Four Cavoodle puppies worth $3000 each have been snatched from a Melbourne pet store.

The security alarm at the Toorak Road shop in Camberwell was activated about 11.20pm yesterday, police said.

When manager Brook Chuang arrived at the store, she realised it had been broken into.

Two seven-week-old and two nine-week-old Cavoodle puppies with gold-coloured hair were nowhere to be found.

Detective Sergeant Eric Young described the robbery as a "low act".

"With the tender age of the pups, there's genuine concern they're not being looked after properly," he said today.

Ms Chuang said the puppies were the most valuable in her store.

"Just bring them back please," she said.

“They might be upset… anything can happen if they don’t have good care.”

Detectives believe the thief or thieves spent less than 10 minutes inside the store, gaining entry by cutting a massive hole in the chain link fence and hacking their way through a security door.

It’s also understood the getaway car was parked in a back laneway, beside a vacant IGA outlet.

Investigations are now underway.