How to Choose a Healthy Puppy
How to choose a healthy puppy: a head-to-tail health check, what the mother and litter tell you, temperament signs, breed health tests and papers to ask for.
Quick answer
Choose a puppy that is at least eight weeks old, seen with its mother in the place it was raised, bright, curious and easy to handle. Check it from head to tail: clear eyes, clean ears, quiet breathing, a clean bottom and a coat with no fleas or sore patches. Ask about the parents' health tests and get vaccination, deworming and vet-check records. If anything feels wrong, walk away.
Start before you see the puppies
The healthiest puppy in a badly bred litter can still carry inherited problems, so pick the breeder or home first. Read up on your chosen breed's common health issues, from hip and elbow problems in large dogs to breathing trouble in flat-faced breeds. Then ask the seller, before you visit, what testing the parents have had.
For spotting fake adverts, deposit scams and puppy farms, see Puppy Scams: How to Buy a Puppy Safely. This guide is about judging the puppy itself once you're standing in front of the litter.
Meet the mother (and the litter)
Always see the puppies with their mother, in the place they were born. Welfare charities are firm on this, and it tells you a lot:
- The mother should look reasonably healthy for a dog that has just raised a litter, be comfortable with people and interact with her puppies. A mother who is withdrawn, very thin or kept away from you is a warning sign.
- The litter should be lively, playing with each other and with toys. One quiet puppy can just be tired. A whole litter that is listless, coughing or has runny eyes is not.
- The environment should be clean, warm and free of strong urine smells. Puppies raised in a home, around normal household noise, usually cope better with family life later.
Ask the mother's age and how many litters she has had. Seeing the father too is a bonus, though he often lives elsewhere.
The head-to-tail health check
Ask to handle the puppy and go through it calmly. A healthy puppy usually shows most of the following.
| Area | What you want to see | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Eyes | Clear and bright | Discharge, redness, crusting, cloudiness |
| Ears | Clean, no smell | Dark wax, a strong smell, scratching or head shaking (possible ear mites) |
| Nose | Clean, nostrils open | Thick discharge, very narrow nostrils |
| Breathing | Quiet and easy | Snoring, wheezing, coughing, noisy breathing at rest |
| Mouth | Pink gums, clean teeth | Pale gums, obvious bite problems |
| Coat and skin | Clean, soft, shiny | Fleas or flea dirt, scabs, bald or sore patches, infected skin folds |
| Body | Well covered, ribs not visible | A pot belly with thin body (often worms), visible ribs or hips |
| Legs | Moves freely, sturdy | Limping, wobbliness, reluctance to walk |
| Bottom | Clean and dry under the tail | Faecal staining or diarrhoea |
| Belly | Smooth | A soft swelling at the belly button (possible hernia) |
Check the droppings in the pen if you can. Loose, bloody or very smelly faeces across the litter suggest a health problem. Gently feel for a bulge at the navel. Small umbilical hernias are fairly common and some need surgery later, so ask a vet before deciding.
Temperament: what to look for
Healthy puppies are active, alert and curious. They usually come over to investigate you, sniff and want to play.
Try a few simple things. Sit on the floor and see who comes over. Pick the puppy up gently, look in its ears and mouth and handle its paws. A puppy that wriggles a bit and then settles is normal. Drop a set of keys a little way off. A startle is fine; what you want is a puppy that recovers and comes back to investigate.
Be cautious about a puppy that hides at the back, trembles, won't approach at all or is very hard to settle when handled. It may just be a bad day, but timid puppies can grow into fearful adults, especially if they've had little contact with people. Equally, the boldest puppy in the litter may be a handful for a first-time owner. Ask the breeder, who sees them every day, which puppy suits your household.
Breed health tests
Many breeds have recommended screening for the parents, such as hip and elbow scoring, eye tests or DNA tests for specific inherited diseases. The right tests depend on the breed and on the schemes available in your country. Ask to see actual certificates or results for both parents, not just "the vet said they're fine".
Pedigree papers are a family tree. They don't prove health.
Papers to ask for
A careful seller should hand over, or show you:
- the puppy's vaccination record, with dates and the vet's details (see the Puppy Vaccination Schedule for what to expect at this age)
- deworming dates and products, and any flea treatment
- any vet check or health certificate for the puppy
- microchip details, where microchipping is required or offered (rules vary by country)
- the parents' health test results
- a written sale agreement covering what happens if a health problem is found soon after purchase
- advice on what the puppy is eating, ideally with a small supply to avoid a sudden diet change
Red flags that should stop the sale
- The mother isn't there, or the puppies clearly weren't raised where you're seeing them
- Puppies under eight weeks being sold away from their mother
- Pressure to decide or pay on the spot
- Puppies or mother that look ill, very thin or frightened
- No records, or a story that keeps changing
Don't buy a sick or poorly kept puppy to "rescue" it. It feels kind, but it funds the next litter. Walk away and report your concerns to an animal welfare body.
The first vet visit
Book a vet check within the first few days, even if the puppy seems perfect. The vet can pick up things like heart murmurs, hernias, retained testicles or parasites, and plan the rest of the vaccinations and worming. If something significant turns up, contact the seller straight away.
When you're ready to look, you can browse puppies from verified sellers on Paalo and use this checklist when you visit.
Frequently asked questions
At what age should a puppy leave its mother?
Animal welfare organisations recommend at least eight weeks. Puppies younger than that should still be living with their mother and littermates, where they learn bite control and normal dog manners.
Should I pick the quietest puppy in the litter?
Not necessarily. A calm puppy can be lovely, but one that hides, trembles or will not come forward at all may grow into a fearful dog. Look for a puppy that is curious, recovers quickly from a surprise and is happy to be handled.
Is a pedigree certificate proof that a puppy is healthy?
No. Pedigree papers record ancestry, not health. Ask for the parents' breed-specific health test results and the puppy's own vet check, vaccination and deworming records.
What if the puppy gets ill soon after I bring it home?
See a vet promptly and contact the seller. A written sale contract that covers health problems found shortly after purchase gives you a clear basis to sort things out, which is one reason to agree one before you pay.
