Seek out a Responsible Breeder

Do your research; there are lots of places you can find adverts for puppies and always remember if something is too good to be true – it usually is! Remember most good breeders don't have to advertise, so free ads are not always a good place to look.

Do ask friends, family, breed clubs, training clubs or your vet for any recommendations.

Do go to a Kennel Club Assured Breeder if you are buying a pedigree puppy. The Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme is an opt-in scheme for breeders, where they agree to follow basic good breeding practice requirements and recommendations as a minimum, which encourage the breeding of healthy, well-adjusted puppies. These requirements include providing new owners with advice about rearing and training your puppy, and also mandatory health testing, which can reduce or even eliminate the chances of your puppy suffering from a hereditary disease. You can search Assured Breeders and relevant tests in step 3.

Do check if you are not sure. If you have seen a breeder advertised and are not sure whether they are a Kennel Club Assured Breeder or not you can call 0844 4633 890.

Don't go to a pet shop! Very few caring and responsible breeders are prepared to sell their puppies to a third party; they want to meet the new owners themselves and make sure that the puppy is going to a good a caring home. Many puppies sold in pet shops and the new "pet supermarkets" will have come from puppy farms, when dogs are often bred or raised in poor conditions, purely for profit, and with no thought to their care of welfare.

The Three Steps

Navigate through the other steps that you should take, by clicking on the buttons below.

Seek out a responsible breeder		Make Contact with the Breeder		Prepare for Your Visit