How not to buy a chihuahua. How to spot a puppy-farm chihuahua

Once you have made the decision to buy a chihuahua puppy, the next step is to decide where you are going to get your puppy from. The options are numerous and sometimes confusing. Most people turn their attention online and start their puppy search with the phrase ‘chihuahua puppies for sale’. But how do you know the results that come up aren’t a puppy farm (mill in the US) or an unscrupulous back-street breeder.

Chihuahua puppies are big business and a target breed for puppy farms and backstreet breeders.

Here are 10 Tips to Help you Spot a Puppy-Farm Chihuahua

You should never be expected to pay for your puppy until you have seen it. Even a reserve deposit. The chances are you will not receive the puppy you think you have ‘purchased’, just the nearest one that fits the look of the puppy in the photo. This is a clear indicator that the site is a front for a farm and your chi will be a puppy-farm chihuahua.

Boutique websites often use stock images to entice the buyer. This is easy to research by cutting and pasting the image.

The breeder is out of town

Puppy farms are less likely to be situated in a built-up area as the noise and odour is likely to attract attention.

Taken to a viewing area

One website we looked at made a point of telling you how you could bond with your puppy in a customer viewing area. But you should always be able to meet the parents of your chihuahua puppy. If they can’t show you the parents and where the puppy is kept then don’t buy the puppy. This can be easier said than done when you have a tiny cute puppy in your hands. The breeders know this and put you under pressure with sales talk. Red flag puppy-farm chihuahua.

Regular advertiser

Not vaccinated, wormed, micro-chipped or insured.

It is all about profit so the puppies will not have had their shots or likely to be microchipped. The breeder should microchip the puppies and then transfer the details to your address. Some breeders insure your puppy free of charge for a short time period. It is now law in the UK for all dogs to be microchipped before 12 weeks unless they are too small to do this safley. You should also be given vaccination papers that will also show the vet. Don’t be shy to check them out and come back for the puppy later.

You need to make sure your puppy is as healthy as possible.

They don’t ask about you!

A responsible breeder should care where the puppies are going and should ask you a lot of questions before agreeing to sell you a chihuahua puppy. I have a friend who will simply refuse to sell a puppy if she is unsure of the buyer.

No contract in place

A responsible breeder may ask you to sign a contract to stipulate terms of sale and most importantly that compels the buyer to return the puppy if they want to give up the puppy or rehome it.

Happy to sell under 8 weeks

Selling the puppies before they are ready to leave their mum increases the profit, but is bad for the puppy. Recent changes to the UK law stipulate it is illegal to sell a puppy under 8 weeks either to the end user. A chihuahua should not leave their mum until they are around 12 weeks.

Make claims about size, colour and temperament

You cannot guarantee the colour of a chihuahua, they can and do change colour when their adult coat comes through. Minnie was blue as a puppy and is now fawn wolfie. With size, even if the parents of the puppy have been marketed as teacup or small, that does not mean the puppy is going to be small and temperament comes down to life experience and genetics. There is no such thing as a teacup chihuahua. It’s just a marketing term to hoodwink buyers.

Ask the name of their vet

It might seem an odd thing to do, asking for the name of their vet and we are not suggesting you interrogate the vet, but a responsible breeder won’t mind you asking and will have a local vet that can be looked up and a quick confirmation made.

Trust your instincts

If it looks like a fish, smells like a fish, then it’s a fish. If you come across a farm or bad breeder it might be tempting to buy the dog anyway to rescue him. This is understandable but sadly creates a continuous market. You could also be buying a host of health issues and vet bills as these puppies will be in poor health and inbred. Report them to the local authorities if you are worried.

Changes to the UK law

In the UK, the law has been tightened on breeders and sellers and if they have more than 3 litters for sale a year then they must be registered with the local authority and will be inspected. Ask to see their registration papers.

You can find out more about the new laws from the .Gov website.