# Help finding female pup



## sterlingsilver (Aug 20, 2012)

Hello. I am new to this forum and thought it would be a good place to find help finding a female pup. I have found several show breeders online however much of the time they do not say whether or not they have any pups available. I have contacted a few that have been recommended on this website, however they did not ask me any questions at all and I felt I was the one doing the interviewing. I almost felt like it was just a business to them. Is this normal for show breeders?

I am specifically looking for a female pup with a tiny, cupie doll face. If anyone knows of a reputable breeder that may have a pup now available or soon available please PM me. I do not mind traveling anywhere within the U.S. to transport her myself. Thank you all.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

I would suggest reading all the stickies in our Breeder's section to help you with your search.

I'd start with this one. Sounds like your initial contact with the show breeders may need some fine tuning.

http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/56-breeders/117699-cross-posting-article-puppy-buying-etiquette.html


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## sterlingsilver (Aug 20, 2012)

Ladysmom, 

I am not sure what you mean by "fine tuning". I am looking for a breeder that will interview me to make sure I am the best fit for their dog and not someone who seems so willing to sell their dog to me without knowing anything about me. I do not want to be the main person doing the interviewing as that makes me feel that the breeder does not truly care who they sell their pups to. 


I have talked to a few breeders and have been told by each one that they think my family would be the perfect fit for their pup. In fact I have not been "turned down" by any of the breeders. This is what I find concerning as although I know that I will provide an excellent home to any pup that I get I would certainly hope that the breeder would ask me questions and want to know about my life circumstances prior to approving me for a dog, thus the reason for my post on this website.


As I must have not worded my post to correctly reflect my point, I will rephrase:

I am looking for a female pup from a reputable breeder. Any breeder I have talked automatically wants to sell me a dog without asking me any questions or learning anything about me and I find this odd. Maybe this is normal though and I have a different idea of how my search should go. Has anyone else experienced the same thing? My desire is to find a breeder who is truly intersted in the breed, not necessarily in making money. Although I expect them to be compensated for their time and devotion to their litters, I also do not want to buy from someone who is only about making money. If anyone can refer me to this kind of a breeder, please PM me and let me know who you would suggest. Thank you!


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Hi there, 

Sounds like you're going about things the intelligent way :thumbsup: When I contacted show breeders, I made the mistake of going with a "nice" AMA breeder who didn't really ask me any questions, when I should have realized that meant that matching me and puppy was not a huge priority. I hope you get some PMs from people who have had good experiences with breeders who want to ensure the right match.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

sterlingsilver said:


> Ladysmom,
> 
> I am not sure what you mean by "fine tuning". I am looking for a breeder that will interview me to make sure I am the best fit for their dog and not someone who seems so willing to sell their dog to me without knowing anything about me. I do not want to be the main person doing the interviewing as that makes me feel that the breeder does not truly care who they sell their pups to.
> 
> ...


Oh, I did misinterpret your post. I thought the breeders were dismissing you without even bothering to ask questions since they wouldn't even tell you if they had puppies available.

What you describe would concern me, too. A reputable breeder is very careful about where she places her puppies, requires references, etc. Most have a waiting list so they can be very picky.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

Every breeder is different, obviously - but I could be guilty of this too if I get a call about a 'future' pup that hasn't even been conceived yet. I tend not to ask them as many questions as I would if I was actively placing a puppy. I think finding out if a person works or lives in an apartment is very necessary to actually placing a puppy because some puppies are more adaptable than others and I would not want to place a puppy that I think might be more prone to separation anxiety with someone who works full time. 

Good luck in your search! What exactly is a cupie doll face? I'm not familiar with that term.


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## dntdelay (May 27, 2011)

I wish I did that when I was looking for a Maltese also. I found an ad in the newspaper and I called her we talked for a while then I went and saw Jasmine and fell in love. You are very smart and dedicated in your research.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

bellaratamaltese said:


> .
> 
> Good luck in your search! What exactly is a cupie doll face? I'm not familiar with that term.


I think the OP may mean "kewpie" doll face. I've seen that term used in some internet ads for Maltese puppies along with "teacup", etc.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

Ladysmom said:


> I think the OP may mean "kewpie" doll face. I've seen that term used in some internet ads for Maltese puppies along with "teacup", etc.


ok I googled a kewpie doll...

