How to Sell Border Terrier Puppies in the United States

What rules apply when you sell Border Terrier puppies?

• Federal licensing. Under the Animal Welfare Act, a breeder with more than four breeding females who sells puppies sight unseen, for example online with shipping, generally needs a USDA license.
• Minimum age. Many states set eight weeks; Pennsylvania, for example, bans selling or transferring a dog under eight weeks. The BTCA also recommends at least 8 weeks.
• Puppy lemon laws. About 22 states have them, according to the Animal Legal and Historical Center. California, for example, requires breeders above a sales threshold to offer remedies for illness or hereditary conditions a vet certifies.
• Local rules. Some cities require a breeding permit (Los Angeles is one example), and dog licensing and rabies rules vary by state and county.

Which tests should both Border Terrier parents have?

The BTCA ethical standard recommends at least these clearances for sire and dam before breeding, with the results open on OFA:

1. Hips: X-rays for hip dysplasia. The BTCA notes that hip dysplasia has a high environmental component, so it looks at parents' and siblings' scores together.
2. Patellas: a veterinary exam for luxating kneecaps.
3. Eyes: an exam by a board-certified ophthalmologist, repeated yearly; the club's 2018 health statement says until at least 8 years of age.
4. Heart: a basic cardiac exam by a board-certified cardiologist or an echocardiogram.
5. SLEM: a DNA test, or one generation clear by parentage.

OFA says SLEM carriers can still be used, but should be bred to a dog tested clear, which prevents affected puppies while keeping genetic diversity. CECS (also called PGSD) is not on the test list, so know the family history: if a parent has had cramping episodes, tell buyers before they commit.

How do you prepare Border Terrier puppies for their new homes?

• Vet check: a full exam, first vaccines and deworming, with written records.
• Heart murmurs: the BTCA's 2018 health statement advises an echocardiogram for any puppy whose murmur is still present at 15 weeks, done before 5 months, because some ventricular septal defects close by 6 to 7 months.
• Microchip: register it in your name, ready to transfer at pickup.
• Socializing: household noise, gentle handling, car rides and short sessions on a grooming table, so the first hand-strip is not a shock.
• Paperwork: the BTCA asks breeders to provide a three-generation pedigree, a complete medical history and written instructions on feeding, health care, training and grooming.

How should you price Border Terrier puppies?

Chewy (updated August 2026) says Border Terrier puppies tend to cost $2,000 or more. Before you set a figure, look at current Border Terrier listings in your region. State plainly what the price includes, such as vaccines, deworming, microchip, vet check, AKC registration and a puppy pack, and put deposit terms in writing, including when a deposit is refunded.

Price on health testing and care rather than color: the standard accepts red, grizzle and tan, blue and tan, and wheaten. The standard says white on the feet should be penalized and allows only a little white on the chest, so describe markings honestly if buyers plan to show.

How do you write a Border Terrier puppy ad?

Use recent photos of the real puppies with their mother, and keep your phone number and address out of the ad text. You can post your Border Terrier litter for free on PetzLover and mark puppies as reserved as they go.

How do you screen buyers and hand over safely?

1. Ask about the yard: fence height, gaps and whether they know Borders dig and squeeze through narrow spaces.
2. Ask about other pets, especially cats, rabbits and caged small animals.
3. Ask who will hand-strip the coat and how the dog will get 30 minutes to an hour of exercise a day.
4. Talk by phone or video, then meet in person; be wary of buyers who want several puppies or shipping without meeting.
5. Take payment at handover, never a check for more than your price; the FTC calls the refund-the-difference trick a fake check scam.

At pickup, sign the written agreement and hand over records, the parents' results, registration papers and a few days of food, then transfer the microchip the same day. The BTCA says breeders should be willing to take back or re-home a dog at any time, and that contracts should require a dog the owner cannot keep to return to the breeder or go to a breeder-approved owner. For pets, it suggests a spay or neuter agreement and/or AKC limited registration. Owners who later need help can read how to rehome a Border Terrier responsibly, and if a family has posted a wanted ad for a Border, how to respond to a Border Terrier wanted ad explains how to check them.