HOW TO ADOPT

Adoption Day is always fun. Introducing a puppy to their new family, seeing children hug their dog for the first time, watching the pup happily kiss and snuggle with their new mom and dad are some of our favorite moments.

How do you adopt? The first step is to get on the roster so you can get in the line of upcoming parents of a new Cavapoo or Cockapoo puppy. To do this, you will need to provide us with some basic information (name, email, phone – none of this data is shared outside of Puppy Willow) and any preferences you may have for your puppy, breed, gender, coloring, etc. We also request a deposit at this time. 

To secure your place in line, you need to provide a non-refundable deposit of 10% of the purchase price ($400 for a Cavapoo, $350 for an F1b Cockapoo). Cash, personal check, cashier checks are acceptable. We also accept Venmo. Once your information and deposit are received, you are officially in line to meet your new Cockapoo or Cavapoo puppy. The order of the roster is 'first come, first served' based on payment of a deposit.

Our current pricing is $4,000 for a Cavapoo and $3,500 for a F1b Cockapoo. These prices are subject to change. Submitting a deposit secures your pricing and you will not be subject to any increases for up to one-year.

When the litter comes we will email our waitlist. We will generally give you a full day to respond before we move to the next person. If you're emailed and are ready to go, we will send you a copy of our purchase agreement so you understand and are comfortable with our policies.

If the litter is small and we do not have enough to fill our current roster, the folks at the end of the roster will be moved to the next available litter, keeping their order.

Beginning with their birthday, we provide numerous pictures and videos of each puppy and make them available on our Facebook page and our Instagram page. You will get to see the boys and girls in action and watch them grow.

The adoptive parents will select their puppy in the order based on their place in the waitlist. You will be alerted of your place in line and updated if/when the people ahead of you have made their choices. We will set a final Adoption Date on which the puppies will be handed to their new parents.

On Adoption Day we will require the full purchase price be paid and your signed and dated Purchase Agreement. We will then give you your new friend along with a wonderful Adoption Day Gift Bag.   

The Adoption Day Gift Bag contains: 

• A piece of cloth your puppy’s mom slept with. Having this in the puppy’s crate will help calm them as they transition to their new home/family. 
• Your puppy’s toy. This is a toy your puppy has been playing with. It is always good for a young one to have a special toy of their own. 
• A bag of food. This is the same brand of food your puppy has been eating so they can be slowly transitioned to a new brand if you so choose. 
• Your puppy’s veterinarian records.
• A 2-year health guarantee.
• The dam's genetic testing documentation (upon request). 

If you are not local and need us to hold your puppy, we are more than willing to help. The full purchase price is required on Adoption Day. There will be an additional charge of $150/week for housing your puppy to cover the expenses of housing, food, deworming and possible immunizations. We will, of course, continue your puppy’s crate, car and grooming training during their stay. 

We are honestly excited to help you meet your latest family member and look forward to making the process of buying your new puppy as fun and smooth as possible. 

Adopting a puppy can be one of the most fun and exciting experiences a family can have. But there are some precautions and actions to take to help your new puppy transition from life with its litter to life with its new family.

Prep Beforehand:

Research The Breeders. Some dog breeders that you’ll find might not have raised their litters or dams in a healthy environment, and you may want to check to see if their morals and ethics match up with yours. Some dog breeding sites/pages might not even exist and may try to scam you in some way or another!

We at Puppy Willow think both of these actions are abhorrent and we take extra care to make sure our litter is safe and our customers are in the know. If you have any questions or concerns, check out our “How To Adopt” section on our website that describes our process. Or you can contact us through email or phone call. We’d love to chat!

Buy supplies that are bigger than the puppy. The puppy may be small right now, but eventually it’ll grow into a full-sized dog. Buying a big crate for your puppy now will save you money later. And expect to be purchasing more collars, leashes, and harnesses throughout its life.

Buy chew toys. We will give you a gift bag that contains a chew toy that’s been used by the litter, but puppies chew A LOT so we’d recommend buying some durable toys like small plastic bones or balls.

Buy a blanket. We give you a piece of cloth to take with your puppy that the litter has used. This helps the pup stay calm because it smells like its mom and siblings. But giving your puppy a blanket of its own will help keep it cozy and warm.

Ask the breeder what they’ve fed the litter. A good breeder will give you some of the feed that the litter was eating. If you want to start feeding them a new brand or formula we’d recommend slowly adding it to bowls of their original dog feed over the course of a week. This will make it easier for their tummies to adjust.

Buy a harness. This ensures that you have more control over the puppy when you go for walkies. Many small dog breeds also tend to get back issues as they grow old, and having a leash that tugs the throat won’t help with that. Purchase a small harness for your pup when they’re young, then adjust to a larger size as they grow.

