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, plenty of belly rubs!

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.

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 (Day 0-7)

This is the main week where if things can go wrong, they will, as puppies are fairly vulnerable after birth. Depending on the mother, we may monitor (as in sit next to or in the whelping box and watch) up to literally 24/7 in shifts. We may intervene if a puppy isn't thriving, and tube feed or bottle feed, keep in our humidicrib etc. if required.
Our puppies are unable to regulate heat on their own, and huddle for warmth on a heat pad.
Their mother tends to them by feeding and toileting them, and most of our work at this stage is to keep the dam happy and healthy.
Our puppies are weighed 6 hourly for the first week of life. We find that this picks up any drops and helps better prevent fading puppies before it may be too late for them.
We also touch and stroke the puppies, as much as the dam permits at this stage without becoming stressed.
The puppies nails are cut usually between day 3 to 7.
We also do 3 and 7 day old studio photos to share with the world.
If all is going well, we will commence ENS (days 3 to 16), SMS (days 3 to 21) and ESI (days 3 to 17)
More information about ENS here.
More information about SMS here.
More information about ESI here.

The second week (day 8-14)

During this time (towards the end of the 14 days), puppies begin to toddle, begin to hear, their eyes may open, begin to toilet on their own and their mother tends to spend a little less time in the whelping box.
We introduce potties in the form of artificial grass to the puppies as soon as they are able to toilet on their own.
They are brushed daily with a soft brush to introduce them to grooming.
We also commence our sound protocols (both music, household sounds, noise desensitisation)
Once their eyes are open, we introduce them to new areas of the house by carrying them around for short periods of time.
We also continue our ENS, SMS and ESI protocols.
At fourteen days old, our puppies are swabbed for DNA with Embark, which is express shipped back to America.
And of course, they have their nails trimmed as necessary, at least weekly.
We do 2 week studio photos to share, which helps introduce the puppies to new surfaces, sights, smells and sounds!
They have their first worming treatment at around 14 days old.

The third week (day 15-21)

Sometimes the milestones above start a little later.
At the time that the puppies' eyes open, we have daily individual cuddle sessions.
We also introduce tactile items, begin to introduce different surfaces and experiences.
They are introduced to a clear bed/nest area versus toilet area by this stage.
They are introduced to at least one new thing and/or experience each day, like new objects, new people, new rooms etc.
Our close friends and family come over to begin to socialise them.
We also begin to introduce them to our other dogs, our ferrets and our mice for early exposure to other animals.
Often by the time they are 3 weeks old, puppies begin weaning by lapping liquids.
This is the age we start accepting deposits.
We again, also continue with our weekly photos and finish up our ENS, SMS and ESI protocols
Our puppies are also treated preventatively for Coccidiosis at this age.

The fourth week (day 22-28)

At this age, we get heavy into our sound protocols as puppies begin to have a startle reflex.
We introduce them to their first bath, blow dryer introduction, litter boxes, more solid food including raw meaty bones and begin introducing them to taking treats.
They have new challenges; introductions to wet feet, obstacles and surfaces.
They get their first short trips outside at this age.
We also introduce them to the first stages of recall at this age.
This is also the age we begin to invite potential puppy owners over for socialisation and for their first visits with the puppies.
We also begin stack training the puppies, and introduce them to open crates.
They are also introduced to more formal grooming gear and brushes.
Their toilet training by now is more accurate, and the size of their toileting area is reduced.
And again, weekly nails and photos.
They are also wormed for a second time.

Deposits

When

We accept refundable deposits from when puppies are 3 weeks old.

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 (day 29-45)

We introduce more challenges, more obstacles for gross motor skills and confidence, introduce to deeper water, introduce more interactive toys.
We work on their taking treats and begin working on powering up their clicker training, playing shaping games and introduce manding.
We also begin to play scent games with them to put those early ESI sessions to use.
We begin to work on their downtime now that they are at a more active stage of development.
We do food exchanges, work on handling and stack training.
We continue giving individual cuddle sessions and solo time with each puppy, and continue to introduce new things each day.
Of course, also continuing with our previous protocols, photos and grooming sessions and exposure.

The Sixth Week (day 46-52)

By now, generally the dam is either starting to or completely weaned from the puppies, however if they are good mothers, they are still interacting with their puppies and teaching them many life lessons.
We begin to introduce our puppies to more of the outside world if we can.
We have our nanny dogs spend increased time with the puppies in shifts.
We continue to work on exercising down-time and calm behaviour, and all of the aforementioned protocols continue.
We also begin to teach commands such as 'down' and 'sit' with a cue.
Their temperament test is conducted either by a dog trainer or experienced breeder at 49 days old.
Our puppies experience their second bath and blow dry.
We introduce leads at this age, and continue crate training (feeding them pacifiers in the crate for short periods with the door shut by this stage).
Puppies are wormed this week with a multiday wormer that is known to preventatively cover Giardia alongside the typical worms we cover form.

The Seventh Week (day 53-59)

This is an exciting week!
We work harder on crate time, trying to get to a point of crating each puppy individually overnight if possible.
Where possible we host a puppy party to introduce them to some novel challenges and a larger group of people to socialise them to at once.
We tackle any issues of resource guarding, work on our stacking and continue to treat train our puppies and give them strong foundations for food drive to work with.
By now they are introduced to the car, and have further sessions with our animals.
They are taken to the vet for vaccinations, microchips, health checks, and a faecal clearance is performed.
They are also taken to a specialist veterinarian opthalmologist for their ACES eye test screening.
Structural assessments are carried out at 7 weeks, and we generally allocate our puppies by 7.5 weeks.

The Eighth Week (day 60-66)

By 8 weeks old, its puppy pickup time!
Puppies by now have been introduced to treat training, should hopefully have a headway made in toilet training, practicing calm, crate training and introduction to several commands, as well as be able to walk on a loose lead.
Our puppies are bathed one last time before they head home, and wormed at least 2 days prior to leaving.
More information about handover below.

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?

More information here.

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

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.