Getting a puppy: what to know before you buy

Bringing a puppy home is one of the most exciting things you'll ever do, and it's also one of the easiest times to make a costly mistake. The UK's puppy trade has a well-documented dark side, and buyers who rush in under time pressure, or fall for a photo online, are the ones most likely to end up with a sick puppy, a broken-hearted family, or both.

None of this is meant to put you off. Most puppies bought in Britain go on to live long, happy lives with families who did their homework first. The difference between a smooth start and a heartbreaking one almost always comes down to slowing down: researching the breed, finding the right source, and knowing exactly what to check before any money changes hands.

This guide walks through everything to think about before you buy, from deciding whether now is the right time, to spotting a responsible breeder, to what the law actually requires. If you're still weighing up whether a dog is right for your household at all, our Pet Ownership Quiz is a good place to start.

Decide if now is genuinely the right time

A puppy is a ten-to-fifteen-year commitment, and the first twelve months are by far the most demanding. Before you start looking, be honest with yourself about three things: time, money and space.

Puppies need almost constant supervision in the early weeks, frequent toilet breaks, and short bursts of training throughout the day. If your household is out at work full-time with no one able to pop home, a puppy is going to struggle, and so will you. PDSA's guidance on getting a puppy stresses that prospective owners should think carefully about whether they have enough time to dedicate to a young dog before bringing one home, alongside whether they've budgeted properly for the costs involved and whether the home and garden are secure and suitable.

It's also worth having the whole household on board. A dog that one family member wanted and the rest tolerated tends to become everyone's problem within a few months. Talk it through as a family, agree who does the early walks, and check that everyone is genuinely willing, not just persuaded.

Choosing where to get your puppy from

There are three broad routes: a responsible breeder, a rescue organisation, or, for some breeds, a breed rescue charity that specialises in one type of dog. All three can work well, but they suit different circumstances.

If you're set on a specific breed as a puppy, going through a breeder means being genuinely selective. Dogs Trust's buyer advice is blunt about the risks of the online puppy trade, warning that adverts on social media and general classified sites are difficult for anyone to actively police, which makes them a magnet for people breeding puppies purely for profit with little regard for health or welfare.

The Kennel Club used to run an Assured Breeders scheme as a shortcut to finding vetted breeders, but that scheme closed at the end of December 2024. The Kennel Club found that only around five percent of the puppies it registered each year were coming from Assured Breeder members, and membership fees were putting some genuinely good breeders off joining. In its place, the Kennel Club is rolling out a "Find a Puppy" listings service that prioritises breeders who carry out recommended health testing, alongside a new Health Standard setting out what responsible breeding should look like for everyone, not just a paying scheme. If you're researching a breeder, it's still worth checking the Kennel Club's current guidance directly, since this system is evolving.

Rescue is well worth considering too, even if you have your heart set on a puppy specifically. Organisations like Dogs Trust, Battersea and the RSPCA regularly have young dogs and puppies looking for homes, and you'll usually get honest information about temperament and any known health issues up front, plus a charity that stays involved if things don't work out.

Never buy a puppy if you have any doubts at all about the breeder or the situation you're seeing. If something feels wrong, walk away.

That's the RSPCA's own advice, and it's worth holding onto even when you've fallen in love with a puppy's face on a screen.

Spotting a responsible breeder

A responsible breeder wants to interrogate you almost as much as you want to interrogate them. According to PDSA, a good breeder should be willing to answer every question in a Puppy Information Pack and happy to sign a Puppy Contract; if they refuse either, that's a clear signal to walk away.

Practical things to check when you contact a breeder:

• Ask to see the whole litter with their mother, and the father too if possible. PDSA notes they should be interacting normally, with the mother clearly interested in her puppies, not detached or absent.
• Visit more than once. Both PDSA and Dogs Trust recommend seeing the puppies at least twice before committing, so you can assess the environment calmly rather than in the moment.
• Check where they were raised. Puppies should have been raised inside the home, around normal household noise and activity, not in an outdoor kennel or a separate building you're not shown.
• Be wary of multiple litters, or multiple breeds, available at once. PDSA flags this as a common sign of a puppy farm rather than a genuine, small-scale breeder.
• Ask about health testing on the parents, particularly for pedigree breeds with known inherited conditions. A responsible breeder will know the results and be able to show you paperwork.
• Confirm the puppy's age. Puppies shouldn't leave their mother before eight weeks old; taking them earlier can affect their social development.

Red flags that mean you should walk away

Some warning signs are worth naming explicitly, because in the moment it's easy to talk yourself out of noticing them. The RSPCA has reported that the majority of calls it receives about the puppy trade relate to animals bought over the internet, which reflects how much of the riskier end of the trade has moved online.

Be cautious of:

• Sellers who want to meet you somewhere other than the place the puppies were actually born and raised, such as a car park or a rented flat.
• Puppies that seem lethargic, have runny eyes or noses, a dull or patchy coat, or a pot-bellied appearance that can indicate worms.
• Breeders who pressure you to decide or pay a deposit immediately, or who won't let you visit more than once.
• Prices that seem unusually low for the breed, or sellers who can't produce any paperwork at all.
• Anyone unwilling to let you see the mother, or who claims she's "not available" at the time you visit.

If in doubt, Trading Standards and the RSPCA both take reports about suspected puppy farming seriously, and reporting a bad situation can protect the next family who nearly falls for it.

