When you buy a puppy from an out-of-state breeder and have it shipped, what if you don't like its temperament?

Question

I know the breed I want but there aren't any litters within driving distance. I heard I could have a breeder ship me a pup but I don't get that-- what if the dog turns out to be skittish or just basically not as sweet as I'm hoping? Is there a way to ensure you're getting a "good dog" (in addition to a healthy dog)?

Answer 1

You don't buy from someone you don't know well and trust.  Basically, if you don't think you will get the perfect dog and don't get enough information from the breeder and they don't care enough to let you know everything about the pup, you aren't getting it from a good breeder.  The ONLY way you will ever get a 'good dog' is to buy from a knowledgeable, responsible breeder - someone who has done extensive health, temperament and structural evaluation and knows the breed and dogs enough to be able to let you know everything about the pup.  A good breeder won't send a puppy to someone that they haven't fully screened and feel very comfortable with placement of the pup -  they care about the pup going to the perfect home for them and not making a sale.  

I have purchased dogs from out of state for decades and never gotten an unknown quantity.

add:  Sorry but it is evidence of very limited knowledge to say that genetics doesn't play any or even a very big role in temperament - it does.  Socialization is also a part of that but it certainly is not the only aspect.   Shipping dogs is much safer than buying from some ignorant back yard greeder who has the litter available for viewing and no, puppies don't 'pick you' - they simply happen upon you and you anthropomorphize.  A knowledgeable breeder not only will not place a puppy until 9 - 12 weeks of age but will have done temperament evaluations on the puppies already as well as properly socialized the litter.   The limited perspective of the masses is why the vast majority of dogs are poorly trained and problematic and why many millions end up in body piles and in shelters and rescues.  A good breeder's dogs do not end up in these situations.

Someone is advertising a breeder here that will sell off their 'used up' females once they don't need them anymore and are on their fourteenth litter in a little over seven years -- there is no reason for a good breeder to breed that often except to just make puppies.   No one is going to give you 'references' that are negative -- think about it :)

AKC and the newspaper will ONLY have back yard greeders or puppy millers advertising their puppies there.  And being a 'breeder that won't ship' is not a plus at all but a red flag.  A breeder that is responsible will not sell across an ocean to another country that they have no way of getting their dog back from but they will indeed ship responsibly to a well evaluated home that they have no problem getting to if need be.    The major point isn't if a breeder won't ship but that a breeder KNOWS their prospective home good enough and the prospective home knows the breeder good enough to have a good relationship with them.  You have to mutually know and trust each other for good reason and not because of some advertising or vet's referral.  Vetting a dog shows very little except you paid your vet bill for the treatment of an animal you owned.  That should be the norm and certainly would be what I would ever base a puppy home on at all.

More idiocy - no responsible breeder tranquilizes a dog and certainly not a puppy to ship to a location in the country.  I have gotten and owned dogs for decades and NEVER have received one or sent one tranquilized and if being shipped in a crate that they consider their safe den via a responsible shipper is in any way traumatic, the dog has a crappy temperament on face.

Mary J - totally wrong.  First off responsible breeders don't have the parentS on site - they have the b*tch only - it is RARE if not even possible that the best possible mate for a particular b*tch happens to be in the breeders own back yard.  Responsible breeders spend thousands to get to the best possible mate for their b*tch... I have  driven thousands of miles and spent thousands of dollars for very few litters over the last fifty years -- less than fingers on your hand.  Shipping dogs has NOTHING to do with bring responsible or not or being a byber or pm.  ETHICS and reason for breeding and knowledge is what dictates that...  again, have purchased dogs from all over the country over the years and never have purchased from a byber/pm and never gotten anything but the exact dog I was given to believe by the responsible, knowledgeable breeder I got them from.   There is so much ignorance in the world it is no wonder that the bybers and pms thrive...

Answer 2

all puppies born the same...they are all equals ..it depends on the owner how hes gonna be when he gonna be a Dog....take good care of him...offer him the time and the attention that he needs...aspecialy when hes a puppy....not to mention the love he needs....

u gonna do just fine if u fallow this tips...

good luck!

