This page is a resource for you the puppy buyer as you are looking to find the perfect puppy who will meet your needs and fit into your family.This page is dedicated to helping you make an informed decision on your puppy purchase. It is an assortment of information to consider before purchasing your puppy.

Hopefully you find it useful.

When Buying A Puppy

Before Buying A Puppy:

Getting a puppy to add to your family is an exciting event! But, whether purchasing a puppy from us or from someone else, we highly encourage you to:

1. Read all about the breed you're thinking of purchasing.  In our case, you need to research both Bichon Frises and Cocker Spaniels, as puppies from the mix will carry traits from both breeds. That way you're well informed about their breed traits & quirks.  A puppy is a lifetime commitment, so you need to be sure you're getting the one that matches your needs & capabilities. 

2. When adding a puppy to your family, you want one of whom you know the background and care-history. A puppy that was raised in a family environment. If a pet store is reputable, their puppies will have been raised in a family type environment. This is something you can ask about before purchasing a puppy from a store. But you do not want puppies who are raised by puppy mills or sold by unreputable stores. Puppies from those situations are often not socialized and you will not know how they were raised or cared for.

On this page:

*Before Buying A Puppy

*Good Breeder Checklist

*Please Spay & Neuter

* What Age Is Best To Take Puppy Home

* Female V/S Male as Pets

* A Note On Linebreeding and Inbreeding

Good Breeder Checklist:

(A lot of this list is courtesy of the Humane Society & their guidelines)

Here are a few things to consider about the breeder you are buying from when purchasing your puppy.

Look for a breeder who:

• Keeps their dogs in the home and as part of the family.
  

• Best if raised with children and a variety of socialization.
  

• Has dogs who appear happy and healthy, are excited to meet new people, and don't shy away from visitors.
  

• Is willing to let you meet the parent dogs, at minimum the mother, and see their temperment & personality.
  

• Allows you to see where the dogs spend most of their time--an area that is clean and well maintained.  
  

• Breeds only one or two types of dogs, and limits the total number of dogs they own so each dog gets proper attention and care.
  

• Is knowledgeable about the breed standards, temperaments, health/genetic concerns & overall characteristics. 
  

• Shows you the records of veterinary visits for the puppies.
  

• Explains and writes down the the puppy's medical history, vaccinations, wormings, etc.  Should provide you some sort of guidelines on what future vaccinations and wormings your puppy will need.
  

• Gives you guidance on caring and training for your puppy and is available for your assistance after you take your puppy home.
  

• Provides references/testimonials from families who have purchased puppies from her.
  

• Feeds high quality brand-name food.
  

• Does NOT always have puppies available but rather will keep a list of interested people for the next available litter. Limits the number of litters of puppies each mother has in a row and total.
  

•   Encourages your entire family to meet the puppy before you take your puppy home.
  

• Does not allow puppies to leave until they've had their vet check, are weaned & eating puppy food well, and are AT LEAST 6 weeks old. 7 weeks is optimal; there is more information on this in the "What Age to Take Puppy Home" section.
  

• Has any contracts/terms/guarantees clearly written out for you to read and understand so there is no confusion on your part, and you know exactly what you're getting with your puppy.
  

Furthermore, it is not unreasonable for a breeder to:

• Ask that you schedule your visit, rather than just drop in. Remember that you're visiting their home & their family & they're allowing you to come into that.
  

• Ask you what kind of family and home situation you are bringing your new puppy into. Or even possibly ask for references before you purchase your puppy. The puppy's welfare is the breeders concern.
  

• Sign a contract or receipt upon reserving and/or purchasing a puppy. This protects both of you from misunderstandings.
  

• Ask for updates on the puppy  and how it's working out for you & your family. A happy life for all of you is very important!
  

What Age Is Best To Take Puppy Home?

The proper age for which to separate a puppy from mom & allow it to go to it's new family, is a controversial topic. Opinions range from 6 weeks-12+ weeks.

We have known puppies (not ours) that were separated at 5 weeks and turned out just fine emotionally & physically, but we do not agree that this is ideal for puppies overall well being.

We have read a ton of information and talked to many professionals and have drawn the conclusion that around 7 weeks is most ideal. We try to arrange to have the puppies go to their new families around 7 weeks old (give or take a few days, depending on the individual puppy & it's temperament & overall maturity).

A lot of research has been done, and it has been determined that 7 weeks, NOT 8 weeks, is most ideal for a puppies transition to a new family. At this age primary "doggy" socialization has already been established because of the puppies direct contact with it's mother and littermates. The puppy can now identify between itself and humans & recognizes the difference (realizes that it is a dog and humans are humans). At 7 weeks it does not suffer as much from separation, and bonds faster and better with it's new family.

