Labradoodle Puppy Adoption Process

This page is a step by step of our process, you may want to visit two pages in addition, the Questions and Answers Page, which is an alphabetically list of questions and answers plus the Available Puppy page. This page lists each expected litter by season (fall, winter, spring, summer) as our best guess. These are due dates (when the puppy would be born), puppies stay with us for 8 weeks after birth. This page has photo's of the parents and lists the size expected and colors based on their DNA.
1. After you have looked at the expected due dates on the Available Puppy Page, paying attention to your preferences (size and color) you will have a general idea of when a puppy may be available for your family. Usually this happens within one to three litters.
2. We do have openings in expected litters.
3. On our Breeding Dogs page you will see more detail on each of the parents. You will be able to request any litter of interest to your family. You can select a few litters, or just one. Being up to adopt a puppy will depend on how many families on the wait list who have ALSO requested that litter as a preference. If you see 100 families on the wait list, note that only 2-8 ay have selected your litter of interest. That shorter list of families who have requested your same litter, is the actual number of families on your litter of interest.
4. Look at the Past Labradoodle Puppy Pictures page. The link is on the upper right of the home page. If the parents you are interested in have had a litter prior, that litters photos will be shown on that page. On that page, you will see the puppies weekly photos of their last litter.
5. Fill out an Online application.
6. If you are local come out and visit our home, meet us and our wonderful dogs. If you are not local we can provide references or you can call our vet and get an idea of who we are and how wonderful our dogs and puppy are in terms of health, temperament and conformation.
7. We only allow visitors to those with an approved application and to homes where puppies are not under 6 weeks of age.

Sending in a Reservation Fee

8. Once your application is accepted you will receive an email with a link to send in a non-refundable reservation fee, mail, venmo or paypal, this reservation fee is to be placed on the wait list, and applies to your final payment. Learn more about our propriety process and receive wait list only updates and announcements.
9. You can check the online wait list to see your family name and check your preferences, this is also sent out monthly to those on the reservation list.
10. Once we receive your reservation fee, we will immediately send you the past month update. We send out monthly updates. One update goes out the beginning of each month. We also send out pregnancy announcements, birth announcements and short list requests. Please note, you do need to keep in contact with us and reply to requests.
11. Your reservation fee is non refundable. The fee is applied to your purchase. The date received sets your postion on the reservation list which allows you the option (in the reservation list order) to select a puppy from any litter. If you need to cancel or hold for an extended period of time, once on the wait list, we will hold your fee and you can come back at anytime in the future (or transfer the deposit to a family member or friend). If you are holding, just let us know when you are ready and we will put you back on the wait list.

How long of a wait will you have?

12. We have one long wait list. This list has all the families who have placed a reservation fee and are ready in the next year or so for a puppy. This wait list has all families wanting any of the 4 sizes and all colors. Once we have your deposit you are placed on this reservation list.
13. The only way to guage your possible wait is to look at the reservation list we send out to our reservation list families each month. This list has more details including litter requests.
14. Look down the reservation list and see which families have requested the same litter(s) you have requested.
15. Counting the number of families that want the size you want would NOT be accurate in any way. Please do not do this as it is highly inaccurate.
16. Once you see how many families have requested the same exact litter you want, look at how many of those families have requested other litters as well as your litter(s) of interest.
17. Look to see if those other litters are coming BEFORE your litter of interest.
18. Those families (who have also requested prior litters) will most likly adopt PRIOR to your litter of interest, if a puppy is available.
19. Consider that at least 1/3 of the families I have on the main reservation list pass on a litter they have specifically requested for personal reasons once we have a puppy take home date. These include, for example, moving, remodeling a home, grandma moving in, a vacation, work conflicts and more.
20. Now, after removing all the above families, look at the short list of families you have left and note which family requests are very specific, for example, they want a boy only, chocolate. The odds are (at least half the time) these specific color and gender puppies will not arrive, or will be selected before we get to the time these families are up to select.
21. Now you have a fairly good idea of your wait time.
22. We typcially see families up to select a puppy within one or two litters in the size they want, regardless of how many families are on the list.
23. I have gone to the bottom of the longer reservation wait with at least half of our litters over the years, and even have to go back to the reservation list and ask if anyone wants to reconsider a litter after exhausting the short list.
24. This is as good of an educated guess I can make. Don't be discouraged.

