| 2010: 7-8-10: Lance (now renamed Meshach) has successfully interviewed a family, & will be joining them next week. 6-29-10: Queenie & Gandalf's litter was born, 1 male and 1 female. 6-6-2010: Lance is busy learning Sit, Down, Spin, Twist, and walking on lead. He's a very happy boy; he will probably be about 10-10.5" tall. Interested? 5-5-2010: The puppy named Lance is looking for a pet home. 3-11-2010: Ellie has 2 new pups, black & white males sired by Gandalf. The 2008 puppies: 10-13-08: Billie has 1 new pup, a sable male sired by Andy. 9-25-08: Ellie has 4 new pups, 3 males and 1 female, sired by Snapdragon. Please read the following before contacting me about a puppy. Raising puppies is a serious undertaking. It takes many hours of planning to raise a litter (average, 2-3 puppies) to the age of 3-5 months. There are many concerns with breeding ranging from testing the parents for genetic concerns and ensuring both parents are completely healthy, to protecting the puppies from exposure to disease before they've had been vaccinated. There are a number of articles the prospective Papillon owner should read (see links below), in addition to books and joining a mailing list - all are good resources for information about raising a Papillon to become a good family member. Training is essential to the active Papillon's well-being. They love to learn and show off their accomplishments! I do not have many litters yearly. It takes much time to socialize puppies, and give them some initial obedience and/or breed ring training. They are taken to: the training facility (where they watch dogs of all breeds from the safety of their pen or large crates while I teach classes), to the park, to the pet supply store, attend pet partner evaluations, sometimes overnight at friends, ride not only in cars but also a motorhome, camp out (motorhome) at dog shows, and have visits to friend's homes, and are handled, petted, and given treats by just about everyone they come in contact with. The veterinarian sees them for all puppy vaccinations and they are examined each time they visit the vet's office (a lot of chicken is eaten on these visits). Please bear in mind: - Papillon litters are typically small (average: 1-3 pups.) I do not have many litters, and it might be a wait before I have an availble pup.
- It will take time to evaluate puppies as they mature to determine their potential (show, performance or pet) in terms of structure & temperament. The evaluation process will be on-going from birth and may take several months.
- For pups that appear to be show quality or performance prospect, I plan to watch them develop longer than their sibling(s).
- The puppies are usually temperament tested to assist with determining their basic personality and to help match them with the family that's right for them. For instance, a quiet, easy-going home won't want a pup that is a demanding, always busy-& -in-your-face puppy! Puppies have different personalities and needs, just a we humans do. Some are content to be the lap dog; others need a job to do (obedience, agility, tracking).
And speaking of jobs for a Papillon with drive and desire to please: Papillons are highly trainable; many have high energy levels and make excellent competitors in performance activities such as obedience, agility and tracking. If you're interested in a performance dog, I will try to match you with the right dog for this activity. A bit of detail on placements: - Performance & Pet pups are placed on an AKC Limited Registration (not for breeding). I will either place the pet pups on spay/neuter contracts or spay/neuter prior to going home. Registrations are kept in my name until proof of altering is received.
- Shipping: I prefer not to ship my puppies. Please be prepared to escort your pup home if flying.
- Naming: I give each pup a formal name and it will be registered with AKC. However, the pup's daily "call name" may be of your choosing.
- Permanent Identification: Each pup is microchipped by 7-8 weeks of age. Tatooing is also recommended when the pup is close to one year of age.
- Training: The family that gets a Firerose pup will be given a short list of approved obedience or conformation trainers/training facilities in the Puget Sound area they may choose from to train their new Pups (or if they already have a postive methods trainer selected, great!). These are trainers I recommend - as I like their philosophy and method(s) - or have been recommended by good friends if out of my local area. Training is very important to having a good companion!
- Families will be required to attend Puppy Kindergarten and Basic Home Obedience classes with their pups, with the goal of attaining an AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) designation. Insurance companies tend to look favorably on this designation. Plan on 8-9 months of lessons with the new puppy! (roughly $750-1000 for training lessons).
- Private or small group lessons with specific trainer(s) take the place of the group puppy kindergarten and basic home obedience classes - just have your trainer drop me a line with how you and the pup are doing, or I can contact them. The AKC CGC is still a goal!
- Health checks: In addition to the yearly veterinarian exam, and updating vaccinations as necessary, I feel it is important to have the puppy's eyes checked yearly by a veterinary opthamalogist, as well as yearly cardiac screening by a veterinary cardiologist. It is important to know when changes occur, and I recommend beginning these screenings at one year of age. These screenings can be performed at low-cost clinics at shows.
What is included when one of my pups goes to a family: - Support for the life of the pup. Have a question? Want to update me? Is there a problem? Just want some ideas? Send an email or phone. I'll get back to you asap - usually the same day, but can be a couple days.
- If the pup is local, I board my pups if the family is headed somewhere and the pup cannot go along.
- Help with training issues. We can try to work it over email/phone, or we can meet up for training.
- I will take the pup/adult back if you can no longer keep it - per the terms of the contract.
What do I expect from my owners? - Updates as the pup grows up into an adult, and into old age. I want to know how they're doing, any issues (health, training, or just updates in general) that come up, and LOVE photos!
- If you can no longer keep the pup, or now adult, let me know. I'll need the complete health records from your vet with the pup in order for my vet to assess not only the current condition of the dog, but also see what treatment the dog has had.
Here is a listing of supplies and a timeline for future Papillon puppy families. I hope it helps you prepare for your puppy's arrival into your home. - For help with housebreaking, please read these two articles: "Housebreaking" by Letitia Alamia, and "Housetraining your Puppy " by Wendy Dryer.
- If you think you want that cute little puppy as soon as you can get the breeder to let it leave home - before it is 12-16 weeks of age, please read this article: "Sad Ending for a Small Pup!" You may find yourself reconsidering your 'need' and wait until it is really old enough to go home, which is determined by each breeder.
- Please read "I Learned a Safety Lesson" by Alicia Graybill. It is her account of a vehicle accident, with her dogs, that could have been much worse. One was loose in the car, and two were in the soft-sided crates that are so popular. If you buy any crate, please make it a hard plastic crate!
- Equally important is having an emergency plan and information ready to go: "Are You Ready" is by Jinnie Strickland.
- If you think you might have your Papillon groomed professionally, do read "Choosing a Groomer" by professional groomer, Rhonda Emery.
Pets/Companion Dogs may be trained for Rally Obedience, Obedience, & Agility competitions - altered dogs are eligible for competing in American Kennel Club, United Kennel Club, and Canadian Kennel Club performance events. Additionally, they also make wonderful pet therapy dogs - if you like to volunteering and giving back to the community, this is a wonderful way of doing so that involves your dog. Just be sure to go through the Delta Society Pet Partners course to become a certified therapy team. Please also read What Happens to Your Pets? There isn't an easy way to explain this topic, except 'be prepared'. If you are still, after reading the above, interested in a Papillon from Firerose, please take the time to read "What About Training", and also complete the Interview/Application. It will help us get acquainted, and will also help me match you with the right puppy, providing I have one that would be suitable for your goals. If you wish to view a sample contract, click here. This is a sample, and may have changed since it was uploaded. Pups from previous litters can be seen in the Gallery in the "Loved and Adored" section. . | |
