FAQ

Please prior to placing a deposit, read over our health guarantee

• What payment methods do you accept? As of 05/01/2017 we ONLY accept cash or money/bank orders at pickup. If you are going to pay with a credit card, you will need to pay through PayPal at least 3 days in advance of take home day (this allows time for payment to clear.) If you want to pay by check, make sure you mail it at least a week and a half before take home day so that it has time to get here, and clear the bank. Anyone showing up with a check will not be leaving with a puppy. We also no longer accept credit cards unless done through PayPal in advance.

• Can we come visit before we take our puppy home? We no longer allow visits before puppies are 7 weeks of age and ready to go home. We have changed this because it just takes far too much time out of our day to try and accommodate everyone from every litter and takes away from time we spend with the dogs and our children, and with the Coronavirus outbreak, we have decided to only do pickup appointments for deposit holders at this time. What seems like a 30 minute appointment to you turns into a 4 hour (per person!) ordeal for us with bathing and drying puppies, cleaning kennels (several times!) , keeping the pups clean after their baths as we cannot turn our back for even a second or they have a party and make a mess. We have had people be 4 hours early and 4 hours late, so we have to prep well in advance because we never know who is going to be early, on time or late. And again, then we have to literally sit and watch the pups the entire time we are waiting for you to show up, or we end up having to re-bathe all the puppies again. As you can see if we have to do this for multiple people a day, several times a week it puts a huge dent in what we can get done around here. We have young children, school, sports etc, plus caring for all of our dogs and puppies and providing them with lots of enrichment. We provide pictures and updates on puppies when we have time, as well as an occasional video. We also have decided on this because unless you hold a 1st pick spot in the litter, there is no point coming out as we wont know which puppy is yours or which you can even pick from. We have had people get attached to a particular puppy, whom is then not available when it is their turn to pick and it just creates too many problems. Prior to 6 weeks of age, puppies receive all of their immunity from mom’s milk. We can not risk someone bringing in disease before the pups have had their first vaccination. We also ask that you not visit any shelters/rescues/other breeders within 2 weeks before coming onto our property. It is as simple as tracking something in on the bottom of your shoes that could devastate a litter. If you have visited one of these prior to contacting us, please be honest with us about it.

• How/when are puppies picked? We schedule everyone in the order that their deposit is received, on the day they are ready to go home. We allow half hour/to hour increments depending on the size of the litter and our availability for the day. Pups are then selected and taken home that same day. This allows their personalities to develop more, because lets face it, prior to 4 weeks of age, they don’t do a whole lot. These are very young babies yet, and they are just starting to shine at 7 weeks of age! The schedule for pickups is not done until a few days/week prior to the actual go home date. The day the pups are ready to go home is posted on the website , so you can plan on what day you will need to be here, but we will not set up actual times until the week before take homes. If you have a strict schedule, please send us a message on FB and let us know. If you are going to be more then 15 minutes late on pick/take home day, you need to call and let us know. We schedule everyone very close and failure to call to notify us if you are going to be late could result in your pick spot being bumped. If you are very early we live just 2 miles out of Hatley. There is a gas station and a subway, and a little ice cream shop next door (summer only for ice cream!) We are 18 miles east of Wausau where there is a larger variety of restaurants as well.

• What if we can not come out on the designated pick up day? Then you will need to contact us and let us know, and what we do largely depends where you are in the pick list (1st pick vs 3rd or 4th pick) we can help you select a puppy based on pictures/video and what we have observed in puppy behavior vs what you are wanting in a puppy. We post take home days so you can plan accordingly. If you cannot make it out on pick up day and are not able to pick through pictures then you will be bumped from your pick spot unless otherwise agreed upon.

• We live out of state but would like a puppy, do you offer shipping? We do offer shipping via delta airlines, this runs $475 and includes a travel crate, health certificate and airline ticket.  2021-Shipping is not available.
•  
• Our English lab Puppies cannot ship until 8 weeks of age.  English lab Puppies will need to be paid for in full, including the shipping cost, 4 days prior to being able to ship. If you do not want to pay PayPal fees and mail a check, please be sure to do so 1-2 weeks before the pups turn 8 weeks of age. Due to changes the airlines have made we cannot ship if it is over 80 degrees. This becomes a major problem in June July and August. We also cannot ship if it is below 20 degrees, this also becomes a problem in January/February. If you live out of state and want a puppy during these time frames then you will need to contact us well in advance to see if we can arrange either some sort of ground transport , or if you live in a cooler area of the country and can be patient we can try to ship on a cold/warm front.