How the wait list works

25. We have one long wait list. This list has all the families who have placed a reservation fee and are ready in the next year for a puppy. This wait list has all families wanting any of the 4 sizes and all colors. Once we have your deposit you are placed on this list.
26. While you are waiting we send out monthly updates, birth announcements, pregnancy updates and short list requests.
27. You may tell us at anytime which litter(s) you are interested in, what color and gender you would prefer. We add that information to your file and note it on the main reservation list. You can select one litter or all litters, you may select one location or any location. You can change your preferences at anytime up until puppies are born, you have requested to be on their parents short list and have replied "Yes" to a confirmation request email we have sent to you asking you if this is the puppy, gender and color you would like, yes or no.
28. At this point in the process (before your litter is born) you can just sit back, follow other litters, and wait for your desired parents to be bred.
29. We will let you know when a mom comes into heat and is bred. We will send you the expected due date and take home date for the litter during the monthly updates.
30. At 4-5 weeks into a presumed pregnancy, we can confirm pregnancy. We send out information on a confirmed pregnancy in the monthly updates. 
31. You MUST have picked a litter to get a puppy, and you MUST confirm your interest in a litter the week prior to delivery (we will send you an email). 
32. Now that a mom is due and about a week before the mom's delivery date, we send out a request to those on her short list.  This is critical, YOU MUST REPLY TO THIS REQUEST to remain on the short list. Typically about half of those on the short list pass for one reason or another.  Some have plans that conflict with due dates, or other personal reasons that they must pass on a short list and remain on the main reservation list.  We are making this required request so that we know you are still interested and ready to go.       
33. If you do not tell us or confirm that you are interested in the short list, we assume you are waiting for another litter. This is the last point (a week before birth) a family can be added to the short list (at the place they are on the main wait list). After this confirmtion period families wishing to join the short list will be placed at the bottom of that short list.
34. About a week after delivery, we will send out the birth announcement including the final short list for that litter. As noted prior, families are placed on that short list in the same order they are on the longer reservation list. We also list the color and gender preference families have provided prior. These are just preferences, you are not held to these preferences unless you have told us this in the ONLY choice (for example Boy ONLY) for you. We also load many photographs online and send you the link to those photos.
35. PLEASE email us ASAP if you will be out of town during the expected birth period and we will not be able to get in touch with you. We cannot wait for more than 24 hours after birth and a confirmation request for you to reply, this is why you need to tell us if you are going to be out of touch. IF you contact us early, we will make plans with you to be sure you have a choice .
36. These steps are critical to communication and getting a puppy. 

