We host a Puppy Party for many of our litters once the puppies are old enough, typically around six weeks of age. It is an exciting event where we invite people to come and spend time interacting with our puppies and getting to know us, our puppies, and each other. We typically allow about 2 hours for the Puppy Party, and everyone comes at the same time. (Unlike go-home day, when each family has an individual appointment.)

A Puppy Party is a great opportunity for prospective families to visit their chosen litter of puppies. We invite the people on our reservation list for that specific litter to come and spend time with the puppies ahead of their go-home date. This allows families to meet their pre-chosen puppy for the very first time or to get a chance to meet the puppies and pick one out in person.

We love meeting you all at our Puppy Parties! It is such an enjoyable and memorable experience to meet, chat with, swap doggie stories, and just hang out in person with the future families of our litters. It also a great way for the families to meet each other. We have had different families adopt puppy siblings and then stay in touch, getting together later on for puppy playdates so their puppies can interact with their littermates. So much fun!

We require a completed Application before permitting any visitors to attend. We host each Puppy Party in our family home and we need to know who you are. 

Invitations for a party will be extended to those already holding a puppy on our reservation list, though we do allow other visitors from time to time. Let us know if you are interested in attending one!

Absolutely! Bringing your kids to meet the puppies is a great way to watch and see how they interact with each other, both the puppies with your children and your children with the puppies. Here are a few things to think about when bringing children, especially young ones. This list was inspired by the many little people who have come to visit with their families and the things we have learned and figured out to make the interactions between kids and puppies as smooth and fun as possible!

1.Talk About It

Unless your child has been around young puppies/small animals before and done well, we highly recommend sitting down and talking with him/her beforehand.

Discuss how to behave: slowly, gently, picking up/not picking up the puppies, watching where you walk to avoid stepping on them, petting them, etc.

Discuss what to expect from the puppies: they may have accidents on the floor (which is okay and usually happens. They are still babies and for the party they will not be in their usual litter-box to play-space appropriate pen), they may lick your face, run around, yip, mouth your fingers, jump on you, squiggle in your lap, have poky nails, etc.

Discuss anything else you can think of that you want your child to be aware of.

Explain that puppies are babies, they don’t always watch where they are going, and they aren’t always aware of proper behavior especially when they are this young. Explain that most puppies love to play, and how dragging a toy across the ground is safer and more fun than using your hands and fingers. 

Also, no one knows your kids like you do, and they may have sensitivities that could be eased by talking about them before the visit. 

For example, there was one very young child who visited that was completely shocked when their fingers were licked by the puppy, but once we smiled and asked if the puppy was “tickling your hand” the child ended up following the puppy around with hand outstretched and giggling at the unusual sensation.

Think about what to do if a puppy jumps up or gets too exuberant in your child’s face. Obviously, you can remove either the puppy or your child by picking them up. Depending on the age of the child (a toddler might be too young to comprehend) this is what we often tell kids who visit: Stand up, cross your arms, turn around. These 3 actions work amazingly well! This makes it very boring for the puppy, as the stimulating noise, flailing hands, and face are instantly removed. Often, the puppy will simply walk away and find something else to do, as jumping at something that doesn’t react isn’t very interesting. (Occasionally, a particularly exuberant/persistent puppy may need to be removed for a bit until they can settle.) These 3 things can also be very empowering for the child once he/she realizes that they can make the puppy stop bothering them! This also prevents the child from striking out at the puppy (which could excite the puppy further), instead reacting in a calm and purposeful manner, as well as preventing potential harm/unnecessary stress to the child. Practice this at home, even using a stuffed animal as a pretend puppy. Make it fun! (This is a good training practice to discourage jumping/nipping behavior in general, regardless of the person’s age.)

2. Clothing

These might seem trivial, but they can actually make a huge difference between frustration and enjoyment! 

We recommend dressing your child in jeans or at least long pants and maybe even long sleeves especially if he/she is touch sensitive. We trim puppy nails almost every week, but they can still be poky, and kids might not understand that the puppy is not trying to poke them. Wearing covering clothing can make sitting on the floor and holding a puppy on their lap a much more comfortable and enjoyable experience when their arms and legs aren’t exposed! Also, unless your little girl loves being chased, a fringed dress or cute frilly tutu may not be the best idea, as puppies get a huge thrill from playing chase’n’tug! (Our five-year-old can attest to this.)

Wear shoes that are easy on/easy off. Struggling with footwear upon arrival when all you want to do is pet the puppies is really hard when you are little! And if you need to make a quick exit, easy shoes come in handy.

Be mindful of hair. Puppies love hair, but your littles might not enjoy their hair being mouthed at very much, especially if it encourages puppies to get in their faces! A quick updo for long hair or a clip to pull back bangs can make a happy difference!

3. Bring Snacks

Something about puppies makes kids hungry! Having something to munch on and drink for the ride home is always a good idea.

Last But Not Least 

Do not be disappointed if your child is more interested in the puppy toys laying around than in the actually puppies! This can happen. One little boy came once and all he wanted to do was play with all the squeaky toys, which was adorable! Don’t worry, it will most likely be a different story once that puppy is in your own home.

Sometimes the visit might not go as you expected it would! Being in a different house after a long car ride with many strangers and lots of little creatures can be very stimulating and potentially overwhelming for young children.

We have had meltdowns, hyper-activeness, and freak-outs. Maybe you have to step outside for a few minutes, watch the puppies from behind the gate, or creatively play a game of I Spy to absorb extra energy.

Be observant, and notice if it was caused by outside factors (the long car ride, a skipped nap, etc.) or if your child is simply not quite ready for a puppy in the house.

