Before you commit to a puppy or adult dog, ask for verifiable health records, an honest account of behavior and history, clear written terms, and a realistic description of the care the dog will need. A responsible breeder should explain breed-specific health testing, let you meet the mother and see the living conditions, and remain available after pickup. A shelter or rescue should distinguish documented facts from unknown history, describe medical and behavioral needs, and explain its return policy. Use the answers to judge whether the dog fits your household’s time, experience, children, other pets, space, and budget—not whether the dog is appealing at first sight.
The questions below are organized so you can use them during a breeder visit, shelter meeting, foster introduction, phone call, or application interview. Take copies of all medical paperwork to your own veterinarian after bringing the dog home.
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Start with the questions that can change your decision
Ask the questions below before discussing deposits, adoption fees, or a pickup date. Write down answers and request documents rather than relying on broad assurances such as “fully checked,” “healthy parents,” or “good with everyone.” Policies vary by organization, and some information—especially about a rescued dog’s past—may simply be unavailable. A candid “we do not know” is more useful than a confident guess.
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- What health information is documented, and what care is still due?
- What is known about the dog’s temperament, training, and responses to children, animals, strangers, handling, noise, and being alone?
- What daily exercise, grooming, training, diet, and supervision will this dog require as an adult?
- What written contract, health guarantee, adoption agreement, return option, and post-placement support apply?
- What facts are confirmed, and which statements are estimates or unknowns?
Questions for a breeder
Which health tests were performed on the parents?
Ask which inherited conditions are relevant to the specific breed and which screening tests were completed on the sire and dam. The American Kennel Club notes that recommended tests differ by breed, so “the parents were health tested” is not enough detail. Ask to see the actual results, certificates, or veterinary records and note the testing organization, date, dog tested, and result.
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Ask what the breeder knows about the parents’ overall health, longevity, and any significant conditions in previous litters. A breeder should be able to discuss why a particular pairing was chosen and what risks remain even after screening. Do not treat a clear test as a promise that an individual puppy cannot develop a medical problem; use it as one piece of risk information.
What veterinary care has this puppy received?
Request an itemized record showing examinations, vaccines, deworming or other parasite treatments, medications, illness, injuries, and any follow-up recommended. Ask which vaccination or parasite treatment is next, when it is due, and whether the puppy has limitations before completing the initial vaccine series. Confirm the puppy’s identification details on every document.
Ask whether a veterinarian has examined the litter and whether any puppy has had diarrhea, coughing, poor appetite, abnormal growth, or a condition requiring treatment. You should receive the records to take to your own veterinarian, not merely a verbal summary.
How are the puppies raised and socialized?
Ask for concrete examples of the puppies’ exposure to people of different ages, gentle handling, household sounds, surfaces, crates, grooming, car travel, and other appropriate dogs. Find out how the breeder responds when a puppy is frightened or overstimulated. “Well socialized” should describe repeated, age-appropriate experiences and the puppy’s observed responses, not just the presence of visitors.
Ask what early training has begun, including toileting routines, bite inhibition, sleep arrangements, and time away from littermates. The answer should help you continue familiar routines after pickup rather than starting with no information.
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Can you meet the mother and see where the dogs live?
Arrange an appropriate in-person visit and observe the mother’s body condition, behavior, and comfort around the breeder. Ask whether the father is available to meet and, if not, how you can review his health and temperament information. See where the mother and puppies live: it should be clean, safe, adequately sized, and arranged for rest, movement, and normal interaction.
The ASPCA advises reconsidering if a breeder refuses a reasonable visit or pressures you to decide quickly. Be cautious of requests to meet only in a parking lot, unexplained urgency, missing records, or a refusal to identify the puppy’s parents. A visit is not a guarantee of future health, but it lets you assess conditions and ask questions in context.
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Ask the breeder to explain the breed’s typical size range, energy level, exercise needs, grooming, vocalization, trainability, and common behavioral challenges. Ask how the puppy’s individual temperament compares with littermates and what evidence supports that assessment. Discuss your household’s schedule, children, other animals, housing rules, and experience so the breeder can say whether the match is sensible.
Do not assume that a puppy’s current quietness predicts an easy adult temperament. Development changes over time, and inherited traits, learning, health, and environment all matter. The breeder’s job is to describe likely needs and limitations, not to promise a perfect personality.
When can the puppy go home?
Ask the breeder’s minimum age and the reason for it. AKC guidance says buyers should expect a responsible breeder not to send a puppy home until about eight to twelve weeks; the appropriate timing depends on the individual puppy and circumstances. Confirm the exact pickup date, what the puppy will be eating, its sleep and toileting routine, and what items or instructions come home with it.
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What are the written terms?
Read the contract before paying a deposit. Identify the health guarantee’s duration, exclusions, required veterinary examinations, remedies if a serious condition is found, and any spay/neuter or breeding restrictions. Ask whether the breeder requires the dog to be returned to them rather than surrendered elsewhere if you cannot keep it. A guarantee is not a substitute for insurance or veterinary care, and its enforceability depends on the actual wording and applicable law.
Ask how deposits are handled, when registration or transfer documents are supplied, and what happens if the breeder—not you—cannot complete the sale. Keep a signed copy and every attachment.
What support continues after pickup?
Ask how to contact the breeder, which questions they will answer, and whether they can advise on feeding, training, grooming, or breed-specific concerns. Clarify who should be contacted first if the puppy becomes ill or the placement becomes unsafe. A breeder who remains available and prioritizes the dog’s welfare is offering support that a sales conversation alone cannot show.
Questions for a shelter or rescue
Why is the dog here, and what is actually known?