During the eighth week fear of change appears, thus true separatation anxiety will effect the puppy when it's transitioned to it's new life at or after 8 weeks of age, and this can make the change more traumatic on the puppy (and new family).  And because of the anxiety at 8+ weeks, it can take puppy a little longer to bond with it's new family & settle into it's new environment.

As previously mentioned, this is a controversial topic, so you or people you talk to may have different opinions, and that is fine. But, we feel this is what is best for our puppies, and it has always worked well for our puppies & their families, as you can see from our Testimonials page!

Females V/S Males as Pets:

It always amazes me how the female puppies are always the most sought-after and the first to be reserved. Many people contact me just saying they want "a sweet little girl"; they seem to think that a girl puppy is going to be "sweeter" than a boy.  Or they say they're wanting a female because that's what they've always had. Or, because they have a preconceived notion about how male dogs act. These theories have always baffled me, because, in my experience, not only do males tend to make as much or more devoted pets, but they also tend to be less territorial, dominant, and moody than females. And if you neuter a male young, they'll never learn to lift their leg, 'mark' or 'hump'.  And yes, females do 'mark' and 'hump'! And, unlike males, they may do it whether or not they're neutered. In the wild, the females are the Alpha dogs in a pack, so those dominance traits are ingrained in their psyche, and spaying them does not always eliminate them. And because of this ingrained dominance, females can sometimes be a little more stubborn and have a mind of their own when in training, too.  They often tend to be a little more independent than a male. Males tend to be a bit more personable. Not to mention, it's a cheaper & less invasive of a procedure to neuter a male as opposed to a female. Don't get me wrong, females do make excellent, loveable and loyal pets. We love our girls!  But the males make just as good & devoted of pets as females, and if neutered young, do not show the "male" characteristics that so many people assume they'll have.

A Note On Linebreeding and Inbreeding:

We do not agree with the practice called "line-breeding" and obviously do not agree with inbreeding. 

Line breeding is using animals with a bloodline to breed to other animals in the same bloodline. Some breeders breed parents to offspring, or siblings to siblings/half-siblings and justify it by calling it "linebreeding". 

Many show breeders will line breed their champion dogs for many generations when striving for the "perfect" show dog. 

And then of course there's the puppy mills who don't want to spend any extra money on their dogs, and rather than purchasing outside breeding stock, will take puppies from their own litters & put them into the breeding stock.  But in doing so, not only are the positive traits that they were breeding for amplified, but whatever negative traits there are, are also amplified and will eventually weaken the breed/line.  No matter what fancy term you call it, it's still inbreeding.

We feel that in order to maintain a breed's best health & qualities, dogs should not be inbred or line bred.  We made sure that none of our dogs were related and we will never breed or sell line-bred or inbred puppies.

The above statements are of course are our beliefs & opinions.

You have the right to your own beliefs & opinions.

Please Spay & Neuter!

Our puppies are sold as, and intended to be, much cherished pets. They are not supposed to be breeding dogs and we do not promote them as such. We HIGHLY recommend that for the ongoing health of your puppy, so there are no unwanted litters,  and to avoid some un-wanted personality traits, that you get your puppy spayed or neutered as soon as your vet feels it is of a safe age to have the procedure done.

Un-neutered dogs can have a variety of health issues related to them not being spayed/neutered, such as testicular, ovarian and uterine cancer. "Breast" cancer risk is also somewhat lessened by spaying.

There are also a number of unwanted personality traits that come through in un-neutered animals, and if you spay/neuter them young, these traits are lessened or completely avoided (eg: marking, humping, excessive dominance).

If you have an un-spayed female, then be prepared for her to come into heat approximately every 6 months. And when she's in heat, she may or may not stay housebroke, she will get swollen "back there", she will lick "back there" excessively, she will bleed and get blood on whatever she sits on in your house, and then there's also a huge chance that male dogs will turning up at your house to check her out....they can smell her from a looong way away; hence the unwanted pregnancy risk.

If you have an un-neutered male, then he will probably mark (pee on) things in your yard and possibly in your house. Even housebroke un-neutered males will sometimes slip up! He will also be much more likely to hump. If you get a male neutered before he learns to mark or hump, he will probably never learn to do either thing.

Un-spayed/neutered females and males have a tenancy to be more dominant and can possibly even be agressive if they feel their territory, family, etc is being challanged.

If your dog is not spayed/neutered there's also the risk of your dog accidentally either getting pregnant or getting someone elses' dog pregnant.

There are enough accidental breedings & unwanted animals in the world already.

So Please, spay/neuter your pet for yours, your pet's and everyone elses' sake!