When you're browsing puppy listings, it's easy to get pulled toward the cutest photo or the lowest price. But the details that actually matter — the ones that predict whether you're buying a healthy puppy from a responsible source — are usually a few lines further down the listing: registration status, vaccination records, deworming history, and health guarantees.

Here's what each of these actually means, and why it's worth checking every time.

CKC registration

The Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) is Canada's main purebred dog registry. CKC registration means a puppy's parentage has been documented and the litter has been registered with the club — it's a paper trail that verifies breed and lineage.

If a seller claims a puppy is "CKC registrable" rather than "CKC registered," ask what that distinction means for your specific puppy — sometimes it means the paperwork hasn't been filed yet, which is normal, but you should get a clear timeline.

Vaccination status

Puppies typically need a series of vaccinations starting around 6-8 weeks and continuing every 3-4 weeks until about 16 weeks old. A responsible seller can tell you:

• Which vaccinations have been given, and when
• Which vaccinations are still due, and when they should happen
• Which vet or clinic administered them (and ideally, documentation to match)

On Pets of Canada, listings show vaccination status as yes, partial, or no — so you know exactly where a puppy stands before you ask.

Deworming

Puppies are commonly born with intestinal parasites picked up from their mother, so a deworming schedule (usually starting at 2 weeks and repeated every 2 weeks until 12 weeks) is standard practice for responsible breeders. Ask when the last deworming treatment happened and what was used.

Health guarantees

A health guarantee is a breeder's written commitment covering specific hereditary conditions common to the breed — for example, hip dysplasia in larger breeds. It typically covers a defined period (often 1-2 years) and outlines what happens if a covered condition is diagnosed.

A health guarantee is really a signal about the breeder, not just the puppy — it means they've done health testing on the parents and are confident enough in the results to put it in writing.

Not every seller offers one, and that's not automatically disqualifying for a family pet — but it's a meaningful data point when you're comparing two similar listings.

Putting it together

None of these factors work in isolation — a puppy with full vaccinations but no health guarantee isn't necessarily worse than one with a guarantee but a partial vaccination schedule. The point is to ask about all of them, get specific answers, and use the Advanced Filters on Pets of Canada to compare listings on these exact criteria rather than price alone.