The Puppy Process
A guide to the flow of obtaining a Tundrai puppy.
Expressing interest
Initial contact
You may wish to reach out to us first with a simple enquiry or a hello to learn more about us and our program. You can do so by text, email or contact form.
Puppy Application
If you are pretty certain that you would like a Tundrai puppy and would like to be placed on our contact list, please feel free to go ahead and fill out one of our Puppy Application forms. This will give us a good idea of you and your home would be suitable for a Tundrai puppy, and aid us later on in the selection process to allocate a suitable puppy.
Phone Call / Meet up
Once an application has been received, we encourage either a phone call or in person meet and greet. This can be a FaceTime call, regular phone call, visit to our family home or meeting at a dog event such as a show. We will arrange a suitable time for both parties.
Follow Up
We will endeavour to follow up with any news relating to litter plans, pregnancy confirmations and updates from here. People on our waiting list are welcome to follow us and contact us via Instagram or facebook messenger.
When a mating takes place
Initial selection
A lot of thought and research goes into selecting suitable sires for our girls. We look at things such as, but not limited to:
- Hip and elbow radiographical results, comparing them with each other to minimise risk for dysplasia.
- Eye test results
- DNA testing to ensure that carriers are not mated to carriers
- Health within the pedigree; instances of disease such as epilepsy, autoimmune disease, cancers, kidney disease etc. to avoid doubling up on the same issues on both sides (which would therefore increase the risk for the puppies of developing said disease)
- Longevity within the pedigree
- Conformation; how the dog is structured and what attributes may be incompatible or ideal for the female to improve what she may produce
- Type; the superficial and aesthetic components of the dog such as head shape, expression, coat length etc.
- Temperament; our aim is for steady temperament.
- Workability and drive
- Accessibility
Parent Health Testing
We ensure our parent dogs are tested with a minimum of:
- Hip and Elbow X-rays
- Current eye test
- DNA testing (including breed-relevant disease)
Additionally our dogs based in our home are tested with:
- Echocardiography (heart ultrasound)
- Vet clearance for breeding
Types of Matings
A majority of our matings have been via natural stud use, however there are multiple different forms of matings that we will utilise for our program:
- Natural mating/Live cover – For local matings
- Side-by-Side AI/TCI – For local matings where the dog is unable to mate
- Chilled AI/TCI – For regional matings (i.e. the dog may be interstate and unable to be transported)
- Frozen TCI – For utilising frozen semen (i.e. for overseas, deceased, desexed or old males)
Tundrai does not utilise surgical AI. All of our mating options that we utilise are non-invasive.
Gestation timeline
Season/Heat/Oestrus:
Day 0: First day of bleeding. We change our dam’s food to Royal Canin HT42D which is especially formulated for pregnancy. We also parasite treat our dam at this time.
Day 5: First progesterone test.
~Day 8-20: Usually around 10-14 days, the dog will ovulate. We progesterone test from 5 days of oestrus until a level is met that indicates ovulation.
Gestation:
Dogs are pregnant for ~63 days from ovulation. Our dams tend to have a total gestation of 59-63 days.
Day 0: Ovulation is day 0 of gestation.
Day 0-21: First trimester
Day 21: Placental attachment occurs. Sometimes we see a bit of morning sickness, pale gums and change in the dam’s nipples at this stage. Ultrasound scanning can be performed at this stage, but I tend to prefer to wait as to not stress the dam and to prevent my own potentially false disappointment.
Day 22-42: Second trimester
Day 28-32: Fetuses are easy to find on ultrasound. We generally ultrasound each litter at this time.
Day 42: We change the dam’s food from HT42D to a high-quality puppy kibble
Day 43-63: Third trimester
Day 55-59: Pregnancy x-ray
Day 59-66: Whelping!
Confirming Pregnancy
Pregnancy ultrasound
We do our pregnancy confirmation ultrasounds around 28-33 days post ovulation. At this time we generally advise our waitlist owners that we have a litter incoming. We can’t get accurate counts with an ultrasound as often there are puppies hiding further up the uterine horns and cannot account for potential unviable puppies, however we can get at least a minimum number and ensure a mating was successful.
Pregnancy X-Ray
We like to do our pregnancy x-rays at 57-59 days gestation. Most of our girls whelp naturally, so this generally helps to give an accurate count of how many puppies to expect, whether a caesarean may be indicated etc.
Whelping
Signs of whelping
Dogs undergo two stages of labour.
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In the first, they may have a lower temperature by a degree, they may nest, appear agitated or restless, bug-eyed, may go off their food and may pant a lot.
The second stage of labour is when true, pushing contractions begin and the dam is actively pushing out puppies. Sometimes this second stage may begin with presentation of a water sac or water breaking.
