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Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ

On this page:

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 most 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.

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 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 following puppy "homework" below in advance.

Checklist of items to have and things to do BEFORE coming to pick up your puppy.

Plan:

  1. Schedule a puppy checkup exam with your vet to be within 3 business days of picking up puppy (to keep the Health Guarantee and Spay/Neuter Contract in effect)
  2. Research: hypoglycemia, vaccinations, puppy food choices, introducing your new puppy to an older dog, and other articles on our Health page
  3. Get cash ahead of time to pay balance due. 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.

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):

  1. Puppy food of your choice, to mix with the sample of your puppy's current food we will send home with him/her
  2. Nutri-Cal or equivalent and corn syrup
  3. Puppy litter box.  We use size small Puppy Pans.
  4. Wood pellets for the litter box.  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.
  5. Potty pads such as these.  They do not need to be scented.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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


When the day arrives to meet your puppy, please bring the following;

  1. Health Guarantee and Spay/Neuter Contract with your portion filled out (if you don't have the ability to print, please let me know in advance)
  2. Balance due in cash (exact amount please)
  3. Travel crate/pen with an absorbent bed/blanket
  4. Litter box and/or pee pads
  5. Bottled water

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:

I do not recommend introducing them to a collar, harness or leash or dressing them in cute clothes until they have gotten used to their new people and home. They will be adjusting to their new home and adding these new sometimes scary things, will be upsetting. Once they have adjusted (after a few days), please read about Leash Training in the Article section of our Health page.

There will be some paperwork to go over when you come. Please read the Health Guarantee & Spay/Neuter Contract  before you come, and don’t hesitate to ask any questions.  Please fill out your portion of the document before coming and bring it along with you.


Please plan for your pickup appointment 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. We have fun taking a going away picture with you and your new puppy, to share on our Facebook page, but if you are not comfortable with that, you are welcome to say no.

FAQ
Checklist
Recommended items
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