Before You do Anything

Decide if you’re ready for a puppy. A puppy is a huge time and monetary commitment for the next 15 years. Are you in the right place to make such a big move?

Step by Step How to Buy a Puppy

To use our website responsibly, you must follow these steps. Puppies.co.uk already performs a lot of these scam/fraud checks but you can never be too careful.

The power is in the buyer’s hand to rid the world of poor breeding practices.

Buying a puppy is not an exact science. It is all about information collecting and dealing with the risks when you find potential red flags.

1. Before Contacting the Seller

a. Make sure the puppies are over 8 weeks old. It is illegal to separate the puppies and mother under 8 weeks old
b. Search the seller online. Put the phone number and description into a search engine to see if the details can be found on a number of puppy adverts. If multiple adverts are found on different sites this could be a red flag.
c. Check for health tests/ vaccinations/ socialisation. Whilst this is not a legal requirement, all reputable breeders will get breed-relevant health tests for the parents or one of the parents at the least. The puppies also should leave vaccinated. all of our adverts are marked to confirm this. If you decide to proceed regardless, make sure you are comfortable with the risks. NOTE ‘Vet checked’ does not mean ‘health tested’. Health tests are very specific genetic disease checks that ‘vet checked’ does not cover. . To learn more about which health tests are needed for the breed you are interested in, we suggest consulting the breed club to learn more. It is our strong recommendation that for most breeds you search a dog with health tested parents.
d. Be careful of pet passports. Whilst there is nothing illegal with a properly imported puppy. Puppies should be 15 weeks old to travel from USA and some other countries, or even older in some cases. Proceed with caution when importing.

2. When you contact the seller

a. Make sure you ring the seller first, ideally on WhatsApp Once you’re comfortable to proceed, make sure to get the seller on Email. If they will not provide an email this can represent a problem. Ensure this Email matches the official Email on the breeder’s account and on the listing. If they have asked you to message a different number and Email for any reason you should be careful.
b. The seller should never be ‘pushing’ you. Imagine what it’s like to deal with a car salesman. You should never feel that buying a puppy. A responsible breeder should be checking your eligibility and suitability as much as you check theirs. The breeder must ask you questions to check your background and if they are not, but instead feel like they are ‘selling to you’, this should be a warning sign.
c. Ask if they bred the puppy themselves. The introduction of Lucy’s Law now means that it is illegal for people to sell puppies and unless they have bred them.
d. Ask about medical history. Make sure you ask about the medical history the puppy will have before leaving. Ask the following: Which vaccinations has the animal had? Which vaccines or boosters are still required, and when are they needed? Has the animal been neutered? Does the animal or its parents have any health issues? Ensure the puppy has a microchip as this is a requirement for the owner to have done before 8 weeks.
e. Ask about behaviour and environment. Ask where about the environment and socialisation of the puppy. Poor quality breeders often won’t socialise animals, which can lead to behavioural issues for your new pet.