It is most important to establish exactly what the fee for the puppy includes and what it does not include, and when the new puppy can be taken to its new home.

Most purebred puppies will have a pedigree certificate and possibly a registration transfer form if they are registered with the Kennel Club. A vaccination certificate will also be available if protective injections have been given.

It is absolutely crucial to know exactly what injections have been given and what remain to complete the course of vaccination. If there is any doubt at all, it will have to be assumed that the puppy is not protected by any vaccinations.

It does not take a great deal of skill to notice if a puppy is bursting with health or is looking very sick. It may however, look and act as if it were very uncomfortable if picked up by a stranger. Its mother may react in an anxious way as well. So it is best to examine puppies without their mother there and without too much manipulation.

It is most important to ignore all excuses intended as ‘explanations’ of a puppy’s poor appearance. If there is some doubt, a puppy said to be a little ‘off color’ can be seen another day. If it is not quite right then, it is best avoided. It is wise for the new owner to give the proposed new addition to the household a thorough check before the purchase is finalized.

It is not always the best strategy to go for the most forward puppy unless that is the type wanted as an adult. Equally it is a mistake to pick out one which cowers in a corner and is not well socialized with its litter-mates.

Above all, it is very unwise to select a puppy out of pity. Simply feeling sorry for a weakly individual is a recipe for a life of continuous problems for many years.

The last item to check is what the puppy has been fed on since it was weaned. A detailed account of the diet is most useful, even if a quite different regime is planned for the rest of its life. Sudden changes of diet are likely to cause digestive upsets, so any new feeding plan needs to be introduced slowly. It is best to find out about feeding methods from the local veterinary surgeon when other matters such as vaccination, worming and neutering are discussed.

All documentation should be available when the puppy is collected. Beware of paperwork which will be ’sent on’. It is wise to get such promises in writing or at least to leave a stamped, addressed envelope to improve the chances of this happening. Don’t risk being fooled.

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