Questions to ask breeders when meeting in person
 

When meeting breeders in person, how do you determine if they are reputable? More specifically:

1) What questions do you ask the breeder?

2) What kind of things do you look for at the breeder's home?

3) What are some physical characteristics that would signal an unhealthy puppy?

I think if you use the search function here at YorkieTalk you'll find alot of those questions have been answered for you :)

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.

Also I think in the previous thread, something was mentioned about somebody breeding animals who may not want you invading in on their home...personally, if you are breeding animals, wouldn't you kind of expect people to be visiting to see the puppies. That's just my opinion...anyways, the breeder should also be wanting to ask you questions too - such as "do you have children", "what are your home conditions like", "how often will you be available once you get a puppy", ect...I feel like if I was a breeder, who knew what I was doing, cared about the breed, the dogs, ect, I'd be asking this person a lot of questions as well. I wouldn't be letting my puppies go to any tom, dick, or harry that walked in my door...keep that in mind when you meet a breeder.

1. How early do you let your puppies leave? What tests have you ran on your dogs being bred? Do you have a health policy? When were they last immunized? What immunizations did they recieve? Do you like pina coladas? Or getting caught in the rain?
2. Look for if she/he uses kennels or the dogs are more of pets. How clean is the home? Do the other dogs there have any mats? Dirty? Does the yard have alot of dog poop all over?
3. Coughing, dry flakey nose, not playful, lethargic, etc.

hahahahhahahahhah i needed a good laugh today. thank you

Here's a link to a lot of good resources for finding a breeder.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/bre...e-breeder.html

As a breeder I LOVE when people do their homework on the breed before calling me for a puppy, make sure you have the time and patience to deal with a baby in your home, also,that the breed is right for your living style, after that, I welcome all questions or doubts that you have, remember the dumbest question is the one you don't ask.. so ask everything and anything that YOU might find important.
hugs,