A good breeder expects to be interrogated and is quietly pleased by it, because careful buyers are who they bred the litter for. Your questions have two jobs: uncover how these particular puppies were produced and raised, and reveal how this breeder behaves when a question is inconvenient.
Ask about the parents first
Which health tests have the mother and father had that are relevant to this breed, and can the results be shown to you with names and dates attached? Ask why these two dogs were paired, what the mother's temperament is like with strangers and other dogs, and whether you can meet her in her own home, relaxed and with her puppies. Her behaviour is the single best preview of your puppy's adult temperament that exists. If the father belongs to someone else, ask what is known about him and his health results, and be wary of a breeder who chose him mainly because he was nearby and available.
Ask how the puppies are being raised
Where do the puppies live: in the house, in a kennel, in a barn? What do their days include? You want to hear about household noise, different surfaces, gentle handling by different people, car sounds, visitors and early toilet habits, because the first weeks shape how a puppy copes with the world for life. Ask what age they go home and why; responsible breeders keep puppies until they have learned from their mother and littermates and completed early vet checks. A breeder in a hurry to place very young puppies, or willing to let one leave the moment you pay, is optimising for the sale rather than the dog.
Ask about health care already given
What vaccinations, vet examinations and parasite treatments will the puppies have had by handover, and what will you receive in writing to prove it? Will the puppy be microchipped, and whose details go on the chip first? Ask whether any puppy in the litter has been unwell, and listen for a straight answer rather than a performance of perfection; litters are living things and honest breeders can describe a minor hiccup and how it was handled. Also ask what food the puppies are weaned onto, so your first week is not complicated by an abrupt diet change you did not plan.
Ask about matching, contracts and the lifetime question
How does the breeder decide which puppy goes to which home: your pick on the day, or their recommendation based on weeks of watching temperaments? Breeders who match usually produce calmer placements than a first-come colour grab. Ask to see the contract before you commit, including any breeding restrictions and health guarantee wording. Then ask the question that separates breeders most clearly: if my circumstances collapse in five years, what happens to this dog? The answer you want is an unhesitating commitment to take the dog back or oversee its rehoming, at any age, written down.
Notice the questions coming back at you
A breeder who asks nothing about your home, hours, experience and plans is selling, not placing. Welcome detailed questions about fencing, work patterns, other pets and why you chose this breed; they signal a person who will still care after your money arrives. Equally, trust your unease: pressure to decide today, refusal of a home visit, or several unrelated litters available at once are patterns worth walking away from. After a good match is made and handover day comes, KinsLe Transferrable Profiles let the breeder's feeding notes, vet dates and early routine pass directly into your care, keeping that carefully raised start intact.