The Kennel Club is launching the first phase of a project to gather feedback from puppy buyers about their Kennel Club buying experience.
The feedback form will enable The Kennel Club to gradually gather insights directly from puppy buyers about their experiences, which will ultimately help with building tailored support and education for breeders and puppy buyers.
The questions are designed to build a picture about breeder behaviour and support provided to puppy buyers. Feedback will cover provision of a puppy pack and puppy contract, whether they received relevant health and registration certificates and pedigree. It also asks whether the puppy was vaccinated and vet checked and whether the pup was seen in its home and microchipped prior to sale.
The puppy feedback feature is part of the wider registrations review project, which aims to improve good practice amongst the full spectrum of breeders who register with The Kennel Club. Other steps that have recently been taken include the launch of a free puppy pack and engagement with the breeding community about a Health Standard, which will provide clear, evidence-based guidance for all breeders and buyers about health testing priorities in different breeds.
Bill Lambert, Health, Welfare and Breeder Services Executive, said: “We want to give the best possible support to breeders who register with us, and ensure buyers have a positive puppy buying experience. To achieve this, it is important that we gain insight into the level of service being delivered by our breeder community. We will gather this information for three months prior to reviewing the feedback, and we will then be able to shape our next steps, which may include tailoring our education and support initiatives for breeders in relation to these areas.”
“This is just one part of the wider registrations project, which aims to provide guidance and support to breeders and clearer signposting to puppy buyers about good practice. We want to support both breeders and puppy buyers now and in the future, based on knowledge and insights and this is just one step in this direction.”