Choose your breeder wisely!
Here are some general tips and guidelines about how to select a breeder, and how to know when to run. At the bottom, there is some general information. I can not stress enough the most important thing you can do is screen your breeder! These guidelines apply for any breed! I am always happy to help people find a dog or puppy from a responsible breeder.
Places on the internet like “premium breeders”, "breeders direct" and “europuppy” , should never get your business. These are puppymill puppies, most are not purebred and are at best poor quality if they are purebred. You figure you can rescue a purebred or mixed breed for between $100-$500, but on these places your paying $1500-$2500 for the same thing, a dog from a questionable place with a questionable past, questionable lineage, questionable health. Puppyfind is also a scary place to shop, but on there you can at least look at see what other types of breeds the breeder has, how many litters, what age etc. I would say 9 out of 10 Norwich Terriers on this site are not purebred. There are SEVERAL LARGE puppymills producing "Norwich's" (actually not purebred, but some do resemble a Norwich, especially when they are pups), be very careful! There is a "hobby kennel" in Colorado, that has 25+ breeds, Norwich included. These are most likely not purebred Norwich's (they are brindle striped, a sure sign of Cairn terrier!) even though they claim they have "champion imported lines". Their prices are attractive, but again, if your buying a mixed breed dog, you can find one at a shelter. There is a lot of fraud with people importing Norwich from overseas, these dogs are not purebred, even though the papers say they are.
The puppy warehouse. Did you know there are actually warehouses, in Florida, you walk into and ask for a certain breed of dog or cat, a salesman will walk into the back, bring out a puppy or two of that breed, go back, bring some more out. They are literally warehoused. Please don’t buy from these places, regardless of your situation.
Please remember a good breeder will insist that the dog is returned to them, no matter what, if you can’t keep the dog.
Rescue vs. Breeder: There are many reasons why dogs end up in rescue, from the family losing their home, to behavior problems, health problems, simply getting lost or stolen, job situations, moving etc. Sometimes the not so great breeders will surrender their dogs to rescue, if they can't sell them. IF you can find a rescue, that you can get history on, you know this dog has come from a loving home where he/she has been taken care of, that’s a God-send. Most of the time, rescues are dropped off at the shelter in the middle of the night, or the rescue may rescue them from the pound or a dog auction. There are a lot of good reasons to rescue a dog vs. buying from a breeder, but there are just as many good reasons to buy from a breeder.
Older pups and dogs: breeders (especially that show) may have older pups or retired dogs available. A lot of time goes into watching pups to decide which ones should be kept back for future competition or breeding. After the initial “cut” of the obvious pet quality puppies, or the pups that don’t have the particular characteristics the breeder is looking for, a breeder may keep ½ the litter for another couple of months, then decide they like one better than the other. They may watch this particular pup for months or even a year before they decide they will keep the dog, or find him a pet home. There is nothing wrong with the pup that is destined for a pet home, and these older pups will rehome very well. They are usually out of the chewing stage, probably leash trained, absolutely house and crate trained, and their personality is already set. How much easier could it be to find a new family member! A breeder may buy a dog and decide after the dog is older they aren’t what they want to add to their breeding program. Or a breeder may have an older, retired Champion or breeding dog available (most bitches are bred until 4-5 years of age, studs may be retired by 8 or even older). THESE dogs should be DOUBLE the price of the pups, their personality is already set, their house manners are instilled, they usually travel very well, they are usually already leash trained, and you know what your getting, whereas with a puppy, you are buying potential, and will need to put alot of work into them. These dogs may be the same price or maybe even a little less than a puppy, but if you are not looking forward to the chewing, the midnight potty runs, leash training, consider getting an older pup or dog!! These dogs usually re-home VERY easily, they DO bond with new families, it works out really good! When I send my puppies AND my adults to new homes, I ALWAYS ask for something that smells like the new family, I put this in the crate so the dog knows the scent, and it helps them transition easier into the new home. They associate the new families scent, with the comfort of “home” and it’s not so scary. I’ve actually had families that mom will send something from her, but not from dad, and the puppy/dog goes naturally to mom b/c that’s the scent he knows. I helped a friend of mine re-home a 3 year old Champion to a pet home, his dad sent his shirt, and nothing from his wife. Guess WHO this dog bonded with? The dad! A good breeder would be happy to do this for you, afterall, they are sending a member of their family into your family, and want the adjustment to be as easy as possible. All the work is done on these dogs, you just have a 1-2 week adjustment period, for you to adjust to them, they to you, how much easier could it be!!!
