Buying a dog from a breeder

She is leaning yorkie.

See if both the sire and dam are on premises. That way you can at least see what the pups gene pool looks like in the adult dogs.

Have the sellers started them on their shots, gotten them checked for worms, even been to a vet for a check-up????

When I bought dogs I always went with independent breeders to avoid "puppy mills", and NEVER went to any Pet Store.


ETA: If a purebred dog, you want to at least see the papers of the sire and dam to make sure they are registered with whatever kennel club they are part of:

AKC, UKC, etc. and you will want to get papers on the puppy you are buying from the breeder.


As for shots, they may have their initial "puppy shots" and should have been checked for worms and treated if they showed up in the test.

Wiener dogs have terrible breath FWIW…..

Consider minature Schnauzers. We have two and love them. They don’t shed.

I feel strongly that anyone who seeks out a dog from a breeder (vs rescuing/adopting, etc) should ensure they are supporting responsible, preservation or purposeful breeders only. There are some resources on the AKC website, and a fairly new service "Good Dog" that helps you wade through breeders that meet minimum standards, and here are a few recommendations:

- breeders should be members in good standing with their breed club

- Both parents, and ideally their parents, have passed all required and recommended health testing as designated by the breed club. This is more than just "genetic testing", these health screenings require actual assessment of the dog by a specialist. You can find the list for each breed at OFA CHIC. For Yorkies, the only required tests are eyes and knees (patellar luxation) but there are a handful of recommended tests.

- the breeder should be able to explain their goals, WHY are they breeding, and specifically why THIS pairing.

- the breeder should ask YOU a ton of questions, why this breed, what are your goals/plans for the dog, what's your household like (kids, activity level, work schedule, etc). They put their heart and soul into these pups, and want to make sure each goes to the right home.

- the breeder should have a sales contract, outlining purchase price, registration rights/requirements, health guarantees, and a statement requiring that if for any reason you cannot keep the dog, that you let them know and ideally that they will take the dog back.

- Ask how the pups are raised, what work is done with them before you take them home. For example, are they used to grooming and nail trims? Exposure to children? Crate training? This not only shows you how committed they are, but will make a world of difference in how hard YOUR job will be!

- Initial vet check, worming, and vaccinations (the actual schedule of shots and worming isn't so important, but the breeder should have those records of what has been done available for you to take home to your vet)

- any responsible breeder will be able to provide you with a pedigree and registration papers. AKC is the most common registry, UKC is ok as well. Be weary of any others for a Yorkie.
They should NOT charge you more "with papers"...all of their pups should ONLY be sold registered and with papers. BUT, they may sell on limited registration (meaning you are not allowed to breed the dog, or more accurately, you would not be allowed to register any pups produced by this dog) vs full breeding rights (no restrictions.) Most responsible breeders will only sell on limited registration, with the ability to change to full registration if certain criteria are met (the dog earns its championship or some other titles, passes all health screenings, etc.)

Don't ping a breeder with just a "how much?" ... it's like dating, you need to ask a few questions before you jump right into that. Also, don't be surprised if the sire is not on site, they want the best possible match for their girl it may be a dog on the other side of the country. Also most breeders won't allow visitors willy nilly into their homes. This is to keep their pups safe from diseases, as well as avoid accidentally allowing some animal rights nut or thief into their home/facility. They should however be willing to have a video call with you to meet to answer questions and show you their dogs or facilities.