The Puppies are Born

37. At this point we have sent out a birth announcement, we have put the puppies first photos online and told you the number of males, females and coat colors.
38. We have also resent out the short list of families in the birth announcement. This is the list of families who will be contacted, in order, to confirm placement, color and gender.
39. In the birth announcement we have again asked short list families to let us know if they are open to options or not. For example, you might tell us you would like a boy ONLY, any color, or a boy ONLY, chocolate first and black silk second. Or a boy first choice, chocolate first choice and black silk second, but you would be happy with a girl if a boy is not available. Although we have already confirmed the short list a week peioe, this information helps us move faster down the list as we know more details as we move down the short list.  IF you are open on color and gender you can select from any puppies available once we get to your family on the short list .
40. You MUST respond to our requests, I cannot stress this enough. I reply to every email I get with a thank you or answers to your questions, this is how you are sure we get your emails.
41. We then go to one family at a time emailing and/or calling each family on that litters short list only.
42. Once we call or email you (if you are on the short list) we will tell you exactly who is still available to adopt (Boy, Girl, Color). Just because you previously noted Black Silk, you can still, once we get to your family request a Chocolate. Again, the preference you have previous told us are just preferences (unless you have made an ONLY request (telling us you want a Boy ONLY) .  if you have made an ONLY request and that option is not available once I get to your family, you will simply get an email noting we do not have your request and will remove you from the short list and your family remains on the main reservation list.   
43. You can also follow along on the photo photo page. We will have sent you the link, but if you are looking now, the photo pages can be found by going to the home page and in the upper right there is a link to Past Labradoodle Puppy Pictures. We have posted the first photos, and we have sent you the link to these photos. We keep families in the loop as puppies are selected by short list families.
44. Once you are contacted via email. You will be asked to do one of 2 things. You are asked either confirm, yes your family wishes to adopt and which gender and/or color you would like of those available OR No, you can decide to wait (for any reason), at which point you will just remain on the main reservation list in the same position until you respond to another short list request.
45. IF you need time to decide please let us know immediately, we request you make a decision within 24 hours. We stick to this policy, unless arrangements have been made prior, please keep in contact.
46. Note, you are just telling us what gender and color you would like. If we have more than one of your requested color and gender you will not know exactly which puppy you would adopt, just that you will get the color and gender you requested. We match puppies to families around week 7 after birth. We use the temperament testing, a family profile (we send to you to fill out in week 5) and the application to match puppies to families.
    
    Parti labradoodle: Please note we honor the general color and gender choices of our families. Please remember there is no accommodation at Rainmaker Ranch Labradoodles for a specific parti pattern you may want based on their photos over the first 8 weeks. We will continue to place all parti puppies based on color and gender and not on where that color pattern is located. Our mission to provide the best puppy based on temperament and health to each family. We understand that families may have a preference in pattern as the puppies grow, but we want you to understand each puppy has a unique personality based on the temperament testing we run weekly. In turn, that temperament testing matches one family profile better than another. We only accept families to our wait list that also have the same goal of obtaining the best puppy based on temperament over pattern placement. At this point our puppies have a generally consistent middle of the road personality which is what we have spent the last 15 years breeding towards. However, even within that middle of the road personality (not too shy and not too rambunctious) we note difference which leads one puppy to be better with kids, or other dogs, or cats or the retired couple over the family with kids or who traveling often. We will not alter this plan based on your position on the wait list or any other reasons other than personality match to a family profile.
    
    Silver, Café Labradoodle: Please note we honor the general color and gender choices of our families. Please remember we cannot know which puppy might lighten over the years (Chocolate to café or lavender and Black to silver). IF one of the parents of your puppy is silver, café, or lavender the puppy may or may not change in color. This is a series of alleles within genes that may or may not be transferred to your puppy from his or her parents and may or may not be masked by other genes. In a nut shell, it is impossible to determine reliably at 1-8 weeks of age. We only accept families to our wait list that also have our goal of obtaining the best puppy based on temperament over the coat lightening possibility. IF you want a puppy that 99% will not lighten your best bet is to go to another breeder or select parents who have not changed in color and their parents have not changed in color. Please understand we think health and temperament is the most important criteria in selecting a puppy.
47. Weekly photos are placed on the photo photo page and updated every week on the puppies weekly birthday.
48. We typically take group girl photos and group boys photos in those first weeks to help you see who is who.

