I’m a sucker for chips with onion vinegar, plenty of salt and ketchup, but this blog is about a different type of chip!
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Since April 2016, it has been your responsibility as a breeder to ensure that the puppies you breed are microchipped before they leave for their new homes. This is a common misunderstanding that that a puppy must be chipped by eight weeks old. This is not correct. However, the pup must be microchipped before ownership has changed, from you to the new owners. And this is why puppies are chipped at eight weeks old, but it could be earlier or later. There is no minimum age for microchipping, however, most microchip implanters are trained generally to chip around six weeks of age, because this is when the puppy is of a suitable size to be chipped. 

Since the legislation enforced a compulsory microchipping, there has been a boom in the microchip providers who supply the chips and also the database or registration system. Currently, the biggest database is Pet Log, this is only because it’s affiliated with the Kennel Club and had been running the longest, not necessarily a reflection on quality of service or value. The size of the database doesn't really matter nor the size of the provider because all information of all chips is found through all databases.

So what are your options as a breeder?

You have the choice of having the puppy microchipped at the vet's, having a mobile implanter or microchipper, or chipping your own puppies. Depending on the frequency of breeding and your fear or not of needles and inflicting minor pain, you may decide to train to microchip your own puppies. To receive the best price chip will require a large bulk purchase along with the mandatory correct disposal of the needles plus the training itself. So for many breeders, this generally isn't a cost effective option.

The other option is to have the puppy microchipped at the vet's. This is sometimes favourable if the vet is offering a puppy package where it includes a vet check or health check, along with first vaccinations and microchip. Some breeders do not get their puppies vaccinated before leaving, and there's a good argument for this because firstly, vaccinating puppies from a too young age when they already have immunity from their mother is viewed as counterproductive.

“The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) states that the last puppy vaccine against the core diseases should be given at 14-16 weeks of age. This is because, before this time, the mother passes immunity to her puppies, and this ‘maternal immunity’ can prevent the vaccine from working”

So vaccinating puppies at six, seven weeks and even to a degree, some would argue eight weeks, is generally too early. However, from a socialization point of view, it's deemed the eight weeks is a suitable age so the puppy can be well socialized from twelve weeks old once they’ve had their second jabs. However, dog trainers would advise you to socialise your puppy much earlier than twelve weeks old, but that's another conversation to be had!

The second consideration to be made when selling your puppies microchipped and already vaccinated is that if the new owner's vet does not store the same batch and brand of vaccination, they will be forced to restart the inoculations. This will result in the puppy being over-inoculated and obviously that's a lot of chemicals to be injected into a puppy that's rapidly developing and growing.

The third is that generally breeders like and want the new owners to have made the effort to find a vet, ensuring they have their own independent health check soon after collection. During consultation they are also advised on other things such a flea, worming, neutering, insurance etc.

If you decide not to opt for selling a pre-vaccinated puppy, then another choice or alternative would be to use a mobile chip implanter. This service saves you the inconvenience of moving puppies, particularly large puppies or large litters, from your home to a veterinary practice where obviously their immune system is still in development. Veterinary practices by their nature accommodates unwell, sick, and injured animals which it's not an ideal place to be taking young puppies. Having your puppies microchipped at home means that they don't have or reduces the chances of them having a negative initial first experience at the vet. You'll find that puppies microchipped at home generally are very underwhelmed by the situation, they don't find it stressful because they're in their home natural environment. Even after the short, sharp needle prick, they generally recover pretty quickly and get back to play and all with their siblings or resting as they were before.

I've already mentioned about the suppliers, but there are some things that you need to know, to make the right choices but asking the implanter in advance. Microchips come in numerous sizes the standard which is 12 mm in length, a mini which is 8mm and the nanochip which is 7mm. The shorter the chip means they are also fractionally narrower. A standard chip is generally good for any medium to giant sized dog, when an adult. You may opt for a mini chip for any small or toy breeds or generally dogs that don't really have much scruff around the neck. But as puppies, generally they've got that extra skin where it's not an issue when it comes to microchipping the implanter will advise you if the chip of your choice is not suitable.

The audit trail of a microchip must legally go from implanter to breeder and breeder to new owner. No implanter will be able to transfer the chip from them direct to the new owners. There has to be a clear audit trail.  It's worth asking when you're enquiring about cost of microchipping, whether there are additional charges to transfer the animal from breeder to new owner. There are a small number of chip suppliers that offer this service, but the majority do not. Generally, if the microchip is cheaper, it's most probably because there's going to be additional transfer fees. Better value in the long run is to pay a little bit more upfront to ensure there are no transfer fees from you to the new owner. Personally, I advise breeders not to rush microchip transfer of ownership from breeder to owner until the puppy has been taken for their own vet for an independent health check and have passed with satisfaction. I suggest the transfer should be made at this point because if the transfer is made before and for whatever reason the puppy's returned to the breeder, the most likely is the breeder's going to have to pay for the transfer of the puppy from the new owner back to the breeder and then to the next new owner.

The process of transferring ownership is typically via an online portal that the implanter will have organised access for you. This is where you're able to log in and self-serve with the transfer of ownership at your convenience, providing the database with the new owner's details along with being prompted with the dog's details such as sex, colour, breed, markings. Also, if in any doubt, you have every right to ask for a copy of the implanter's insurance details, so you know they are covered for such activities and services along with their training qualification certificate.

