What would you want to see in a puppy contract?

What would you like to see in a puppy contract?
Have you seen any that stand out as being ideal?

One thing that would stand out to me is a breeding restriction, so you cannot register any future generations unless all relevant health tests have been carried out and results are ok.
This would tend to indicate a responsible breeder in my opinion.

How binding are these contracts? After all. the dog may well be sold and the contract would only apply to the first owner.

The contract will only stop the owner registering the offsprings with the KC, it wont stop them breeding.

Oh absolutely but to me I would want this on a contract and would put it on a contract of every puppy I was selling.
I would also try to drive home the reasons why it was there.
It's not the only thing I would look for but would definitely be top of the list.
I know you cannot stop people from breeding but to me it just enforces what I would already believe to be a reputible breeder apart from all the other obvious aspects.

Contracts are actually very useful, they set out the exact agreement between a breeder and puppy buyer, so there are no questions left unanswered.

I would want to see the following:

KC registered name & number, dog sex and colour
Explanation of endorsements
Full explanation of criteria to meet for lifting endorsements, which can be different for dogs/bitches
Requirement for pup to be vet checked within 72 hours
Requirement for owners to notify breeder if they move
Requirement for owners to contact breeder if the no longer want the pup/can't cope at any point
Explanation of any health tests for parents
Requirements for any future use in a breeding plan, including stipulating whether cross breeding is acceptable

Those are just a few of the things off the top of my head I've included in contracts, not for me I hasten to add, but I do them for other people. The contract should be shown to puppy buyers well in advance of them picking up their pup, and gone through beforehand so the puppy buyer has chance to ask any questions. So many people I know have had puppy buyers turn round after the fact and left breeders feeling they perhaps should have explained more in advance about what the requirements are for the new puppy owners.

Whether or not they are legally enforceable I don't know, I do a contract for the breeder and purchaser, and it is a 'Contract of Sale', tailored to the individual breeder's requirements. It means that you have a document that says you have explained, and the buyer understands all of the stipulations you have laid down regarding the general welfare and any possible breeding plans for the pup.

What I don't agree with are breeders who ask for money to lift endorsements, and I think the KC could do more to stop this from happening, although I know it has become more proactive with this recently.

i think one of the best contracts ive seen has been by the woman i used to work for who bred flatcoats.

the contract was so detailed, and they also got a handbook she had written with everything in from the diet sheet to training in all aspects, exercise ammounts, health problems all sorts it was really good she was extremely strict as to where her puppies went. you could be nice as pie but if you didnt have one thing on her list of expectations you werent allowed a puppy. she also insisted that all the pups were fed raw in their new homes. if people werent willing to do it then they werent allowed a dog. she had weaned them on raw, it was her first litter weaned onto raw and she said the change in them to her other litters were amazing. they looked healthier, shinier more active, even the vet was suprised by how much difference there was. think thats a great idea.

in a contract i would like to see:

all the general information like the pedigree name, sex, colour, names of parents etc.

any endorsements explained in detail and whether these endorsements could be lifted at any time and how to go about getting them lifted.

the owners must always give the dog back to the breeder if there ever is a problem, or at least notify them so the breeder can help find a new suitable home.

id want the health certificates of the parents and pups if i was a buyer. as proof that the tests had been done not just told they had been.

i dont know what much good contracts do because to be honest they arent a legal requirement and the owner can just ignore everything written on it when they go home.

Mine has all this but it's still a nightmare. I sold a pup that was sold on without my knowledge and the KC are refusing to give me the new owners details.

yeah i know theres never a garantee it will work because its not legally binding.

There are various clauses that can be used to make parts of the contract legally binding for example in ones I've looked at recently it's stated that rather than the dog must be returned to the breeder the wording is that that the new owner must make a £1000 payment to the breeder should they sell on or give away the puppy without first notifiying the breeder and giving them the opportunity to take the dog back. This way by moving the dog on and not offering the breeder it back there is a breach of contract and the payment clause comes into force - which of course, having a monetary value can be acted on in a small claims court.

In my contract I have seperate signature places for each of the endorsements applied to state that the purchaser has understood that the endorsements are in place and the grounds for removal of the same.