Perhaps for a more common breed. A rarer breed like a peke I would red flag it immediately.
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Whatever you do, is best to NOT try to raise two puppies at the same time, if what you want is an adult dog that is focused on their owner.
If you only need one more dog in a pack of dogs, it may be ok.
Even then, once mature, they may not like to stay with the pack, or have trouble deciding who is boss and cause strife and even serious problems fighting, not having anywhere else to go live but where they are kept by their humans.
While some can raise two puppies carefully in a way they are independent of each other and well trained to their household, too many fail after all once puppies are mature, so why take those chances?
As for puppy sourcing, remember rescued dogs most seem to come from less than ideal situations as who bred, raised and trained or failed to sources.
That too is a big gamble as far as what you may find in any one rescue dog source.
Whatever you do, good luck.
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I wish I could help. I started a thread hoping people would give me reasons not to buy a puppy but the opposite happened and I ended up with a puppy.
Have you been to the breederâs home? Are the dogs well looked after? Though most of my dogs came from reputable breeders I have had two that werenât and they were wonderful dogs.
I canât give any advice but sometimes we just have to follow our gut feelings. Good luck with your decision.
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$400 is ridiculously cheap for a purebred puppy. In my area, even most rescues charge at least $450 for a dog thatâs spayed, vetted, vaccinated, and microchipped.
I would be concerned, particularly for a flat-faced dog with a breed with health issues.
Photographs online mean nothing. Youâd have to look at the parents, entire litter, and overall setup with open eyes.
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I say get the puppy. I bought my GSD for $600.00 (they go for 1K and up around here) and sheâs delightful and no health problems.
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I appreciate the all comments (with a few exceptions, lol!) but as I keep saying, I havenât seen the dogs, havenât been to the house, havenât got any more information than was present in the ad. And I would never consider two puppiesâone would be hard enough! 
I would like to comment on two statements, though. One: that Pekes have extensive health issues. Iâve been doing research on the breed for many years and they actually have much fewer breed-wide health issues than dog breeds that are more popular/common. (Iâm looking at you, Frenchies, Cavalier King Charles spaniels, etc)
They can suffer from luxating patellas like many small breeds, but not like chihuahuas. They can also be prone to glaucoma (Tricki had his eye removed after I adopted him from the shelter but my vet said if it had been caught earlier it could have been managed with medication). Other than that, they are a healthy breed that hasnât been ruined by becoming popular to the masses.
Two: that $400 is too low for a purebred dog. This is probably true in most areas of the country where the cost of living is higher. In this region cost of living is incredibly low and the average income is correspondingly low as well. More than 25% of my county has income below 150% of the federal poverty level.
For example, I pay $300 per horse at a nice barn with an indoor, outdoor ring, round pen, miles of trails, and double-size foaling stalls. Iâve been there for 13 years so I know my horses and I are happy there. Property taxes on our 5+ acre property with one house on the National Register and a second new-build home run less than $1100 a year. You get the pictureâŠ
Something that would sell for much more somewhere else (like a local-bred Peke puppy) just wonât here. Many people donât have the money, and those that want to spend big bucks on a dog want the designer mutts that their friends have and that they see on social media.
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Do the breeders have a website? Do they have social media? Can they provide references of happy past owners of previous litters?
I understand that my area is higher COL, but unlike a boarding barn, which caters to locals, lots of breeders ship out of state, so this is at minimum a very casual breeder who is just catering to people nearby. Unless youâre the type of person who will buy a puppy as soon as you set eyes on him or her, I guess you could give the litter a look by making an appointment, but at minimum Iâd be on my guard.
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Again, how would I possibly know the answers to these questions until I have a conversation with the breeder! For about the 10th time now, Iâll reiterate that I know no other details than what was posted in the ad.
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Well, Iâd be a little surprised if someone had no social media in this day and age, even if just a âcasualâ breeder.
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Youâre looking at the breeder in Port Charlotte, FL?
The one who says
No, I donât provide a health guarantee on the puppies I sell
No, I wonât provide a written bill of sale
No, I wonât take puppies back
No, I donât enroll puppies in AKC Reunite
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Nope! Nowhere even close to that location
Why are you assuming this is the breeder the OP is considering? I wouldnât consider that part of Florida to be a super low cost of living, especially if boarding a horse. I think A lot of these posts on here are a bit harsh. The OP has said over and over she doesnât have additional info yet.
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Because thatâs the only breeder in the AKC breeder listings that seems to align to what weâve been told here?
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I never said the listing came from Puppy Finder.
And whatever you think of me for considering a âbackyard breederâ, I wouldnât ever do business with someone with policies like that.
I donât think people are trying to be intentionally harsh to you, but are just expressing their concerns, based on the information youâve given (which doesnât seem to be much, other than the price is $400, there is a seven-day âbuybackâ period, and this isnât a show breeder). So from the information we have, this doesnât sound ideal.
