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How Puppies are Matched Up

As a puppy buyer, you have done your homework to decide upon a breeder, a litter, and you have
chosen a color and sex preference.

As a breeder, I spend years with the parent dogs, months planning a breeding, and every waking
minute with the puppies. Thus, I am the most equipped to notice subtle differences between the
puppies, and I will generally be the one who makes the final determination on which puppy ends
up in which home. At times, there will be two puppies who are closely matched in terms of
temperament and structure - during those occasions, we may allow the prospective family who
placed their deposit earliest to make the final choice.

The Evaluation Process

1) When the puppies are first born, we generally are able to narrow down which group of puppies
you might be matched with, based on your sex and color preferences.
     For example, if your first choice is a black male, and there are four black males, then the
puppy that comes home with you will be one of the black males. However, If there are a limited
number of a specific sex/color combination, then the priority will go to the family that made their
reservation first. Say that you were the third family to make a reservation. If there is one black
male, he may be matched to the first family waiting for a black male, and any other families would
be matched with their second choice. If none of your choices are available, you can have your
deposit refunded or choose to select an available puppy from this or another litter.

2) From birth to six weeks, each puppy is exposed to a variety of new things. We observe and
record any significant behavior patterns. At six weeks, puppies visit our vet for a checkup and
vaccinations. By now, we are starting to get a very good idea of their temperament - which puppy
is the bravest, who is laid back, which one is crazy for birds, etc.

3) At 8 weeks, puppies are 'miniatures' of the physical specimens they will be at adults. Using the
Pat Hastings method, we evaluate the structure of each puppy.

4) By combining the temperament and structural evaluations, we are able to determine what
puppies are best suited for a performance home, which ones will make great hunters, and which
puppies will make the best family pets. By comparing each puppy's evaluation to our reservation
list, we can determine a perfect puppy for each family. In this sense, every family gets their 'first
pick' puppy!

COMMON QUESTIONS about puppy selection:

1) Who gets stuck with the runt?
    First of all, true runts are few and far between. There is always a 'smallest puppy' in every litter,
but there isn't always a runt. A runt is a sickly puppy that fails to thrive. Most of the time, a true
runt will not survive. Sometimes there are tiny fighters that just take a little longer to blossom. In
any case, we do NOT sell sickly, unhealthy puppies - any runt born here will stay here until he or
she is 100% healthy, even if that means that we keep the puppy for several extra months. So don't
worry about that!

2) What if I reserve a puppy and none of them are suitable for me?
    This is a possibility, although fairly uncommon. Prior to reserving a puppy, we will discuss your
needs with you to ensure that the litter you are interested in is expected to produce puppies that
will meet your needs. However, in the event that none of the puppies have the correct
temperament, structure, or drive for what you are looking for, we will let you know and allow you
to have your deposit refunded or wait for another litter. It is in everyone's best interest (ours,
yours, and of course the puppy's) to ensure, to the best of our abilities, that each puppy is placed
into their ideal situation. That said, we cannot guarantee that any specific puppy will be suitable
for any specific purpose - training plays a HUGE role and all we can do is provide you with a puppy
predicted to be successful - the rest is up to you!

Which puppy will it be???