Meeting the parents of the puppy

[YC]

I have read the discussions on "What to look for in a Breeder". One criteria is to consider visiting  the parents before picking the puppies which I totally agree, however, the breeders always mentioned that dogs are at guardian homes and can't be visited. 

If the breeders meet all the other requirements except the visitation part. How I can find out more about the parents without seeing them?

Thank you,

YC

[JACKS MOM LORIE ANN]

That's a good ?

Can't wait to read the answer...

Wish I could help.

[Stacy]

I am not a breeder/puppy picking expert... but my thought is that it might prove difficult to find a breeder that checks off every single box on that list. It's a great list - and a great thing to shoot for, but I don't think that there is an over-abundance of perfect breeders out there. 

If I had to make a compromise, I think not meeting the parents because they are in guardian homes might be the one I would want to make. I really love the idea of having the puppy parents be a cherished pet in someone's home and not just another kennel dog. Perhaps in lieu of meeting them you could speak with the guardian homes about their dogs and get current pictures and/or videos? Perhaps that's too much to ask of the guardian homes, but I personally would welcome any opportunity to talk about my own dogs. If I had a dog like that I don't think I would find it an inconvience to talk to a potential puppy parent about them. On the contrary, I think I would feel really good knowing how much the progeny of my dog was wanted and loved.

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Holy senior moment!! I just started answering your question by saying that we met our puppies' parents when we went to the puppy "meet 'n greet" when they were 6 weeks old. However, I'm pretty sure that's not what really happened. Truth is, our breeder had a series of web cams that she had set up in the various areas where the puppies lived during their time at the breeder's house. We could watch the puppies and mommies live from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Plus, the breeder posted frequent videos and weekly pictures to her Shutterfly page. So by the time we brought Desi and Cori home, we felt like we had actually MET the parents.

[Lisa & Sunny]

I did meet the parents of my puppy, but since the breeder is a three hour drive from where I live, that didn't happen until I had already made a deposit and was there to select a puppy.  It was reassuring to see that the parents are healthy and happy dogs with a good temperament, but it did not happen soon enough to help my decision process.  I agree that this should not be a deal breaker.  I was able to see photos of the parents posted on the breeder's website and Facebook pages; videos would be even better.  Incidentally, the breeder I worked with is just now starting to set up guardian homes for her breeding dogs too. 

[Leslie J]

The puppy should still be with his or her mother, so you should be able to meet her. The father could very well be in a guardian home and unavailable.

The breeder's reputation for healthy, well tempered pets helps.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Unfortunately, reputable breeders often sell their litters before they are even conceived, and certainly before they are born, so if the dam is with a guardian family, you wouldn't be able to meet her prior to giving a deposit. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

This wouldn't be a deal breaker.  Ideally it would be nice to meet at least the mother, but I doubt if it would be in any time frame to be able to back out.  I think you should most definitely see photos of both parents and their health certificates.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Yes, the breeder I work for has this issue--and it is much better for the breeding dogs to live with their forever families--but we often get requests to come meet our breeding dogs before deciding on a breeder---as if it were a store where they cold go look through the merchandise. If the breeder has a great reputation and you can ask for references from puppy owners, that is a enough in my opinion.

All of our puppy buyers meet the mom when they visit the pups at 6 weeks, but as someone else said, the dad is not around and they do not meet him--they just have to take my word for it when it comes to his temperament.

In addition, meeting the parents does not tell you that much about what the pup might be like--temperaments vary in a litter--and it also does not help if people want to be sure they won't be allergic to a puppy as that varies too.