Paperwork For Puppy Sale

What paperwork do you need when buying a puppy? It's important to understand what's involved in a contract for a Cocker Spaniel puppy sale so make sure you don't leave the breeders without one. And don't forget to get a receipt.

Necessary Puppy Paperwork

There is a selection of paperwork that you need from the breeder to confirm and receipt your purchase. It will also confirm under what guarantees your purchase has been made and will protect you should anything go wrong.

What follows is a guide to what's involved in the process of a puppy sale, and what you should ask your breeder for at the point of purchase.

Receipt

If you decide you'd like one of their puppies, the breeder will probably ask for a deposit, for which you should be given a receipt.

Deposits are not normally refundable so you'll need to be sure about your choice of breeder and puppy.

If you're not offered a receipt, ask for one, and don't forget to ask for a full and final receipt once you've paid the balance.

Don't put off asking for a receipt until after you've left the breeder's premises.

Make sure you get it before you leave with your puppy.

Contract

A formal contract will always be given.

Sign the paperwork on the dotted line!

This document will show the names and addresses of both parties, details of your puppy, for example, its name, breed, sex, and colour, and how much you paid for it.

The contract should be signed and dated by yourself and your breeder.

This is an important document. You must ensure that your breeder has this ready for you to take home with you.

Don't leave the breeder's premises without it.

Insurance

Unfortunately, there's no 'Doggie National Health Insurance'.

If your Cocker Spaniel needs treatment, veterinary costs could easily spiral out of control leaving you unable to afford to pay the vet bills.

Reputable breeders will insure the puppy, usually for approximately 6 weeks, but it will be up to you to ensure the insurance is renewed before it lapses.

DON’T ever consider buying a puppy that the breeder does not insure for you.

Your breeder will give you a copy of the insurance cover note to take home with you. This will give details of what circumstances the insurance covers. Learn what to look out for when choosing pet insurance for your Cocker Spaniel.

Pedigree Certificate

The Pedigree Certificate is a document that shows the puppy's family tree - preferably five generations, historically.

It confirms the name of the puppy’s parents and ancestors in several columns.

The first column will show the name of the Sire (father) and underneath, the name of the Dam (mother).

In the next column, the parents of the sire and dam will be listed (4 names).

In the column next to that, the parents of the parents will be listed, (8 names) and so on.

The document must be signed by the breeder as a true record of the puppy's pedigree.

Kennel Club Registration Certificate

The breeder will often wait until all puppies have been sold and have been given names before registering them with their new owners' details.

The Kennel Club are pretty efficient, and should have the certificates back to the breeder in a couple of weeks. 

Litter Registration Form

If the breeder hasn't yet received the certificates, you can ask to see the litter registration form which will list the names and addresses of the sire and dam, and will give details of all puppies in their litter.

The form will also show the registration numbers of the parents, and the date of the mating, and will be signed by both owners.

This form is usually completed by the breeder and sent to the Kennel Club when the puppies are born.

If the Kennel Club registration certificate or the litter registration form aren't available, or you have suspicions about any of the paperwork, ask the breeder if you can contact the Kennel Club for confirmation over the telephone before you leave.

If the certificates are available when the puppies are ready to leave, it's advisable to check that the names and dates on the registration certificate match those given on the Pedigree.

It's also advisable to check that the breeder's details on the registration certificate are indeed those for your breeder, and that they're not selling the puppies on behalf of someone else!

Vaccination Card

Your puppy will need to be vaccinated against the following infectious diseases:

• Canine Distemper
• Hepatitis
• Parvovirus
• Leptospirosis

These diseases can be fatal, so it's important that you vaccinate your puppy in accordance with your vet's recommendations.

Puppy Pack

Your breeder may provide you with a detailed puppy pack.

This pack, for example, may contain information about feeding and caring for your new puppy, some simple training commands, details about the sire and the dam, socialization methods, etc.

If the puppy has been given any vaccinations, the breeder will confirm this and will also give details of which vaccine product was used, and will also give you the stamped vaccination card with the paperwork in the puppy pack.

If the puppy has been wormed, paperwork and details will be included.

Our breeder also included a small diary which had detailed entries on important dates, eg. birth date, date weaned, first vaccinated, first wormed, etc., and we found this information invaluable.

Information contained in a puppy pack will be extremely useful to you, especially if you've never owned a dog before.

Bringing Your Puppy Home

Now you have the paperwork in order, it will almost time to bring your puppy home.

However, there are one or two tasks left to do to make sure your puppy's move to his new home is as comfortable as possible. Click here for practical tips and advice on bringing home a new puppy.