Puppy-proof your house and yard. Much like having a baby, puppies can get up to all sorts of antics. Anything that’s a choking hazard or toxic for puppies should be kept out of reach. If you want, you can buy baby gates to keep them out of the kitchen or basement until they’re older. Also, close off any areas in your yard where your puppy can escape. This ensures that your puppy can play and train in a safe environment.

Find a Vet. Start looking for and researching highly rated veterinarians in your area. Ask which vets your pet-owning friends, family, or neighbors would recommend, and start connecting with them.

Bringing Your New Friend Home

This is it! You’re bringing your new puppy home! But even though this is exciting for you, this new stage of your puppy’s life is going to be a little stressful for them. We give our litters car training, but remember that they’re now riding in a new car with new people. But chances are that the puppy will sleep for most of the drive home. But when it wakes up keep these factors in mind:

Bring food/water dishes. This will keep them from getting hungry or thirsty during the trip.

You can keep the puppy in the passenger’s lap to help them stay calm during the ride, or keep them in their crate. Either way will work and it’s up to you. But from personal experience, we’d recommend having some cleaning spray and towels handy because the puppy might have an “accident” during the drive.

When going to the bathroom, take them someplace with no other dogs. This is because the puppy doesn’t have its parvo or parainfluenza vaccinations yet, and this will help keep them safe until you take them to your vet.

If you’re flying, call the airline before your trip to see how young a puppy they’ll take on their flights and if the crate is airline approved.

Now That They’re Home, You Should…

Keep them in a separate room for a while if you have other pets. Give your other animals lots of attention to make sure they don’t feel replaced, and if they want to play with the puppy immediately, check on your puppy to see if it looks constantly exhausted. If it does, give it some more time to adjust.

Take your puppy to the vet. We, like any ethical breeder, will give you the medical records for your puppy showing they’re up to date on their shots and deworming. But also make an appointment with your vet to give your puppy a physical. You can give them the records so they can help set a schedule for any upcoming shots or deworming, and they’ll also set a schedule for future check-ups. This ensures that your puppy isn’t coming home with any hidden health issues.

Train your puppy. We recommend starting while they’re young. If you’d like help, some pet stores in your area may offer in-house training. Or look for local dog parks so that your puppy can learn to socialize and play nice with other dogs. You could even do kennel training if you want to give them a place to sleep, but that’s your choice.

Potty training. You can establish a place outside where your puppy can do its business, set a command that means, “go to the bathroom”, and set a schedule for their bathroom break. Consistency is key. Repeat this schedule and command, and it’ll help train the puppy. If you just wait for it to tell you when it needs to pee, then we recommend you buy some natural carpet and/or furniture spray.

Puppies can be noisy. It’s no surprise that dogs bark, but some people can be caught off guard by how loud puppies can be. This isn’t always the case, but it’s good to be prepared for those first couple of weeks when the pup is still adjusting to its new home. But don’t worry, it’ll get easier with time.

Puppies bite. It’s part of their natural play. Much like how they’ll chew their toys, they’ll probably chew on fingers or toes. A good way to set boundaries for your puppy is to overreact in a nonviolent or angry way when they nip you. Quickly pulling your hand away and saying, “Ow! That hurt!” will show your puppy that you gave a negative reaction, and they’ll learn not to cross that boundary. But if you let them nip you, then they’ll carry that habit into adulthood.

Give them voices/nicknames. This one isn’t necessary, we just think it’s cute. But if you have multiple dogs in the house then giving them silly voices/names will help them distinguish who you’re talking to. So it also has a practical purpose. And it’s fun!

Have your children play nice. Make sure to teach your kids that the dog isn’t a toy and it should be played with respectfully. Not having any tail-tugging, hair-pulling, or constant overexcitement with the puppy will help keep it happy, loving, and energetic.

Feeding them table scraps. We’re guilty of doing this. Just keep in mind that you run the risk of them following you every time you make yourself some food. But this can also be used for their training to teach them to sit patiently and then call their name when you feed them. Just keep in mind that there are certain foods that dogs can’t eat. Your Dog Advisor gives a great list of those foods.

A healthy way to show dominance. When your dog does something naughty, what you can do is carefully hold its snout closed while staring them directly in the eyes and repeating its name. This shows them that you’re the alpha and it will help them learn to take direction from you.

A Happy, Healthy Puppy Friend

There you have it! You’re all caught up on what to expect and what you should do when bringing your new friend home.

But we’d say the most important thing to remember is to care for your puppy. These changes are going to be a challenge for it, and it’s good to remember to give your friend lots of love and attention as it settles in. Take good care of it, and it’ll become an inseparable member of your family for years to come.