Sure, lots of us have gotten animals in ânot textbook ideal waysâ and it worked out well (I certainly have) but you seem upset that weâre asking questions that you donât have answers for, that at minimum you need to verify with your own eyes and ask, versus just saying, âitâs a steal and those smushy faced dogs are cute, go get that puppy.â
Some things are just too red flaggy even for taking a risk on a dog you like, and doing some Googling can be useful. For example, Iâve been looking for an older dog from a rescue. One dog I liked, but the rescue demanded a $10 fee to fill out the application, which seemed fishy. Sure enough, when I Googled, there were reviews of people complaining about how theyâd submitted the $10 application and heard nothing and every dog you applied for required the fee. Another rescue had suspiciously tons of cute small dogs, many of which I liked, and I Googled and there was literally a Reddit thread of 100s of complaints about the rescue, many saying they suspected the dogs were puppy mill/backyard breeder dogs.
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Well, I think that depends on what you mean. They will place them in pet homes. They might sell on a limited registration. But they donât typically âcullâ meaning euthanize or pediatric spay/neuter before placement.
No, unfortunately itâs not really how puppy sales work. It just isnât. If they have selected and health tested the parents, they would sell for more. People will pay for puppies, just not necessarily within a 30 minute drive. But well-bred puppies will typically find homes.
Go meet the breeder, and ask. My guess is that there is no health screening of parents (meaning evaluated for patellas, eyes, heart, etc. by a vet) and no, an Embark cheek swab is not enough. And, likely, the parents were not selected for breeding for any specific reason.
But - for $400? See for yourself, but be prepared that they may not be bred to standard, and may have no health history. That said, they may live long, healthy lives.
I personally donât like to support unethical breeders, but itâs hard to say whether this is one or not. Itâs certainly better than buying a $2000 doodle mix without health screening or selection.
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Iâm not sure how many times I need to state that I donât have detailed information on the puppies until I speak with the breeder. And I never said there was a seven-day return policy, only that I would ask for time to have my vet evaluated the pup to ensure they were healthy at the time of purchase. But Iâm almost certain that this person doesnât breed for the show ring. Jeez.
Please read more carefully before you keep asserting incorrect information.
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I have had 14 dogs in the last 30 years, and I am thinking about my next dog. Currently, I have two 9-year olds and one 13-year old. Of the dogs I have had, 11 were 11 Doberman Pinschers. Five of those came from an animal shelter, five were re-homed (to me) dogs, and one I bought from a backyard breeder. I cannot believe that any of my Dobermans were the result of a âreputableâ breeder.
My first dog was Danteâ and The Best Dog Ever. I fell in love with the breed because of the Doberman movies (The Amazing Dobermans, The Doberman Gang, The Daring Dobermans). Danteâ was everything those dogs were except for the lookâhe was uncroppedâbut INCREDIABLY smart and learned quickly. He learned to âretrieve the dumbbellâ reliably in two weeks (my instructor said ââŠsome of the best retrievers are NOT a âretrievingâ breedâŠâ), and he learned the âscent articlesâ so quicky that I canât remember how I taught him. He loved to be with people more than dogs, and I had two people tell me when Danteâ was 12-years old that âif I ever got rid of him, they would take him.â I lost him at the age of 15 years when he âasked me to let him go.â
My âpuppiesâ were my first female (4 months old) and my first, totally-natural male (6 months old). I bought Kira from an ad, watching the price of the puppies go down and down. When the price finally reached $25, I called the âbreeder.â He had the remaining two puppies (Kira and her brother) contained in a carpeted back porch. You could tell from the stench that he allowed the puppies to pee and poop there indiscriminately. Kira came home with me, but Iâve regretted leaving her brother there ever since, if only to find him a better home.
Kira was scared of my husband and I, but you could see she wanted to âbond.â So we allowed her to sleep with us, putting her between us. She fell IN LOVE with my husband but thankfully transferred her affection to me when he walked out on us. Kira died at the age of 13 with almost no health problems, just an allergy to beef.
The second puppy, Peter, I lost to an aggressive cancer at the age of 8. He was a goofball until he turned 4 years old, and then, all the obedience training that we had done CLICKED in. He LOVED to work; the longer you worked, the better and precise he got. He was BRILLIANT with speeds and transitions when showingâhe was always âin heelâ, and his âfastâ was TRULY fast. I loved when we were doing âsits and downsâ because his long tail would LOUDLY wag and pound the floor. He got his UKC Companion Dog Excellent title with two first places and one second place.
Tuppence, a fawn female that I lost suddenly to Wobblerâs, was gotten as a re-homing. Her owner had bought both her and her sister as puppies. When they became adults, her sister became dominant and there were fights. Another re-homing, a fantastic red female I called Spicy died from an aneurysm less than two years after I got her.
