So I was thinking about buying my first dog ( a siberian husky ) and I know I don't want to buy from a pet store. This morning while looking at the newspaper I saw on the classifieds section that local people are selling huskys. My question is, Is it safe to buy a puppy from local people ? They say their in good condition and that I can see them personally, but how can I tell by just looking that the puppy is healthy ? I need opinions.
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NEVER buy from a pet store, those dogs come from puppy mills and you have no way of knowing what the temperament of the parents were. Always buy locally! ALWAYS! You get to meet the parents and see the condition of the home! Remember, puppy's inherit the temperaments of their Mothers so it is Mommy that you need to be looking over!
What to look for:
1) Mom should look healthy and have good, full coat with bright eyes.
2) Mom should allow her food dish to be taken from her. DON'T TAKE THEIR WORD FOR IT, make them show you that Mom is not food aggressive. Any reputable breeder will be happy to assist in your request! Make sure Mom does not growl, bite or guard.
3) Make sure Mom is okay with you handling her pups. You want to see a Mom that is interested but not too interested in what you are doing with her pups.
4. Make sure puppy is eating and drinking. This is important because a pup that is not eating could have Parvo Virus which is highly contagious and usually fatal. Additionally, if you bring Parvo into your home, you should not have another dog in the home for at least 12 months because Parvo lingers.
5. Look at the facilities where they keep the dogs. Are they kept indoors or out? Have they been confined to a small area away from people or have they been allowed to run freely? Indoor and free running pups are better socialized and friendlier!
6) Ask if any puppies died during or since birth and if they say yes. ask how many. Also ask which is the runt. Runts make wonderful pets but its still good to ask.
Good luck and I hope this helped!
Anonymous
I would not buy from people in newspapers because chances are, their pet husky (not health tested or titled) got in with another dog and had puppies by accident and now they want to get rid of the puppies. The puppies may not be pure husky and certainly won't be of the finest health. They may also overcharge you for a mediocre quality puppy.
First of all I'd investigate shelters, see if you find any dogs you like. Put your name on their waiting list and they'll call you if a husky does come in. If that doesn't work for you, go to professional Siberian Husky breeders in your area and let them know that you are looking for a pet quality dog. Pet quality simply means that if they have a litter with one puppy who doesn't look quite right to show, they will often sell it to you for less money than they would a show quality puppy. You get a great puppy who was raised properly and has pure bloodlines and health awesomeness, just has some minor flaw (ears not correct angle or something like that) that disqualifies the puppy from the show ring.
Best of luck!
Christopher S
I would be very careful and ask questions. Most classified ads are Backyard Breeders. If the dog seems a deal, it is probably not well bred and should be avoided. Anyone who doesn't have parents where you can see them is untrustworthy. Not all pure bred dogs are of the quality to breed again, so while technically any dog that is the result of two registered huskies can be a registered husky, it may harbor undesirable traits a quality breeder would eliminate.
For.n.ever
Make sure you are able to look around to see what living conditions the dog was brought up in as sometimes, breeders raise pups in horrid environments and the pup usually ends up growing with neurological or/and physical problems that may result in them going out of control with biting or being too ill that they have to be put down sooner than the average dog.
When buying a dog, look for signs of-
-emaciation (starvation)
-matted coats
-aggression
-growling
-tails between the legs non-stop
-excessive itching
-dirty house
-where they normally sleep (it isn't good if the dog sleeps in kennels outside)
-how it interacts with people/other animals
-ask about shot records for rabies/worms/etc
-age (dogs usually aren't suppose to be sold until 8 weeks)
-ask about their knowledge in breeding correctly (some people breed just because they want the money and don't give the youngs the care they needed)
-see if ANY of their dogs are happy and energetic (so you know it's just a part of their personality if one shys away from visitors)
-and lastly, allows you to spend a little time with the dogs (at minimum, the mother when you visit) so you can see how confident the breeder is about their care for their own dog. it will give you reassurance and a final green light that things check out ok
jkc92618
Reputable breeders don't advertise in the news papers. Google Siberian Husky club of America and through that site you should be able to track down reputable breeders.