5 year old german shepherd x Belgian malinois

German Shepherd Puppy Buying Checklist

We highly recommend every buyer reads through the below advice when purchasing or rehoming a German Shepherd.

• View the animal in the place it was born and raised - check for genuine home environments if buying privately, or the quality of the breeders set-up if applicable.
• If viewing a puppy under 8 weeks, by law they MUST be seen with their mum.
• Make sure the animal's old enough to be rehomed. 8 weeks should be the earliest a puppy can be rehomed.
• By law, all dogs MUST be microchipped
• Review and verify any documents, such as KC registration paperwork where applicable

Avoid Potential Scams

There are a number of red flags to look out for when purchasing a new puppy:

• Seller demands a deposit without allowing you to see the dog first - never send any money before meeting the animal in person
• Seller is reluctant to send you additional photos or videos
• Seller offers to deliver the dog/puppy without you viewing it first
• Seller asks to meet in a mutual location
• Seller uses fake or stolen photos from the internet. Always carry out a "Google image search".
• Seller asks to immediately switch to communication off the German Shepherd Owners website
• Seller uses a different phone number to the one listed on the website
• Seller asks you to send money to a bank account with a different name to the person you have been communicating with
• The dog/puppy is advertised significantly cheaper than similar listings

Although we have a number of automated systems in place to prevent scam and fraudulant adverts, these can never be 100% accurate and its important to use caution when buying online. We do not accept any responsibility for transactions between our users, especially when our safe buying advice is not followed.

View the full German Shepherd buyers checklist for more information, plus the German Shepherd buyers guide for more advice on giving a puppy a new home.