Answer 3

Having a dog shipped to you by a breeder is not the best idea.  There are exceptions to this, those being if the breeder has carefully screened you by phone and email application, talked to you extensively about what you are looking for in getting this puppy.  If you are looking for a working dog, sport prospect, agility dog, companion, etc--a good breeder will select the correct puppy for you based on your experience and expectations.  Those breeders will also want to check your references, talk to your vet, etc.  The I havbreeder in turn should have temperament tested all the puppies, and determined which pup is best for each buyer.

If the breeder that is shipping the puppy to you has not done all of those things, then by-pass this breeder & puppy.  To get an idea of what I mean, look at this breeder's site and the "puppy purchase information":

http://www.tritonkennels.com/pages/puppy...

Good luck.  

add to Nancy- I hope you're not referring to the link I posted.  No retired female there produced 7 litters before being retired from that breeder. The most litters produced was 4, before being retired and offered (spayed) to a home.

Answer 4

I dont ever think its a good idea to get a living thing shipped. Just pick a different breed, or have some patience and wait for the breed you want to become available. Things like choosing a new pet should not be rushed. Talk to someone at your local humane society.  

Answer 5

A good breeder won't ship you a dog unless they are comfortable in knowing you and being able to match a pet to your personality.

Anyone who blindly ships a puppy to someone they don't know, or barely know, is a BYB or puppy mill.  

And why would you want to buy a dog from someone that you've never met?

What's the hurry?  If you can't fly to meet a litter, then wait for one from a good breeder to come up in your area.  Dogs shouldn't be rushed into.  If now is good, 8 months from now shouldn't be any worse.  

You can also contact breeders from different areas to ser if they will be traveling to any competitions in your area soon.  I know a breeder who recently showed in my area, but they live 1000 miles away.  They had someone up here who wanted a pup, so they brought it with them.  

And, if there is a kennel that you like, ask if their male will be breeding with any females in your area soon.  

http://www.pbrc.net/breeding3.html can help you to decide if a particular breeder is good or bad.  This can go a long way in getting a healthy puppy.

Answer 6

A good breeder will have a return policy in writing.  Make sure you purchase from a reputable breeder and not a puppy mill.  On the internet puppy mills often try to disguise themselves as reputable.  

Personally, I always want to "meet" my future family member first.  If at all possible I would try to go to the breeder.  Even if I had to save up and fly there.  It is a small price for the years you will spend with the pup.

Answer 7

It is a bad idea to buy a puppy that you have never met.  If possibly you should at least drive there once to see the area the puppies are raised and to assess the health and temperament of the dam and (if possible) sire.  If you just send them money in exchange for a puppy you never know what you are going to get.  A great example of this is nextdaypets.com.  This is a site full of BYBs and puppy mills willing to ship puppies anywhere for a buck.  A good breeder would not ship a puppy to a buyer that they had never met.

I would suggest contacting the breed club of the dog you want and find local breeders.  Yes, you may have to wait for a litter to become available, but you will at least be able to meet the puppy and see if it is a good fit.  Good things are worth waiting for.

Answer 8

get a purebred puppy from petfinder.com

Answer 9

You can only hope that the breeder is ethical enough to pair you with a puppy that matches your personality and what you're looking for in a pup.

Answer 10

1..have patience  & wait till there is one  that you can meet before buying.

#2..fly to the pup & bring it home with you

#3.. do more searching in your area look in the news paper , get on line with a chat group for the breed you want & ask for referrals

#4.. contact AKC  to locate breeders in your area

#5..what you are asking about is personality & that is subjective so don't expect a distant breeder to be jumping for joy if you say you dont like the personality of a 12 week old pup, you'll pay shipping both ways, a vet check  and expect to pay a return fee because they lost the ability to sell the pup at a prime age and now will have  to sell it at a reduced fee, as well as more advertising costs will be incured,  see #1

Answer 11

If you do not go and see the parents and the home it is almost guaranteed that you are getting a pup from a puppy mill. You will only have limited rights so best bet is to take a long drive and pick up the pup yourself.  

Answer 12

No, there is no way to tell if you will be compatible with a new pup sight unseen. The puppy could also be very sick when you get it. I also don't understand how you "ship" a puppy.

The best way to get a full-bred puppy is to meet the puppy and play with the litter. Let the puppy chose you.

