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caninebreeder.co.uk is a directory. Breeders write their own listings, and we do not sell puppies, take deposits or handle payments. We check some breeder documents (see How we verify), but nothing we do replaces the checks below. Please read them before you contact, visit or pay anyone.
1. See the puppy with its mother, where it was born
Always visit the breeder’s premises and see the puppy interacting with its mother and littermates. This is the single best way to avoid puppy farms and dealers. In England, licensed breeders may not show you a puppy without its mother, and since April 2020 only the breeder may sell a puppy under six months (Lucy’s Law). Scotland and Wales have similar bans on third-party sales. If the seller offers to meet at a service station, deliver the puppy or send it by courier, walk away. Our Listing rules ban those offers.
Ask to visit more than once if you can, and ask to see where the puppies sleep, eat and play.
2. Never pay a deposit before viewing
Do not pay anything, including a “holding deposit”, until you have seen the puppy with its mother in person. Scammers copy photos from genuine adverts, collect deposits by bank transfer and disappear. If you do later pay a deposit, get a written receipt stating what it is for and when it is refundable, and pay by a method that gives you some protection rather than cash or cryptocurrency.
3. Check the breeder’s licence
Whether a breeder needs a licence depends on where they are:
- England: anyone breeding three or more litters in twelve months, or breeding as a business, needs a licence from their local council under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. The advert must show the licence number and the council’s name. Many councils publish registers; if not, ring the licensing team and ask them to confirm the number, name and address.
- Scotland: a licence from the local authority is required for three or more litters a year under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021.
- Wales: a licence from the local authority is required under the Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) (Wales) Regulations 2014.
- Northern Ireland: dog breeding establishments are licensed by the district council under the Welfare of Animals (Dog Breeding Establishments and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013, and every dog in Northern Ireland must also have an individual dog licence from the council.
A breeder who does not need a licence should be able to explain why (for example one or two litters a year from family pets). A breeder who should have a licence but does not is breaking the law.
4. Eight weeks minimum
A puppy must not leave its mother before eight weeks old. If a seller offers to let a puppy go earlier, or the puppy looks too small or young for the age claimed, do not proceed. Ask for the date of birth and count the weeks yourself.
5. Microchip
By law the breeder must microchip the puppy before it is eight weeks old and register themselves as the first keeper. When you collect the puppy, take the microchip number and the name of the database, and transfer the registration to your name as soon as you get home. A seller who says “you can chip it yourself” is breaking the law.
6. Use the Puppy Contract
The Puppy Contract is a free document produced by the Animal Welfare Foundation and the RSPCA (puppycontract.org.uk). The breeder fills in details about the puppy, its parents, health tests, worming and vaccinations, and both of you sign a sale contract. Good breeders welcome it. A breeder who refuses to put anything in writing is a warning sign.
7. Ask about health tests
Many breeds have recommended or required health tests for the parents, such as BVA/KC hip and elbow scores, eye tests and breed-specific DNA tests. The Royal Kennel Club publishes health testing priorities for each breed, and breed clubs can advise. Ask to see the original certificates for both parents, check that the names and microchip numbers match the dogs in front of you, and be wary of the phrase “vet checked”, which is not a health test.
8. Ask questions, and expect questions back
Ask why the litter was bred, how many litters the mother has had, what the puppies have been fed, how they have been socialised, and what happens if things do not work out. A responsible breeder will ask you just as many questions about your home and lifestyle, and may keep a waiting list rather than sell to the first caller.
9. Spot the scams and warning signs
- Offers of delivery, couriers or meeting away from the breeder’s home.
- Pressure to pay quickly, or a price well below the going rate.
- Photos that appear elsewhere online (use a reverse image search).
- Several different breeds available from one seller.
- Bank transfers to a name that does not match the seller’s.
- Sudden extra fees after payment, such as “insurance” or “vaccination” charges.
- Puppies described as imported, or with cropped ears. Ear cropping is illegal in the UK, and dogs of a type banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, including the XL Bully, cannot be sold or given away.
- Tail-docked puppies of breeds that are not exempt working types, or docked puppies without a vet’s certificate.
- Any excuse for why you cannot see the mother.
10. Paperwork to take home
Microchip number and database details, vaccination record, worming and flea treatment dates, kennel club registration papers if applicable, copies of the parents’ health test certificates, the signed Puppy Contract, and a receipt.
11. If something goes wrong
- Report the listing to us using the Report button or Reporting content, complaints and appeals. We aim to remove rule-breaking adverts within 12 working hours.
- Report fraud to Action Fraud (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or Police Scotland.
- Report welfare concerns to the licensing team at the council named in the advert, and to the RSPCA, Scottish SPCA or USPCA.
- For consumer advice, contact the Citizens Advice consumer service (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland or Consumerline (Northern Ireland).
- Contact your bank straight away if you have paid a scammer.