How to sell puppies in the UK?

Want to learn more about selling pups in an ethical manner? Learn the fundamentals, as well as important facts that every ethical breeder should be aware of to guarantee healthy pups that go to the finest possible homes.

Be compliant

Be a responsible breeder

As a breeder, you should make certain that puppies have visited the veterinarian and their health has been screened before you sell them. Your vet will fully be aware of the necessary checks, however, it's very important that you are having all the records in place for the new owners.

Vaccination

In the absence of injections, puppies are susceptible to serious illnesses and even death. Because of this, they need to receive their first shots at eight weeks or as early as four to six weeks of age. Second vaccinations will be given after two to four weeks, therefore, it is critical to keep the vaccination records that will show new owners when the second shots are due. There are four major vaccinations that must be completed, with the cost ranging between £30 and £60.

Worming treatment

Puppies, even when they are incredibly small and have never been outside, roundworms can be passed to them from their mother before they are born, end up potentially carrying an infection in their stomach. As a result, it is critical to treat them for worms from a young age onwards. Also, roundworms can infect anyone, including adults and children, so deworming your puppies protects the entire family.

Microchipping

Registration and microchipping of the puppies by the age of eight weeks are the responsibility of the breeder under UK legislation. Be aware, that it is not recommended to microchip them before they are six weeks old.

Pedigree certificate

Obtaining a pedigree certificate for your puppies is simple if you are a Kennel Club licensed breeder and have documented and registered the litter from which your puppy was born. This certificate contains information about your puppy's lineage.

Health certificates

Check and ask the vet to let you know whether your puppy's breed is known to be at risk for certain genetic problems. Buyers should be made aware of the risks and provided with screening evidence of the health before taking ownership of the pup.

When to advertise your puppy litter

You can advertise the litter, puppy for sale as early as you would like to, but it is a legal requirement not to let the puppy leave the mother before it is eight weeks old. It is necessary to maintain your firm stance, even if the new owner begs you to take the puppy home sooner than that.

If puppies aren't socialized properly in their first 8-10 weeks, they will miss out on important experiences that help them learn and develop.

Methods of advertising

To begin selling pups, you must first inform everyone around you that you are doing it. You can contact your local breeder club for assistance and consult with your veterinarian for guidance.

As we live in an era in which the internet is the primary means of communication, it is important to remember that, you can advertise pups on pet-specific advertisement websites. Keep uncontrolled and classified websites out of your online search results when selecting a website.

To advertise your pet for sale online, you may go to Petify, which was created at the beginning of 2022 and is now one of the most ethical websites for pet sale advertising in the United Kingdom. Petify was designed with the assistance of PAAG and Lucy's Law guidance, and it has numerous features to help prevent scams. There are currently no pet classified websites that make use of the majority of these capabilities.

How to make a legit advert

Advert Title

Choose a title that is concise and detailed. In any situation where titles must be read, they must always be concise enough to be accessible at a glance while delivering sufficient information to buyers, like on this occasion - puppy / litter breed, age, sex, and selling location.

Pricing

You will be better able to create a starting point for the pricing of your puppies by thinking about the current market price for your breed while making your decision. Your puppies should be offered at a reasonable price. Your first concern should not be making a profit, as you do not want to pass up an opportunity to place a puppy with a loving family because the price was too high. You can factor in the price of veterinary checks including microchipping, vaccinations, and genetic testing to determine a genetic problem, etc. Another aspect that influences the price of a puppy is the quality of the dog's conformation.

Advert Description

Puppy, litter description needs to be with clarity, positiveness, and comprehensiveness. The dog's age, gender, coat type, and breed need to be all included in the description.

Talk about puppies temperament, as when you provide the prospect with information on the attitude and behavior, you are supporting buyers in visualizing how the puppy will interact with them on a more personal level.

Describe the health conditions of which your puppies have been diagnosed and cleared of if there have been any.

Registration and Pedigree - In addition to providing substantial value to your puppy litter, they also serve as a testimonial to the high degree of quality present in your lineage; emphasizing them helps clients understand your prices.

Puppy Pack

In addition to the pup itself, include a list of the things you are offering along with the dog as well. You may just go out and purchase some toys, bedding, or whatever else you desire and include it on this list if you don't already have it. It only will show you as a good breeder and will increase the value of your advertisement.

Photos

Everyone adores adorable dog photographs, which are worth hundreds of words in their own right. Add to the advert at least five photographs of a puppy litter, one of which should show the puppies suckling on their mother's breast. Because the puppies are associating with their mother, it will give potential buyers confidence and reassurance that they will have healthy puppies when they decide to purchase one of them.

Viewing of the pup

It is very important, that your pups be viewed at your home along with the puppy's mother. If you think that does not sound right and letting strangers in your house sounds a bit mad, trust - it is the right thing to do. Transporting pups to meet-up locations or potential buyers' homes can cause a lot of stress to them and other long-term health issues.

What to look for in prospective buyers

Please keep in mind that not only do breeders need to be verified, but prospective buyers must also be vetted and examined to ensure that they are acceptable new owners for your puppy. You should check the purpose of buying the pup, as some buyers would purchase a pet for further breeding. If that's the case, check if they are licensed to do so.

Things that you should also ask and check are if they ever have owned a pet before, do they have a suitable environment for the pet, what is their lifestyle, and will they have enough time for the pup and its physical requirements. It is very important to touch base on the affordance of upcoming health checks and veterinary bills. To help not miss out on very important questions you can create a questionnaire form.

The method through which you secure the pups for buyers is entirely up to you as a breeder. Deposit schemes are one of the most prevalent methods of securing a puppy, but in recent years, this method has been used by thieves and fraudsters, causing a significant number of customers to not go for this method altogether. If you still choose to go for a deposit scheme, to avoid any issues, take the deposit from buyers only after they have seen and are happy with the pup.