Windstruck Farm

How long have you been a breeder?  We've been raising dogs since 1996, selling them locally until we've gone national, more recently.  Additionally, we sport a B.A. in biology and animal science, and have several years experience in animal nutrition.

Do you provide references?  Yes, but only to serious prospective buyers.  We are grateful to those happy customers who have volunteered to act as references on our behalf, and do not want to over-tax them with casual inquiries.

Which makes a better pet, a boy or a girl?  So many people, when they set out to find a puppy, are looking for a "sweet little girl."  For some reason, in a smaller dog, "sweet little" seems to match a female rather than a male.  However, we find that either sex makes an equally good pet.

Many times people find that males are more eager to please, as well as more motivated by treats, which can make them easier to train.  Females are usually more independent.  However, the boys can also be more easily distracted, looking for any new opportunity to play, whereas the girls may stay more focused.  Between pets, it is actually the females, rather than the males, that are more likely to exhibit dominant behavior, such as mounting or fighting over the food dish; in nature, it is the females that determine pecking order.

As far as displaying secondary sexual behavior such as marking or mounting, if you get your little boy neutered by around 6 months old, you will never see this.  And it costs only about half as much to get a boy neutered as it does to get a girl spayed. 

So, as stated above, we really believe either sex makes an equally good pet.  Whichever you choose, you will find that your Windstruck puppy will love to run and caper when it's time to play, then simply melt in your arms when you're ready for some loving!

How big do your puppies get?  Our cockapoo puppies, when full grown, range in size from 15 - 20lbs. Doxipoos will reach between 10-12 lbs, and doodles will depend on the individual litter.

How many litters do your mamas have each year?  Each mama has one litter per year, but we have litters at all times of the year.

It seems it would be so much easier to house-train in the summer rather than the winter - would you agree?  No, we actually see there are advantages either way.  Obviously, in the summer, nobody has to freeze themselves waiting for puppy to get the job done.  However, in the winter, the puppy is more likely to want to hurry up and finish so he can go back in the house, rather than take his time to smell the flowers and chase a butterfly.

But when it comes right down to it, since we litter-box train all our puppies before they go home to you, your new puppy can stay accident-free in the comfortable indoors until such time as you decide to take him outside, whatever the time of year!

Do you accept visitors to your farm?  We accept visits from serious prospective buyers only, and only when we have a litter old enough (seven-eight weeks) for them to consider.  We ask that people do their breed research before requesting a visit, rather than asking to visit to see if a Cockapoo (Doodle, or Doxipoo) is right for them.  Also, we ask that people have already considered that the timing is right for them before they visit a specific litter.

Like most breeders, we do not allow visitors to tour our kennel facility itself (which is on the lower level of our home, not in a separate building), because it can be very upsetting to the adult dogs to allow a stranger into their own space, and because it is too easy to introduce germs to our kennel which are life-threatening to our puppies.  However, if a person feels it necessary to examine a specific parent, we can make arrangements ahead of time for that to work.

Can I bring my other dog when we come to visit? Sorry, but no.  While you may wonder how your present pet will react to the new pup, it does not work well for us to invite any new dog into our home because it causes too much excitement for our own dogs, and because we don't want to introduce any diseases into our home which your dog may potentially carry.  However, as you consider the question, remember that dogs are pack animals, and will get used to another dog in their house after the introductory period is over.

Will my new puppy get along with my cat?  Yes!  While we do not have them around cats at our home, the pups are all young enough to adapt to any new situation they are exposed to.  Depending on your cat, the new puppy may become its best friend, or your cat may stay completely aloof but accepting of the new pup after the introductory period.

Why don't you dock your Cockapoo puppies' tails?  Both poodles and cocker spaniels were originally bred as hunting dogs, and their tails were docked for utilitarian purposes.  Tail-docking in cockapoos, which are only raised as pets, has no purpose other than cosmetic.  Tail-docking is done when puppies are newborns and causes them a considerable, if very temporary, amount of pain.  For these reasons, as well as the fact that we LOVE happy, wagging tails, we leave all tails intact.  After all, the tail is the dog's "Happy Meter!"

Do you know of any product that will help with tear stains on our puppy?  Yes, finally!  Click here to find out about "Angels' Eyes", a powder that you add to your dog's food that will completely eliminate all tear stains!  However, if anyone out there finds another product that works as well, either to prevent, or to clean off, tear stains, please let us know!  

If I have put down a deposit on a puppy, but do not like the choices I have when it comes my turn to choose, can I pick a puppy from the next litter?  Yes!  People get to choose puppies from litters in the order in which we receive their deposits.  If you do not pick a puppy from the original litter for which you put down a deposit, you get bumped up to the first available spot in the next litter.

If I have put down a deposit on a puppy and do not want to pick up the puppy as soon as it is ready to leave its littermates at 7-8 weeks old, will you hold the puppy for us?  Puppies are usually picked up the day of, or the weekend following, the date they turn 7 weeks old.  If you make arrangements with us ahead of time, we are willing to keep your puppy with us for an extended amount of time.  We will charge $7.00/day to help cover the additional food, worming, immunizations, and care the puppy will require while they are with us.

