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Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Q.  I placed a deposit.  What's next?

A.  If you placed a deposit for a future litter, I will send you occasional emails.  If you are hoping for a puppy from our current litters or have reserved a specific puppy, please complete your Puppy Homework (see below), in preparation to bring home your puppy.  I will continue to send email updates, take videos and stay in close communication with you, especially as pickup day draws near.  You are welcome to email your questions.  The resources below and on the linked pages will have answers to most of your questions.  I encourage you to spend some time browsing through our website and YouTube Channel, as sometimes the answers can be found quicker than my email reply.

 

Q: What kind of food is the puppy eating?

A: We normally feed Kirkland Signature Nature's Domain Puppy Formula Chicken & Pea carried by Costco and also other retailers.  Occasionally there might be a puppy who eats Royal Canin food.  If so, I will let you know in the Puppy Notes (see below)  These are normally puppies who are extra small or who are not eating well.  The Puppy Notes will have up-to-date information about your puppy's feeding schedule and routine.  I prefer to wait until a few days before pickup to send out the most up to date information about your puppy's routine.  Below you can find a general copy of the Puppy Notes.  Usually it doesn't change very much. 

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Q: What do I need to buy or do before picking up my puppy?

A: Please read our Checklist below. We will provide you with up to date Puppy Notes, to let you know what the puppy is currently eating, his/her daily routine, vaccination and health information. Please do the puppy "homework" below in advance.

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Q: Can I bring my dog to your house when I come?

A: We do not permit other dogs to come for visits. We have this policy for several reasons:

  • Bio-security: there are some doggie germs that are transmitted unintentionally from other dogs, even if the dogs appear to be healthy. We do our best to have good bio-security practices for the optimum health of our dogs. In addition, human visitors may be asked to remove their shoes before/upon entering, to wash their hands before touching dogs and other bio-security measures we feel are necessary, to protect our puppies from deadly diseases we might unknowingly be carrying.
  • Our dogs are protective of our family as most dogs are and some will not welcome with open arms other dogs onto their "turf". Stranger dogs will cause a lot of stress to protective mamas and we don't want them to get stressed out. It is best to introduce new dogs to each other in a neutral territory such as a park, rather than someone's home. Some dogs do fine with it, while others are more protective and not as welcoming. We have both types.
  • The experience of visiting dogs does not go as people would like it to, as both visiting dogs and our dogs will be uncomfortable and us humans will be uncomfortable seeing our dogs uncomfortable, so it will not be a good experience for anyone.
  • Please follow the links in the Article section of our Health page for how to introduce a puppy to an older dog.

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Q. Is it safe to bring my puppy out in public, after picking him/her up?

A. Your puppy will have at least one set of puppy shots before leaving our home. Please discuss this concern with your vet and be sure to bring his vaccination records. According to some vaccine manufacturers, it may take 7-21 days for the puppy to develop immunity from the date of his vaccine. We recommend bringing your puppy out to socialize but keeping him/her off the ground/floor until 21 days after the 3rd set of vaccinations.

 

Q:  What size is my puppy/what size collar/harness should I buy?

A:  Puppies are all different sizes and will most likely be bigger when you meet them than they are today.  Also, product sizes vary depending on the manufacturer. I recommend waiting until you have your puppy home before buying these types of products for two reasons:

  • Puppies grow a lot the first few months of life. I feel it is best for you to measure your individual puppy when s/he is ready to be introduced to these items for the best fit. In general, most puppies weigh between 1-1/2 and 2lbs at 8 weeks of age. 

  • Leash training is frequently scary for puppies and we don't want them to associate this unusual thing they think is strangling them with their new people. I recommend waiting to introduce collars/harnesses and especially a leash until your puppy has had time to get accustomed to his/her new home and new people which might take a week or two.

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Puppy "Homework" / Checklist of items to have & do BEFORE picking up your puppy.

Plan:

  1. Schedule a simple puppy checkup exam with an available vet to be within 3 business days of picking up puppy (to keep the Health Guarantee and Spay/Neuter Contract in effect).  If your puppy is between 8-10 weeks old, s/he will not normally need any vaccinations or deworming at this first visit.
  2. Read the Heath Guarantee & Spay/Neuter Contract in advance.  I will email you a personalized copy with your puppy paperwork.
  3. Research: hypoglycemia, vaccinations, puppy food choices, and more on our Health page.
  4. Get cash ahead of time to pay your balance due. I will email your itemized invoice a week or two before pickup.  We accept cash only when picking up your puppy. Please plan ahead to get cash, as most banks have a daily limit to ATM withdrawals-not enough for the balance due. It has happened before that someone had to leave without their puppy only to make the drive to our house a 2nd time, because they planned to get cash from an ATM on the way on a Sunday and couldn’t withdraw enough.  We live about 30 miles from the nearest ATM.

