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Experiences/advice for buying a puppy from interstate?


GreenLego
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I have been trying to purchase a pet miniature pinscher puppy locally (Brisbane) for the past 2 years, but there just aren't any local breeders here.

 

I've come to a point where I am considering purchasing the puppy interstate and have her flown here. But I am very hesitant to buy a dog sight unseen - for a dog I'd be spending the next 15+ years with.

 

Can any one who has gone through this process (i.e. bought a pet puppy interstate sight unseen) share their experiences? Any advice?

 

Thank you.

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As someone who purchased a pup interstate and as a breeder who has sold puppies interstate my advice is the same: search for a breeder that you can build a trusting relationship with. Be prepared to wait for the right pup. Unless you are really hung up on breed be open to another (I did not plan on a Dalmatian!!!) Don't be too fussy about gender or colour. Combine a holiday with a visit to the breeder and meet their dogs, spend lots of time getting to know them. A good breeder will test you as much as you test them. All my pups were sold before Em was even in season. My last 2 interstate pups went sight unseen and I spent a long time matching their personalities to their new homes. I have a great relationship with my Dalmatian's breeder after 11 years (plus 2 years of waiting) and nearly all of my puppy buyers stay in touch and give updates. They know I am there for support. 

 

ETA: I did fly to Canberra to select Ziggy at 5 weeks. I had pick of litter but that was much more about the relationship I had built with his breeders.

Edited by The Spotted Devil
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  • 2 months later...

I would say be very very careful.  I'm sure many people have positive experiences but unfortunately I'm not one of them. I spoke to another breeder from Dogzonline locally who did not have pups who recommended someone interstate (who is registered on Dogzonline and a registered breeder of the required state regulatory body). She presented a very professional front online on Facebook. Sent me photos of a puppy and copies of the supposed pedigree papers of the parents.  However she sent me a puppy that did not conform to regulations or standards and could never be given a pedigree paper i.e dam was less than 12 months and the sire was the father of the dam - direct line breeding that is  against regulations.  Finally when I pressured for the pedigree some months later (after being tipped off that I had been conned) she claimed she had accidentally sent me the 'wrong dog'. However I already had the story from another breeder as to what she had done and that it was quite intentional.  She did ask if I wanted to send the dog back, but of course I have an emotional connection to the pup now, despite it having some health issues, which I hope are not related to the inbreeding. She has recently given me some money back as 'hush money' I guess so I don't put in a formal complaint to the state regulatory body. I don't care about the money (but I'd rather it in my pocket than hers). I just wanted a well bred healthy dog with a loving temperament and was prepared to pay absolute top dollar.  I considered putting in a formal complaint to try and protect future buyers but it seems like a lot of paperwork and proof needed and even if I do manage to get her membership stopped she could still sell pups.  So there are no guarantees when you buy from interstate.  Even if you are local you may not know.  The only thing is to take your time and speak to lots of people to find out who the best breeders are and if you meet other dogs you like talk to the owners about their health and behavioural traits and ask where they came from.  The previous poster gave good advice.  Get to know the breeder as well as you can. Fly over. Meet the dam before she has a litter and hopefully have some time to observe her personality.  Ask lots of questions and ask if you can be put in touch with other owners of previous litters.  

 

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My experience in buying a dog interstate turned out to be the best ever. We were after a mini schnauzer and at the time there weren’t too many in Qld that we could find. We couldn’t get to see the pups but the breeder sent me photos and as I was the first to contact her we had pick of the litter. We chose our little girl Zena and couldn’t have asked for a better dog. Those who are regulars know we had to give her her wings last year but she honestly was a great girl. Great temperament and suited our family perfectly. 

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I have had mostly good and only a couple of bad experiences, generally I have done as much reasearch on the Breeder and their dogs as possible before even contacting them.

 

My choosen breed is poodles so over the years I have learnt which ones are (basically) registered puppy farmers and which ones are legit good breeders.

Look into what health testing is required for your chosen breed and make sure you see proof it is being done, don’t rely on a breeders word.

 

My worst experience was purchasing a 10 month old Samoyed that apparently wasn’t quite up to show standards, had him flown to Vic, within 24 hours knew something was wrong, booked him in the following week to be castrated and have his hips and knees xrayed.

He has such severe hip dysplasia  on both sides the vets advised us not to wake him up, he was pts on the spot.

I had done my research on the breeder but after much pushing found out the dog never belonged to her and she was just the go between to make it easier for the person to rehome him.

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I am one of the lucky ones.   But I had a fair knowledge of the breed, and of lines and breeders and I am a member of my breed club   , so that even when I bought a pup from a breeder I did not know personally, I had good connections, and good knowledge of the puppy's lines .. and more recently, had been watching the litter growing up, and seeing the parents at least on FB.

 

In the case of one of the puppies, the breeder rang me after the pups had their 6 week eye check (no DNA test available in those days (to say 'my' pup was CEA affected, and she would quite understand if I didn't want to go ahead, but also that they eye specialist was happy to talk with me on the  phone.   I knew enough, and had it confirmed by the eye specialist, that the pup would be perfectly suitable for what I wanted (as she would be desexed anyway) so I went ahead with the purchase (the breeder discounting the  price as she couldn't sell me the perfect puppy she was hoping to.)  That puppy went to have a lovely life and a wonderful performance career .. I farewelled her at a bit over 15, just last year.

 

Using the sort of principles that TSD spelt out, I have had 4 other very happy experiences purchasing from interstate breeders.  But research, personal recommendation, asking around breed clubs and so on will all help to make the experience a good one.

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I have two dogs of the same breed, one from an interstate breeder and the other from a local breeder. By far, the dog from the interstate breeder is better- she's healthier, has a better temperament and the whole experience was very positive. The local breeder.. suffice to say that the entire thing was pretty awful. At the end of the day, a good breeder is a good breeder, regardless of how far away they are. My next potential-maybe dog will be from an interstate breeder and this time, I asked direct questions and got direct answers, so I'm feeling very confident that everything will be good. 

 

Trouble is, figuring out a good breeder from a bad breeder is not always easy. Some less reliable breeders may say what you want to hear, or be deliberately vague in what's going on, or even outright lie. And in my experience, it can be hard to figure out, especially if someone is skilled with dishonesty. I suspect many potential puppy buyers are cowed into not getting the information they need, because breeders can simply refuse to sell them pups. With my locally bred dog, I didn't push for exact details because I didn't want to come across as a pushy/rude puppy buyer. And ultimately, we've paid (and are still paying) the price for that mistake. better to end up with no puppy at all, than risk being sold one who is totally incompatible with what you wanted. 

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The first thing to remember when buying either locally or interstate is, as has been said above, find a good breeder. I have never had any trouble myself but I have a huge national network of dog show friends that can help me suss out breeders.

You have done your research into what breed will suit you, now is your chance to research "what distinguishes a trustworthy breeder form an unethical one?"

I would also recommend that, as part of that process, you utilise one of your friends or family who live near one of your selected breeders to visit that breeder and (with the breeder's permission) send you phone videos of the breeder's dogs in their home environment. Those videos, together with their impressions of the breeder and how the dogs are kept should make up for you not being able to visit yourself.

 

Edited by RuralPug
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