Puppy Adoption Policies and Procedures
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HOW OUR PROGRAM WORKS
Our Puppy Training Program is an extensive 8+ week training program where we raise our puppies-in-training in a wholesome environment that creates optimal development during a puppy’s Critical Socialization Period (from 0-5 months of age). We are one of the very few specialized puppy training programs that lives with our puppies-in-training in our home instead of in a kennel environment. Our puppies get basic obedience training, crate training, house training, and leash training. Our puppies are socialized with other dogs as well as people (including small children) in structured environments (we do not sacrifice our puppies health for the sake of socialization as puppy’s immune systems tend to be immature, so dog-to-dog interaction is with other healthy and sociable adult dogs). Our puppies also get opportunities for regular walks, and road trips in the car.
HOW THE ADOPTION PROCESS WORKS
Once you feel you our program is a good fit for you and what you are looking for in a future companion, you can contact us through our website (if you haven’t already done so) and we will send you an application to fill out. We can also answer any questions you have prior to filling out the application. Feel free to contact us and fill out an application whether or not we have a current and available puppy you are interested in. Once the application is filled out and submitted, we will set up a time to chat with you via phone call to go over the application with you and find out what it is you are looking for in a forever companion. PLEASE do not stress about the application process. We have incorporated it to more closely match our puppies with potential families as opposed to using the application process strictly to decide if you are “qualified” or not for a dog. We do discuss any concerns we may have but mostly we want to know what your lifestyle is like and what kind of puppy would fit well with you and your family.
If we do not currently have a puppy you are interested in you may get on our waiting list for future incoming puppies. If you are on our waiting list we will either contact you when we have a puppy we feel will be a good match for you or you may also contact us if you see a puppy that you are interested in. We also offer an option for you to pick out your puppy directly from one of our qualified and amazing breeders. This is a slightly different process up front but the program and training is all the same.
A $500 deposit is required to reserve a puppy in training (this is different if you are pre-purchasing a puppy from a breeder). After a puppy is reserved we will send you regular updates on your puppy's progress. Generally we will send those updates directly to you but we also post on our social media pages.
If we do not currently have a puppy you are interested in you may get on our waiting list for future incoming puppies. If you are on our waiting list we will either contact you when we have a puppy we feel will be a good match for you or you may also contact us if you see a puppy that you are interested in. We also offer an option for you to pick out your puppy directly from one of our qualified and amazing breeders. This is a slightly different process up front but the program and training is all the same.
A $500 deposit is required to reserve a puppy in training (this is different if you are pre-purchasing a puppy from a breeder). After a puppy is reserved we will send you regular updates on your puppy's progress. Generally we will send those updates directly to you but we also post on our social media pages.
PRICING
Our most asked question by potential clients is “how much do your puppies cost?” Most people don’t realize that we have significant investment into each and every one of our puppies. Not only in time but in money as well by time you add together the breeder’s fee, vet costs, food costs, supplies, etc. So keep in mind, when you buy a puppy from SRC you are buying a Puppy + Training + Vet and other necessary expenses. Puppy prices start at $6000 but may be subject to change. We strive to source our puppies from excellent, reputable breeders which means some breeders (or specifically some breeds of dogs), cost more than others due to their own investment into healthy breeding dogs. We recognize that changes may occur in people’s lives and offer the $500 initial deposit to be refundable up to 20 days prior to the scheduled date which the puppy is to leave our training program and go to its new home OR within 24 hours of our receiving the deposit. After the 20 day period, we reserve the right to use our discretion on the refund of the deposit amount.
