What to look for in a breeder?

I have purchased several puppies of different breeds. Sometimes I have been very happy with my transaction, other times, I was quite mystified that the so called “breeder” was allowed to be in business.

A couple of things I look for:

Are they willing to take the time to talk with me, e-mail me, send me papers? If not, I will no longer buy from you!

Do they have a lot of positive customer comments? Do they GET ANY positive comments?

Are all the papers in order?

Do they offer a health guarantee? If not, I won’t buy from you either!

Are they willing to treat my puppy like their own!?

Is the puppy well socialized with kids, other animals, other people? My friend purchased a puppy from a breeder, and she was horrified to find that when she brought the dog home, the puppy was so scared of everything and everyone. It was almost as if she was whelped, and raised in a dark room with no one around. Not what I would call professional, or healthy!

One time I purchased a lhasa apso puppy when it was three weeks old. So, naturally, I couldn’t take the puppy home until it reached it’s 7 week birthday. However, while I waited for my puppy to mature, the breeder continued to socialize my puppy, train my puppy, and they even took pictures of my puppy so I could see how cute he was, and watch him grow. He was a great puppy. Very healthy, and obviously well socialized. I couldn’t have been happier with the whole experience. That’s the kind of people I want to work with.