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.