Pedigree fraud is rampant! AKC also has it, which is why it’s important to screen your breeder. If I sell “Sam”, already neutered, to a family, and send his AKC registration papers, this family can take a shitzu/poodle cross dog that isn’t neutered, breed this dog and use Sams AKC registration papers to register the pups. AKC doesn’t know Sams been altered, the puppy parents don’t know Sams been altered. The same can be done in reverse, a Norwich Terrier has a litter, and then they have a cairn terrier litter. Some of the pups from the cairn terrier litter can be registered as Norwich terriers, because AKC doesn’t look at the pups, they only see the papers. Then some of the pups can be kept back to breed, they are after all, AKC registered, and then their pups can be registered AKC and have a pedigree of norwich’s behind them. This is why you will see the brindle stripped Norwich’s, or the black norwich’s (black into adulthood or as an older puppy), and they may be AKC registered. APRI and CKC (Continental Kennel Club), UKC dogs should NEVER be purchased, neither of these registries care what is bred, they will register anything and everything!! Mutt or not!!
Verbage in breeder ads: Some breeders will use the words "rare", "hard to find" in association with a color, and jack the price up. Watch out for these words, they are "gotcha" words, once you call on the "rare" dog, they gotcha, and your wallet!! Some colors may be harder to find, but that doesn't mean they should be any more expensive. Watch out for ads that say a certain type of dog is "usually available", these two words in combination with a kennel or breeder are very scary. Usually available is an instant puppymill alert. This means they have litters all year round. "Occasionally available", what does that mean? 10 times a year? 2 times a year? Be sure to ask. Even if it's not the particular BREED of dog your looking for from that breeder, ASK. If they are producing litter after litter and they have pups "usually available" of any breed, they are scary. Most people have been bitten by buyers regret purchasing from these people, b/c they didn't do their homework. And of course these breeders won't take the dog back when there is a problem, contract or no contract.
Contracts: contracts are only as good as a persons word, their honor. A peice of paper is only worth blowing your nose on. Alot of breeders will keep their word, contract or no contract, alot do not, which is why screening your breeder is important. I have friends who have been treated poorly and ripped off by people who have contracts, I have experienced this for myself as well. On the flip side, I have been treated like gold from people with no contracts, only their word and my word, which I absolutely reciprocate!! This goes back to finding a good and reputable breeder, and one more point why it's so important you screen your breeder!
Internet Scams: they are all over, for everything that's for sale on the internet. They seem to snag the unsuspecting puppy shoppers though. If you get in contact with someone that has an expensive dog for a very LOW price or even free, it's a scam. They will send you pics, tell you the dog is with a nun, or priest, someone trustworthy, and that they can't keep the dog, it's sick, whatever. You wire the money and your done, they've scammed you, and you won't get your money back! Or my favorite, they call with a TDD service (phone for hearing impaired), you think they are hearing impaired and that's why you've never actually talked to them, and they scam you that way. Don't fall victim to these people, it's important if your rescuing a dog or buying one from a breeder that you have a good communication base before you send ANY money!!
Bottom line, no matter what type of dog you are buying, where or how you are buying, you have to be very careful!!
Here are some general tips and guidelines about how to select a breeder, and how to know when to run. At the bottom, there is some general information. I can not stress enough the most important thing you can do is screen your breeder! These guidelines apply for any breed! I am always happy to help people find a dog or puppy from a responsible breeder.