The whelping process
We are very hands on in the whelping process, usually leaving our dams to tidy themselves and tend to placentas while we work on the puppies. If the puppy presents in a sac, we tear it open, clear the puppy’s mouth and nose and begin to rub the puppy between a tea towel to both dry it and stimulate its respiratory system. We inspect the puppy for any defects such as cleft palates. Once we have tended to cords, the puppy is breathing and appearing well, we will allow the dam to inspect the puppy and then get the puppy latching to nurse.
Complications
Sometimes it can be more complicated, and we may have to provide ‘puppy CPR’, oxygen, or utilise a range of methods to either clear and/or system start their breathing (and heart if necessary). We have only had one stillborn puppy in all of our litters so far, and while it is sometimes unavoidable (and the nature of life), we do our best to keep all our precious babies here.
We have invested thousands in a humidicrib, oxygen concentrator, nebuliser and other critical care equipment and have a little bit of a NICU going on at home when we whelp to help deal with any issues. Not all puppies are meant to live, and we would never play a God to try and keep a puppy alive that would end up having a bad quality of life, however we do everything we can to ensure that our puppies are thriving, and if they just struggle a little coming into the world and end up being okay, we will do everything in our power to give them every chance we can to do so.
We have extensive experience in critical care and are equipped to bottle feed, syringe feed, tube feed, and to administer subcutaneous fluids and enemas if required. Anything we can’t tend to at home, we have fantastic teams of reproduction vets to pick brains of and to administer other lifesaving treatments and medications.
Weeks 1 through 4
The first week
(More information about this developmental stage and our protocols coming soon)
The second week
(More information about this developmental stage and our protocols coming soon)
The third week
(More information about this developmental stage and our protocols coming soon)
The fourth week
(More information about this developmental stage and our protocols coming soon)
Deposits
When
We accept refundable deposits from when puppies are 3 weeks old.
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Our deposits are $750.00AUD.
This will lock in a placement with you for a particular litter.
We only accept deposits from people that we can promise to fulfil their preferences (i.e. gender preference.
If colour is a firm preference on your behalf, we may be unable to take a deposit from you at this time unless there are suitable number of puppies are a uniform colour of your preferred gender/s, however this does not mean that there won’t be a puppy available for you during allocations.
Why
This deposit placement will essentially ensure that there will be a puppy for you, except in extreme circumstances (i.e. where we no longer feel comfortable offering you a puppy, there are no suitable puppies for you at allocation (for example, if a health issue is detected, or a puppy may have passed away etc)). We only accept deposits at a rate of up to 2/3 of a litter.
We accept deposits to ensure that our potential owners are serious and dedicated to giving one of our puppies a home, and also to give owners peace of mind that there is a puppy on the way for them.
Refunds
As per ACCC and Australian Fair-Trading law, our deposits are fully refundable. If at any time, for any reason, you would like to back out of a puppy purchase, you are welcome to request a refund and we will refund it to you within 2-15 business days. Likewise, Tundrai reserves the right to return a deposit and cancel a puppy purchase for any reason.
Visiting the Puppies
Visiting times
We accept visitors from potential owners from when the puppies are 4 weeks old through to when they are due to leave. This will likely either be on weeknights or weekends at a time that is agreed upon by both parties.
Visiting protocol
We request that visitors come in clean, newly laundered clothing, and after showering, particularly if you already have a dog at home (to prevent cross-contamination and potentially bringing disease into our home.
We will have F10 (Veterinary grade disinfectant) available to spray onto your hands before handling any of our puppies. We request that shoes are left outside on our porch.
This is because our puppies are not vaccinated until 6-8 weeks (which requires an incubation period) and we would like to minimise exposure to potentially fatal disease, such as Parvovirus, Distemper, Kennel Cough, Leptospirosis and more.
Weeks 4 through 8
The Fifth Week
(More information about this developmental stage and our protocols coming soon)
The Sixth Week
(More information about this developmental stage and our protocols coming soon)
The Seventh Week
(More information about this developmental stage and our protocols coming soon)
The Eighth Week
(More information about this developmental stage and our protocols coming soon)
Health Clearances
Vet Health Certificate
Our puppies visit the vet at 7 weeks old for their vet health certificates, faecal clearances, microchipping and vaccinations.
Embark and Orivet DNA Tests
Our puppies are swabbed for Embark DNA testing (including disease panel) at two weeks old. We usually have results by the time the puppies are six weeks old.
ACES Litter Eye Screening
Our puppies are screened by a veterinarian ophthalmologist certified to do ACES screening at 7-8 weeks old.
Temperament Testing
Volhard (PAT) Testing
Our puppies are temperament tested at 7 weeks old using Volhard PAT testing.
Who conducts the tests?
Where possible, we contract a dog trainer or behaviourist to perform these tests. Other times we will utilise other, unbiased breeders who have performed this test multiple times.
What does the test mean?
Coming Soon
Structural Assessment (Puppy Puzzle)
Why do we do Structural Assessments?
Our ultimate aim in breeding is not only to continue to preserve the breed, but also breed more and more towards the ideal and improve our breeding as the years go by.
