FAQ

Yaaay!!

Kingscote Doodles are licenced by Torbay Council using DEFRA 2018 regulations. Our Licence number is 008407. The inspection process is an in-depth look at our procedures, the environment, the welfare and health of all of our dogs. The inspector is accompanied by a government appointed vet and every aspect of rearing puppies and dogs is considered. We are very proud that we achieved the highest possible 5 star rating for inspected premises. ( this is the highest possible rating ) Not all breeders are licenced, and to reduce the risks associated with buying a puppy,  you should think twice before dealing with an unlicensed breeder. 

Having said that, just because a breeder is licenced, does not necessarily mean that you can be 100% certain that there won’t be problems. We’ve all seen and heard of instances where dogs have been very badly abused and harmed throughout their lives by breeders that are licenced. Equally, just because a breeder is not licenced does not necessarily mean there will be problems. 

The purpose of the licence is to reduce the risks associated with buying a puppy, and it’s less likely that a licenced breeder will be abusing their dogs and puppies because they will have had to have facilitated a full inspection of their premises and procedures. The dogs and puppies will have been inspected by a vet and their health records checked. Also,  the local authority inspector will make at least one unannounced visit during the licence period. 

As a footnote  - I’ve heard of an instance where someone has bought a puppy off the internet and had it delivered by a courier company!. The puppy was in a dreadful state and of course it had serious health issues. The person that bought this unfortunate puppy was as much at fault as the person that bred it. Buying a puppy should never be fraught with issues. It should be a happy event, and we will endeavour to play our part in eradicating the negative aspects of buying a puppy.

Completing the application form is the first step in the process to acquiring a kingscotedoodle puppy but it does not guarantee you will get a puppy from this or any future litter. While it's unlikely, the breeder reserves the right to refuse any placement at any time. Once your application is received, we will review it and get back to you within 2 working days for a telephone conservation to discuss your application, answer any questions that you may have and to discuss next steps. If your application is successful you will be provisionally placed on the Confirmed Puppy Reservation List. Your deposit is then payable and our bank details will then be emailed to you. Upon receipt of your deposit your reservation will be confirmed and a receipt provided for your deposit.

CHOOSING A PUPPY: You will not get to have "pick of the litter"or order of deposit received. We will support you to ensure that you get the puppy that best matches your family and lifestyle. At Kingscotedoodles we use Puppy Profiling and years of experience to ensure you get the puppy that fits your lifestyle and more importantly, that the puppy gets the family that best matches the puppy’s personality.. Every family needs and wants different things from dog ownership;a boy; a girl, cream, apricot, red, lively puppy; a calm puppy; a puppy that will enjoy water sports; a puppy that will enjoy mountaineering; be better with children; a single person ; a busy family household etc and as we spend the most time with the puppies, we are best placed to guide you on that choice. We take into consideration gender preference and colour preference, however the personality of the dog is what you will ultimately live with and so our joint decision making is based heavily around that. You are welcome to visit when the puppy is 4 weeks old. Puppies will be chosen/matched to their new family at approx 6/7 weeks as this supports the process of profiling the puppy to ensure the best possible match for families. At 7 weeks you are again invited to our puppy parties and to bond with your chosen puppy, this is another opportunity to interact with your puppy and prepare for collection of your puppy at 8 weeks of age.

GOING HOME: We cannot hold puppies for extended times; it is critical for their social development that the litter departs within a reasonable timeframe.

CONTRACT: We will not place a puppy without a signed contract. If you have questions about specific terms, you need to contact us prior to picking up your puppy. A copy of our standard contract will be emailed to you for your information. Hard copies will be available for signing when you collect your puppy.

Absolutely! In fact we encourage you to visit our home and meet us, and of course our dogs. We want you to be sure you are 100% happy and if you have any doubts we can discuss them over a coffee. We will not attempt to convince you that puppy ownership is for you - that’s a decision you need to make yourself.

If you are not sure, then we would suggest you don’t proceed with a puppy.

This is often quite an emotive subject but we firmly believe that a species specific balanced raw food diet is the best. Since discovering balanced raw dog food about 5 years we have seen a huge improvement in all of our dogs. They are more energetic, their coats are in beautiful condition, their teeth are always clean and they don’t scratch anywhere near as much as they did when they were eating dry kibble processed food. They do still have periods of scratching, but this is limited to the pollen season and the worst time is around May/June when the grass pollen is at its peak. There are a number of raw food suppliers, but we use a company called Bella and Duke - Bella and Duke

We have found their customer service to be excellent, and they'll always go out of their way to help with whatever query you might have.

Please don't just take our word for the benefits of this type of food - take a look at the Bella and Duke website, and of course other raw food suppliers. We particularly recommend spending a few minutes watching this series of videos . Dr Becker Discusses Raw Food Diet

If you really want to get a better understanding of the benefits of raw food and you have an hour to spare, take a look a this Raw Feeding and Preventing Canine Cancer

We follow the very best practice of puppy rearing, and research has shown that week six to eight are extremely important in a puppies developement. The early socialisation of the puppies starts as soon as they become mobile and can see, but the socialisation events that occur between weeks 6 to 8 will influence their future behaviour tremendously. The welfare of the puppies will always be our first consideration, and whilst we will not release a puppy before 8 weeks of age, we can with prior arrangement, keep you puppy longer than 8 weeks.

Not at all! However, the probelms you encounter will be far outweighed by the love and affection your puppy will give you. You should prepare to have a a few sleepless nights and you will need to understand that your puppy is 100% dependant on you, and you will of course need to consider this when going about your daily routine.

We recommend attending a 6 week Puppy School course -  they are held in pretty much in every town and city. Not all puppy schools are the same and they don't all operate using the same principals. We have no experience of any other school other than the UK National network of Puppy School All four of our dogs have attended our local school and they’ve all loved every course.

Oh, it's probably worth mentioning that once you have your puppy at home, you'll never be able to go to the loo on your own ever again!

We do indeed have an active waiting list, and to ensure you are included, you firstly need to complete a Puppy Application Form. This can be downloaded directly from our website, or emailed to you.

You can either download it directly from our website, or we can email you the form.