We are back from the vet!

All loaded up! Please not that my son Gabriel opened the rear entertainment system
so the "puppies could watch TV" on our way to the vet.

Dr. Hill from Jolly Pond Animal Hospital was delighted to see us again. He loves
puppies, and today he had 11 of them at once!

Tammy receiving her microchip. Ouch! That's a pretty big needle, but she
took it like a champ.

Dr. Hill with Murray and Spirit.

Simon escaped!

Each litter has that one puppy which is the first one to escape their puppy run and unexpectedly join us. This time it was Simon! He suddenly showed up while we had lunch, and boy was he in for some nice additional playtime ;)

We are almost 8 weeks old!

Since I had help from my husband today, our pictures turned out quite alright. Naomi and Phoebe had a blast today distracting those puppies sitting on the couch by barking at them and trying to jump up as well. It wasn't helpful at all, but I was delighted to see them so happy and playful this evening.

Arthur (SOLD)

Joanne (SOLD)

Lilly (SOLD)

Murray (SOLD)

Naomi (SOLD)

Panda (SOLD)

Paul (HOLD)

Phoebe (SOLD)

Tammy (SOLD)

Spirit (SOLD)
7 terrible goofball pictures.. and then THIS pretty thing

THE AKC paperwork has arrived!

Look what I had in the mail today! I am so happy that the paperwork has arrived in time. Now all we need is the vet appointment and we are good to go!

Some more information

Do you have questions?

I know you are all getting ready for the big day, so I wanted to share these FAQ's with you. This should answer some of the questions you might have right now.

Is there a health guarantee?
Yes! We are one of the few breeders who actually give a health guarantee on their puppies. The health guarantee will be included in the contract and we stand by it!

How do I go about potty training my puppy?
From six weeks of age and on our puppies usually got the idea of where to eliminate, and that it is sometimes necessary to hold it. For example, we currently have a 1.5 hours rest period during noon in which the puppies only have a nest, but no potty or play area. After the rest period we would take them outside to eliminate. We didn't have an accident during the rest period in over a week. I personally like to crate a puppy in order to help with the potty training. If the crate is set up as the resting space, the puppy will wait until he leaves the crate to eliminate. Here are some rules:

• take the puppy outside to eliminate every 30 - 60 minutes. 
• take the puppy outside immediately after he finished a meal or drank water
• always take your puppy to the same potty spot, so he understands what you expect him to do
• do not play with the puppy during potty breaks, as it will distract him
• praise your puppy once he eliminated

A lot of people say that a dog with 8 or 10 weeks should be potty trained. That is non sense! Most puppies do not have proper control of their bladder or bowels until the age of 12 weeks. While they are old enough to start understanding the concept of potty training, their bodies are not yet capable of holding it for very long. Potty training usually takes 4 - 6 months. 

How do I crate train my puppy?

Luckily, we start crate training our puppies from 4 weeks and on by giving them a big kennel as their nest during the day. This helps tremendously with getting them used to the kennel itself, and they actually enjoy sleeping in such a protected environment. Once they turn 6 weeks old, we start putting 2 puppies in one kennel for short periods of time. We also give each puppy a few minutes of individual time in the kennel each day until they are 8 weeks old. Once your puppy arrives at your home, he or she will recognize a kennel and accept it as a retreat. Important: no food or water should be inside the dogs kennel. It interferes with potty training.

What should I bring when I pick up my puppy at your home/the airport?

Two or three soft towels so you can wrap your puppy up and make him feel secure. Wipes to clean up accidents, and a soft voice so you can whisper in his ear that everything is going to be fine. 
IMPORTANT: Please protect your puppy from canine parvovirus and do not stop for potty breaks unless absolutely necessary. If you have to stop, take the puppy to an area that is not frequently used by other dogs or has a lot of foot traffic. 

What shots will the puppy have?
Combination vaccine (DHPP) to protect from: canine distemper, infectious hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus infection. The puppy will also be dewormed and microchipped.

Do you give your puppies the shots/microchip?
No, we leave all this as well as the deworming to our vet Dr. Hill at Jolly Pond Animal Clinic here in Williamsburg. 

Will the puppies be health tested?
Yes, each puppy has to undergo a health screening, no matter if the puppy gets shipped or picked up. The vet will take a look at the overall appearance of the dog, and pay special attention to their heart, eyes and ears (deafness). You will receive a document with any sort of issue the vet might have noticed.

The parents

The parents

If you wondered about the parents of our current litter, please read below:

Moneypenny:

Moneypenny is a fawn brindle with black mask. Her friendly and affectionate personality make her a pleasure to be around. She is very fond of children and regularly serves as the nighttime snuggle buddy of my older son. Moneypenny has a very well balanced personality, an absolutely sound mind and the loyalty that is to be expected of a Whippet. Her mindset show in her offspring, of which many have grown up to be excellent family dogs, as well as mental support or community service dogs. Moneypenny comes from a long line of successfully shown  ancestors of American and British blood. She conforms to they FCI international as well as the AKC American standard, is double registered, and passed her health checks prior to breeding with flying colors.

Domino vom Tempelgarten:

Domino was imported from Europe in 2011 and is a red brindle with white markings. Domino is the vibrant picture of the original Whippet which can rarely be found outside of Europe, giving our litters a distinct look of greater elegance, finer bones and softer coats. As one of the few triple registered sires in the US, Domino conforms to the FCI international as well as the AKC American breed standards. His devotion, loyalty to our family and obedience are unquestioned, and his sound mind and gentle personality certainly make him stand out. Domino, too, comes from a long line of champions, and his agility and speed have made previous offspring successful in agility competitions.