Puppy Puzzle Process
We use Pat Hastings’ “Puppy Puzzle” in order to assess our puppies for the show ring and general conformation, along with our observations throughout prior weeks. We have found that the use of this program has directly correlated with what we have wanted to see in our adult dogs from assessment through to adulthood.
Choosing our show/breeding potential puppies
Using the protocols, we determine the puppy/s that are closest to the breed standard and what we may be looking for to continue with in our breeding. In a nutshell, all the pros and cons are put together and we generally would keep the puppy/s with the highest overall ‘score’ in our breeding program, however there may be some exceptions for this (if a puppy has a particularly undesirable or disqualifiable fault, or if a puppy has attributes that we may be overly lacking in our program).
Allocations
Partnership / Keeper puppies
Our first and foremost priority in breeding is preservation, and the entire reason we are breeders to begin with. For this, we need to be able to continue to breed our lines, and partnership and keeper puppies will thus have priority in placement. You can read more about our partnership puppies here. We tend to only keep 1-3 puppies either at home and/or in partnership per litter. The rest of our puppies are generally available as companion puppies. Homes open to partnership will be given priority for their preferences, if there is a promising puppy that aligns with them.
Why can't I pick my own puppy?
The nature that we assess our puppies is that we want to be able to provide the best fit for each family that is looking to get a Tundrai puppy. We also don’t choose which puppies will continue in our breeding program until 7-7.5 weeks. We utilise your puppy applications, our behavioural and structural assessments, general observations, your preferences and if you do have a tendency for a particular puppy or two, we do also take that into account. We find this system better than a first come, first serve basis as not only does it help us improve the quality of our breeding by ensuring our show-potential puppies are being able to continue in our program, but we spend day in and day out with these babies and know them like no other. If you are honest in your preferences and lifestyle, we are able to ensure that each puppy we allocate is going to the home that is best suited for them, and them for you.
The Allocation Process
After we make our assessments and allocations, we may offer one or several puppies to you, along with request for payment. Puppies must be fully paid for at 7.5 weeks old with funds clearing before puppies leave our home. You may choose to decline the puppy/s offered, if you deem they are not suitable for you, however by this stage we would have likely had many discussions about your preferences and very hopefully the puppy offered would be within what you are happy to take home.
Accepting a puppy
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​Once accepted, we will provide a contract to read through and sign (copies of examples of our contracts can be requested at any time beforehand), and payment can be made, and transport arranged if required, or pickup.
Payment
When Payments are to be made
Other than described for the deposits (from three weeks old), the remainder can be paid after signing our puppy contract. Puppies must be fully paid for before leaving our home. Payment (such as cash) and signing can be done on pickup, however the funds must clear before departing.
How Payments can be made
We accept Cash, Direct Deposit, Dogzonline Pay and Rightpaw Pay.
Handover
Picking up your puppy in person
​You are welcome to pick your puppy up in person in our home, or we can travel up to 2 hours to meet you or drop your puppy off at your home. We generally prefer that people come to our home directly if they haven’t before so they can see the way that we keep our dogs and raise our puppies etc. however are happy to accommodate our owners’ needs.
Having your puppy transported interstate
​We are happy to help arrange transport at your expense. Generally this costs between $200-500 depending on the location. We are happy to arrange for road or air transport, and have several suitable contacts for each. We also often drive up to Brisbane to swap around our adults and are happy to transport puppies for free to the SEQ area or anywhere along the coast between Sydney and Brisbane if their departure coincides with one of our trips.
Initial vet visit
We recommend taking your puppy to your vet for a checkup within 7 days of taking them home. If any problems are found at this initial checkup not found at their 7 week old health certificate visit, we will seek a second opinion from a vet near you and reimburse you for each visit, or accept the puppy to be returned if required.
Paperwork and insurance
Your puppy information pack includes all relevant paperwork (microchip, pedigree, DNA testing etc). On handover we also set up with an insurer of your choice, so that your puppy is covered ASAP from handover. We have a list of recommended and affiliated insurers but you are welcome to choose one of your own as well.
Support
Phone call / Email support
We are always available for phone call and email support, any time of the day for emergencies but otherwise at reasonable times for any other queries, for the life of your Tundrai lappie.
Facebook Group
We have a facebook group for our owners with some fabulous articles and are happy for you to post updates within the group.
Facebook Messenger Chat
We have a facebook messenger group that you are welcome to join for updates and advice. You are also encouraged to add me on either facebook and/or Instagram for direct message support and updates.
Puppy Returns
At any time if you are unable to care for your puppy/dog, we accept returns of your Tundrai lappie for any reason. Tundrai lappies always have a home with us. Transport is at the cost of the buyer. If within the first 14 days, a full refund will be provided. If after this timeframe, you will be paid a rehoming fee once and if the dog has found a new home, minus our expenses incurred during the rehoming process.