Two of my dogs (shelter adoptions) lived to about 13. One I believed had cancer (Moose), and the other (Garnet)âwell, he was old. Moose was the SWEETEST dog, but he was a ârunnerâ, if he got loose. However, when he did, I could simply jump in my van and drive until I found him. If Moose heard me calling his name, he would come instantly, as he didnât want to miss a chance to âgo bye-bye.â The second, Garnet, was totally unsocialized and terribly thin, starved, actually, when I got him. His lack of socialization actually made him, in my eyes, dangerous. His attitude and the look in his eyes early in our training was âMAKE meâ. He would growl and threaten to bite when you trimmed his nails, and they were VERY long when I first got him. I honestly thought he would intimidate most people, and so I kept him, despite the fact that he HATED Moose with a passion. Garnet and I finally worked out our relationship, and I once got a compliment from a judge for my âhandlingâ after showing in an obedience class.
I got another Doberman as a re-homing. His owner had gone down south to help clean up after Katrina, and he was adopted as a left-behind-pet from an animal shelter in Mississippi. His new owner only kept him a few months after coming back north. (Long story.) I was probably his 5th home by the time he reached 1 1/2 years old (breeder, buyer, animal shelter, ânorthernâ owner, and me). It took him three months to even ânoticeâ me (he took to Tuppence and she to him, right away. But he eventually did and became the devoted âJack-Babyâ that I called him (shown under âChaos Rains, I Of The Stormâ).
The oldest of mine now, a totally-natural female named Darcy (animal shelter adoption), was likely from a backyard breederâeven most backyard breeders will dock the tails. Dickens (re-homed dog), my 9-year old, over-sized, no-coat-to-speak-of-male, has Wobblerâs. My third dog Brooklyn (another rehoming) is undersized, was used for breeding because of her âblueâ color, has 3 1/2 legs, and was heartworm positive when I took her home and is Totally Devoted To Me.
I expect to lose Dickens within six months. The girls are healthy, but they ARE older dogs. I have thought of becoming a home for âseniorâ Dobermans, but all three of mine could go one, two, three. I have thought of a puppy; I would like the chance to bond and train a dog from the âbeginning.â But the thought of housebreaking and possibly destructive behavior of a puppy (Been There, Experienced That) is daunting.
I have recently looked at ads for puppies through the AKC website. The two breeders that interest me, who do intensive health testing, and guarantee their puppies are selling them for (at least) what I paid for my most recent HORSE. (THAT horse cost me TWICE what I have EVER paid for a horse before.) However, the cost of these puppies is a FRACTION of what I would have had to pay for Wobblerâs surgery for Dickens, if I had chosen to go ahead (with NO guarantee of whether the surgery would help or not).
Still, I have seen some interesting ads on craigslist recently. I like idea of a dog 1-2 years old, but I have seen a 4-month old puppy with cropped ears (looks professionally done). I havenât inquired about it or the price, as the puppy is a 9-hour drive away. If it were HALF that distanceâŠ
So, my VERY long story is to say 1) that one may be devoted to and want a CERTAIN breed, 2) that one might find the traits one wants (trainability, companionship, etc.), 3) good health, and 4) PRICE in a not-bred-for-the-show-ring-dog. Nearly all of my dogs were intelligent, although some have thought that âobedience showingâ was not for them. Most of my dogs that I have owned I would call very healthy. The percentage of ones I have lost âearlyâ probably equals that of people who own Show Dogs. That doesnât mean that I donât care about health problems. However, IF I saw a young, black/rust male with cropped ears in an animal shelter nearbyâŠ
I know it is risky when you get a puppy. I have recently seen some youngish Dobermans for sale, but from the picture, you know they are not well cared for, and maybe treated as âlivestockâ rather than âpets.â If someone has litters of puppies from several different breeds at the same time⊠Or is breeding for âdesigner dogsâ, it is probably ONLY for the money.
However, if the OP goes to see those puppies (and I have writing this post on and off for HOURSâshe may have a new puppy already!) and finds one that she canât bear to leave behind, I say Go For It.
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I was only restating what youâd said in the thread. You seem oddly defensive about a dog and a breeder you havenât met yet.
I hope the dog works out and none of the concerns some of us expressed are a factor when you actually meet the dog, parents, and breeder.
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My cousin recently got a black Lab puppy. She was considering a Boykin Spaniel and talked to a very nice breeder about the pluses and minuses. My cousin decided she had âone more Lab left in herâ and checked out various sourcesâakc website, craigslist, word of mouth, etc. She wanted a Lab from âworkingâ bloodlines. She finally found and called a breeder who was, surprisingly, nearby. His dogs are AKC registerable but not the show-dog-type/look. He breeds Labs to retrieve AND to point. In addition, he has taught his dogs to hunt for deer antlers AND has had some certified to track and find wounded deer.
So, she got her puppy. He cost her $850, which to her was a lot of money. (She was hoping to pay around $600). My cousin had previously done obedience, agility, rally, carting, and water rescue with her last Lab. I think she will be very happy with âMojoâ, as at 4 months old, he is already going after a dumbbell, holding it, and bringing it to her without dropping it.
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