Out of the office :)

Families,

as some of you know, my husband will have a major back surgery in the beginning of July. We are taking the opportunity to spend this beautiful day at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, now that he still has his full range of motion and in preparation for some tough months to come. If you are trying to contact me today please now that I will get back to you in the evening, as I won't take my phone with me today.

Socialization

It seems cruel to some, but this is a crucial part of your puppies socialization. Getting a butt whooping from aunt Ada.

Paul carpet-surfing....

.... and then he peed on my carpet :D

Look at that dirty water...

Is your puppy shipping out?

If your puppy is planning to be shipped via Delta Cargo, please send me an email with the following information:

• your full name (must be of person who picks up and as it appears on driver's license)
• your address (as it appears on driver's license)
• name of your puppy
• a good phone number
• preferred airport

As of right now we are planning to ship the dogs on Saturday, July 1st. However, I will need to contact the cargo station tomorrow to coordinate with them.

FAQ's

As the time for pick up and shipping approaches, I know that you all may have come up with some last questions. Below I have a collection of FAQ's for you!

Are the puppies AKC registered?
Yes, all of our litters have been and will be registered with the AKC. You will receive the paperwork for your puppy as soon as it is available.

What other registries do sire and dam belong to?
In addition to the AKC, sire and dam(s) are all registered with the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), which is an international federation of kennel clubs. The paperwork of our dogs is therefore worldwide accepted.

Can I buy one of your puppies with unlimited registration?
Our puppies are first and foremost sold as pets, and therefore come with a limited AKC registration. Limited Registration means that the dog is registered but no litters produced by that dog are eligible for registration. A reputable breeder is unlikely to sell a puppy to a pet home with unlimited registration, because this is where "backyard breeding" often begins. We do, however, sell future show prospects to experienced show kennels and handlers.
We would like to point out that a limited registration will still allow you to participate in AKC shows and competitions that are not breed(ing) related, such as agility, obedience etc.

How many litters do you have a year?
Between 0 and 2 litters. If we breed both dams the same year, then two. But we always allow our dams to skip between 1 and 3 (or even more) heats, in order to recover from a litter. So it might happen that we won't have any litters for a year or two. Having a litter is an absolutely natural event for a dog, but it is strenuous work and requires an appropriate recovery time, followed by a time of extensive preparation for the next litter. Besides, we are not a commercial breeder, meaning that we have a life, and jobs and kids besides our puppies. We only plan a litter if we can guarantee to raise those little pups with excellent quality, care and love. 

Where do you keep your puppies?
That depends on the age of the puppies. The first week of their lives we keep dam and her puppies in our bedroom, so we can keep track of them and avoid accidents that can cause death or injury of a puppy, due to the dam (accidental suffocation etc). After two weeks or so we move the puppies to a crate in our large utility room right off the kitchen, where they can spend two to three weeks together with the dam. This is very supportive of the development of sound temperaments and great socialization. Once they are 4 to 5 weeks old and initiate leaving their nest we move them to the lower part of our home where they have a large puppy run with pelletized pine bedding. We also allow each puppy plenty of "individual" time with the family each day, and together they are taken outdoors at least once a day from age 6 weeks and on.

How do you raise your puppies?
This also depends on the age of the puppies of course. For the first week of their lives we try not to handle them, unless it is necessary. We just let the new family bond and enjoy each other, without interfering too much. Once they moved to the utility room off the kitchen we give them a couple of days to adjust to their new environment, but then we start petting them daily, picking them up for a short period of time and talking to them. From 4 weeks and on we start to rotate the puppies and give each of them some individual time with a human. This can include sleeping on our laps when we watch TV at night, carrying them around the house or playing with them once they are able to do so. Since our utility room is open to our general living area, our puppies are always exposed to our dogs, our voices, the sound of visitors and my kids playing right next to them. Once they are 5 to 6 weeks old they will be a handful, and we start to actively play with them by throwing balls, playing fetch, tug of war etc. We also take them to our backyard and let them run behind us... great to get them tired!

What is included in the price of a puppy?

• the AKC paperwork incl. copy of pedigree
• age appropriate first round of shots
• deworming
• health screening with health certificate (for shipped dogs)
• contract with health guarantee
• microchip
• puppy collar and leash

Do you offer shipping?
We do offer shipping for an additional $300 which includes the air fare and the puppy flight kennel for you to keep (we do not rent their kennels from the airline). We ship with Delta Cargo from the Richmond airport in VA. For the most part we had a great experience with the shipping of our puppies, although delays can happen did happen in the past. I can say though that shipping is by far not as horrible as one might think. Most of our puppies get shipped, and so far none of them was traumatized, confused or anything like that. They always arrived at their destination (sometimes later than planned) happily wiggling their tail when they were received by their new family.

Can we visit your puppies?
Certainly! Once the puppies are old enough to receive visitors, we even encourage you to come by and take a look.

What do you feed your puppies?
We feed Purina Pro Plan Focus for large puppies which can be bought at TSC or Petsmart. We also feed them a mix of greek yoghurt, egg yolks, canine red cell and molasses once a day.

Will my puppy be immune after his shots?
It is important to know that some vaccinations need to be given more than once in order to achieve immunity, such as parvo virus. It is advisable that you keep your puppy away from locations that are highly frequented by dogs, since dog related viruses spread easily from there.

What do I need to prepare for my puppies arrival?
A bed or crate, food and water bowl along with puppy kibble. You may also purchase him a small puppy toy. The first couple of weeks with a new puppy can be exhausting, and just like with young children I strongly recommend having wine at home to0... lots of wine (for you, not the puppy).

Simon and Naomi (pics+video)

Phoebe and Paul playtime (pics+videos)

Once you get to the videos you may want to put the volume down a little. Fair warning. It gets... well... loud... whenever the pups come to play ;)