If you have a breed that look similar, such as Labradors, Rottweiler etc, then when it comes to microchipping, you really need to be able to identify between the puppies. Many breeders use coloured collars or markings on their body with nail varnish or Tipp-Ex, and even shaving small parts of the coat! If this is difficult for you, the puppies keep taking the collars off or the marking isn't staying on, then I strongly recommend that you buy your own microchip scanner. These are typically on eBay for around £45.00 but there is a new company PetScanner that are now selling scanners that plug in to your mobile phone, so you no longer need batteries or USB charging. It plug straight into your phone for just over £10.00 delivered, I believe there's a Bluetooth version coming for just £20.00. If you're going to be a frequent breeder and you do have a breed that look fairly similar, then I recommend that you purchase a device like this, or similar.

Should you acquire an older dog where you have no microchip paperwork, then there is a website called Check A Chip where you can find the microchip provider. You’ll need to find out the animal's microchip number, whether that's buying a scanner yourself or taking the dog to your local vet's where the vet nurse will be able to scan and give you the number. If you plug that number into Check A Chip website, they will let you know who the chip provider is so you can contact them direct to update the ownership.  Standard practice is for them to contact the previous owner, notifying them that the microchip is going to be transferred to a new owner. If there are no issues with the update and its legitimacy then the transfer to you will be completed.

​Though rare it has been known for microchips to migrate, nowadays they are generally coated to stop the migration. It is worth annually checking where they are on the dog's body if not found it may have become faulty or been rejected by the body.

By correctly vetting people, you hope to reduce if not eradicate this type of scenario. As a breeder it’s your responsibility to correctly dealt with puppies you’ve bred in this situation, and therefore also keep these dogs out of rescue. There's always big pushback and strong opinion on people breeding dogs because so many dogs end up in charities or breed rescues. As a home breeder, whether this mating was intended or not, you should do the utmost to find the best owners for your puppies and for them to be vetted comprehensively so the puppy has the minimal chance of ending up in any of these establishments.

What forms of vetting are there?

I personally really enjoy the simple solution of using a vetting form. If you have advertised on any particular online platform you're bound to get enquiries, whether that be through the phone, by email, or by text. Personally, any text messages and in fact any telephone calls received I always direct them to my online vetting form. This form is so I can gauge and gather some of their basic information, such as where they live, what their working hours are, what their experience of dog ownership is, what their experience is of this particular breed. Do they have any other animals? How many children do they have, if any?

I try to gather as much information as possible. What efforts have they made to find a puppy? What understanding do they have of the effort they need to put into this puppy going forward? What are their understanding of the grooming regime? This is a pretty easy way to be able to decline somebody if what they comment is not to your liking. Your preference may differ to another fellow breeder. For example some breeders that will not sell to people that work full time, where others will do given that they have arrangements with dog walkers or pet sitters and others may even be happy to do this as long as they already have another dog for companionship that shows no behavioural issues.

So the vetting really does come down to your own personal criteria. From this stage, I then have a telephone call with them having a frank and honest conversation, I definitely agree that you should always go with your gut feeling. At this point, if it doesn't feel right, then decline your offer for them to view the puppy.

If you are happy at this point then proceed to the next stage, I would always advise that there is a puppy visit prior to the puppy being sold/collected. Some breeders insist on at least two or three visits before the puppy leaves for their new home. Some see this is a good opportunity to be able to meet all of the family, partners and children along with any existing dogs as well.  The benefits of seeing their existing pets (even in photographs if not in the flesh) enables you to gauge the owner's capability to be able to look after an animal. Are they in good condition? Are they the correct weight? How well behaved and trained are they?

I would also recommend that you take a deposit on first puppy viewing to prevent time wasters otherwise known as photo collectors or tire kickers! This deposit should be fairly substantial to the price of the puppy and should be clearly documented. The new owners should receive a receipt confirming the amount of deposit that's been left on which particular puppy, and this puppy preferably should be identifiable by microchip so there's no confusion, especially for the breeds that look the same.  Also in this documentation, to save you any future inconvenience, that there is a collection date listed on this document so that the owners collect the puppy as agreed and you're plans are not disrupted from unexpected lack of availability due to holidays or other events.

​To summarise, are there good and places to advertise? In my experience, no. Should you start advertising early? Yes. The earlier the better because, hopefully, that means you'll get more enquiries, which means you can be more selective with who you vet on to the next stage. Ultimately, your vetting procedure is what makes the difference into that puppy’s quality of life going forward and ultimately for the rest of its life.
I highly recommend an online vetting form (Google online form builder), then a telephone stage, and then finally a face-to-face visit. Some people will not use the online form and use a telephone call to do the vetting, which has its advantages because people won’t have the time to lie about possible answers but if you wish to decline a potential owner, having the online stage is a lot easier!

Ensure the paperwork is correct, that a sales receipt/contract and a deposit receipt is provided. Carrying out some of these simple stages will not only make your vetting procedure slicker and easier as a breeder but also that all parties are fully informed at each stage and have a clear understanding of the process. If it doesn't feel right, just don't sell them a puppy, don’t be bullied in to allowing them to have a puppy.