There are many sites on the internet that can tell you how not to get ripped off when buying a purebred puppy on the internet or off.
They all have good information on how to ensure that the quality of the puppy you're paying for is the puppy you get and how to maximize your chances of getting a healthy puppy.
Ultimately it is up to you to do the research on the particular breed you are looking for.
Will this breed fit into your lifestyle?What kind of genetic problems and health problems is this breed prone to? What kinds of guarantees are offered if these problems should occur?Nearly every reputable breeder will offer a guarantee against genetic based health problems and a limited guarantee on the immediate health of the puppy.
It is up to you to do the follow up.
In addition to that and every bit as important is what goes into making a stable happy puppy that you can live with.
The imprinting that is done on a puppy in the first eight weeks of a puppy's life is absolutely critical.
Ideally, you want to be in contact with the breeder even before the puppies are born to find out what his or her goals and priorities are for the breeding program.
Is it conformation, health, intelligence or temperament?For many professional breeders it is not unusual to ship a female halfway across the country to be bred to a stud that has traits he or she wants introduced into the bloodline.
Not having the male on site should not be a deal breaker but the breeder should be able to tell you why she wanted that particular stud in her breeding program.
If you are looking for a family pet, health and temperament should be your first priorities.
Next, you need to find out how these puppies will be cared for in the first eight weeks.
Will they be raised inside the home around adults and children and everyday activities?(This is the ideal.
)Or, will they be kept in outside kennels?Both of these situations are acceptable if certain conditions are met.
First, the puppies should have interaction with people on a daily basis.
If your puppy is going to be raised around children it would be very beneficial if the puppies had regular interaction with children.
There should be different floor surfaces i.
e.
carpet around the puppies' sleeping area and linoleum or cement near that where the puppies learn to relieve themselves.
This speeds up the housebreaking process when your puppy comes home.
When the puppies begin eating solid food there should be plenty of dishes of food available to avoid developing "food aggression".
Once food aggression becomes ingrained in the first eight weeks it is usually a lifetime management issue.
The puppies should have access to lots of toys so they learn to use their teeth on things other than littermates or people.
This makes it much easier to redirect that early play nipping and biting that can be so painful.
Another very, very important but often overlooked point is that people should be able to handle the puppies with the mother in the room.
If she does not trust humans with her babies she could very well imprint that fear of humans onto her offspring.
It could also be a genetic trait which is even more difficult to deal with.
While you may be able to get that puppy to trust you it will probably take a tremendous effort to get him to trust people outside of his immediate family.
And I would never trust him with children outside of the immediate family.
If you are buying the puppy locally say, within a few hours away, load up the family and go see the puppy at least a couple of times before you bring him home.
That way you can see first hand that the proper conditions are being met and the puppy is a little familiar with you before you take him home.
I even recommend that people leave a smelly tee shirt or sweatshirt behind to get the puppy familiar with his new family.
I don't know how much it actually helps but it sure can't hurt.
If you are buying a puppy online the breeder should be able to send weekly photos and updates on your puppy via e-mail.
Many also have a website you can log into for more information.
I definitely recommend the smelly sweatshirt thing here, one for use in the dog bed and one to be put in the crate for the trip to his new home.
With all that said, between seven and nine weeks your puppy will be ready to make the trip to his new home, your home!Congratulations! 60% of dogs in shelters today are there because of behavior problems.
90-95% of them could have been fixed if the owners knew how.
Don't let it get that far!Consult a trustworthy professional trainer.