What to ask yourself and the breeder:
All of our dogs are secured with a deposit of £100
- Can I see the puppies with their mum?: Be sure mum is a nice, friendly dog because temperament can be inherited. She might be defensive of her puppies so take that into account. If you’re not allowed to see them together, it might be that they’re not really her puppies!
All of our new puppy owners will meet the mother of their puppy, and if the father is available he will be shown too, if not the new puppy owner will be shown pictures' and told where the stud dog resides.
- How old are the puppies?: They must be at least seven to eight weeks old to leave their mother.
None of our puppy's leave until they are eight weeks old to ensure they have had the best start possible.
- Are the puppies weaned?: At seven weeks they should be fully weaned. If they are not, they could be younger than the breeder claimed.
- All of our mothers let us know when their puppies are ready to be weaned, and this is at seven weeks.
- How old is mum? : She should be over a year old, but not obviously very old.
- All of our bitches are within the Northern Inuit regulations.
- How many litters has mum had? : It is against the law to breed a bitch more than six times in her lifetime. If the breeder breeds frequently they are required to have a licence.
None of our bitches breed over the Northern Inuit guidelines. Here at Full Moon we only breed occasionally to ensure we breed quality rather than quantity
- Have the puppies been wormed? : All puppies have worms at birth. Worming should start with the breeder at about two weeks old, be repeated every two weeks and be continued by you.
- All of our puppies are wormed at two weeks old then again two weeks after, and so forth.
- Have the puppies had any vaccinations? If so, when is the next dose
due? : Puppies should be vaccinated at 6-9 weeks of age and then again at 10-12 weeks. They will become fully protected two weeks after the second vaccination. You will need to do this if the breeder has not. - We aim to vaccinate at 7 weeks.
- Does the puppy look healthy – clean eyes, ears and bottom? : If the puppy is unwell, collect him another day. If he’s still ill then, do not take him and try another breeder.
- All of our puppies are given the best start we can possibly provide and if they for any reason become unwell they are taken to the vet and for obvious reasons they are then not for sale.
- What should I feed my puppy? Do you have a diet sheet to take away? : A good breeder will give you enough food to continue exactly the same diet for a couple of days. They should also give you a diet sheet that shows how feeding should change as your puppy grows.
- A full detailed sheet is given to all new puppy owners, explaining what to expect within the first few days of having a puppy, what to feed them and how to care for them. Also a bag of food will be provided ensuring the puppy's strict diet is adhered to.
- What sort of socialisation or experiences has my puppy had so far? : Puppies should preferably be raised in a home environment with all the noise and through traffic of a normal home. Those raised in kennels away from the house will need more intensive socialisation training to ensure they can cope with daily life as a pet. If puppies have already met other dogs, domestic animals and people they will have more confidence than those that have not.
- All of our puppies are brought up in a loving home, they have free run of the puppy room (our utility room) and they have family contact daily, after the vaccinations they are introduced to the other animals.
- Can I return the puppy if there are any healthy problems? : You should take your new puppy to a vet for a health check within 48 hours. A good breeder will offer to take the puppy back at any point should you be unable to keep him.
It is also suggested by the Northern Inuit Society that puppy's for any reason the owner is unable to keep them will be returned to the breeder, we also let our puppy owners know that we expect that this will happen what ever the age of the dog.
- Is the puppy Northern Inuit Society registered? : If so, make sure you are given the registration certificate and pedigree when you pick up your puppy. You should also get some free vet insurance for the first few weeks.
- A four week free vet insurance is available to all of our puppy owners.
- When can I take the puppy home? : It is absolutely essential to see the puppies with their mother. Some unscrupulous people claiming to be breeders might in fact be dealers who have bought the pups in. They are likely to be poorly bred, might be ill and are usually too young to leave their exhausted, ill-treated mothers. If they survive, these puppies rarely make good pets, and you will be fuelling this cruel trade where money is the priority and welfare of the dog is ignored.
- It is of the upmost importance that our puppy's go to the best home we can find and will only go to the best, we will refuse to sell to anyone who does not understand the breed or is totally unsuitable for the puppy.
Remember:
NEVER buy from a pet shop- AVOID anywhere advertising more than three different breeds
- DO NOT buy a puppy if you have any doubts about the breeder or
situation – even if you want to rescue it.
due? : Puppies should be vaccinated at 6-9 weeks of age and then again at 10-12 weeks. They will become fully protected two weeks after the second vaccination. You will need to do this if the breeder has not.
situation – even if you want to rescue it.
Buying an older dog
Ask for all the paperwork relating to the dog to make sure it isn't stolen : All paper work will be available for all of our older dogs, but on occasions restrictions on the paper work will be given. As all the older dogs will go to pet homes only.
Go for a walk with the dog to be certain it hasn't any obvious structural problems and to see how it reacts to other outside influences (you don't want to be taking on a problem)
This is encouraged as it will be down to the dog and potential owner to make the initial connection.
Spend at least an hour with the dog
Again this is encouraged, we do try to encourage longer as then the dog and potential owner have time to get to know each other a little.
Play with it to see how it reacts when aroused.
All of our dogs are different and play is encouraged as it shows the dog at it heightened state.
Guarding instincts are going to be of paramount importance to you, check this carefully.
No Northern Inuit dogs are guard dogs and will not protect, they are more likely to submit in times of stress.
The owner can tell you anything, it is down to you to test the dog to see if it will suit you.
This I don't agree with as we know our dogs in and out and will tell the potential owner all we know, time will be encouraged so the dog and potential owner can be left on their own.
One thing we have learnt by owning Northern Inuit Dogs they have a knack of choosing their own owners, so yes its sad to say but we are owned by many, but would not change it for the world.