Answer 13

A dogs personality mainly depends on how you raise it.

Genetics don't play as big as a role as some people believe.

First I'd look into the breeder..find out what tests they had done on the parents..and if they are well respected with great results. The test will show if your dog will be prone to certain health risks that some breeds have.

I'll also leave some training tip pages for you to look at. These will help you develop a better behaved dog regardless on where you get it from.

And lastly, Socialization is very important..get your dog into early obedience classes so they have a chance to socialize with all types of dogs, people...if you can even introduce your pup to children.

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pag...

http://veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx...

Answer 14

This is not like ordering a shirt from online.  You need to be so careful.  Here are some things to avoid.

1. Websites that advertise more than one breed available.

2. People that advertise that they always have puppies.

3. Charge more for "RARE" colors or sizes.

4. People who won't provide a vet phone.

5. No references.

I would suggest sticking with people who are showing their dogs.  They will be more expensive, but the results will be worth every penny.  They will be conformationally sound and should have an excellent temperament to boot.  The dam and sire should have all health clearances including CERF and OFA.  You may have to put down a deposit and wait a while, but hey!  Great things are worth waiting for.  The breeder should also try to match the puppies personality to what you need.  They will have pictures, a puppy packed, a contract, and probably sell you limited registration papers.

Again, personally talk with a vet and a bunch of references.

Good Luck!

Answer 15

I have done this 3 times now with no negative outcomes - 1 x Belgian Shepherd Groenendael, 1x Australian Kelpie and 1 x Belgian Shepherd Malinois.  I did however do alot of research on the breeder and their dogs.  I also had many many telephone conversations with the breeders (3 different ones) and outlined exactly what I was looking for in a dog especially in respect to temperament.

My Groenendael ****** was so beautiful, she was wonderful with the kids.  My Kelpie was exactly what I was after in temperament - we did not want a noisy barky dog cos of the neighbours and he is perfect.  

With the Malinois I did alot of research and determined that there are the working Malinois which have an extremely high prey drive and the show Malinois which still have a high prey drive just possibly not as high as the working Mals.  I didn't want to do Schutzhund or that type of sport with the dog, I basically wanted a family pet but also to do obedience and agility trialling.  I also liked the calmness of the father (photos of him with kittens).  I was fortunate in that I knew the lady who had bred the mother from around the show ring years ago so I contacted her and discussed temperaments - Groenendael V Malinois - the temperament of the parents (she knew both), etc.  I also knew the parent's various health / genetic scores.  So far I am not disappointed (he is 5 months old).  

Of course, once you get the dog it is up to you to put your time and effort into training it.  There is the old nature vs nurture debate - how much of the personality is attributed to genetics and how much to the way they are treated.

To those who can't understand why someone would ship a pet.  In my case

1.  there were no BS Groenendael of the standard I was after for showing close to home and I didn't want to settle for a sub-standard show dog.

2.  I lived in a very remote location.  While I only wanted a pet Kelpie I still wanted to get one from a very reputable breeder who knew their stuff and I wasn't disappointed.

3.  There are absolutely no Belgian Malinois to be had for 1000s of kilometres from where I live.  Again, I wanted to get one from a reputable breeder to be sure that I wouldn't get a Mal with a poor temperament cos that would have been a headache.

Alot of you will say rescue a mutt.  I have nothing whatsoever against mutts but I do like to be as sure as I can be of what the dog that I am taking on will grow up to become.  That is my choice.

Answer 16

this is one of my biggest issues with out of state breeders and shipping dogs. So you get a dog shipped out, he arrives traumatize with extreem crate fear, he received his first nasty introduction to the big scary world without mom or bros/sises and he needs to instantly adjust, be a happy sweet puppy. Being removed from mom and litter is hard enough without getting stuck in a crate then put in the belly of an aircraft. Then if the new owner doesn't think they adjust right the trauma doubles if the breeder takes em back or they end up in the shelter.

If you are using a oos breeder you need to cough up the money to visit the dogs in person to select the temperment that is right for you want, this also prevents getting a dog from a puppy mill or byb.

Answer 17

you will get a health certificate and make sure you have it in writing if you are not happy with the dog you have so many days to ship it back and at who's cost.