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documents will come home with your puppy. A good breeder will make sure all puppies have a full veterinary health check and are microchipped, vaccinated and treated for worms and fleas before they are sold, and will provide you with records of these treatments.
Watch how the puppies and the adult dogs in the home behave — are they friendly with people and other dogs? A good breeder will make sure the puppies and breeding dogs are friendly and well-socialised.
    If the breeder is reluctant for you to visit, or wants you to meet the puppy in another place, find another breeder. Puppy farms will often use a house as a ‘shop front’ so you don’t get to see the poor conditions they breed dogs in. Don’t buy a puppy from a pet shop or through an internet or newspaper advertisement without being able to visit its home, as you can’t check out the conditions in which the puppy was bred or know where it came from.
    PUPPY FARMS
    A puppy mill or puppy farm is a mass-production facility that breeds puppies for profit. The puppies and their mothers are often kept in very poor conditions. Breeding animals may be continually mated and kept with their puppies in cages and never allowed out to exercise, play, have companionship or even go to the toilet. Puppies born in puppy farms often have long-term health and behavioural problems as a result of poor housing conditions, poor maternal nutrition and a lack of adequate socialisation during the crucial first few weeks of life.
3. IS THE BREEDER GENUINELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE WELFARE OF THEIR DOGS?
    Good breeders want the best for all their animals, from new puppies to retired breeding dogs. They take steps to ensure this by providing detailed advice to new owners about how to care for their puppy, and don’t have old breeding dogs put down because they’re no longer productive.
Ask the breeder what happens to their retired breeding animals — are they kept or rehomed?
If the breed you’ve chosen was traditionally docked, what is the breeder’s view on tail docking? (Routine tail docking of puppies is no longer legal in Australia.)
If you are not intending to breed from your puppy, the breeder should provide advice on desexing (unless your puppy has been desexed already).
    You should be provided with information on diet, socialisation, registration and identification requirements, and any medications or vaccinations given or required in the future.
4. IS THE BREEDER OPEN TO QUESTIONS AND DO THEY PROVIDE A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE PUPPY?
    Good breeders want to make sure you are well-informed about your new puppy and will provide information on the background, size, breed and temperament of his parents. They are willing to answer questions and allow inspection of records and paperwork such as registration documents and veterinary records. A breeder who refuses to answer reasonable questions probably has something to hide.
5. DOES THE BREEDER MAKE SURE YOU WILL SUIT THE PUPPY AND THE PUPPY WILL SUIT YOU?
    A new puppy is a long-term commitment, so both you and the breeder need to be certain you are making the right decision. A good breeder will ask you questions to make sure this is the right puppy for you and that you’re able to care for it properly.
    For example, they might ask:
if you have children or other animals in the household,
where your puppy will be sleeping, and
how often it will be left on its own.
    They should also tell you what to expect from the breed, such as how suitable it is for families and how much space and exercise is needed. If you’re at all uncomfortable with what you are told, you might want to consider another breed.
6. IS YOUR PUPPY BRED TO BE A PET AND FREE FROM KNOWN INHERITED DISORDERS?
    Different breeds are predisposed to different inherited disorders or diseases. Some of these aren’t apparent until later in a dog’s life but can have devastating consequences. Some breeds also have exaggerated features that can cause problems, like a squashed-in