Research:

I welcome your questions!  Answers to many questions will be answered in:

 

You are welcome to send me your questions.  Depending on how busy I am, you might find the answer quicker in one of the above resources.  If you have questions that are not answered or topics you would like me to discuss and/or make a video of, please let me know.  I welcome your feedback on my whole process of buying a puppy. It is always my goal to be more efficient over time and to make more changes to accomplish this. 

Items to purchase before picking up your puppy (please don't wait to go shopping until you are on your way home from picking him/her up):

  • Puppy food of your choice, to mix with the sample of your puppy's current food we will send home with him/her

  • Nutri-cal/Forti-cal or equivalent and corn syrup, to prevent hypoglycemia if your puppy doesn't want to eat

  • Puppy litter box.  We use size small Puppy Pans, but you can use most any shallow plastic container or tall one with a hole cut into the side (see our Puppy Training 101 YouTube Playlist for more info about litterbox training)

  • Wood pellets for the litter box. They type of wood might vary, but we prefer fuel pellets for pellet stoves (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) rather than ones made for animal bedding for better absorbency.  Feed stores should carry them year round. The cost should be around $6, not $20. If it's $20, you are probably looking at BBQ grilling pellets.

  • Potty pads such as these.  They do not need to be scented.

  • Extra small 19" crate to transport your puppy home safely and to continue crate training. We recommend this crate from Walmart. Here's another option. Please do not buy a crate that is bigger than 19-20" in length for potty training or the puppy will most likely potty in it.

  • Some people prefer to transport their puppy in a medium/large kennel  big enough to put a bed and litter box or potty pad. For crate training and potty training we recommend the extra small crates above but we like these for long trips.

  • Light weight crate liner/blanket/bed. During potty training using a crate, we find it helpful to have something cozy but not super absorbent, such as homemade fleece blankets, so they feel the unpleasant moisture if they potty inside and realize they don't like it. It usually only takes a few accidents for them to stop pottying inside, but if it gets wicked up by their bed, this may delay their progress. Later, we switch to something like these cozy beds or crate mats.

  • We recommend having a safe place set up and ready for your new puppy, for those times when you are not able to supervise. We like to use 24" tall exercise pens or Iris pens with: litter box or potty pad, a crate with bed inside, water and toys.

PICK-UP DAY

 

I will be in close communication with you the days and weeks before pick-up day.  Please check your email daily, in case there is something time sensitive to discuss.  When the day arrives to meet your puppy, please bring the following:

  1. Balance due in cash (exact amount please-we normally don't carry cash to make change) with your name and enclosed amount written on envelope
  2. Travel crate/pen with an absorbent bed/blanket, unless you or someone else plans to hold puppy during a short drive home.  If your drive is over one hour, click here for travel recommendations.
  3. Travel litter box and pee pads
  4. Bottled water (I will send your puppy with a small baggie of puppy food to mix with your own)

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Please plan for your pickup appointment (if picking up from our home) to take 30 minutes. It doesn’t always take that long, but I want to be sure and allow enough time to answer any questions you might have.  If picking up from a transporter, we will do most of the work beforehand and it should only take ~10 minutes or even less. I am happy to answer all your questions before and after pickup so everyone can get back on the road.

Recommended items:

  • It is fun to buy toys and cuddly beds for puppies to have around the house. They like anything soft and cuddly and seem to prefer soft fabric toys rather than plastic. I recommend keeping the cozy fun beds for other areas of your home and have a simple hard sided crate with liner/blanket during crate training.
  • We buy fleece fabric from Walmart or fabric stores for easy-to-care-for blankets. You can buy fabric by the yard, cut them up and make several blankets without the need to sew.
  • Collapsible portable playpen very handy when traveling, but not a replacement for a "safe area" for longer unsupervised periods
  • Grapefruit Seed Extract/GSE
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
Some of our favorite online stores for pet supplies, besides Amazon and Walmart:
FAQ
Checklist
Recommended items
What to expect pickup day
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