How it works at WyndyRidge….
1. Choose a Breeder.
Please know, if you choose us, we will welcome your visits and questions because we know that we will be spending the next few weeks together, working to bring a healthy, well adjusted puppy into your home.
2. Review our puppy page to choose a litter.
Sometimes which litter you choose is about timing, sometimes it’s about a particular Mom, but in either case, feel free to contact us with questions.
3. Fill out an Adoption Form.
The purpose of the form is to help us know a little bit more about you and to give us your contact information.
4. When we receive your adoption form, we will let you know what Pick number we have available.
We sell Pick Order, a place in line to choose your puppy. That means those who have placed a deposit on the litter before you, will get to choose their puppy before you. Once you accept our verbal offer (verbal offers are good for 3 days), we will email you a contract to print, sign and return to us by the noted deadline (usually two weeks) with your deposit to hold this offer. Deposits are non-refundable unless the sex your have requested is not available.
5. Attend a puppy play date when the litter is about 5-6 weeks old. (optional)
This will give you a chance to play with the puppies but will not be a time to make your selection. 5 weeks is such a fun age – you won’t want to miss this opportunity!
6. Select your puppy on Pick-Up Day, which will usually be a weekend day, once the puppies are 8 weeks old.
Families will come out according to their pick order, make their selection and go over some final details with us. Puppies will have had their first set of shots, been dewormed, dew claws remove, and have been micro-chipped. They will go home with a small bag of food, a piece of fleece with littermate scent and lots of information 🙂
Life of a puppy at WyndyRidge…
Puppies are born inside our home and remain there for about the 1st three weeks. Life is quiet for them as they spend most of their time sleeping and eating. Their dew claws will be removed between 3 and 5 days. Since, puppies are unable to maintain their own body temperature for the 1st 11 days, Mom stays very close. Their eyes and ears will open after about two weeks and they will begin to toddle around.
Between 3 and 4 weeks, puppies learn how to climb out of the wading pool they have been living in and are moved to our garage puppy area. There they will continue to be fed solely by Mom but human interaction will increase significantly.
At 5 weeks, we will begin them on food and wean Mom. Her job is almost over and they are ready to learn so much more about the world around them. During the next 3 weeks, the puppies will be handled daily, with specific routines to get them comfortable with being on their backs, having their ears, mouths and paws handled and generally learning to trust humans. Our goal is to work with each puppy and it’s unique personality to help it be ready for its forever home. The puppies will spend time outside each day, weather permitting, exploring the prairie. They will have toys and play a lot. And they will continue to spend the bulk of their time sleeping.
We will not be teaching individual puppies specific commands, but will, as a group, be calling them and praising them for “going potty”. We will pre-crate train them by having a crate without a door in their area – this will be the place they will sleep as a group (unless the weather is hot) and it helps them get acclimated to the idea of a crate being their “den”. We have found that this pre-crate training gives them a quick start on the housebreaking process.
Puppies will visit our vet during their 7th week of life in preparation to going to their forever homes. They will receive their first set of shots, be dewormed, be weighed and examined. The evening before go-home day is bath and micro-chip time. We see such a change this last week, when their personalities really start to shine.