# Shipping puppies?



## shellbeme (Oct 28, 2010)

I need advice. Idealy when we get a pup, I would like a breeder that I can drive to and see the facilities and the parents, and so on. I don't know if that's realistic though. We live in Iowa, and I have previously been provided a couple of sites for breeders out of state but not terribly far away-but it wasn't anything that really drew me in. I have found a couple breeders I really like but they are so far away! One in particular in Canada. I don't even know if its possible to ship a pup from Canada to the US and have no idea what is involved. I don't even know if its a good idea!

I feel lost. Its still a few months away before we'll be ready to bring home a spoo puppy but I still feel like I'm grasping in the dark as far as finding someone to purchase from. I guess I could call a vet for references? Or maybe the local kennel club?

Have any of you had puppies shipped? I'm a little afraid of not seeing this person face to face and doing everything over the internet. (We had an issue with purchasing a parrot who tested positived for beak and feather disease, it was a purchase from someone we found online).

I don't need a show dog, or agility champ, we just want a pet, and we do want a pup. We have kind of decided we could spend up to 1200, is that reasonable? I'm am just concerned about picking some random person off the internet and don't know really what I should be checking for-tests sure, I have a basic understanding of that, but what about references?

Any advice? I feel like I'm grasping at straws.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

shellbeme said:


> I need advice. Idealy when we get a pup, I would like a breeder that I can drive to and see the facilities and the parents, and so on. I don't know if that's realistic though. We live in Iowa, and I have previously been provided a couple of sites for breeders out of state but not terribly far away-but it wasn't anything that really drew me in. I have found a couple breeders I really like but they are so far away! One in particular in Canada. I don't even know if its possible to ship a pup from Canada to the US and have no idea what is involved. I don't even know if its a good idea!
> 
> I feel lost. Its still a few months away before we'll be ready to bring home a spoo puppy but I still feel like I'm grasping in the dark as far as finding someone to purchase from. I guess I could call a vet for references? Or maybe the local kennel club?
> 
> ...


Yes, it is quite simple to ship puppy from Canada to the US. We have shipped pups from two hours north-west of Toronto to California, New York, coast to coast. At eight or nine weeks of age a puppy does not need to have its rabies shot. They are no worse for the wear when they reach their destination. My boy Quincy traveled from Iceland to Ontario, and bounced out of the crate at the airport entirely unphased.

If you find a breeder you are happy with, don't let distance deter you. I would for certain check out references. I would scour their videos watching for things in the background. And I would see if they have Skype and speak to them in video calls listening and watching for what is going on. Call in the morning, call in the afternoon, call early evening. It is kind of hard to fool people in real time. After my experiences being at the other end of things, I would never let distance be a determining factor in where I bought a puppy. But, I would be careful.


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

Where are you in Iowa? I think that $1200 is on the low side if you are hoping to include shipping.


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## wishpoo (Sep 12, 2009)

Shipping alone costs about 300 $ average (at least that is what I was told by most breeders).

Could you perhaps spend 1,500 for a puppy ??? I found out that for that price in the most US states you can get Exceptionally well bred puppy (shipping extra, of course).


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

shipping wll be about 300 for a spoo puppy. (Including crate and health exam) 

ts worth saving more to get from a breeder you like. references, pictures and reputation give you a good breeder. 

I made a lst of what a reputable breeder should have/do for another board. 

1- Breed REGISTERED dogs with a legitimate registry. The big ones being AKC/CKC. however some breeds are not in those yet. Some say like the Jack russels have their own group but do not participate in AKC.
2-Prove their breeding stock in the conformation ring/performance ring. personally i like to see dogs who do both. IE. Flyball and a few conformation shows. Or Obedience and conformation shows. This helps show temperment, and conformation
3- Health tests their dogs. Most breed clubs have lists of the common health issues with a dog- and tests available. The breeder should do all reasonable tests available for that breed. this includes OFA for hips/elbows etc, CERF for eyes, BAER for hearing , DNA tests etc.
4-Not breed dogs before 2 years of age.
5-Breed for better quality each litter. To better the breed
6- not have oodles of litters in a year. Most good breeders will have 1-2 litters a year. Not to say occaionally that 3 might not happen.
7- Personally i want breeders who's dogs live in the house with them. not just in kennel situations.
8-Stand behind their dogs with a guarentee. This should cover anything genetic/structural/behavior for 2-3 years at a min. however if all the OFA"s etc have been done- chances of hip issues are slim.
9-Match puppy to the right home NOT just what ever puppy you think is cutest.
10-have pups go on a non breeding contract. Good breeders only place intact dogs with homes they know well and on Co own agreements. this way they always have control on what's happening with that pup.
11-answer your questions, seem educated about the breed and are willing to let you come see the place where puppies are raised. (even though i probably wsnt going to i have mentioned picking puppies up in person when breeders were outta province if the try to steer me otherwise id run ive also visited pups for friends)


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## pap2labc (Jun 25, 2010)

*never shipped a poodle but...*

When I found my PON I ended up having her shipped. I wasn't able to meet them in person because I am in Florida and the breeder was in California at that time. My pup shipped at 12-13 weeks on the red eye from CA to Orlando and came bouncing out of the crate feeling fine. 