Ask whether the dog was an owner surrender, stray, transfer from another shelter, or transfer from another rescue. Ask for the circumstances of the surrender and information from previous homes, foster carers, animal-control officers, or veterinary records. Have the organization separate confirmed facts from impressions: “the owner reported” and “staff observed” mean something different from an unverified explanation.
Ask what remains unknown. Missing history is common and should change how cautiously you introduce the dog to children, visitors, cats, or other dogs. It does not automatically mean the dog is unsuitable, but it means you should plan for gradual introductions and professional help if needed.
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What medical care has the dog received?
Request copies of examination notes, vaccination records, parasite tests and treatments, medications, surgery reports, laboratory results, microchip information, and instructions for follow-up. Ask about allergies, chronic conditions, injuries, dental problems, reproductive status, dietary restrictions, and any symptoms currently being monitored.
Ask which treatments are complete and which are due after adoption. Confirm the dog’s current food, feeding schedule, medication times, and activity restrictions so the first days do not introduce avoidable changes. Bring the complete packet to your veterinarian.
How does the dog behave in real situations?
Ask for observed behavior around children, adults, strangers, handling, food, toys, other dogs, cats or small animals, traffic, loud noises, confinement, and being left alone. Ask where each observation occurred—kennel, foster home, adoption event, or a quiet private room—and whether the behavior was repeated.
Ask specifically about fear, guarding, reactivity, snapping, biting, escape attempts, destructive behavior, separation distress, and triggers. Also ask what helps the dog settle. An organization should disclose known safety concerns, while acknowledging that shelter behavior can differ from behavior in a home.
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What training and daily skills does the dog have?
Ask whether the dog is house-trained, crate-trained, accustomed to stairs and car travel, responsive to basic cues, and comfortable with grooming or veterinary handling. Ask whether the dog walks calmly on a leash, pulls, freezes, lunges, or needs a quiet route and gradual training. If leash work will be part of your plan, budget time for practice and obtain a suitable leash; no particular design is required by the guidance.
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What needs will require extra capacity?
Ask about special medical, dietary, mobility, sensory, behavioral, or medication needs. Find out how much exercise and mental stimulation the dog receives now, what routine it follows, and what changes are likely in a normal home. Ask whether the dog can live with your children, resident animals, working hours, stairs, yard, or apartment rules. A dog that looks calm during a short meeting may still need substantial management once settled.
What happens if the placement fails?
Ask whether the shelter or rescue requires the dog to be returned, offers a trial or foster-to-adopt period, provides behavior support, or accepts a return without a deadline. Get the policy in writing and ask whom to call before an urgent problem becomes a crisis. Do not assume another organization will accept the dog or that an adoption fee is refundable.
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Rescue dogs may need time before their behavior in a home is clear. AKC describes a “3-3-3” framework—roughly three days to decompress, three weeks to begin settling into a routine, and three months to build deeper adjustment—as a general guide, not a guaranteed timetable. Individual dogs may progress faster or slower. Start with predictable meals, sleep, toilet breaks, low-pressure interaction, safe confinement, and controlled introductions. Avoid judging the entire placement from the first anxious days, but act promptly on safety issues.
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If more than one dog is a genuine option, use one written comparison rather than relying on an emotional first impression. Record the source’s answer and the document supporting it.
| Decision area | Questions to compare | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Health and remaining care | What conditions, treatments, vaccines, tests, and follow-up are documented? | Original records, results, medication instructions, and next veterinary dates |
| History and temperament | What has been observed, by whom, and in which setting? | Repeated observations plus a clear list of unknowns |
| Household fit | How does the dog fit with children, pets, visitors, housing, and working hours? | Specific behavior evidence and a realistic management plan |
| Daily workload | How much exercise, training, grooming, supervision, and enrichment is required? | Adult expectations, not just the puppy’s or dog’s current behavior |
| Written protection | What contract, guarantee, return policy, or support applies? | A signed agreement read before payment or pickup |
| Information quality | Are answers detailed, consistent, and candid about uncertainty? | Documents and direct answers instead of pressure or vague claims |
Choose the dog whose documented and expected needs fit your actual capacity. More complete records do not make a dog automatically better, and a sparse history does not make a rescue dog automatically unsuitable; the difference is how much uncertainty and preparation your household can responsibly manage.
Prepare for the first veterinary appointment
- Book an appointment for the timeframe recommended by the breeder, shelter, rescue, or adoption contract.
- Bring every medical document, medication, food instruction, vaccination date, parasite-treatment date, and microchip detail.
- Tell the veterinarian what was reported, what was observed, and what remains unknown.
- Ask the veterinarian to create an individualized plan for examinations, vaccines, parasite prevention, nutrition, dental care, behavior, and follow-up.
- Discuss any contract deadlines or required examinations so you do not accidentally lose contractual protection.
The first visit is an opportunity to reconcile the dog’s history with a physical examination and a forward-looking care plan. Do not change medication, diet, exercise, or vaccination timing without veterinary advice.
Warning signs that deserve a pause
- Pressure to pay or decide immediately, especially before you can read the agreement.
- Refusal to provide records, test results, or the dog’s known history.
- Inability or unwillingness to arrange an appropriate visit with a breeder or to explain the rescue dog’s care.
- Promises of guaranteed temperament or perfect health instead of specific evidence.
- Contradictory answers about age, origin, vaccines, medical treatment, or return arrangements.
- A return policy that is only verbal or that leaves you unsure whom to contact.
- Advice to hide the dog’s history, skip veterinary follow-up, or ignore a safety concern.
Pause the decision, seek clarification in writing, and consult your veterinarian or a qualified behavior professional when answers do not support a safe plan. Walking away is preferable to taking a dog home without the information or capacity needed to care for it.
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