Week 1 of the puppies life

49. At this point, you are set for a puppy. You have selected the gender and color, and your family is confirmed adopting.
50. We begin emailing weekly updates to the confirmed families set for the litter. These emails go through the entire process and provide many details (training, vet selection, toy selection, all about the breed, developmental changes and all we are doing).
51. Pick up is at 8 weeks of age from the date of birth, we do not know the specific date until they are born but give an estimate based on the expected delivery date, this can be give or take a week.
52. At this point you do not know which puppy exactly you will adopt, just that you will be adopting a specific gender and color puppy. We place each puppy in the appropriate home based on a series of questions and our personal contact with you and them, we only use the order of the wait list as a guide to which family is asked to adopt first at birth. We do not allocate the puppies until the 7th week and personalities have emerged and been followed. At week 1 we want to know we have the correct number of families adopting, so many families wanting a female and certain colors, so many families wanting male, and that is a match to the litter. All the puppies within the gender and color choice are considered for the families wanting that color and gender choice regardless of position on the list.
53. If there are, for example, three chocolate boys and you want a chocolate boy you would be placed on the litter list for a chocolate boy. Which one of the three is determined later when personalities emerge. You are ensured a chocolate boy. IF there is only one chocolate boy and you want him, he would be set for your family. However, IF for some reason he is not a match, once personalities emerge, we will talk to you and determine if you would like to adopt, hold for another litter or if it is possible to switch with another family for another color or gender.
54. At this point we have the exact pick up date. If you need additional time to pick up let us know and we will try and schedule our trainer for that time, please note it is an additional charge for late pick up and cannot always be accommodated.

Week 2-4 of the puppies life

55. Families receive emails with photo's every week including updates on their progress. These come every week to the families adopting on the puppies weekly birthday.
56. Your job is just to follow along, read the emails and ask questions.
57. We will also mail you a puppy training book before week 4.
58. Once your family is confirmed for a puppy from a specific litter that has been born, payment in full is due.  Payment will be considered delinquent if not received by the time the puppy is 4 weeks old.  If payment is not received, we will assume you need to wait for another litter, and we will find another family for the puppy.  This requirement ensures that we have definite families for our puppies, and allows us to focus our time on raising the healthiest and most well-adjusted pups for you, instead of using that time to find another family for the puppy.
59. If you join our list late as we have a puppy available, note there is no first or last pick, you are simply sent all the past weekly updates and your family is matched with a puppy in week 7 with all the families on the list before you.

Week 5 of the puppies life

60. At 5 weeks of age, in the weekly update we email you the FAMILY PROFILE, a questionnaire to fill out concerning your activities and puppy related relationships, including kids, other animals. At this point color and gender preferences are already set.   If all the puppies are allocated at birth due to color and gender choices by the families adopting we then work with each puppy to adapt them to their family. If that is impossible we would call you and suggest you opt for another litter and place the puppy with an appropriate family. Some times our trainer is called in to review a puppy as suitable to a family, especially if the family has special needs (our daughter is in a wheelchair so we understand many unique needs). It is usually a very simple process. IF there are more than one choice within a color or gender, we use the Family Profile, the puppy Temperament Testing and your application to match puppies within the color and gender set to families. 
61. If your puppy is going to our optional training program we send your profile to our trainer in week 5 and they reach out at this time.
62. For additional reading, we suggest the training books and materials on our website under FAQ, A few of our favorite thing. 
63. We will help you identify the puppies from the photos. Puppies will have colored collars if necessary and as you receive pictures you will begin to get an understanding of each puppy’s temperament, physical characteristics and playful behaviors.
64. You will see that our puppies live in our home, not a cage or outside kennel. They are taken outside for supervised group playtime and taken during the day in small groups to play inside and be loved by us and the kids. They are potty trained to wee pads and beginning obedience training takes place. Mainly deterring jumping up for attention and nipping.