- Ask how many breeds of dogs the breeder has, and if they show each breed. If the breed you are looking for is something that isn’t shown in that kennel, continue on in your search. If they have produced “show quality” and may even have pups out there being shown, but do not show their own stock, why are they breeding? There are two types of breeders out there, one that does it for the love of the breed and the rush of the show/event, because THESE breeders know there is NO money in it. Every cent that comes IN from the dogs/pups goes right back into the dogs/pups. It costs between $3000-$5000 to purchase a show quality dog that may or may not be able to compete in the ring, entry fees are between $25-$35 per day of show, if you have a handler the handlers cost between $50-$100 per day of show, and then you have to add in the cost of gas, food (for the dog and handler!), motel, monthly board, stripping charges, weekly or monthly maintenance charges and bonus’s to the handler. It’s a costly adventure, and can go as high as $10,000 or more to make an AKC Champion. The winner gets ribbons and maybe a trinket, but that’s it, there’s no money awarded. To stud out to a good stud dog, is at least $1,000, you pay that ahead of time and cross your fingers that you’ll get some pups. C-sections cost between $500-$1,000 to get the pups here, and then you have to add in the cost of the pups on top of that, their vet visits, vaccinations, food, toys, blankets, everything EACH puppy needs to be happy and healthy. Free whelping is free for cost, but if you lose a puppy, you’ve possibly lost your next show dog, and you can’t put a value on that. The other type is the one that is breeding soley for the money. These are the breeders you’ll find that don’t show, don't do agility or earthdog, and don’t do anything with their dogs but produce puppies and collect money. They may have entered a dog in a show at some point in time to have their name in the show results, but odds are they were absent. They will keep most of their own pups back for future breeding because they refuse to shell out their money to someone else, even if it means bettering what they produce, and may occasionally add a new dog for breeding, if they can find one cheap and someone will sell to them. You’ll find these dogs may be “champion lined”, meaning neither of the parents are champions, the grandparents may or may not be champions, no health testing is done on the parents, these pups are usually a little less expensive than those from a show breeder, the reason being these breeders have very little cost into their dogs, they produce more, and can make more money with a lower price because of these reasons. These breeders most of the time do not do any health testing, and will probably tell you (if asked about the health tests) that the reason they do NOT health test is so they can sell their puppies at a more affordable price. This is the time you need your hip wader boots on, because the B.S. is going to get deep! These breeders will usually sell full registration (right to breed) for a couple of hundred dollars more, and they will lower the price of their older pups just to get them out of there. A good breeder will hang onto their pups, as long as they have to, to get them into a good home.
- Ask how many litters this year the breeder has had, of each breed. The reason for asking this is b/c if the breeder has multiple breeds, and even a handful of litters a year in each, that’s A LOT of puppies, and puppies take a lot of time with people to be properly socialized. For example, if they have 3 breeds, but only 1 or 2 litters a year with each breed, and the pups are raised in the house, that’s preferential to a breeder that has 3 breeds and has 3+ litters a year each breed, that may or may not be raised in the home.
- Ask where the puppies are raised (this ties into the above 2 answers), if a breeder says “in my kitchen” and they have 10 litters or more a year, that’s A LOT of puppies! I know a lot of breeders, in different breeds, that raise their pups in the kitchen, literally 5+ litters at a time, one litter is old enough to be homed while the next 2 litters are born. Not a great situation.
- Ask how many litters they have right now, how many more they have planned or expected for the rest of the year. If they have 3 litters right now, and 5 more planned, WOW, that’s a lot of puppies! If they work full time, or even part time, how will they socialize these pups? Who plays with them, feeds them, starts them on house training??
- Ask who takes care of the pups while they are gone (show breeders either show themselves or send the dogs to handlers, it’s important to know WHO is caring for these pups.)
