Picking Your Puppy

It’s hard to know how to pick a puppy that will really suit your family. Do you pick the one that walked up to you first? Do you pick the one that’s the cutest (now, how can THAT be an exact science)? What is a good strategy to use? I’ve played puppy cupid for years and have come up with ideas that may make things a little easier. Check out the ideas below and feel free to contact me for more info!

For those who are looking for an emotional support/therapy dog, I would be happy to offer my clinical advice on the puppies/litters so we can make sure you get a dog than fits your needs.

It’s hard to know how to pick a four-legged family member. I’m here to help. I’d love to share with you, solid strategies to make the right decision for, your family and your new puppy. Here are some things to consider:

FIRST: You need to put this list in order of importance; temperament, color, size, coat type and gender. Some, who live in apartments for example, may feel the smallest puppy is best, for others who are an active family want the busiest of the bunch. Others need a wool coat because of allergies.

Of course, we try to put as many of the criteria together in one puppy as possible, but sometimes a puppy can be everything we want but the wrong gender, for example. SO, it’s best to figure out what criteria is 100% necessary to fulfill and what part is just a nice addition.

NEXT: Then we wait to see what we get when the puppies are born. We take deposits on puppies before they are born and hold them in place of whose who deposited first. So, to hold a place, a non-refundable deposit needs to be sent in ($500). When the puppies are big enough I start with deposit # 1 and we talk about their puppy criteria and have them pick a puppy.

A lot of people in position #3 or #4 get anxious that they won’t get the “best puppy”. This is simply not true. EVERYONE has their own personal criteria, and like I mentioned above, what is best for one family (the most laid back dog for senior who just wants a house companion) is certainly not best for another (the busiest dog for an active young family who are avid hikers). In all my years of doing this I have never had a person who wanted a dog, walk away with one that DIDN’T fit their family.

My job is to know my dogs, know my puppies and serve my puppy families in the best way possible – and that is to help match them with the puppy that would best fit THEIR unique family. It’s like I’m puppy-cupid. I offer my advice to families who want it and they can make the ultimate decision as to what is best for them.

AFTER THAT: At this stage Go Doodles grows the puppy up with love and human interaction, with a lot of playing and cuddling.

We are in contact with our puppy families to let you know when their spay/neuter date is, set a time/date for pick up and talk about puppy vitamins & training (if that option has been chosen by the puppy family).

I update the family on what is needed in the first few weeks regarding neuter care, general guidelines regarding training and all the puppy’s belongings to make a good transition.

Aftercare phone calls are always welcome if puppy families need some support in the transition.