How A Pug Breeder Should Put On A Puppy Presentation (Part 3)

November 23, 2006 on 12:15 am | In Pug Articles |

Many families “puppy hunt” on weekends, much as one plans a recreational excursion to the beach or mountains. As one of their favorite pastimes, they visit puppies from different litters and various breeds. As a result, always preinterview visitors when they first telephone. By screening you are able to discern if they are just looking “for fun,” or if they are serious buyers, and find out if they have or intend to view other litters before visiting your home. These families are often easily recognized by their children: generally two or more,
aggressive in attitude and poorly behaved. Frequently these children can be heard yelling in the background or pestering their parents, who are on the telephone with you. Invite these people into your home, and you may invite disaster.

During a visit the parents distract you, usually with fairly good questions about your dogs, as they have developed some “looky-lou” expertise. By holding your attention, before you can become aware, the children may trample on your furniture (with their shoes on), run through your home and treat it as their playground. These free-for-all kids behave as they have been allowed to do in their own home. It is fine to desire placements into families because your breed is so good with children. It is best, however, to qualify this placement by seeking those families with well-mannered kids.

Always carefully supervise children who visit your home. When they want to hold a puppy, tell them no. Explain to the parents that the children might drop a wiggly puppy, and then watch their reactions. If they take their offspring aside to tell them why they may not hold the puppies, but that they may pet them on the ground, and the children listen respectfully and obey willingly, this home offers a more rational environment than almost any other. If the parents, however, slap their children or tell them no without explanation, be wary. These children, more often than not, will attempt to pick a Pug puppy up as soon as adult backs are turned.

If your visitors are older and cannot easily bend down, provide them with a chair. Once they are seated, place their potential puppy in their lap. Do not allow children or adult visitors to hold a puppy even from a chair unless you are close by and are prepared to catch the youngster should it leap. A squirming, leaping-to-freedom puppy can still be grievously injured even from the height of a lap.

You are better off losing a sale to the person who insists on holding a Pug puppy against your expressed wishes than exposing it to such an unreasonable prospective owner. Those people who refuse to listen to the reason why you do things a certain way and respect you do not deserve to have one of your puppies: a life you are responsible for bringing into the world, the love and care for which you can never be adequately compensated. Satisfaction comes only through good puppy placements and contacts from owners over years of time, knowing that this dog is a beloved family member.