General Questions about getting a puppy from DeCaC's

Why do you not  let puppies go home earlier than 11 weeks of age?

We feel this is a very important time in the development cycle of the puppies. Between 8-10 weeks of age is when the fear factor sets in on all puppies regardless of the breed. Anything that scares them during this period of time will stay with them for the rest of their life. They are still learning from the mother daily. This is also there socializing time to begin, and we like to start the process out with our dogs. We work very closely with our puppies.

How we raise our puppies

All of our puppies are raised in our home not outside. We ring doorbells, play music and the TV 24 hours where the puppies are at so they get used to all the different sounds. At dinner time its time for the pots and pans to be banged together so they get used to the loud noises from the pots. We even turn the vacuum cleaner on and let it run. Puppy buyers have told us that they have to move the dog when they vacuum. At 6 weeks of age they are given the fist set of shots and start to be introduced to some of our other dogs. At 8 weeks they are given the second set of shots and also off to the pet store all puppies go. Ever tried taking 8 puppies at one time to Pet Smart to walk around, you are going in 8 different directions. This is where we start teaching them to get along with other dogs and other people because up till now they are used to our dogs and us. The whole time at the Pet Smart we are having kids and adults pet, play and give them treats and they are loving this. This reinforces the knowledge that all dogs and people are good and not to be afraid. Now at home for the next 2 weeks we are starting the separation training program getting them use to staying away from each other. The 9 th and 10 th weeks they are back at the PetSmart doing the PetSmart routine again, they love this now. All the attention and lots of treats. Also at 8 weeks of age all puppies go to our county schools system and spend 2 hours with the kindergarten classes. At this time the children are learning about the dogs and the puppies are learning socialization with small children. Now we have started the puppy training process and at 10 weeks of age they can go to the new homes, and you will continue the process of training.
 

Will you air ship puppies?

We will not air ship puppies. Today most airlines are putting bans on shipping animals unless you are commercial operations that ships lots of animals. You can however fly in to us and pick the puppy up and fly back with you under the seat in the cabin. Most cases this is only a few dollars more than shipping the puppy by itself.

Why do you insist on obedience training for the puppy?

This is actually for both of you. If your dog is better behaved the puppy will be more enjoyable to you and your friends. The main reason for the obedience is for socializing of the dog with other dogs and people. The puppy gets to know other dogs and people and learn that they are fine

Are they good with children and  infants?

When raised with children, properly socialized and introduced to children and infants, they can be very tolerant, loving and protective of their own.    Of course, any dog should always be supervised around young children and children should always be taught respect for animals.  Many bites to children are "dominance bites" where the parents did not teach the dog it's place in the family or the children were allowed to mistreat the dog.  The dog will correct the child if the parent's won't.

My  spouse and I both work an eight-hour day and wonder if it is wise to get a puppy?

That will depend on you.  Will you have the energy after a long day at work to be firm and consistent in training the puppy?  (Not indulging his every whim because you feel guilty leaving him alone.)  Are you willing to take him virtually everywhere you go - especially for the first 6 months?  Will you take obedience classes and make the effort to socialize him properly?  Also, it is difficult to be "alpha" when you aren't home much of the day.  He may test your patience and resolve more.  And consider lifestyle - after work do you belong to clubs or other activities that can't include a dog?  Do you just want to lie in front of the TV?  Many dogs left alone for long periods can be destructive to belongings, learn bad habits because no one is there to correct immediately.  Potty training will go slower.  He'll have a higher energy level after sleeping much of the day.  If you think you can just leave him in a kennel outside while you work, think again.  He may howl, dig and escape out of boredom and loneliness.  Socializing him to other people, places and especially other dogs is very necessary when most of his time is spent alone.  Where will he spend all those hours?   How will he eliminate when he needs to?  (Small puppies can only hold it a couple of hours).  You'll need to buy 100's of interesting and safe toys, and possibly a "another puppy" for companionship.  If you have a plan to deal with this, and are willing to make the strong commitment your puppy demands, yes, with the right puppy it can work.  It will take much more effort than you ever imagined, and you should STILL find a way to be home full-time with him for at least the first 1-2 weeks.  Developmentally, those weeks are VERY important in shaping the personality you'll have to live with for the next 10-15 years.  In some cases, an adult dog is a better choice.

Why should I stay in touch with you after I take my puppy home?

  It's important to our breeding program to know how each and every puppy turns out.  Also, invariably, you will have questions raising the puppy. Since we know our dogs we will be able to help with them.  Also, we care and if you qualify to get a puppy from us, we obviously like you and would like to be friends.

I already have a dog will your puppy fit in with my other dog?

This is the same questions we asked the breeder we got our first Malamute from. Yes they will get along if do introduce them on a gradual basic. We introduce our eskie puppies to our malamutes and our mals to our eskies. The main thing is not to let either get a way with anything. We have spent the time with our Eskies and Malamutes that we can put them together with no fights. But they know that we will not tolerate any misunderstanding between them.

I own a cat will your puppy get along ok?

Feeding Your Puppy
Food,Treats,Vitamins

The food you feed your puppy is the most important part of the puppy growing up and living a long health life with you. There are many brands on the market today, costs will vary greatly. By looking on the back of the bag the first ingredient is the ingredient the bag has the most of. The main thing you want to have is Chicken not a cereal product like most foods on the market today. We feed our dogs National Dog Food. We have tried all brands on the market today. Unlike most foods this food is not available at most pet stores. We have it shipped in to us. To some people this is a major inconvenience that they can't run to the pet store and pick a bag up. To us we feel the best food on the market is worth having shipped in.  Since we switched to National our dogs coat has never been better. The ones that were finicky eaters are now eating like never before. They all have more energy and we have noticed that they blow less coat. One of the major benefits of National is the dogs absorb more of the food. Main reason they absorb more of the food is this brand has very little cereal by products, which means less clean up. The people that we know who have switched to this food are also getting the same results with their breed.

As for treats we make our own. We found that the ones on the market have no real nutrition value. Ours are all-natural with no preservatives added and are very good for the dogs. All of our dogs seem to like them better also. We give this receipt to all puppy buyers and they all are making them, takes very little time to make them.

For vitamins we use a product called Pet Tabs. We give 1 tablet daily. We have tried all the others and like Pet Tabs the best. All females that are expecting get 2 tablets daily till the puppies are 10 weeks old. We have found this helps them get their coat back and during nursing gives them more milk.

We do not feed our dogs any table scraps, they are not good for the dogs. If you would like additional information on our feeding program please contact us and we will be happy to tell you the results of our testing.

Why We Use A Contract

The main we use a contract is for the protection of the puppy. Our main concern is that the puppy has a wonderful and happy life with you.

If something happens to you and there is no one to take care of the puppy, instead of the puppy ending up in the pound we will take the puppy back. For the life of the puppy it will always have a home here on our farm. This does not mean if a family member wants the puppy we would take puppy back, this is only if no one wants the puppy. Think of what happened on 9-11 with all the dogs,cats that the owners never came home to and all the dogs,cats that ended up in the shelters.

Most of our puppy buyers are grateful to us for feeling this way. In fact we have some of our puppies that where there is no other family members they have willed us the dog upon their death.

In all the years of breeding we have only had to take back one puppy and that was recently due to the war. The couple both in military were shipped out we kept the little girl for 6 months praying they would come home. They kept in touch with us and they asked us to find the girl a new home as she deserved to be with a family. We found her a new home and she is the happiest girl in the world now. The military couple when they get back will get another puppy but as of 04 they are still gone.

As you can see our only concern is the puppy,and this is why we use a contract. The contract also tells you of our guarantee.