PICKING UP YOUR PUPPY - LOCATION & AIRPORT
We strongly encourage all of our families to come pick your puppy up in person. Our smaller breed puppies are able to travel as a carry-on on an airplane and our puppies are generally amazing travelers due to their time spend in our program. Larger breed puppies cannot fly with a passenger but we have had clients fly in and then drive a rental car home with their puppy. Other shipping options are available if needed but the airlines have temperature restrictions making it possible to only ship dogs certain times of the year and its more difficult to ensure your puppy’s safety if travelling this way. Meeting us in person also gives us the opportunity to work with you and your new puppy one-on-one and show you how to work with your puppy to continue their training in the right direction. Driving to our location is also welcome! We are located in Southern Idaho and have “training homes” in multiple towns. Our closest airport for puppy pickup is Boise, Idaho. We can also meet clients in Twin Falls, Idaho and on a limited basis in Salt Lake City, Utah but charge a day fee of $100 as it is an 8 hour round trip.
Arrangements must be made to have your puppy picked up within 5 days of the puppy's scheduled graduation date. After that there is a daily boarding fee of $35.
Note: We HIGHLY recommend you plan on spending 1-2 weeks at home with your puppy as soon as they arrive. This helps the bonding process and reduces stress on the puppy. This 2 week period should have limited trips outside the home and limited guest visits. This time will help you acclimate the puppy to it's new environment and immediately get it off to a solid start in its new routine which is integral for successful potty training in your home.
Arrangements must be made to have your puppy picked up within 5 days of the puppy's scheduled graduation date. After that there is a daily boarding fee of $35.
Note: We HIGHLY recommend you plan on spending 1-2 weeks at home with your puppy as soon as they arrive. This helps the bonding process and reduces stress on the puppy. This 2 week period should have limited trips outside the home and limited guest visits. This time will help you acclimate the puppy to it's new environment and immediately get it off to a solid start in its new routine which is integral for successful potty training in your home.
TIMELINESS OF PAYMENT
A puppy must be paid for IN FULL (including travel expenses) at least 7 business days prior to the Puppy’s departure. If the payment is received after that time, we will automatically change the travel arrangements so that the puppy leaves our care after the payment has arrived no matter what arrangements have been previously made. It is your responsibility to make sure we get your payment on time. We do not send puppies unless they have been paid in full for the time specified. In the past we have had clients delay payment until the last minute and then be upset when we required travel arrangements to change. We do our best to avoid that situation and send payment reminders but in the end your payment is your responsibility. Other payment arrangements are possible ONLY if they are Ok’d previous to the 7 day mark and are cleared by us.
ACCEPTABLE PAYMENT METHODS
We can accept payments a variety of ways. Many clients like the convenience of sending money via PayPal. If you send a payment through PayPal you must also add 3% onto the cost of the dog to cover the PayPal fees (unless you utilize the “friends and family” method). Paying via credit or debit card can only be done through PayPal at this time and must include the added 3%. We can also accept payments via check up to 14 business days prior to transfer of ownership. After that period we can no longer accept checks. We also utilize a program called Zelle which is available through many of the major banks and does not charge a processing fee. We have also added Venmo to our payment options and do allow cash payments on pickup as long as this is agreed upon in advance.
PUPPY PACKAGE & TRAINING MANUAL
Each of our puppies comes with an extensive Puppy Essentials Training Package and Training Manual. This package is designed so that new puppy families need not stress about purchasing training supplies, food, equipment, etc., prior to their puppy’s arrival. Our Puppy Essentials Package includes all of our most vital training supplies (training bed, kennel, clicker, treats, leash), as well as food the puppy has been eating during their time in training. The accompanying manual (in digital form) gives you valuable information both prior to and after your puppy’s arrival. The information in it is essential for a smooth transition for you and your new puppy and helps get you and your puppy on the right track. Both the Puppy Essentials Training Package and Training Manual arrive prior to your puppy’s scheduled arrival so you can get your puppy area set up and ready to go! In addition to the Puppy Package & Manual, our puppies come with microchip, applicable registration papers, health guarantees, vet check, and UTD on vaccines and worming.
WHERE DO OUR PUPPIES COME FROM?