- If your pup/dog is going to be around kids, it’s especially important you ask if the pups have been exposed to children. Kids are scary to pups if they haven’t been around them at a young age. Kids are loud, smell funny, are grabby and like to pull hair and tails, and pinch noses, poke eyes, things like that. If a puppy has been raised with kids, they are used to all the noise and the poking so it’s not a big deal to into a home with kids, FROM a home with kids.
- Ask about other pets, if the breeder has cats, birds, larger dogs that the pups have been exposed to. Terriers are notorious for thinking they are big dogs, but if they haven’t seen other animals or types of animals, it may be scary for the first time, or they may look at them as a new playmate! This is also a good time to mention any other pets you may have, and ask about how the puppy would do with these other pets.
- AKC or USDA Inspections? AKC inspects different people at different times. That doesn’t mean there is a problem, that just means the inspector was in their area and chose to inspect them. A USDA inspection or license means that breeder sells to pet stores or dog brokers. ANY breeder with any morals would NEVER, not for a million dollars, sell to a pet store or dog broker. Your basically giving your puppy to a complete stranger, for them to hand off to a complete stranger, and eventually your puppy will end up with another complete stranger, that more than likely seen a cute picture on the internet or in a cute face in the pet store, and knows nothing about how to care for the breed!
- Ask what health screening the breeder does on their dogs, and if there are any health problems in their adults, or in their adults parents that they know of. Ask what health problems they've had in their pups. Any dog, of any breed, can get something from their parents, or somewhere back in the line, or even from a gene mutation. That doesn't mean the breeder isn't good, it just means they are HONEST. Just as with people, dogs, purebred or not, can inherit or get health problems from their environment. Any time you reproduce something that is a living being, you are taking that risk. The point of selective breeding is to hopefully minimize the risk of problems in the offspring.
- Ask if the breeder starts house/paper training, and if so, at what age, how do they do it? Ask if the breeder is willing to crate train the pup before he/she leaves. A puppy that is ripped from it’s siblings, shoved into a crate, and then on the airplane (whether beneath your seat or in the cargo area, it's all the same) will be traumatized. A puppy that is crate trained, hasn’t slept with his/her siblings for a few weeks before leaving the breeders home, will do much better. If they aren’t willing to crate train, politely say good bye and move on.
- If they don’t have any pups available right now, ask if they have a waiting list they can put you on, after you’ve been through all of these steps with different breeders, you will find one your comfortable with, and the wait is well worth it.
- Ask if the breeder takes the pups for rides. Norwich get carsick unless they are taken a few times a week for a car ride when they are young. They will get over it, even if they aren't started on traveling until adulthood. It just makes it easier on you if they are already used to traveling!!
- Ask about the health guarantee that breeder offers, what time frame you have to get the puppy into your vet in order for the guarantee to be valid. Ask about what it specifically does or does not cover. Ask about any health problems in the lines, usually if the parents and grandparents are clear of problems, your puppy will be too. Its a good idea to get the puppy into your vet anyway shortly after arrival not only for your peace of mind, but also for the health of the puppy. Each puppy has to be taken to the vet for a "health certificate", where the vet will check the puppy and make sure he/she is healthy for travel, before they can get on a plane. Sometimes the stress of traveling will cause Coccidia to over produce and may cause bloody stools, or a thoughtful cargo employee may have watered your puppy out of a dirty container, causing giardia. These are easily taken care of with simple antibiotics, but it's better to know up front if there's a problem.
- Was this breeder easy to get ahold of, did they return your call or email in a day or two, or did you have to phone several times, email alot before you got any response from them? If your breeder returned a phone call or email within a few days, you know you will get good support from them IF you decide to buy a puppy from them. Everyone is busy in their own life, they have kids, dogs, job, whatever to take care of, but if you have taken the time and effort out of YOUR life to contact a breeder, they certainly should take the time and effort to get back with you. If it takes them weeks or even months before they return a call or email, what kind of support will you get from them if you have questions on training, or problems with the pups? Promptness is a virtue, and critical in establishing future relationships!