I spoke with the breeder for more than 2 hours before she offered me the puppy, and then we spoke several times more. The breeder was keeping a girl and couldn't decide between two of the girls as to which one was mine. I honestly think it took her until she left for the airport to make the final decision. I had pictures of both and in the week prior to shipping we talked daily and I'd ask which one was mine....and she just couldn't say. She did her best, though, to choose the one that would best fit into our household and I think she did a great job.

Shipping and buying a puppy sight unseen can work, but you really have to do your homework.  Good luck in your search!


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## shellbeme (Oct 28, 2010)

Thanks so much for the information guys it really helps  the price I mentioned of 1200 I figured would just be for the pup with shipping on top of that. And we are just outside of Des Moines.


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

I live in North Dakota and feel your pain about finding good breeders nearby. We had our Lucy shipped from Toronto (from Arreau) to Winnipeg and we drove the 6+ hours from Bismarck to pick her up there. The reason we didn't have her shipped right to us is because there were no direct flights from Toronto to Bismarck. She would have had at least two stops and plane changes and that just wasn't OK with me! We had to have our passports to cross into Canada and back, and it was a breeze to bring Lucy through the border - she just needed her veterinary health certificate saying she was healthy and had received all "age appropriate" vaccinations.

Distance was a factor in us not being able to meet Cherie at Arreau before we got Lucy. Her home is approximately 24 hours drive one-way from Bismarck and we would have had to make the trip in late October when the weather and roads could be "iffy". However, I was fortunate enough to spend many, many (many) hours talking with her on the phone, watching the videos she sent to her potential puppy owners and posted online. I knew that I had found the person from whom I wanted a puppy.

We picked Lucy up in late October 2009 and finally made the long trip to Ontario last summer to meet Cherie, her fiance and their dogs. We brought Lucy with us (she was an AWESOME car traveler!! She LOVED it! And she was terrific in the hotel rooms we stayed in!) and when we pulled up to the home where she spent her first 8 weeks, and she heard Cherie's voice and saw her approaching our vehicle, she went NUTS trying to get to her first human mother! She leaped up and started licking Cherie in the face!! :lol: Lucy is not an "in-your-face" sort of dog, so her greeting to Cherie made us realize how great these puppies had it for their first weeks of life!!

I wouldn't hesitate to ship again (as long as it's a direct flight) - but I would also find any excuse that I could to make the trip to Ontario again! 

Good luck with your poodle plans!!

Barb


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## Purley (May 21, 2010)

By CKC - NeVar means the Canadian Kennel Club. Unfortunately (fortunately for them I guess) there is something in the States called CKC - I forget what that stands for there but they will register anything. So make sure its the Canadian Kennel Club!!


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Purley said:


> By CKC - NeVar means the Canadian Kennel Club. Unfortunately (fortunately for them I guess) there is something in the States called CKC - I forget what that stands for there but they will register anything. So make sure its the Canadian Kennel Club!!


The "other" CKC is Continental Kennel Club - and, yeah... It's like no registration at all, really...


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## blkpudel (Jan 14, 2011)

Do not let distance deter you!!!

Trust me....I thought to myself what the heck am I doing buying a puppy that far away? 

Thankfully I had a wonderful breeder, very trustworthy, came highly recommended by several performance people, etc.

Rudy came from Karbit Poodles when they were in Oregon. He flew overnight from Portland, OR stopped a bit in Atlanta, GA then flew to Buffalo, NY where I crossed the Canadian border and picked him up.

Everything was taken care of from Karin's side and although the flight had to be rescheduled due to cold weather (it was January) when it was finally a go it went smooth as silk. She sent me the tracking numbers, etc. and I would check the website to find out where he was.

He handled the flight fine.

So, if you find the right breeder in another state or another country don't be hesitant about it. 

Yes I would have loved to live closer and visited the puppies, but emailed photos of the puppies (all 11 of them) every week.


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## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

I also bought a poodle from Canada (from Palman Poodles) and am glad I did. I started looking closer to home and gradually expanded the search. Palman seemed to have exactly what I wanted. When I researched costs of shipping against cost of flying up there, they were comparable. I live near Washington, D.C., so there were many flight options from here to Toronto (via NYC).

So I flew up there to pick him up, met the breeder for the first time (after many e-mails between us), had a little play time with my new puppy out in a park, and then we all went for lunch together. The breeder drove me back to the airport and I was home by around 11:00 that night.

It made for a long day but I felt more comfortable being able to bring the puppy back in the cabin with me instead of shipping him.

With all the fare wars going on from time to time, look around and see what the price might be. Either way, flying yourself or shipping the dog to you, distance doesn't have to be a big obstacle.


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