FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I breed or show my dog?
Your puppy will come with a "Limited Registration" from the American Kennel Club.  This means that your dog is registered, but that litters produced by the dog you buy from us are not eligible for AKC or affiliate club registration, likewise they are not eligible to be entered in breed competition in licensed or member dog shows.  They can be entered in 'performance' competitions such as hunting, agility, athleticism or obedience contests.  All warranties are void if the dog has been bred or shown contrary to this limited registration policy.

How do you raise great puppies?
We subscribe to the Puppy Culture method of early neurological stimulation, socialization and puppy rearing.   We recognize that as breeders we have the opportunity and obligation to shape these puppies into outstanding lifelong companions during what is arguably the most formative stage of their lives.   We do this in small part to make happy customers, but in large part to make happy puppies.  

Here is an abbreviated list of what we do and when we do it:
 

• Weeks 1 & 2 your puppy is handled, cuddled, picked-up, and gently turned over, all while quietly speaking to them.  We do this during their entire stay with us and in the later weeks we expand this to include gently placing our fingers in the puppies mouths, rub their teeth and gums, lift and stroke their outer ear and under flap, on their paws and between their pads, tap their genitals and private areas.  This will help them know that there are no 'no touch zones' and will be a great benefit during veterinary visits, or administering at home care and grooming.  In their final weeks with us, we will gently tug their cheek, tails and fur to condition them for toddlers, or adults who should know better.

• Week 3 we begin introducing the puppies to both abrupt and ongoing noises such as vacuums, doorbells, telephones, louder voices and sharper sounds, such as a book being dropped.  These continue for the rest of their stay with us, with new sounds being introduced along the way.  We also approach them abruptly, and reach toward them without 'permission' to assure they are not easily startled by this behavior later in life.   While nursing, mom 'disposes' (eww) of all of their bodily functions.   At this age they start on prepared food, and mom stops her disposal functions.  We start placing them in a litter area of the pen as soon as we notice a bathroom event about to happen.  At this stage we're changing the pen carpets multiple times per day.

• Week 4 your puppy will meet the crate, and we start introducing new people and places.  Since they will not have received all of their vaccines yet, these new places are typically not frequented by other dogs.  By this age, bathroom events are more predictable, and start placing them in the litter area to trigger them to relieve themselves, it's usually 50/50 this week on success.

• Week 5 we start house training at night. Letting the puppies out of their crate twice a night to 'go hurry'.   Litter training typically improves to 70% success.

• Week 6 we start with car rides to help acclimate the puppy and help prevent car sickness.  We also put them on a leash, but with no tension or attempt to control them.   Puppies are much more mobile, and litter training success often regresses, but a foundation has been laid!

• Week 7 we start using the leash to guide and direct them, and let them experience being controlled.  We continue house training and bringing new people to visit, and safely expose them to new situations.   Litter training is usually back up over 80% at this point.   

• Week 8 they go home, and we are available thereafter for advice, calls, whatever comes up!  Our last litter had only one reported litter accident after go home, and the owner said it was really her fault (!).  All puppies are different, and your experience may vary, but we really, really try to establish litter training before they go home.   Our training is easily extended at home so that they go in the same area of the yard each time.   Ask for details.  

What will I need at home?

Patience and resolve for starters.   The first few days at home will set the stage for the next 12-14 years or more.   If you're crate training, and we highly recommend that, be consistent.   A newly homed puppy just left it's mother, it's playmates and the only home and caregivers they've ever known.   They will whine when you put them to bed in their crate.   Let them.   It does get better.  Trust us and trust the process.  But, plan on a few sleepless nights.  

​

POST-PANDEMIC UPDATE *** IF YOU WORK AT HOME, a puppy will be a near full-time distraction and disruptive during the first two weeks+.   We had a puppy returned from a family who was not fully prepared, and it was heart-breaking for their small children!

​

At times your puppy will need constant supervision and gentle but firm management.    This generally applies to whenever it is awake and not confined in it's crate or pen.

​

Your puppy needs a safe and quiet place to rest and escape the activity around them, a place to call their own.  This is their crate.  Their crate is not a punishment, it is a safe haven, and how you employ it will mean all of the difference in their first few weeks at home.

​

You will need to balance your puppy's crate time and it's active time -- a crate is not a puppy sitter nor a playmate, and puppies need LOTS AND LOTS of play stimulation, they are social animals who rely on their pack -- and you are their pack now.

​

We recommend a wire crate, with a movable internal panel (basically an extra wall) that can be used to reduce the size while a puppy, but removed when a fully grown adult.   As long as you are a responsible puppy parent, your puppy will not relieve themselves where they sleep.  If the sleeping area is too large, they will walk to a corner opposite their bedding and pee or poop.  You don't want this.  You want them to whine and wake you to go 'hurry' outside.   Also, we recommend a drape or similar to cover the top and all sides of the crate -- this gives them a sense of den-like security and also helps removes distraction.  

​

You will need toys, and lots of them.  We recommend different types of toys, some for chewing/teething, some for chasing, and some for cuddling against.   

​

We highly recommend a pen made of movable panels at least 3' tall to establish a free play area that can be folded away and stored when needed, with the presumption that anything inside the pen can and will be chewed or peed on.  It doesn't need to be a big area at first - 10 x 10 is great.  It will be a huge help later on when it comes to training to come, sit, stay, bring, etc as you won't be chasing them all over your house.  

​

Before you bring your new family member home, ask friends and neighbors for recommendations of a veterinarian.  Know in advance what their regular hours are, and after hours availability and fees.

​

If you have young children in your pack, make sure that you have discussions with them in advance about where the puppy will (and won't) sleep, and how it is to be treated and handled.    Everyone able in the household should take an active, age appropriate role in the care, play and exercise of your new family member.  It will help them understand their (and your) place in the pack hierarchy. 

Lastly, and again, patience, preparation and understanding.   Puppies are new to the world, they make mistakes and have accidents.   Your preparation is what will determine the impact of those.  If you have $1000 dollar shoes, or an original copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland-- I guarantee these are what they will find and chew first.  Don't set your puppy up for failure.