- Ask what registries their dogs are registered with. The only reputable one is AKC, but it seems there is a new registry popping up daily. There are NO safeguards in place with ANY of the registries to ensure the dog is purebred, so it's VERY important you buy from a reputable breeder, otherwise, you've spent thousands of dollars on a mixed breed that you can find in a shelter. And, if your looking for a mixed breed, why are you looking for a breeder instead of a shelter?!
Places on the internet like “premium breeders”, "breeders direct" and “europuppy” , should never get your business. These are puppymill puppies, most are not purebred and are at best poor quality if they are purebred. You figure you can rescue a purebred or mixed breed for between $100-$500, but on these places your paying $1500-$2500 for the same thing, a dog from a questionable place with a questionable past, questionable lineage, questionable health. Puppyfind is also a scary place to shop, but on there you can at least look at see what other types of breeds the breeder has, how many litters, what age etc. I would say 9 out of 10 Norwich Terriers on this site are not purebred. There are SEVERAL LARGE puppymills producing "Norwich's" (actually not purebred, but some do resemble a Norwich, especially when they are pups), be very careful! There is a "hobby kennel" in Colorado, that has 25+ breeds, Norwich included. These are most likely not purebred Norwich's (they are brindle striped, a sure sign of Cairn terrier!) even though they claim they have "champion imported lines". Their prices are attractive, but again, if your buying a mixed breed dog, you can find one at a shelter. There is a lot of fraud with people importing Norwich from overseas, these dogs are not purebred, even though the papers say they are.
The puppy warehouse. Did you know there are actually warehouses, in Florida, you walk into and ask for a certain breed of dog or cat, a salesman will walk into the back, bring out a puppy or two of that breed, go back, bring some more out. They are literally warehoused. Please don’t buy from these places, regardless of your situation.
Please remember a good breeder will insist that the dog is returned to them, no matter what, if you can’t keep the dog.
Rescue vs. Breeder: There are many reasons why dogs end up in rescue, from the family losing their home, to behavior problems, health problems, simply getting lost or stolen, job situations, moving etc. Sometimes the not so great breeders will surrender their dogs to rescue, if they can't sell them. IF you can find a rescue, that you can get history on, you know this dog has come from a loving home where he/she has been taken care of, that’s a God-send. Most of the time, rescues are dropped off at the shelter in the middle of the night, or the rescue may rescue them from the pound or a dog auction. There are a lot of good reasons to rescue a dog vs. buying from a breeder, but there are just as many good reasons to buy from a breeder.
Older pups and dogs: breeders (especially that show) may have older pups or retired dogs available. A lot of time goes into watching pups to decide which ones should be kept back for future competition or breeding. After the initial “cut” of the obvious pet quality puppies, or the pups that don’t have the particular characteristics the breeder is looking for, a breeder may keep ½ the litter for another couple of months, then decide they like one better than the other. They may watch this particular pup for months or even a year before they decide they will keep the dog, or find him a pet home. There is nothing wrong with the pup that is destined for a pet home, and these older pups will rehome very well. They are usually out of the chewing stage, probably leash trained, absolutely house and crate trained, and their personality is already set. How much easier could it be to find a new family member! A breeder may buy a dog and decide after the dog is older they aren’t what they want to add to their breeding program. Or a breeder may have an older, retired Champion or breeding dog available (most bitches are bred until 4-5 years of age, studs may be retired by 8 or even older). THESE dogs should be DOUBLE the price of the pups, their personality is already set, their house manners are instilled, they usually travel very well, they are usually already leash trained, and you know what your getting, whereas with a puppy, you are buying potential, and will need to put alot of work into them. These dogs may be the same price or maybe even a little less than a puppy, but if you are not looking forward to the chewing, the midnight potty runs, leash training, consider getting an older pup or dog!! These dogs usually re-home VERY easily, they DO bond with new families, it works out really good! When I send my puppies AND my adults to new homes, I ALWAYS ask for something that smells like the new family, I put this in the crate so the dog knows the scent, and it helps them transition easier into the new home. They associate the new families scent, with the comfort of “home” and it’s not so scary. I’ve actually had families that mom will send something from her, but not from dad, and the puppy/dog goes naturally to mom b/c that’s the scent he knows. I helped a friend of mine re-home a 3 year old Champion to a pet home, his dad sent his shirt, and nothing from his wife. Guess WHO this dog bonded with? The dad! A good breeder would be happy to do this for you, afterall, they are sending a member of their family into your family, and want the adjustment to be as easy as possible. All the work is done on these dogs, you just have a 1-2 week adjustment period, for you to adjust to them, they to you, how much easier could it be!!!