What else should I have ready to bring my new puppy home?  We very much encourage crate-training, as is outlined in the Super Puppy book that comes with your puppy.  So a crate just big enough for your puppy to lie down and stand up in comfortably is perfect.  We offer for sale a fantastic follow-up to Super Puppy called "Super Puppy Goes to Puppy Class:  How to Train the Best Dog You'll Ever Have."                               
Add to these a leash & collar, food & water bowls, and toys to round it all out.  We will make available to you for purchase an assortment of collars and leashes and some of the toys and dishes (click here to view Spill-less Bowls!) that we have found to be the best of the best - just ask!  Also, your puppy will come with samples of the food he's used to in order to get him off to the right start in his new home.

*As more and more people are having such fantastic, rapid success with litter-box training as a form of house-training, and because we litter-box train all our puppies before they go to their new homes, you may decide to also purchase a litter-box (an extra-large cat litter box will do fine for the Cockapoos and Doxipoos) and litter.  We use wood pellet animal bedding for litter (often sold for wood-pellet stoves) - it is important you start with exactly that, and switch gradually if you prefer a different type of litter.  We have available both the litterboxes we use and the bags of litter that you can purchase from us to get you started. 

Do you buy your puppies back, or refund our purchase price, if, at any time, we find ourselves unable to keep the dog we got from Windstruck Farm?  For various reasons, no, we will not buy back or offer a refund for any puppy or dog.  However, we very happily will take them back for re-homing.  We are the best resource available for finding the perfect home for the dog you purchased from us, either recently or several years ago!

What are the benefits of litter-box training, and will it confuse the puppy if I decide not to continue with litter-training?  Litter-box training is a fairly new concept in house-training dogs, but makes so much sense!  It works great for people that don't want to worry about having to take their new puppy out at night or in inclement weather, or who maybe don't like brown spots in the grass or messes in their yards.  This is also great for the elderly or shut-ins who would so benefit from the companionship of a dog, but are not up to bringing him outside when needed.  Additionally, it can be quite handy if you have to leave your dog alone in the house for a longer period of time than what they should be in their crates, or for traveling and visiting others' homes.  People who litter-box train their dogs find that the dogs are very adaptable to different situations, and are not opposed at all to pottying outside when out on a walk or playing outdoors.  But when indoors, they know where to do their business! 

You can continue litter-training your puppy as a permanent method of house-training, use it as an emergency back-up while house-training, or you can simply train them to go outside as if they had never been introduced to a litter-box.  Some people will just move their new puppy's litter-box closer and closer to the exit door to help them figure out where they are to head outside.  You can really use it to your advantage whatever your end-goal for house-training might be! 

Some of the kids at play.  By five weeks old, these guys already have the litter box figured out, and 95% of their potty goes in the litter, rather than on the kitchen floor.  Good puppies!

When you say that your puppies are litter-trained, does that mean they are 100% reliably house-trained, using a litter-box?  Unfortunately, no.  While we have put a lot of time and effort into teaching these guys that the litter-box is a right and acceptable place to do their pottying, they are still puppies, who both need to potty often, and also need to be reminded, reinforced, and encouraged in "right" potty habits.  But because they have such a firm base in litter-box use, you may well find it an invaluable asset in facilitating speedy house-training, whether you plan to use the litter-box long-term or if outdoor training is the ultimate goal!                          

If I place a deposit to hold my place in line to choose a puppy, and I don't like my choices when it comes to be my turn to choose, can I pick from the next litter instead?  Yes, certainly.  If you are not happy with the choices you have for any reason (color, sex, markings, etc.), or if you decide the timing of the present litter is not quite right for you, your name will go to the first available spot to pick from the next litter of pups, whichever breed you want.  Folks are always placed on our lists to choose their puppies based strictly by date we receive their deposit.

Once you inform me that it's my turn to pick a puppy, how much time do I get to make up my mind?  Because there are often many people in line behind you waiting to pick their puppy, we require that you make your decision within 24 hours of being notified that it is your turn.  If you cannot, for whatever reason, make your choice within this time frame, we can let the next people after you in line go ahead, and you can "jump in" any time with your choice.

When it is my turn to pick a puppy, can I come out to pick in person, if I live close enough?  If you can come out within that 24-hour period after being notified that it is your turn, and it works with our schedule, yes, we will allow you to visit.  Based on the total number of pups to choose from, however, we may require that you have 3-4 pups to consider, rather than having you peruse in person all the pups we have at the time.  The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of our VERY HAPPY customers choose their pups from pictures based on color, sex, and/or markings.  Those few that choose their pups in person most often find themselves overwhelmed by the task of choosing from so much cuteness in person.

How much does it cost to have our puppy flown to us, and how do we go about making flight arrangements, if that is what we need?  Presently, air flight will cost you an additional $300.  This includes the flight, an approved travel crate (which you can then use for crate-training your puppy), and a veterinary health certificate.  All you have to do is let us know what city you want your pup to fly into, and when, and we'll make all the arrangements for you!

What forms of payment do you accept?  If you are putting down a deposit on a litter, we will accept either a personal check or PayPal, which gives you the option of using a credit card.  When coming to pick up your puppy from us, we ask you bring cash or pay the full amount ahead of time using PayPal.  Customers that choose to use PayPal are required to pay the additional 3.2% fee that PayPal charges.  If you would like this option, we can send you a PayPal invoice which will walk you through the process, unless you are already familiar with PayPal, in which case you only need our e-mail address.