possible BEFORE I saw the puppies as I am such a sucker for a sweet puppy. Luckily, all went well at both places and I think I have wound up with two exceptional puppies! |