Things to look out for when buying a new puppy

Puppy mills- puppy mills are unethical they breed dogs purely for profit. Puppies bought from a puppy mill are likely to be unsocialized and may have temperament problems, as well as medical problems. Buying a puppy from a puppy mill supplies the cash to keep the puppy mill going. So if your tempted to buy a puppy mill puppy out of sympathy, don't you will be responsible for providing the profits to keep the mill going.
Puppy mills often try to disguise themselves as responsible breeders, as they know any other way the potential buyer would run a mile. To spot a potential puppy mill look out for people who have a large number of puppies available, remember an average chi litter is only about 3 pups. Also be wary if they also sell other breeds of dogs. When you go to visit the puppy ask to see the parents, the sire may have bin a stud but there is no excuse for not being able to show you the dam.

When meeting puppy and parent(s)- Be wary if the pups and dam seem overly timid or aggressive, its normal for the dam to be wary when you first enter the house. Check to see how the dam is with the owner, if she is timid or aggressive even with them, then its usually a very bad sign, remember puppy mill dogs are often kept in cages with little socialization.
With the puppies check for sign of bad health, check for fleas, runny eyes or discharge in the ears. Use your nose too, as you will be able to tell from this how the puppies are kept, and if the puppies smell too nice (eg shampoo) then also be suspicious as there is usually no need to wash young puppies.

check the living quarters Ask to see where the puppies are kept, lots of cages, smell and dirt obviously a very bad sign. However do not be put off if the dam is kept in a cage/crate with the pups, as chihuahuas are often crate trained and kept there for their own safety

Ask questions and expect questions in return- a good breeder will know there stuff and should be able to answer all your questions.
Things you should ask the breeder include-
-What age are the willing to let the puppies go?-be wary of any one selling pups below the age of 10 weeks.
-Will the puppies be wormed and vaccinated?- the puppies should have bin wormed and also possible have had their first vaccination. The breeder should tell you when you should next worm and vaccinate the puppy.
-How is the breeder socializing the puppies?- early its normal for the pups to remain only with the dam, but then the breeder should take steps to socialize the puppies with humans.
-Ask the breeder about themselves- how long have they been breeding? how may litters a year do they have, how many dogs do they own?, be wary of signs of a puppy mill
A good breeder will want to ask you question, if they care about their puppies they'll care who gets them.

Buying puppies on the Internet- People who are desperately seeking a puppy can get over excited when they think they've found one, which makes them a good target for con artists. Remember you don't actually know anything about the person, they could have given you a false name and address and could easily disappear when you give them a deposit or actually pay for the pup. These people will usually want to ship the pups, so that you have to pay first.

Please ad to this post any other advice you have, aswell as any cons, puppymils or bad breeders out there that you are aware of

Edited 1/14/2010 to add a few good links to check out
http://www.phouka.com/dogs/bdr_irres.html
http://www.phouka.com/dogs/bdr_questions.html
http://www.phouka.com/dogs/bdr_owner.html

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thats great mia.. THANKS
Also watch out for people trying to raise the price on a pup by calling it a TEACUP, RARE, HANDBAG PUP, DESIGNER DOG, and all those other fancy words just to sell a chi at a higher price to a vunerable buyer who hasnt rersearched the breed and our desperate for a pup.

Well darn, i guess Jolie came from a puppy mill. This lady is in her 50's and she takes care of her invalid mother who had Alzheimer's. The puppy business is her income. There were 3 dogs loose in the yard when i arrived the day i got Jolie. All were different breeds. One was a pit bulldog who was a little shy but friendly. One was a miniature gray hound and i don't remember what the other was but not chi. There was a long hair chi in the house and the g-hound came in when we went inside. Right by the front door was a small building with a small fenced area out the front. There were about 10 chis who came out of the building to bark at me. The building did have a air conditioner in the window. They all looked healthy though.
There was an old dairy barn close by and i suspect that's where most of her dogs are housed although i didn't ask. The puppy i came to see was already in the house, cleaned up and smelling good. i knew right away that puppy was not the personality i was looking for plus she just didn't look like her pic and i asked to see #4, then #1,,,,i ended up looking at all the pups in the litter except the male (there were 4 females) I knew right away that Jolie was the one. Jolie hadn't been bathed and they bathed her for me. We went over her shot record, worming record and what she had been feeding her. She gave me enough food to last until could buy some and told me if i wanted to change her food how to go about it without upsetting Jolie's tummy. She showed me the exact puppy shot Jolie had been given and i wrote down the information. She explained that she didn't usually let puppies go until 8 weeks but she guessed it would be ok. (Jolie was actually 7wks 2 days) I took Jolie the following Monday to my vet for a "well puppy" check up. She had no worms and was perfect in all ways, I.E. no hernias.

Other things: She has several different breeds of puppies for sale. I didn't see any of them but i know because i've seen her ad. Neither of Jolie's parents were available for me to see. She said that they both belong to her son and he had already taken them back to his home. She also told me(because i asked) that her son would not be breeding the female back to the same male next time. It made me think that she possibly bought this litter from an individual to resale but of course i don't know that. All in all, i am being selfish when i say that i'm glad she had Jolie and i was able to find her, no matter the circumstances because i love this little girl like you would not believe. I love her like a child, my child. There is one puppy left in that litter for sale and i emailed the seller telling her how much i loved Jolie and noticed she still had one that had not been bought by someone. I went on to say that i wished i could buy her and bring her home to love but that i just couldn't afford another puppy but that i hoped she would get a home soon. The lady emailed me back and said the puppy will probably sell, but if she doesn't, then they will just make a breeder out of her. That just makes me sad and i think about that puppy every day and go to the site where she is to see if she's still there. poor little baby.

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Cindie

http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=190294
http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=190345

ow thats terrible, at least your little Jolie is in a safe and loving home with you! Its terrible when you hear stories about dogs being in barns and stuff
My breeder is 80 years old, though I dont beleive it for one minute because it just cant be possible she doesnt act/look it or anything, but anyway Ill take her word for it. She has 15 chis but will not have no more as the I asked her why she didnt want to keep a boy from the litter and she said OW NO I cant have anymore I have more than enough. She not over crowded and all dogs are kept in her home, its well kept and not messy at all. She only keeps the really little pups (hence why she has so many chis now) unless they are going to great home. Some people say a lady that breeds and has 15 chis must be a puppy mill/farm but shes not, if your in her home you can honestly see they are her babies as she has no family/friends. She told me she gets NO PROFIT and breeds to improve the breed and for the love of the breed. Usually her 6lb female has about 2 pups and the ceserian on her female if her pelvis is too small costs about the price of chi pup with all the care ect... She has one papillion and one pekinese aswell but no other breeds and they are not bred.
I wish though their was inspectors that secretly went out and inspected all suspected puppy mills and farms especially people who advertise off of the internet, Its such a big world and you never know who these people your buying off are. Im so glad Jolie is doing well with you!

thanks mia
thats great advice for beginner like me im hopefully getting puppy chi in feb march time so i will know what to look out for
brillient
jo
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FINALLY GOT MY BABY HER NAME IS KIA MY LITTLE KIA SO ADORABLE

http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=252232&j=t

Yes thats a great reminder to all of us that are searching for a little darling. Its a great reminder as one could be too eager to accept anything - especially around Christmas time.

Thanks for the heads up!

Thanks Mia. we all need to be so carefuul when buying pups. there are so many unwanted dogs in this world. there's no need for puppy mills.