General Information:
I don’t keep a waiting list because most people will find a puppy before I have one available and then I waste multiple days contacting people who are no longer interested. So now I require my buyers to keep in touch with me instead. This way, if I don’t hear from you again, I’ll know you’re no longer interested.
I also don’t take deposits. A deposit is traditionally intended to make up for losing sales while holding a pup for someone who later decides not to follow through with the purchase. I often have up to 5 people waiting for someone to back out of a purchase, so I don’t lose any sales if someone backs out. When the pup is ready, you just come meet them and if you feel a connection, just pay in cash and take the pup home the same day.
I test my parents for PRA1, NAD, VWD and CFVII- the tests for the last two are notoriously inaccurate, so I also retest with a different company and do the clotting function test with the vet if I have a positive test come back.
I also certify hearts, eyes and Patellas for OFA but I do not always send the results to OFA. Having the results and being able to share them is what’s important. The results, themselves are only useful for helping breeders in making their breeding decisions; but it is important to know your breeder does them.
The OFA exams are actually more important than the DNA tests, yet Backyard Breeders often only perform the DNA testing.
Prepare for the big day:
To plan for puppy’s arrival, I recommend this shopping list
small wire crate
Small plastic crate for ground travel
Small, airline approved pet-bad for air travel
24 inch tall exorcise pen
food/water bowls
Washable potty pads (they tend to tear up the disposable ones)
Belly Bands or “bitch pants”
a small bag of puppy food; I recommend Royal Canine or purine Pro Plan (for transitioning). Puppy will come with a small sample size bag of Royal Canin.
Small collar or harness with leash
Karo Syrup and 3 CC syringe (without needle)
Small baby or puppy throw blankets
Baby wipes in case puppy gets car sick or poop sticks to their bottom
Housebreaking:
My puppies are raised with a washable potty pad and doggie door, depending on age, which aids in housebreaking. I am frequently told that my puppies are nearly completely house broken when they arrive at their new homes and every time, I am asked how I accomplished it at such a young age. There’s no secret, they just don’t like to sleep in dirty beds. They start off in large crates, then are moved to a larger x-pen and as their attempts at using the potty pad becomes more successful, I increase their living area.
My puppies stay in the house until they are 6-8 weeks old and do not go out at all, before they are 6 weeks old, when I start taking them outside for a few minutes, several times a day. This is another factor in their house-breaking. For the most part, they will stop eliminating in their x-pen shortly after I start doing this. During this time they are socialized with the rest of the pack.
When the pups grow older and begin realizing their hormones, the learn to compete with the others in marking their territories. The girls tend to be far worse than the boys. For this reason, they wear diapers in the house and motel rooms when we travel to shows. I am told by clients who’ve purchased a retiree, that housebreaking has not been difficult, but there was one female that took longer than the others. The key is consistency and confinement at times when consistency is difficult to maintain.
Vaccinations:
The puppies will receive their 1st vaccination at 8 weeks old and will begin evaluations at that time. The first pup/s to be placed can go to their new homes between 9 and 12 weeks old, depending on their size and how well they are doing with eating. Smaller pups who struggle to keep up with their siblings in size and stamina will stay longer.
Their second vaccination will be done at 14 weeks and third at 18 weeks and those are the only vaccines my dogs get. There are some veterinarians who have studied long term immunity in dogs, and just like we do not need to booster our childhood vaccines every year, our intire lives, neither do dogs. When I’m worried about my dogs immunity, I will have a titer test run instead, which measures the antibodies of the vaccines in their blood stream. Any measurable amount of antibodies indicates immunity in a normal dog. Dogs that have a compromised or inadequate immune system will not be protected from viruses no matter how many they receive.
Feeding:
I let the mothers wean the puppies naturally. Around 3-4 weeks old, they begin to nibble at mom’s food, so while she is outside to potty I’ll let the puppies eat for 10-15 minutes before letting mom back in. I do not add milk or make a “mash”. I’ve found it to be completely unnecessary for the amount of mess they leave behind. They are usually eating kibble on their own by 4 weeks old.
When mom starts trying to wean them, I leave her out of their pen for longer periods of time. She will stay near them so they can see, hear and smell her and then I’ll put her with them 2-3 times a day. I feed the puppies kibble once a day in the morning, and I feed them enough so that it lasts until afternoon.
I have found that Grain Free foods are too rich for their tummies (it causes loose stools), so I feed a quality, grain inclusive kibble that is free from wheat, soy, flax and peas. I prefer foods that have fewer ingredients. All the exotic berries and veggies in dog food are unnecessary and just cost more.
Day of pick-up
I’ll give my address and directions to my house the day before your trip. Do not follow GPS If you need to use the bathroom. We don’t allow strangers in our private home. Instead, go into Roswell then after you’ve eaten lunch or visited a bathroom, reset your GPS.
Bring cash to pay for your puppy, a travel crate with a couple of blankets or towels for bedding and baby wipes in case the puppy has an accident in the crate or gets car sick. Most will begin to whine when they need to potty. If you are not comfortable carrying cash, I can accept Zelle transfers through my bank.
Please leave your other dogs at home. It will be too hot for them in the car and for their safety, they cannot get out at my house. Our guard dogs are very large and get too excited to meet new small dogs and defensive when meeting bigger dogs. My guard dogs live here, this is their property and they will protect it from intruders.
Jennifer Able-Jones
Roswell, NM 88201
Jennifer@jbarpapillons.com
