"Puppy Selection Primer" UPDATED

The Puppy Selection Primer:  What to expect and how to stand the strain;

I.  The Goal.  The goal is simple, to find the very best home for the puppy best matched to an owner's home.  The dream is to find a dog that will adore its owner and family and its life.  In turn, the dog that loves its life and its family will be one that is adored by its owner and family and will be a rare source of pleasure and pride and an enrichment to their lives.  A good match minimizes the chances of frustrations and disappointments, struggles, stress and heartbreak. 

Seems simple enough and good, right?  The catch here is that pups don't begin to show those differences in personality and elements of character that allows us to decipher which dogs would be best in which homes until they are between five and nine weeks. 

II.  A test of patience, a battle of nerves and the leap of faith.  You've picked a good breed; a forgiving, easy to own breed.  And "any ol' Whippet" is probably plenty good for most households.  But truth be told, nothing beats having a dog that fits the family "like a glove."  And it is a certain hidden benefit to have someone looking out that a poor match doesn't end up with you (we do it mostly for the pups, but the benefit falls to the buyer as well). 

"But will I get a dog and will I get to choose?"  The process does seem to be a little "off."  Why does it seem that there is so little choice and certainty?   Actually, you have already made your choice via your questionnaire and our discussions and interactions.  You have already chosen your dog, now you have to battle your nerves and wait to see if your dog is in the litter!  And we will be asking more questions about likes and dislikes as the puppies' personalities develop, including which particular pups interest you the most.  

It is a process that becomes more active when the pups have matured a bit. Jen has a rather intimidating Excel Spreadsheet with all prospective buyer's lifestyle and preference information organized into many categories.  As the puppies mature they will show the characteristics that will resolve the best fit of home based on this information.

"Shouldn't it be more like a Deli with first come, first serve?"  We refer you back to the goal, to find the pup that is most likely to adore you and its life, and the pup you will end up most adoring yourself.  First come, first serve simply doesn't get you there, as "off" as this might all seem. 

"Why can't I get a better idea of where I sit on the "priority list?"  This is a valid question and there are two main reasons why we can't give people an idea of "where they stand."  First of all, we don't have a "priority list."  Sure, we can "eyeball" a few homes as being ideal and that we hope we can place a puppy with them, but the truth is, we try not to count our chickens before they hatch.  There are so many hurdles to be cleared before a puppy is ready to be placed in a new home that we don't like to get ahead of ourselves.  

So, first things first, lets finish the arduous and consuming process of raising exceptionally well-started Whippet puppies and then we can think about where they will go!  Second and more importantly, the reason we don't bother with a "priority list" is that the list of interested puppy buyers changes dramatically over the weeks with many people disappearing and others coming aboard.  Frankly, many if not most "puppy buyers" are merely daydreaming or window shopping even though they don't know it.  

But when it comes time to talk about accepting delivery of a real puppy, with all impact that goes along with raising one, many people have a "Holy crap, I'm not ready to raise a puppy!" moment and gracefully or not-so gracefully disappear.  We've had long lists of buyers in the past and usually still end up placing a pup or two with buyers who appeared only after the dogs were 9 weeks old!

"Is there lots of competition for the "pick of the litter?"  Nope.  It just hasn't worked that way.  We haven't produced a stinker yet and the differences between puppies have made them equally more or less desirable to different homes based on differing buyer preferences. There is no one "best dog" for every owner.  The best dog for you isn't likely going to be the best dog for everybody else.  

The battle of nerves is too much for many prospective puppy owners.  Many will fall off in favor of "See a puppy, buy a puppy" opportunities.  Those who end up with that special dog are the ones who make that leap of faith with us, trust us that this process is in everyone's best interests, both pup and buyer.  The results thus far have been excellent.

III. Mail Order Brides and why color only matters before you have the dog.  It is normal for many puppy buyers to dream of a favored color or pattern, or see a photo of a particular pup and fall in love with it.  This is a temptation that tends to dominate puppy selection priorities before buyers start to meet the pups.  But if we take a step back and think about it, we should know that this is not a substantial or practical way to select the long term investment that is your dog.   

We would never press an owner to take a dog they simply do not like and when choosing time rolls around, we will try to be as accommodating as possible. But perhaps you would engage us in  thought experiment:  suppose that you were interested in a litter of Rottweilers or Golden Retrievers where the appearance of each pup could only be distinguished from the others by a colored ribbon around its neck.  Would you feel that the selection of your puppy would be based on nothing of importance if they looked identical?

The Whippet is a graceful, statuesque and beautiful dog. All of our pups will follow this form.  We hope you will take the benefit of our experience as a leap of faith and understand that the patterns or color of a particular dog will only be important to you before you actually meet or have the dog.  Once you have a well matched pup in your home, the benefits of that selection will override any superficial considerations within minutes of having the pup in your house. 

We understand it may matter to you now, but it won't when it counts.  A pup can be cute or pretty to look at, but the right dog will be beautiful to you for a lifetime. 

IV.  Does anyone ever get the dog they want?  Yes! Amazingly, it all seems to work out really well in the end. We guess the trials of these weeks tend to "weed-out" buyers who don't share our values, which is probably for the best. The hardest part is the uncertainly and waiting while the pups develop.  It is stressful for many prospective buyers, but there is a good payoff at the end. 

V.  When they're ready, they're ready so, be ready!  Between the ages of 8 and ten weeks, the pups go through a stage of cognitive development where they start to explore their world independent of their litter mates and adults.  Before this period, they are just followers.  During this brief exploration phase, you can just see they are exploring their own place in the world.  This is the ideal window to place the dog because they are so open to all things new and the transition to a new home is the most smooth.  Done before this stage, and they are traumatized because they are taken from their mates and moms before they are inclined to be independent, so the adjustment tends to be more rocky.  Similarly, if we still have them with us through this window, they bond to our pack and they will mourn their loss when they get to you.  It is best for the dog and you to be prepared for the call that the pup is ready during this window and receive the pup at that time.