Week 6-8 of life

65. During week 6, appointments are scheduled for pick up. If we are delivering (via car or air) your puppy we will schedule that with you (an additional cost). We strongly recommend coming to pick up your puppy. Please consider at the least coming out and we can meet your plane, give you the puppy for a return trip under your seat.
66. At the 6th-7th week allocation on our end begins for those families that do not already have a designated puppy due to gender or color preferences. We use the family profile, and study weekly all the puppies in the selection group. We can typically select one maybe two puppies best suited for each family (our first maybe second choice) based on the puppies personalities and the family profile.
67. At week 7, we will confirm with each family in order as to the puppy we feel best suits them and why. Some families have a narrow choice, like chocolate male and some are open to any male. It really is a group placement with everyone in mind not the order of wait list. All the while we keep the families informed, so there are no surprises. Please note, all the puppies can typically be trained to work out in any situation, but within the group of excellent puppies some are, for example, more apt to want to play with the other puppies and more willing to experience new situations while others are more apt to want to watch the group or be with a human. In this example, the first puppy is better suited to the large family having another dog or cat, while the second is suited to the retired couple or the couple with just one child. With this process we have never had a negative first few days at the puppies forever home, the puppies tend to be more initially suited to the family and vice versa. Versus the other way of just letting each family pick based on a picture or description and having more training required in the first weeks.
68. Just prior to pick up puppies receive their first shots. This first shot is one shot that is divided into 3-4 parts (depending on your vet). One part is given with us at week 8 and the other parts are given by your vet at vet recommended intervals. You will receive a vet record with your puppy to give to your vet at pick up or shipping. At your first vet appointment ,within a few days after you receive your puppy , you will make arrangements for these follow up visits with your vet.  
69. We will have sent you weekly updates with all sorts of information and advice. We also send out a puppy package PDF at week 8 which has more detail including grooming photos and advice for the next months.
70. Read the Puppy Care page of our website.
71. We send you contractual paperwork including your health warranty to sign Online during the last week.
72. Your puppy comes with a collar, leash, and his/her favorite toy from the litter toys. Also our vet certified shot record, plus a health certificate required by the state. Your puppy will have a microchip already inserted, you will register that chip the next week.
73. We feel pick up is to pick up the puppy and answer your questions only (not hand you a bunch of paperwork to read or sign), we have given you all the details and signed everything in prior emails so that we can focus only on the puppy and your questions at pick up.
74. You will need to set up a vet appointment at your vet to check the puppy after arrival and then you will continue the puppy shots at 3 week intervals until complete. The puppy will have had the first in the series of shots and all dewormings as mentioned.  We ask that you do this as soon as possible the first week the puppy comes home to get acquainted with your vet and plan the shots.
75. If shipping we will work with you during all the arrangements from beginning to end.

After

76. We encouraged you to call us and keep us updated on the puppy’s progress. We will be here to answer any questions and help in any way we can.
77. We strongly suggest a trainer, especially if you have young kids or special needs. Special needs families should consider a trainer necessary and a weekly part of their work for at least the first year to ensure the dog and family are working together. Although many families think training is easy and simple with this breed, training is not a one size fits all approach. Trainers meeting with families often can adjust behaviors (both the families and the dogs) before they become an issue that is difficult to address and many times personal approaches which may work for one dog do not work with others. Good trainers have the ability to read and a dog and adjust training approaches. We strongly suggest you listen to your trainer and follow through. IF you disagree with your trainer find another who you can work with easily. Trainers have incredible abilities, trust them.
78. You will receive instructions to register the microchip plus a follow up email.
79. IF any health issues arise as stated in our warranty follow Puppy First Treatment. Take the puppy to the vet or the emergency room ASAP, and get the puppy care and treatment. Call us once the puppy is getting treatment.   Our process is to get your vet and our vet talking to determine the best action for the puppy and proceed.  We are not experts in puppy health and leave that to your vet and ours to work together to get the puppy healthy and back to the family.

    Please think of your vet as a general practice doctor, their job is general care, emergency care as needed, and to direct you to a specialist if they think it is warranted. We want your vet to call our vet and explain why they are suggesting the specialist, our vet can provide a second opinion as to the direction to be taken. We are not here to make things difficult, we are here to make sure you and your dog have the best care possible.

    In a nut shell this is how the warranty works:

    If the puppy arrives with a health related issue we will offer to take the puppy back, it is your choice to keep the puppy or return the puppy for another puppy in the next litter possible.  We do not ever want a puppy to go to a family who does not want the puppy for whatever reason.  This is not an indication or agreement of the health condition, as that has not been verified as required, this is just our practice in the best interest of all parties.