The Puppy Contract and paperwork

The Puppy Contract is a free toolkit developed by the RSPCA and the Animal Welfare Foundation, backed by vets' bodies and welfare charities, designed to help buyers ask the right questions and get everything in writing. It has two parts: an information pack the breeder fills in about the puppy and its parents, and a legal contract of sale between breeder and buyer.

By the time you take your puppy home, you should have:

• A signed record of the puppy's microchip number and the breeder's registered contact details on the database.
• Vaccination records, if any vaccinations have already been given.
• Evidence of worming and flea treatment carried out so far.
• Health test results for the parents, where relevant to the breed.
• Details of what food the puppy has been eating, so you can continue it or transition gradually rather than switching diets abruptly.

Keep all of this paperwork. If a health problem emerges later that should have been picked up or disclosed, it's your evidence.

Know the law before you buy

Two legal points matter here, and neither is optional.

Microchipping is a legal requirement for all dogs in the UK. Puppies must be microchipped, and breeders are required to have this done and registered before the puppy is sold, with the breeder's own details on record initially before being transferred to you.

Lucy's Law, in force since April 2020, bans the commercial third-party sale of puppies and kittens in England. In practice, this means anyone selling a puppy under six months old must be the breeder themselves or a licensed rescue or rehoming centre, not a pet shop or dealer acting as a middleman. It was introduced specifically to close down the puppy farm-to-dealer pipeline, so if a seller can't show they actually bred the litter, that's a serious red flag, not just an inconvenience.

Health checks before you commit

When you visit, look closely rather than just admiring how cute the puppies are. The RSPCA's own checklist for prospective buyers highlights specific things to look for: eyes should be clear and bright with no redness or discharge, ears clean with no smell or visible wax build-up, and the nose cool, slightly damp, and free of discharge, with quiet, easy breathing and no coughing, wheezing or grunting.

Watch how the puppies move and play. A healthy puppy at this age should be curious, mobile, and willing to approach you, even if a little cautious at first. Persistent limping, unusual stiffness, or a puppy that hangs back and seems withdrawn from its littermates is worth asking the breeder about directly.

Preparing your home before the puppy arrives

Once you've found the right puppy, there's real work to do before collection day. PDSA's new puppy checklist recommends having the essentials ready in advance: a crate or bed, food and water bowls, an appropriate puppy food, a well-fitting collar, ID tag and lead, a secure means of car travel, some toys, basic grooming kit, and cleaning supplies for the inevitable early accidents.

Puppy-proofing matters just as much as shopping. Walk through your home and garden at puppy height, looking for trailing cables, accessible bins, toxic plants, and gaps in fencing a small dog could squeeze through. Decide in advance which rooms are off-limits and set up a stair gate or barrier if needed, rather than trying to enforce boundaries after the puppy has already learned the run of the house.

Establishing a routine from day one makes a real difference. Consistent mealtimes, toilet breaks, and a settled sleeping spot help a puppy feel secure, and they make house-training noticeably faster. Once your puppy is home and settled into a feeding routine, our Pet Calorie Calculator can help you check portions are right for their age and weight, and as they grow into regular walks, the Dog Walking Calculator is a useful guide to how much exercise is appropriate without overdoing it on young, still-developing joints.

Budgeting realistically

It's easy to focus on the purchase price and underestimate everything that follows. Beyond the initial cost of the puppy itself, factor in first vaccinations, worming and flea treatment, neutering when your vet recommends it, ongoing food, routine vet visits, and pet insurance. PDSA's guidance is explicit that buyers should budget properly before bringing a puppy home, not after, since unexpected veterinary costs are one of the most common reasons pets are given up in their first year.

Insurance is worth arranging from the day your puppy arrives rather than waiting, since a policy taken out after a health issue appears won't cover that condition. Ask your vet about the different levels of cover available and what's realistic for your budget over the dog's lifetime, not just the first year.

Common mistakes to avoid

A few mistakes come up again and again with new puppy owners, and most are avoidable with a little forward planning:

• Buying on impulse. Falling for a photo or a "last one available" message rarely ends well. Give yourself time to do the checks above, even if it means missing out on a particular litter.
• Skipping the second visit. A single, brief visit doesn't give you enough time to properly observe the puppies, the parents, or the environment.
• Not asking about the breed's needs. Every breed has different exercise, grooming and training requirements. Research this before you fall in love with a face, not after.
• Underestimating the first few weeks. New puppies unsettle sleep, routines and furniture. Plan time off work if you can, especially in the first fortnight.
• Ignoring your instincts. If a breeder, a listing, or an environment doesn't feel right, trust that reaction and walk away.

When to see your vet

Book a vet check-up within the first few days of bringing your puppy home, even if they seem perfectly well. A vet can confirm their general health, advise on the next steps in their vaccination course, discuss worming and flea prevention schedules, and answer any questions about diet or development. If at any point your puppy seems lethargic, isn't eating, has persistent diarrhoea or vomiting, or you're simply worried about something that doesn't look right, contact your vet promptly rather than waiting to see if it passes.

*This is general guidance, not a substitute for advice from your vet, who can assess your individual pet.*

Sources

• Dogs Trust — buying a dog or puppy safely, advice on avoiding the online puppy trade (dogstrust.org.uk).
• PDSA — getting a puppy, breeder checks and preparation advice (pdsa.org.uk).
• PDSA — new puppy checklist, essential supplies and home preparation (pdsa.org.uk).
• RSPCA — what to consider when buying a puppy, health checks and the Puppy Contract (rspca.org.uk).
• The Kennel Club — closure of the Assured Breeders scheme and its replacement, Find a Puppy and the Health Standard (royalkennelclub.com).