Pedigree fraud is rampant! AKC also has it, which is why it’s important to screen your breeder. If I sell “Sam”, already neutered, to a family, and send his AKC registration papers, this family can take a shitzu/poodle cross dog that isn’t neutered, breed this dog and use Sams AKC registration papers to register the pups. AKC doesn’t know Sams been altered, the puppy parents don’t know Sams been altered. The same can be done in reverse, a Norwich Terrier has a litter, and then they have a cairn terrier litter. Some of the pups from the cairn terrier litter can be registered as Norwich terriers, because AKC doesn’t look at the pups, they only see the papers. Then some of the pups can be kept back to breed, they are after all, AKC registered, and then their pups can be registered AKC and have a pedigree of norwich’s behind them. This is why you will see the brindle stripped Norwich’s, or the black norwich’s (black into adulthood or as an older puppy), and they may be AKC registered. APRI and CKC (Continental Kennel Club), UKC dogs should NEVER be purchased, neither of these registries care what is bred, they will register anything and everything!! Mutt or not!!
Verbage in breeder ads: Some breeders will use the words "rare", "hard to find" in association with a color, and jack the price up. Watch out for these words, they are "gotcha" words, once you call on the "rare" dog, they gotcha, and your wallet!! Some colors may be harder to find, but that doesn't mean they should be any more expensive. Watch out for ads that say a certain type of dog is "usually available", these two words in combination with a kennel or breeder are very scary. Usually available is an instant puppymill alert. This means they have litters all year round. "Occasionally available", what does that mean? 10 times a year? 2 times a year? Be sure to ask. Even if it's not the particular BREED of dog your looking for from that breeder, ASK. If they are producing litter after litter and they have pups "usually available" of any breed, they are scary. Most people have been bitten by buyers regret purchasing from these people, b/c they didn't do their homework. And of course these breeders won't take the dog back when there is a problem, contract or no contract.
Contracts: contracts are only as good as a persons word, their honor. A peice of paper is only worth blowing your nose on. Alot of breeders will keep their word, contract or no contract, alot do not, which is why screening your breeder is important. I have friends who have been treated poorly and ripped off by people who have contracts, I have experienced this for myself as well. On the flip side, I have been treated like gold from people with no contracts, only their word and my word, which I absolutely reciprocate!! This goes back to finding a good and reputable breeder, and one more point why it's so important you screen your breeder!
Internet Scams: they are all over, for everything that's for sale on the internet. They seem to snag the unsuspecting puppy shoppers though. If you get in contact with someone that has an expensive dog for a very LOW price or even free, it's a scam. They will send you pics, tell you the dog is with a nun, or priest, someone trustworthy, and that they can't keep the dog, it's sick, whatever. You wire the money and your done, they've scammed you, and you won't get your money back! Or my favorite, they call with a TDD service (phone for hearing impaired), you think they are hearing impaired and that's why you've never actually talked to them, and they scam you that way. Don't fall victim to these people, it's important if your rescuing a dog or buying one from a breeder that you have a good communication base before you send ANY money!!
Bottom line, no matter what type of dog you are buying, where or how you are buying, you have to be very careful!!