Expectations VS. Reality

Expectation: You're eager to get a new puppy into your home. Reality We recognize that waiting is difficult, but practically all respectable breeders will have a long waiting list.

Expectation For a puppy, I don't want to spend a lot of money. Reality I am not the breeder for you if your first concern is "how much" or if you're searching for a cheap puppy.  Generally speaking, those lower prices indicate that your puppy was not, in our opinion, as well-prepared for your home as possible because they were not raised with active enrichment and foundation training.

Expectation Your puppy will be accident-free and potty trained when it gets home. Reality Puppies require approximately six months to fully develop bladder control.  It may even be a little bit longer for some people. Even if you take your puppy for walks on a regular, reasonable schedule, accidents are to be expected.  Neither you nor the puppy are to blame for this.  It's just a question of biology with your puppy.

Expectation Your puppy will be content and happy forever. Reality Babies are called pups.  Moreover, just like human babies, they will inevitably cry, bark, and have accidents—often at very inconvenient times and places—no matter how well-raised and cared for they are. Please do not accept a puppy from anyone if you are not ready for this.

Expectation Even if you don't work with your puppy on a regular basis, their training will remain relevant and responsive. Reality You should definitely plan on needing a dog trainer at some point if you have never trained a puppy before.  No amount of support from us as a breeder or amount of training we provide your puppy before it goes home can change that.  No training we give can make a puppy obey an inexperienced handler if the family handling the dog is an experienced one. We invested much time and energy into raising your puppy.  You will lose the benefits if you don't continue training your puppy for 5–10 minutes a day to help it remember what it knows and learn things that are important to you.

Expectation Your puppy comes home trained, so you won't need assistance to keep it that way. Reality Without assistance, some people are able to maintain and even advance their puppy's training.  However, the truth is that a lot of dog owners, especially those who are new to the breed or have never brought their dog to a formal dog training class, might not be able to continue their puppy's education on their own without outside assistance. There may be instances when you require expert assistance, even if you are an experienced owner. Because of this, we strongly encourage all puppy buyers to enroll their puppy in BAXTER & Bella's Online Puppy School.

Expectation We have provided puppy foundation training for your puppy, so you won't experience any behavioral issues. Reality It is reasonable to anticipate that all puppies will occasionally exhibit undesirable behavior. Puppies have limited bladder and bowel control, teethe, and require social boundary training.  Puppies make errors and encounter mishaps. Puppies WILL bite, chew, bark, tug on leashes, have mishaps, and more.  All of this is typical and expected. Even though we try our best to minimize unwanted behaviors in your puppy through active enrichment, exposure, and training, you should still prepare yourself for the possibility of having to deal with them at some point. We have a TON of resources available for our puppy families on our website especially on our Puppy Homecoming Prep area, and you should definitely make use of BAXTER and Bella's Online Puppy School, which is a priceless resource. Most of these issues can be swiftly reduced or resolved with a little care and early intervention.

Expectation Purchasing a puppy that comes with lifetime breeder support eliminates the need for you to ever speak with another dog expert. Reality Our goal is to assist you as much as possible.  Really.  We sincerely hope you will get in touch with us.  For the first few weeks after they bring their puppy home, we speak with some families virtually every day.  But since I'm neither a vet nor a dog trainer, I will frequently direct you to someone who is more qualified.

You should definitely plan on needing a dog trainer at some point if you have never trained a puppy before.  No amount of support from us as a breeder or amount of training we provide your puppy before it goes home can change that.  No training we give can make a puppy obey an inexperienced handler if the family handling the dog is an experienced one.