• What is Limited and full registration? Limited Registration means that the dog is registered but no litters produced by that dog are eligible for registration. Full Registration means that a dog is registered and that litters produced may be eligible for registration. Limited Registration helps breeders protect their breeding programs. All of our english lab puppies are placed with limited registration. We do NOT place puppies with full registration. Do not put down a deposit and then a few weeks/months later tell us you want to get full with your puppy. We do NOT place pups with full unless you are an established breeder whom we are familiar with and talk to us BEFORE. 

• Are you a licensed kennel? Yes! We are licensed and inspected by the state of Wisconsin license number: 289509-DS

• What is the difference between English and American labs? English Labrador Retrievers are more solidly built than American Labs, with wide (blocky) heads and muzzles, blocky bodies and a solid shape. they are often termed “Short and stocky” They also have a more docile personality and are less excitable. They are typically more laid back and “mellow”.   English labs have shorter bodies, too, and have been show and pet dogs longer. They’re also called bench, conformation, or show labs.However, do NOT think that an English lab can’t hunt, because they can and you will be in for a shock!American Lab Retrievers are taller and usually more lightly built than English Labrador Retrievers. They’re often called field Labradors or working labs. For much of their history, these dogs have been hunting animals. They have narrower heads and longer noses, as well as a more lively personality. They’re just as friendly and easy going as an English lab, though. We believe ANY lab CAN and WILL hunt if it is asked of them, if they have had the right introduction and training, and we be sure to introduce all of our puppies to “wings” before going to their new home, and we also start firing shots over them as well.

• What about worming/vaccinations?   our english lab Puppies are wormed starting at 2 weeks of age and are wormed every 2 weeks after that. We recommend that you take your pup to the vet for a “well puppy visit” when you get home (within 3 business days) because puppies CAN reinfest themselves in even the most sterile environments as ours (they don’t exactly watch where they walk, or play, or what they eat!)…or a visitor can walk into my house with eggs or spores on their shoes, and it can be transferred to the pups. Some spores are airborne….some are in rain water, some are in puddles outside in the yard (like giardia). This is why we are proactive in every way…and also ask you to be as well. Certain bacteria, such as coccidia and giardia, may not even show up in a stool sample, and can lie dormant for years even. BUT when a pup comes under stress…these bacteria replicate and can then show up after your pup goes home…it is NOT due to neglect or unsanitary conditions on the part of the breeder…these are animals, and these things happen. We also change our dogs water 3 times a day to ensure fresh water is available at all times. Adult dogs are better at maintaining these, where as pups are not and will require treatment.  All of our adult dogs are treated on a monthly basis to prevent intestinal worms and any intestinal bacteria. We also worm pups the day that they go home, and send treatment home with customers for giardia, 90% of the time if your pup is going to have an issue, it is going to be with giardia or coccidia. It does not go in the fridge, so you can keep it on hand for use down the road as well. Pups receive their first vaccination at 6 weeks of age. They also get a nose to tail vet check just a few days before their go home date. You can also add plain yogurt to their kibble to help with an upset stomach (probiotics! this is good at any point during their life, and they love it!) You can also purchase dry probiotics to add to their food. Dogs and pups love the stuff, and it can encourage a stingy eater to eat too!

• What are our adults fed?  ALL of our adult dogs are on Purina Pro Plan Lamb and Rice. We have tried different brands of food, (blue buffalo, TOW etc) But always end up back on Pro plan, the dogs love it and it seems to agree with them!

• What is my puppy being fed?  Our English Lab Puppies are being fed Purina Pro Plan Puppy formula. chicken and rice (Savor variety, orange & black bag). You will be sent home with a small freezer baggie to get them started, and a $5 off coupon for another bag of pro plan. If you are going to switch you pup to a different food, we recommend buying a small bag of pro plan to mix in with the new food and do a gradual mix in to switch them over.   We “free” feed  majority of our pups to ensure that everyone is getting enough to eat, especially during the weening process. A lot of pet homes like to continue on with this, while others want to break it into set meals. Every pup will be slightly different, but we recommend starting them off somewhere between 1/2 to 3/4 cup 3 x a day ( or 3/4 to 1 cup 2 x a day). As they grow their needs will increase, so if they act like they are truly starving, it is time to increase what they are fed.