    
    If you opt to keep the puppy then you are agreeing to work with the puppy and accept the health issue as determined by and documented by a veterinary specialist(s).  We all understand the Internet can be a valuable tool, but we need to work with what is documented by the vet specialist(s) not what it could be or may be at a later date.  We need to work in the present at the time as documented (what the issue is and what is the current recommended course of action).  RRL (the partner who bred and whelped the puppy) is agreeing to cover the cost of the issue up to the warranty value as outlined in the warranty within the written requirements.    This means we will reimburse the cost to verify the perceived genetic issue if this is warranted and well documented by a specialist in the area of the condition.   For example if your vet thinks your dog may have HD, you would then take the dog to a canine orthopedic specialist to verify the path of action, this specialist consult is required.  IF they determine and document they believe the issue is HD then they would perform an OFA x-ray.  In this case we would pay for the x-ray and OFA reading.  Again, this is not an indication or agreement that the issue is present; this is an agreement that there is evidence that the test should be performed.

    
    At this point the specialist must agree on two conditions.  One, document to RRL directly that this is without exception a genetic condition.  Note, some issues can be or may be genetic conditions and can also be environmental conditions, these are important distinctions.  Two, they must document in writing directly to RRL (the breeder partner) that the condition currently presents as a determent to the life of the dog.  Detrimental would be something that is painful and/or inhibits to the extent of life threatening walking, eating, sleeping, it is not cosmetic.  For example again,  HD (which has never occurred and is just an example to aid in understanding) can be mild, moderate or severe as defined by OFA.  If mild the course of action may be to monitor the condition (which again we agree to cover within the specialist documented recommended course of action), provide suggested supplements (which is the responsibility of the owner) and within the life time of the pet it may never be detrimental to their life.  If the condition is moderate it may or may not be detrimental to their life.  If this is the case, again we agree to cover within the specialist documented recommended course of action monitoring of the condition and at some point in the future we may need to cover up to the warranty a portion of the cost for surgery.  However, things can remain constant, get worst or better.  We cannot agree in the present on a cost for future actions.  This is because, no actions have been determined as required, and advances in medicine may change that action.  Please know we will be here to aid in the documented monitoring of a condition and we will be here if a condition progresses and a future course of action has been documented.  We will cover up to the warranty as determined and documented as both genetic and detrimental to the life of the dog. 
    I will try (note I am not a vet) and give examples in which case I may see or not see a specialist documenting detrimental and genetic,

    • A painful tooth may be documented as in need to be pulled and the cost may be covered, having an implant to replace the tooth would not be covered.
    • A low grade elbow dysplasia may be annoying but is not detrimental to life; a high grade elbow dysplasia may be documented as detrimental to life and genetic.
    • Eye issues (especially senior conditions) may be annoying as is being slightly nearsighted or farsighted as a human but not documented as detrimental to life and environmental or genetic.
    • Addison’s is a probable genetic condition, however with daily medication makes this condition not detrimental to life.
    • Fatty tumors (non cancer) are not genetic and not detrimental to life
    • Allergies are considered environmental and genetic, but with a special diet are not detrimental to life.

Regardless, all payments are made directly to the vet preforming the surgery or test at the time of the operation or test. IF a test must be done in an emergency situation we will reimburse you once we get the documentation as detailed above from the vet directly. There are many times we have our vet call your vet and discuss an issue, determine action and tell us the course of action. This is our preference as it is a much faster and direct course of action.

Please note as stated in all our paperwork and emails, our health warranty is based on you NOT giving your dog internal insecticides (Comfortis, Trifexis, Bravecto, Nexgard, etc) and the use of these negates the warranty. Side effects reported include but are not limited to vomiting and diarrhea, with blood in both, as well as seizures, skin irritation, lethargy and failure to eat. Additionally, there are an alarming number of reports of kidney and liver damage, renal failure, as well as reports of abnormal blood cell counts, including elevated liver enzymes.