Buying a puppy
10 warning signs when buying a puppy you must not ignore
8 min · last updated 02/09/2026
Illegal puppy trade works because it simulates closeness and creates time pressure. Anyone who knows the typical patterns spots them in the first phone call — long before money changes hands.
You are not allowed to see the dam
The strongest warning sign of all. Excuses such as "the dam is at the vet", "she is with the sire" or "she cannot cope with visitors" are standard lines in the puppy trade.
A responsible kennel shows you the dam and the litter together in their usual surroundings — relaxed, without time pressure and without the litter being "prepared" beforehand.
Handover en route instead of at home
Car park, motorway services, station forecourt, airport counter: anyone who brings the puppy to you instead of inviting you in prevents you from checking origin and rearing.
The only exception is certified animal transport, arranged after a prior personal meeting and at the family's explicit request.
Several breeds, permanent availability
Anyone offering five breeds at once and puppies at any time is not breeding — they are dealing. A family kennel plans one or two litters a year and regularly has nothing available.
Also check whether the same photos appear in several adverts or on other websites.
Pressure, deposits and unusual payment routes
"Two other families are already waiting" is a sales device. Responsible kennels give you time to think and never push for immediate payment.
If someone asks for money via voucher code, cryptocurrency, Western Union or a PayPal friends payment, break off contact. What is acceptable is a traceable bank transfer against a written reservation agreement and payment of the balance at handover.
Papers are missing, incomplete or foreign
The EU pet passport must contain the puppy's microchip number, recorded vaccinations with batch labels and the issuing veterinary practice.
A passport from Eastern Europe for a supposedly German litter, a rabies date that is too early, or a chip number that does not match the animal are hard exclusion criteria.
Too young, too cheap, too perfect
Handover below eight weeks is prohibited in Germany; we place puppies from ten weeks at the earliest. Adverts saying "from 6 weeks, collect immediately" are illegal.
Prices well below market level cover neither health testing nor rearing. And phrases such as "always healthy, never ill, guaranteed free of inherited defects" are marketing, not medicine.
Frequently asked questions
What if I already have a puppy from a dubious source?
Go to a vet immediately, even without visible symptoms, and report the seller to the responsible veterinary authority. Both help your dog and prevent further cases.
Is a low price always a bad sign?
Not necessarily, but it must be explicable. Ask about health tests, veterinary costs and breed association — if nothing was invested there, you will pay later.