We have established good working relations with a number of reputable breeders whom we love to work with and support. Our puppies are raised and cared for by their breeder prior to entering our training program. We source puppies from breeders who have a certain set of standards in breeding and puppy raising practices. A poor breeder produces a poor puppy so we do not get our puppies from breeders who have low standards of practice in breeding or puppy raising. The way a puppy is raised from birth to 8 weeks can affect that puppy for its entire life and can affect how that puppy responds to training in our program and life afterwards so we are extremely picky about the breeders we work with. Many people do not realize the impact that a good (or bad) breeder can make on the life of a puppy.
ONCE THE PUPPIES START TRAINING - DAILY LIFE
Puppies generally enter our training program around 8-10 weeks of age and we often get more than one puppy at a time from the same litter as we have found this helps the transition process away from the puppy’s mom and other siblings. Our program has overall benchmarks and training goals but each puppy is treated as an individual. Some puppies learn very quickly and some more slowly. Some puppies have lots of energy and some are very mellow. Some LOVE to do tricks while others would rather relax or cuddle or play with the other puppies. Some puppies pick up kennel and house training very quickly while others take more time. We DO NOT have a cookie-cutter approach to training and adapt our methods depending on the breed, size, energy level, and learning capacity of each of our puppies in training.
Training takes place in a daily basis as our puppies are adapted to a daily routine which includes meal times, focused training sessions, play time, social interaction (living in a “pack” is integral to their development), travelling, and relaxation time that may include time spent getting familiar with a crate. We are one of the very few well established training programs that raises our puppies in-home and not in a multi-kennel training set up. This is important to us and our clients as it teaches our puppies how to integrate into home life so their transition to their forever families is much easier. Our puppies are raised alongside our own dogs (our Canine Coaches) where they learn proper social behavior and are expected to follow “house rules” just like the older dogs. We raise our puppies with specific boundaries and clear expectations for behavior. We have found puppies are able to thrive more fully if they understand clearly what is expected of them. Dogs are pack animals making structure and order a natural element to daily life. If not given specific boundaries and expectations, we find that dogs and puppies quickly develop poor behaviors and anxieties or neurotic behavior if not given specific structure in their daily life.
Training takes place in a daily basis as our puppies are adapted to a daily routine which includes meal times, focused training sessions, play time, social interaction (living in a “pack” is integral to their development), travelling, and relaxation time that may include time spent getting familiar with a crate. We are one of the very few well established training programs that raises our puppies in-home and not in a multi-kennel training set up. This is important to us and our clients as it teaches our puppies how to integrate into home life so their transition to their forever families is much easier. Our puppies are raised alongside our own dogs (our Canine Coaches) where they learn proper social behavior and are expected to follow “house rules” just like the older dogs. We raise our puppies with specific boundaries and clear expectations for behavior. We have found puppies are able to thrive more fully if they understand clearly what is expected of them. Dogs are pack animals making structure and order a natural element to daily life. If not given specific boundaries and expectations, we find that dogs and puppies quickly develop poor behaviors and anxieties or neurotic behavior if not given specific structure in their daily life.
PUPPY HEALTH
We do our best to ensure our puppies remain healthy during their time in training and are healthy and sound when they leave for their new homes. Puppies have more fragile immune systems than older dogs and are more susceptible to communicable diseases, illness, and parasites. We administer vaccines and worming in a conservative manner and do not do multiple vaccines at a time or administer worming at the same time we do vaccines so as not to overwhelm the puppy's immune systerm. We also give our puppies a wholesome diet and immune boosting supplements to help our puppies stay healthy and active. We also keep their area clean to reduce the spread of any communicable illnesses. Our puppies-in-training see our vet as soon as they enter our program to ensure they are healthy enough to begin training. They also see the vet once or twice during their time in training and then once more prior to leaving our program and meeting their new forever families to ensure they are healthy prior to going on to their new homes. In addition to our health practices, our puppies also come with health guarantees from both Snake River Canine as well as their breeders.
