Our Puppy Allocation Process.
When you book a puppy with Ridgy Didge and we announce the litter arrival, we know just how excited everyone is and that you long to know which puppy is yours! So we thought we would share with you the allocation process from our side.
We truly understand how hard it is to wait! But before you get attached to any newborn puppy in a photo, please understand that you won't know which pup is yours for 6 weeks, for many really good reasons. We regularly post photos of the litter, with sex and colour so you can see them as they grow. However, the process of allocating puppies to forever homes is quite involved and very important.
The major reasons for waiting before allocating puppies is so that we are sure about the puppies' size, temperament and good health. Although the colour of the puppies at birth is obvious, these other important attributes may not be so obvious until 6 weeks.
When the puppies are born they may all be about the same size. Size variations from the breeding ancestry will become more obvious by 6 weeks, and we then know which size category the pup is tending towards: miniature or small medium for example, or large medium to small standard. (For more information about sizes, see our February blog Size Does Matter.)
During the first 6 weeks, we get to know the temperaments of our puppies very well. We handle them frequently every day from birth, also providing ENS (Early neural Stimulation - a fancy term for a lot of handling and imprinting). In matching pups to families we carefully consider your adoption form requests and any special requirements your family may have. For example, energetic puppies will thrive with energetic families who enjoy more of the outdoor lifestyle, while docile pups are better suited to those who prefer more of an indoor lifestyle.
At 6 weeks of age, our puppies have their first full vet check, and then we know they are all healthy. This means there will be no surprises for anyone and all the puppies should grow up to be healthy adult dogs. This is really important for us and our adopting families!
So you see, at 6 weeks we really now have enough information to confidently match puppies to families. We allocate first to those who have paid their full booking fee and deposit. At this time you are welcome to visit your puppy and to take photos. If you live in Australia your puppy will be ready to go to you at 9 weeks of age with a Ridgy Didge booklet of information on puppy care, along with a vet vaccination card.
We are planning a number of litters this year, but there are many people already waiting. If you would like to adopt a Ridgy Didge Australian Cobberdog, please read our Adopting a Puppy information, before you continue the adoption process. For more information, pm us on Facebook, or contact us at our website. Like and follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with ongoing puppy news and announcements.