We have had families decide after meeting the puppies that their kids were not as ready as they thought they were, or that they handled the puppies much better than they assumed they would and are indeed ready for the responsibility.

Again, you know your kids, and coming to a Puppy Party might be one of the best ways to find out if whether or not getting a puppy is a good idea yet. Last but not least, our restroom will be available for visitors to use.

Think about it: will you be standing, sitting cross-legged on the floor, bending over, reaching, laying down, etc. when you interact with the puppies?

Long loose sweaters/tasseled dress, sweatpants ties, wide sleeves, long necklaces, neckties, keychains, loose bracelets, name tags, etc. will most likely get pulled on or chewed by the puppies, and aren’t the best idea.

Although we do trim puppy nails almost weekly, they can still be poky. You may get your legs scratched if you wear shorts, and stockings or tights could end up with pulls.

Also, be aware that there may be dust tracked around the room from the pellets that we use in the puppies’ litter box. Black pants may not be the best option if you plan on sitting on the floor, neither would any type of fabric that collects lint, hair, etc. as it may also collect the litter dust.

Ideally, make sure your footwear is removable, and easy on/off shoes are a good idea.

If you have longer hair, you  may benefit from a clip or hair tie as puppies tend to enjoy pulling on hair.

In conclusion, wear something comfortable, and make sure you are okay with it getting licked and possibly chewed.

If visitors arrive before the appointed hour, they will be asked to remain in their vehicle until the proper time. We carefully set the timeframe to work best between both our family’s and our dogs/puppies exercise, meals, cleanup, nap, and daily life routines, and this means that we will not be ready for visitors until the set time. 

Please understand that preparing for a Puppy Party involves hours of work and careful planning to achieve, and your patience is very much appreciated. We know that seeing our puppies is a super exciting event, which is why we dedicate time and effort to host a Puppy Party for you, but we are not a pet store and we simply cannot be an open house or allow early entrance.

Text Amy that you are here, and then we will welcome you in as soon as it is the proper time. We can’t wait to meet all of you!

We may ask that you remove your shoes at the door so as to minimize tracking in potentially harmful things that could affect our puppies’ health, as well as asking everyone to wash their hands.

Then it’s time to meet the puppies! We puppy-proof and gate off one room ahead of time to keep the puppies contained and away from hazards. Usually almost as soon as all of our visitors make it past the gate they all sit down on the floor or a chair and its hands on from there as the puppies wander around the space. 

No one knows our puppies better than we do, so if you have any questions we are here to help, pointing out who’s who, explaining personalities, etc. Observation is key, and we are willing to help you as much as possible or guide you towards the puppies that seem to be a good fit based off of what we know. We encourage you to hold, play with, and watch the puppies to get glimpses of their personalities to help with the decision. It may be either harder or easier to decide than you might have expected, so come prepared!

There will be a scheduled timeframe for the Puppy Party (typically about 2 hours), and we ask that you be courteous and keep an eye on the clock so that you can prioritize your time with us and the puppies. That being said, you are welcome to leave early or stay for the duration of the party. We have had families decide within 10 minutes of arriving which puppy they want, and others don’t decide until the end of the party or sometimes talk it over and decide a day or more later. (Depending on the circumstances, we may give a deadline so as to allow the others after you on the reservation list to know who is still available for picking.)

We understand that choosing a puppy is a bigger decision for some than for others, and we will do our best to give you the time and space that you need at the party, but we also have a schedule to keep to ensure that the puppies stay happy and healthy, and the timeframe will have been planned to allow us to get right back to our schedule.

Puppies are puppies, and they explore everything with their mouths. Occasionally they will get excited and nip at whatever is nearby, sometimes getting sock feet, clothing, fingers, etc. Do not be surprised by this, as they are still babies. Simply grab one of the toys scattered around and see if you can interested them in a game. Redirection is the easiest way to counteract nipping at this age. Try not to encourage mouthiness by flapping your hands around their face or swooping them up in front of your nose. Instead, pet them gently and interact in a calm manner.

If a puppy nips you, this does not indicate that he/she will grow up to be a vicious and mean biter (yes, we have actually had people think this, and pick a completely different puppy as if that was the only one in the litter capable of nipping!). Every puppy that has teeth will nip now and then for a variety of reasons, including painful teething and sore gums, playfulness, mistaking someone’s hand for a littermate, etc.

With a combination of the proper amount of exercise, stimulation, chew time, rest, and training, you and your puppy will make it through this stage with minimal discomfort and your pup should grow up to be a gentle and trustworthy companion.

Part of the point of the Puppy Party is to give families a chance to meet the puppies in person before making their final decision. 

Remember, if you have submitted your deposit then you are also on our reservation list, which means you have a certain slot that is yours and no one can take it from you unless you give it up or we deem you unfit to have one of our puppies (which rarely happens!). Once those ahead of you on the list have chosen, you may then decide between all of the remaining puppies. (If we know ahead of time who you are interested in then we will try to let you know if someone else is eyeing up the same puppy.)

If you do not have a deposit down and are not on our reservation list, and you are considering a puppy from the litter being shown at the Puppy Party, then it would be a smart idea to put down a deposit before coming. While you can do a deposit and reserve a puppy at the party, so can everyone else, and it will be first deposit first pick, same as usual. Waiting until the last moment to reserve might mean losing your preferred puppy! (Remember, it is also a possibility to transfer your deposit to a different litter.)

Sometimes not all of the puppies are reserved before the Puppy Party. One of the best ways to know how many/which ones are still available and which ones are spoken for is to check the page for the specific litter under here to find out and stay in the know. We are constantly updating these pages as puppies are reserved or picked. (Some of our visitors have even memorized each of the puppies’ names and who’s who in a litter before coming! Yes, very impressive!)