I want to get a dog but I have to work, how does everyone on broadway market do it ?

Haha. Couldn't put my finger on the smell before. Thanks for solving.

Loads in our road and Comet gets very excited whenever he sees one and really tries to go for them. They tend to leave us alone and make a exit when they see him but are generally unfazed. He chased one out of the garden once but it was injured so that may have made it more cautious. Certainly no issues with being followed. Heaven know what would happen if he slipped the lead.

Bumping from prev page - anyone, before we go to Freecycle?

We have an unused Weatherbeeta Fleece in black (55cm/22") is anyone wants it for frees:

https://www.weatherbeeta.co.uk/weatherbe­eta-fleece-zip-dog-coat

SE16 or post.

We’ve also had to have a minor toy re-stock/upgrade.

She loves soft toys (we have a duck that quacks and a stegosaurus) but I can’t find any that last more than 5 minutes and I can’t bring myself to treat them as consumable

1 Attachment

Awesome doggos. Our search for a GSP pup has escalated quickly and we’re in dialogue with a breeder in Wales who has a lovely looking bitch puppy. Thing is, she was apparently previously reserved, then the guy bailed to she’s 14 weeks. That’s older than we thought we wanted in order to get settled with us and start socialising and training etc. Anybody got a view on whether that could be an issue? We had a video call today and the pup was very chilled on the sofa, letting their 1yo human crawl all over it which is a good sign because we have small humans too.

Other thing of concern is they said she’s registered but the paperwork hasn’t come yet because the kennel club are very busy and she would send it through after. Both parents are available for inspection and I’ve asked to look at their paperwork.

All looks legit but I watched that BBC thing about puppy farms and on guard now massively, could always go check it out and walk away but it’s 4 hour drive...

at 14 weeks you only have 2-3 weeks left to get them socialised properly (we missed doing enough of this because of lockdown and now she is quite shy with people and can be defensive)

Absolutely check the paper work, do they have any specific genetic test regimes for GSPs? There is a test in spaniels to check for genetric retinal dysplasia.

I'd say you absolutely have to visit them to be fully confident and be content with walking away if something isn't right.

14 weeks is no problem, the breeder might be. Never, but never, buy a pup without meeting the breeder and the pup, you wouldn't adopt a kid without meeting the bugger first. The papers are not negotiable, they really need to be there unless the breeder wants to accept a fraction of the asking price. As a born cynic, I always work on the basis that the pup's parents could just be two dogs the breeder chooses to show you. Judge the breeder when you can actually look them in the eye, then decide whether you would buy a second hand moped from them. Be prepared to walk away, I did from a breeder in North Yorkshire, the last pup I bought (all my current ones have a parent belonging to me) was from Gainsborough in Lincs. I live on the South Coast.

I don't want to be negative, if everyone listened to the above, no dog would ever be rescued and no retired greyhound would have a happy life.

Thank you @Colin_the_Bald and @mcmyk

They are asking top money. There are a couple of things that we’re not entirely comfortable with, perhaps better to wait until we find one where everything’s spot on.

Thank you also to whoever recommended Ian Dunbar’s book. It’s absolutely excellent and we did NOT know most of that stuff!

@Olly398 looks like you've answered your own question.

I'd be concerned about buying from a breeder I didn't know at the moment. I reckon bitches are being bred relentlessly to meet the demand from people now working from home, and prices are crazy - £3,500 for a staffy, £1,500 for a patterdale, £2,5oo for a lab, £3,200 for a daschund...

Thanks Marky... yep that kinda money.

Worth noting also that any breeder breeding more than 2 litters per year is required to be inspected and licensed by the Kennel Club. This has been in place since October 2018.

I'd be suspicious of any breeder who isn't licensed.

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/dog-breeding/dog-breeding-regulation/
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/486/pdfs/uksi_20180486_en.pdf

This fella was a freebie

1 Attachment

Odie was bought (not by us - original owner had him for a week before we took him) from a 'breeder' of unknown provenance. I personally wouldn't have bought him from them, as there was no paperwork or anything. They met the mother (black GSD, which does make sense) but not the father (I'm fairly sure now that the father wasn't a Malinois, like they said).

I think they paid £1,500, which seems a lot for a dog with absolutely zero concrete info along with it!

I was happy to take a mystery dog as he needed a home that wasn't a small flat where he'd spend most of the day alone, but I feel like rescuing (although im reluctant to call what we did that) a dog is a bit different.

A good breeder that meets Kennel Club guidelines will always make it clear to you if you buy one of their dogs and can no longer keep it, for whatever reason, they will take it back from you and rehome it at any point during the dogs life.

It was stipulated in the contract we signed with Otto's breeder.

He's lovely, a rescue?

We're looking at a rescue Staff from overseas atm but i'm on the fence as she's 4 and has had a rough life. I know you have a few, have you ever taken on an older dog with issues?

Thanks, he’s the only one I have at the moment. I rehomed him directly from someone who had to give him up rather than through a rescue. He was only 18-20 weeks when I got him and was very easy to socialise. An older staffy, even with a difficult background, can be a joy.

He looked like this when I got him

1 Attachment

Those eyes!

Couldn’t really say no, could I?

As someone who has fallen foul of this sort of thing, treat everything that cannot be proved as bullshit. If you don't feel 100% confident I'd back out. Be patient and look local so it's less of a kick in the teeth if you have to walk away.

👍

Our dog was 2 when we got him and was notably aggressive. Took a couple of months to train him out of it. He’s still not really a dog park dog but that’s more a breed thing than anything.

Has anyone actually done one of those dog dna tests?

I saw (whatever the main home test kit you can buy is called) on sale for about £40 and was tempted

My partner did it with our rescue (without sending them a photo, as that's what the shysters ask for). Came out as mostly Belgian shepherd and border collie, and that seems pretty accurate, looking at her.

Why do they want the photo?

I wonder if Odies something similar. Pretty sure he’s not GSD/BSD - he’s just so much smaller!