Windstruck Farm Cockapoos (and Irish Doodles, too!)

How long have you been a breeder?  We've been raising dogs since 1996, selling them locally until we've gone national, more recently.

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 may 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 many litters do your mamas have each year?  Each mama is allowed to have a litter during the warm part of the year, and occassionally during the cold part of the year.  We only like to breed them one or two heat cycles before giving them a cycle off.

Do you accept visitors to your farm?  We accept visits from serious prospective buyers only.  We ask that people do their breed research before requesting a visit, rather than asking to visit to see if a cockapoo (Irish Doodle) 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, 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 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.

If I have given a deposit on a litter not yet born, can I have my puppy's tail docked?  We realize that some people have only known cockapoos that have had docked tails, and can't get used to the idea of a cockapoo with a tail.  For these people, we are willing to dock the tail of their specific puppy, as long as the puppy is chosen while it is young enough, and if the people have put half the total purchase price down before the docking is done.

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 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 $4.00/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.  Plus a leash & collar, food & water bowls, and toys to round it all out.  We will make available to you for purchase some of the toys and dishes (www.smartbowl.com) that we have found to be the best of the best as well as new collars and leashes - just ask!  Remember, your puppy will come with 5 lbs. of food to get started, as well as one of his favorite toys.

*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) and litter (we use plain, un-scented, non-clumping cat litter). 

I notice that you litter-box train your puppies.  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 maybe don't like brown spots or messes in their yards.  It is also 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 outside.  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!                                    

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 $295.  This includes the flight, an approved travel crate (which you can then use for crate-training your puppy), a veterinary health certificate, and rabies vaccination if the puppy is old enough.  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.  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% fee that PayPal charges.  If you would like this option, we can send you a PayPal invoice which will walk you through the process.