• How old are puppies when they can go home?  Per state law pups can leave when they are 7 weeks old. We do not allow any puppies to leave before that, so please DO NOT ASK. Some people prefer that there pup stay until 8 weeks of age, which is fine, but please understand that for the safety of the pup it will not be with mom that last week. If you know that you will not be able to take your puppy home on its go home date, please let us know as soon as you know. This lets us plan accordingly and is the polite thing to do. Any puppies staying here BEYOND 8 weeks of age will be charged a boarding fee of $10 a day and will need to be paid for in advance. All puppies that are not going to be picked up within THREE days of their go home date will need to be paid in full by the time they are ready to go home (Their original go home date). We have in the past held on to puppies for an extra week or two and had people then back out of the puppy. For that reason, all pups staying longer then 3 days past their go home date need to be paid in full. No exceptions!

• What do puppies go home with?  All of our puppies come with Limited AKC registration, dews removed, 1st vaccinations, dewormed, microchipped, vet checked, a 26 month guarantee on hips elbows and eyes, a lifetime guarantee against eic cnm pra dm rd/osd and some toys, treats food and slip leash.
  How often do you do puppy pictures?  We do pictures of pups within a few days of birth, and then again after 2 weeks of age when their eyes open. From there we try to do them every week to two weeks, depending what we have going on and if we feel there were any significant changes with the pups. Please understand that we LOVE doing puppy pictures, but it is VERY time consuming, especially as the pups get older , a lot of time they require a bath before a photo session…bathing 8-10 pups is very time consuming..and then waiting for them to dry (because a wet puppy looks odd in pictures!) only to have someone do a poo and everyone play in it and need to be bathed again! Bathing pups and keeping an eye on them while they dry ..takes 3-4 hours. Then there is taking the pictures…trying to get a puppy to hold still for a picture is a challenge!  Taking pictures takes anywhere from an hour to two. Then uploading to the computer and adding names and info is another 2 hours. So you can see how this gets to be a very time consuming project!  Our dogs and puppies well being is our first priority to see to, We love pictures, but please don’t sit and ask us for new ones , we will get them done when we have time.  We do occasionally post videos of litters, or group shots of litters out playing (if weather is nice) or of them with mom on our Facebook page, so be sure to keep an eye on there.Can we meet the parents? Most of our parents are on sight and are available for viewing (with the exception of when we use stud dogs, or a dog that is in our guardian/co-own program.) You may view the dogs from their kennel area, but please do not try to pet the dogs or stick fingers in with them. Please be respectful and come to the front door (unless we are out in the yard) first instead of just going over to the kennel area. Mothers are not available for viewing/meeting until pups are ready to leave and have been completely weaned, before that they are in the nursery area, and for the health and safety of our pups and dogs, we do not let anyone into the nursery.

• Are the puppies started on potty training?  Our English lab Puppies have a pretty good start prior to going home. We do not use newspaper, or pee pads, or wood chips, this can actually set a puppy back with potty training as it is teaching them to go inside. Pups are taken outside, and/or dog door trained by 6 weeks of age (weather dependent) and know that they have to physically go outside to do their business. This usually transitions over pretty easily into their new home that they have to go “out” to go potty.

• Are puppies started on crate training? No, we do not start our english lab puppies with crate training. Crate training needs to be done right, and each puppy has its own “needs” with crate training. They will have been in a crate once, with their litter mates, as we use a crate when we take everyone into the vet for their health checks.

• Picking up my puppy, what do I need? We provide a slip leash on take home day for any emergency potty stops. We do recommend buying a little travel crate for your new baby to ride in on the way home. Please do not bring a box or a laundry basket, this will not always keep a puppy contained, especially if you are driving up alone.

• Phone calls/emails/communication. Please try and understand that we do our best to answer all emails/calls/texts in a timely matter. We receive many different lines of communication each day, coupled with taking care of all the puppies and dogs, and sometimes things get missed and looked over or buried and spammed down. If you haven’t received an answer in a reasonable time frame, please send us a message through our FB page, sometimes this is the best way of communication, but please be patient and understanding.

• What size collar do I need for my puppy. Usually a “small” collar will do for the first few weeks you have your pup ( 8-12″) they grow fast though, so be ready to buy another! We send a slip leash home with you and your pup so you can make potty breaks on the drive home without having to worry about having a correctly fit collar on hand.

• What is a Microchip? We now microchip our english lab puppies, this is included in the cost of your puppy. You will have to pay to register the chip in your name ($17.50 if you do online, $19.99 if you mail it in. This is a one time fee). A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted just behind the shoulders (most puppies do not even flinch when this is being done, some will occasionally cry, its funny because its normally the big males in the litters that do!) . If your puppy is ever lost and picked up by animal control/vets/shelters/groomers/police etc, they will scan for a chip, if the dog has a chip it will pull up a number that they will then enter into the online database which will pull up the dogs info and your info so you can be contacted and reunited with your baby!