Now things start to get confusing! How do you decide which of these people to contact? Which puppy is the right one for you? If you have been reading some of the advice on the internet it can be even more confusing. You may have read warnings that you should not buy a puppy over the internet, well this may be true if the seller has more breeds than you can count, usually small and toy breeds. These sellers are usually brokering puppies from breeders who will drop ship direct to the buyer. You may have no choice if you really want an Afghan Hound and you do not want to drive several hours one way, stay overnight - or maybe even two - if you want to visit the breeder's home or kennel. You will have to take the breeder on trust - and this will mean person to person telephone conversations! The breeder should feel the same way - they will need to talk to you as well, if they care about where their puppies are going or what will happen to them.

     If a puppy seller says they want to meet you in a public place for "security" reasons, do NOT meet them in a parking lot or a shopping mall! Ask if you could meet them at their vet clinic, in the reception area, NOT the parking lot! There are too many scammers out there that will try to sell you puppies that don't exist, or have fraudulent origins - and with no health guarantee.

    You may also have read warnings that you should never buy a puppy that has not been raised "in the home" - and you will see many advertisers who have caught on to this and use it as a selling strategy, using phrases such as "we are a small family kennel" and this may be true, but this still does not make them the best breeders! You should ask the puppy seller where the puppies are born, and where do they keep the puppies when they get older? A good breeder will whelp their litters in their home. However, Afghan Hound puppies are very active and cannot be kept in small pens in the house or basement beyond the first few weeks of infancy, and if not given the opportunity to exercise themselves outdoors and develop properly, they will never reach their full potential as healthy members of the breed.

     You will need to know something about the breeder, the dogs and puppies they own, and they need to know a lot about you. That is why I like to talk to people on the telephone - or via Messenger. Some breeders prefer to use online applications, but I do not, as in my opinion they are too easy to falsify. People can write in whatever they think the breeder wants to see, and can provide references which have been falsified,

     One thing I do need to mention is that if you have never seen a litter of baby Afghan Hounds before, they do not begin life as miniature adults! The long hair does not begin to develop until they are born and then it comes in gradually. Your new puppy should be at least 8 weeks old by State Law in most American states, and by this time will have had their first vaccines.  Many breeders wait longer than that. The breeder should also provide you with a list of vaccines the puppy has already been given, and a schedule of when the next shots will be due. The same goes for worming, and the products used. You should have had a detailed discussion with the breeder as to whether the litter has been AKC registered and whether or not the puppies have also been individually registered by the breeder. If the breeder/seller is with-holding registration papers from a registered litter, it is an AKC requirement that this must be stated in the contract /bill of sale, with the reasons why, or papers must be provided to the puppy buyer.  Some breeders in the US will also have the puppy microchipped before leaving for a new home, if not, you can arrange for this to be done by your own veterinarian.  In Canada, all puppies must be identified by chip or tattoo, registered with the CKC, and registration documents supplied to the new owner by the breeder.