Question from a New Puppy Family – Can you tell me more about how the puppy selection process works?

We’ll start the selection process at about 6 weeks of age. Michele will have gone over our notes we’ve taken from our previous conversations, and will reach out to you (by text) to confirm some specific things you’re looking for in a new little family member. She’ll ask about things such as sex, size, color, personality, temperament. Then she’ll pick the two or three puppies that most closely fit those desires. (Too many puppies to choose from can be overwhelming and really slow the selection process down, so we narrow the choices down based purely on the obvious traits that satisfy your ideal selection.)

We have the benefit of being able to watch the puppies closely as they grow. We watch specifically how they interact with each other, with humans who handle them and with momma. It’s very helpful to see the puppies consistently and over a period of weeks in this environment, so that we can learn about each puppy’s personality RELATIVE to the other puppies. It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to make a judgement on a young puppy’s personality and temperament in a short period of time and ESPECIALLY if he/she is alone. To be able to evaluate their behavior within the litter, over a period of weeks, is very useful in the decision process.

When they’re a little older, we expose them to new surroundings and observe as they see new animals, hear new sounds, smell new smells and meet new people. It’s very important to see these things in the context of the siblings. Without doing that – trying to choose a puppy in a vacuum, it’s easy to be fooled. This is why the remote selection process has worked so well. We’ve eliminated much of the emotional aspect of the selection and that allows us to get families the closest puppy that fits their needs.

Each family will have a day or so to make the selection. Michele (and I) will chat with you by phone, text and FaceTime. We’ll send new pictures of the 2-3 puppies Michele has designated as being the best match(es) for you. We’ll also use videos and do live video calls if needed. By this time we almost always have a good idea of which puppy is the best fit for your family, but we want to make sure things are perfect!

And that’s it! Once you’ve selected, we continue to socialize the puppy and get him/her prepared to go home!