HOW I PLACE PUPPIES

I am often asked how I place puppies.  Many folk ask if they can pick out their own puppy or if there is a questionnaire to fill out.  I take the placement of each puppy into it’s new family very seriously and try my best to make a “perfect” match…so the short answer is “no”…here’s why…

There’s not a formal list of questions on paper…but I do analyze the needs of the prospective home/family…and the puppy…constantly.  I spend much of my time emailing and talking on the phone…trying to get a feel for what the prospective home/family is like and what they need in a dog.  I have folk tell me about their home/farm and what they do.  I ask questions like…”Are there children?  If so, how many and ages?  What do you want to do with your puppy (inside, outside, herding, watchdog, companion….?)    How much time do you have to be with it?  What type of lifestyle do you live?  Do you have a fenced in yard or farm?  How many dogs do you have…and or have had…and what happened to them?”  From the answers I’m given…I ask questions that come to mind to get further insight on the home/family.

When the puppies are born…I start imprinting them immediately.  Until the eyes open…I don’t do much with them.  I do weigh them and spend my time observing personalities…but mainly let the Mother know how good she is!  I watch the puppies develop and how they interact with each other and their Mother.  I observe temperament at different times of day and in different situations.

As the puppies grow…I introduce them to different surfaces like concrete – slick and rough, pavement, gravels, hay, grass, dirt, carpet, wood, leaves, water, and anything I can find different…but like what they will encounter in the real world.  They are exposed to our farm ducks and observed for herding instinct.  When they are older…they socialize with our older English Shepherds and go on short hikes with us.  I pay close attention to temperament and personality traits.

No one knows each puppy better than me. You could visit for 30 minutes and think you could pick out who is laid back or who is rowdy.  The one that is napping may really be the most playful of the bunch… another playful puppy may just be excited about company and might actually be the calmest one.  It is my responsibility to protect the puppies for their lifetime.   So, I ask that prospective owners trust my ability to match the puppy’s personality with the home/family’s lifestyle.

Having purchased a puppy…site unseen…from a breeder 2000 miles away from me, I know what it is like to be on the buying end. It is hard!  For one thing…there are never enough photos of the puppy I am interested in. When there is a blog…it seems they never mention “MY” puppy…especially after I know for sure which puppy is to be mine. Then the time crawls by!  I want to know what time it got up…if it was happy…what it did…how fast it was growing…you name it – I wanted to know, but alas, the breeder had more than one puppy to take care of and she had a life !  So, yes…I do understand how hard it is for the prospective owners. We are striving to do better with each litter…posting more information and photos on our website and videos of ALL the puppies. Right now…they are so little…but all that is changing and fixing to be a fast moving pace of change that is identifiable.

I can promise each and every one that I take this serious. I love the puppies and want the very best for them…and the family adopting them. Pretty soon…you will be taking your new puppy home and it will be part of your family as it has and will continue to be part of mine.