Proper Etiquette in purchasing a puppy? - Page 1

So there it is. What do you breeders look for in a buyer when purchasing a pup? What do you like/dislike? What irritates you the most? E-mailing? Calling? What do you wish that buyers would know, so to make ALL our lives a little easier?

boy, good questions.  I think it widely varies between breeders.  I personally like to communicate via email, but thats only because I hate phones, I hate answering machines and I feel like a communicate a lot better in writing than in speaking.   But most of my good breeder friends that I know personally prefer to talk on the phone rather than email. 

What irritates me about people asking about pups is if it seems like they are BSing or if they provide very little information about themselves or about what they're looking for, if they sound snobbish, or full of mis-information....or if they seem like a complete nutcase.   I also appreciate when people let me know upfront if they are just wanting to look/visit and are not actually serious about buying a pup.   I don't mind visitors who are just curious, just want to play with puppies or wanting to learn, but I do want to know ahead of time. 

Prospective buyers who ring up and immediately launch into "How much are the puppies ?  Have you got
any longcoats ?" before they a) tell you anything about themselves & what they are looking for, or b) ask
any sensible questions about health checks etc.  You just know these are the people who have done NO
'homework', and will probably be out at work all day but still want a tiny puppy, thinking they can just
leave it for hours.  GGrrr.
 
PS EuroShep - I know just how you feel about telephones !  Glad you've got Ben back safely, BTW.

I'm not too convinced someone asking 'how much' or
'do you have any longcoats' indicates a poor candidate.

I want to know up front what you are charging for a pup, 
if I feel it's too much, why should either of us waste any 
more time on a conversation. I mean, if you want $2500
for a puppy and I only want to spend $1000, why would
either of us need to spend anymore time talking to each
other? Or, if I wanted a long coat, and you don't have any,
again, not much point in keeping each other on the phone.

If we spend 60 minutes on the phone getting 'touchy feely',
and you still don't have what i wanted, it's not going to change
the outcome is it?  Breeders could save a shitload of time
if they put their prices in their ads, same goes for anyone
selling an item/animal. Although, I suppose there are those
out there that an sling a load of shit a mile long and talk
someone into almost anything 

Once price and 'product' description is out the way,
then you can both move forward and see if everything
else 'fits'. 

We welcome the breeder asking us what we want the 
puppy for, what kind of experience we have etc. 
But we all have to be on the same page right from
the start. Price/sex/color/type does matter to a
buyer, and sellers need to take that into account.

This is just the way I think about Buying a Puppy/Dog and/or Selling a Puppy/Dog...

As a breeder when someone contacts me interested in buying a puppy...I think people can contact me by e-mail for basic information...then if are still interested and want more info and better contact...they can and should call and talk about everything about what they want in a puppy...
Then as a breeder I have a chance to find out more about the prespective buyer and see if one of my puppies would be a good fit for them...

I don't just sell to anyone and am actually pretty picky who I sell my puppies too...I want to be sure that it's a good fit for the prespective buyer...I believe this is what a good breeder should do...
If you're a good breeder you should have the future of your puppies at the front of your intentions...

If I'm buying a puppy...I think one of the most important and first things I want is to get to know the breeder...You can tell an awful lot of someone by just talking to them and getting their idea of what they're all about and what their goals are/were in their breeding...

So when prespective buyers come over to see the puppies...I expect them to spend time...get to know the breeder better and to also view the puppies and see if one of them would fit what they're looking for...

~Bob~

I welcome all calls and emails, answer all questions and try to develop a positive relationship. Lately a small minority people call and are rude when they're given the price of the puppies. They seem to think a puppy from sire and dam that have show title, working title, breed survey, good hips/elbows, and dm testing should cost no more then $500!  They say I'm just trying to make a profit, dont care about my dogs and just want money... and hang up. I understand that money's tight and frustrations are high.. but come on folks!

I love the educated puppy buyers! I love the ones who have taken the time to do their research. I love the ones who call to interview ME first. I love the ones who actualy read my website. (basic questions are all right there)

I included a page on my website- Tips for new puppy buyers I think this has helped a lot of new people and saved me a ton of time on the phone trying to help educate the new folks.

I too like to get the price out of the way. If you are seeking a 200.00 dog I know right away to shift my conversation to rescue while still educating.

JoAnn Letcher 

Dislikes:

People who assume I will sell them a dog because they wave money at me.

People who are compulsive liars. If you really had all that experience over the past 30 years, you would know or have at least heard of one of the dozen "big name" people I mentioned. Also, don't tell me you're a K9 handler. I have sold dogs to enough to have plenty of contacts and you never turn out to be legit.

People who claim to be "trainers" (see above) and then tell me bizarre, bizarre stories and things I never  knew about dogs. Did you all know that if you let a puppy go before 8 weeks, exactly, that it will be an incorrigible "nipper" for eternity and likely need euthanasia?

People who tell me they want a personal dog, don't sell dogs, will be a great permanent home and I find 10+ ads of theirs online. See first paragraph, again.

Likes:

People who have common sense, basic manners (don't show up at my house w/out calling, hoping to catch me at my puppymill business, lol), and keep the best interest of the dogs first and foremost.

People who admit their inexperience and don't make up outlandish stories about "when they used to be a K9 handler."  These almost always turn out to be willing to learn and great homes.

Summary: Liar suck, and so do people who take the attitude that you must be a scammer because you breed dogs. I don't get it....you want a dog, don't you? Where do you think they come from?

Of course, Workingdogz, no one minds them wanting to know early on what the pup is likely to cost them.
And if one of their requirements is for their pup to have a long coat, they have to ask that as well.  But
I'm talking about these two questions - in either order - forming the entire start of the conversation;  not
someone who politely starts off  "My name's Joe, and I'm looking for a German Shepherd " kind of thing
(good manners don't take such an age).   And who don't just slam the phone down when you ask them
anything back.
I did wonder if people had looked at the website or any other sources of information when they asked
about longcoats of a Show breeder who very publicly tried NOT to get any in her litters ...

I agree, I do not mind people asking questions upfront like how much money, what I have in the litter, etc... If they are looking for something specific or only want to spend a certain amount of money, better to find out upfront than to spend an hour talking to them only to find out it will not work out.  

I am happy to talk on the phone or email.  Whichever the person feels more comfortable with.  I love to talk dogs, so either way works for me lol