Yikes!

I'd be scared if I had a maltese puppy look like that! It looks like the head would be seriously appledomed and that is not a correct maltese head at all - more like a chihuahua. 

To the op, honestly, I'd try avoid terminology like this when contacting reputable breeders. I would use the term _short muzzled _rather than 'baby doll' or 'kewpie doll' or 'hello kitty' which typically only the for profit breeders use. The maltese standard calls for a moderate muzzle so by specifying shorter muzzled, it can give a breeder an idea of what someone is looking for. If someone contacts me asking for a 'teacup', that tells me right there they have done little research in the breed or not the right kind of research. 

I'm sure the perfect puppy is waiting out there for you though!


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

I believe the OP means an "Ava face"


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Sterlingsilver, did you get my PM?


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## sterlingsilver (Aug 20, 2012)

I never thought of that term having a negative meaning, so thank you for the feedback. I thought I made it up.  I agree, short muzzle is probably the best way to describe it. I know what you are talking about with that appledomed look and that is certainly not the look I want.


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## wildcard (Jan 5, 2009)

I do not breed maltese, however we have bred a few papillon litters and I get many calls from people asking about puppies. I am also guilty of not doing much of an interview unless I actually have a puppy or dog to sell or place. I am not much of a phone chatter, so what I generally do is gather contact information, send an interview form to the person to fill out, and then once I have that I can tell if that is a person I would be willing to at least consider as an owner of one of my kiddos. Then when I have an actual litter with puppies available I go through the applications, emails, etc. and see if there is a prospect for a particular puppy. I generally wait several weeks into their puppyhood to even do this, because until I see their personality I can't make an educated decision about what type of home will work.

Most of my puppies are sold into agility and/or obedience competition homes, so often I have known the person looking for a puppy for many years via those venues as well. If it is someone I don't know but it looks on its face to be a good fit, I contact them via telephone or we meet in person and that is where I really flesh out whether this is the right situation for a particular puppy. 

I have only ever had one dog returned to me, and he was an older dog who was placed about 5 minutes a way on a trial basis and he was just a little too intense for their family lol (I ended up giving them his daughter). All of my "puppy people" keep in contact with me, and I see many of them at shows, trials, and when they come to board during vacations (all of the dogs I place get free board with me). Basically, so far, so good with this system.

From my own practice, I would say that unless a breeder is considering you for a puppy that is "ready to go" in the next few weeks I would not be too concerned about a lack of questions. 

Stacy Newton
Maltese- Quinn, CH Juju, CH Dillin
Yorkies- GCH Brody, Lexie
Papillons- CH MACH Piper UD RAE, CH Kit CDX MX MXJ RA, Penny AX AXJ NJP, CH Keep, GCH Katrina, CH Hero, CH William, Olivia and Pinch


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

wildcard said:


> . Then when I have an actual litter with puppies available I go through the applications, emails, etc. and see if there is a prospect for a particular puppy. I generally wait several weeks into their puppyhood to even do this, because until I see their personality I can't make an educated decision about what type of home will work.


I just wanted to mention that Maltese show breeders don't evaluate their puppies for a pet home at just two weeks old. Every puppy they produce they hope will end up in the ring and it is too soon to tell at such a young age. It is not uncommon for Maltese show breeders to hold promising puppies until they are older than 12 weeks so they can watch how they develop.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

Ladysmom said:


> I just wanted to mention that Maltese show breeders don't evaluate their puppies for a pet home at just two weeks old. Every puppy they produce they hope will end up in the ring and it is too soon to tell at such a young age. It is not uncommon for Maltese show breeders to hold promising puppies until they are older than 12 weeks so they can watch how they develop.


This is very true - I have found it hard to accurately assess temperament and potential adult temperament before 8 weeks of age. Any younger and for me, I just can't be accurate. And like Stacy (wildcard), I'm not going to have the same conversation with a prospective buyer for a future puppy as I would if I had one 12 weeks old and ready to go.


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## [email protected] (Aug 22, 2012)

HI. I am also new to the forum and am looking for a baby doll face Maltese - female pup. Any suggestions please? Thank you


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