FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We hope this page is helpful to potential owners of a Coldwater Beagle. We firmly believe there is no substitute for open, honest communication. However, we find that most future owners have similar questions. We hope this FAQ page will help with the initial questions.
What is the price of your puppies?
Our puppies are $2800 USD. It does not matter is the puppy is for 'Show' or 'Companion' the price is the same. It costs us the same to raise each puppy no matter their conformation status. We put the same amount of love and care into each puppy and each puppy leaves here with the same health guarantees. We take a $500 Holding Fee when the pups are 2-3 weeks of age to secure your puppy.
I just want a pet, not a show dog, is that OK?
YES! In fact, I prefer that! I rarely, if ever sell any of my puppies into 'Show Homes'. I'd rather they live their best lives on your couch. The differences between a show puppy and companion puppy can be very minimal. Now, occasionally I get homes that are willing to let me show their puppy- or want to learn about showing and I'm all for that too!
Do I get to pick out my own puppy?
No. We pride ourselves in matching the individual puppy personality with the personalities and needs in your home. We've been doing this for a long time and are very, very good at this. We take the time to get to know you and your family so you have the happiest experience with your new puppy and lifelong success with your new best friend. We consider you part of our family when you get a Coldwater puppy and want all the joy for you and your new family member.
Do You Ship?
No, we do not ship our puppies. However, if you are outside of driving distance we do have a solution that has worked well for us. We have puppies in wonderful homes in Canada, California, Idaho, Massachusetts, Arizona and Colorado that have not been able to drive to us. What we will do is fly the puppy in cabin. This requires you to fly to the nearest airport and we will meet you to give you your puppy, put it in a sherpa bag and allow you to fly home. Another possibility is for you to fly me to your nearest airport and then I will fly home. The cost for this is in addition to the purchase price.
Do You Have A Wait List
No. Not at the current time. I have struggled with waiting lists in the past. Because we do not take deposits at the front end, the waiting list because a pointless endeavor. People found puppies faster than I could provide the, or we did not have the desired sex or color for the home and families became disheartened and sometimes impatient. We found that because spots were held for people who changed their minds, it made it harder to place puppies with homes that were committed to Coldwater Beagles.
Historically if I did not have a litter planned within 12 months, I always referred people to breeders that have the same ideals that I do. Currently, we still believe this is important. Referring people ready to have a puppy when we can not provide one, I will always refer you to a breeder that raises their puppies in a similar fashion to me. I would never refer someone to a litter that I would not be willing to buy from myself.
What is the health/vaccination status of our puppy?
We put a lot of time and money into breeding healthy Beagles. It is one thing that we pride ourselves on. Each mother has or is in process to getting her CHIC number. To achieve this a beagle has to pass several tests that the Health and Genetics committee of the National Beagle Club has deemed the post important. They are MLS (genetic condition similar to dawrfism) Hips, Eyes, Heart and Thyroid. We also submit Factor 7 (a hemophilia disorder). Each puppy is genetically tested through Embark for MLS, Factor 7 and over 200 other genetic diseases and condition. Each puppy at the time you take them home will have a minimum of 2, if not 3 sets of vaccinations and dewormed and started on heart worm prevention(and depending on the season flea control) through our veterinarians protocol. A full report from Embark will be given to you along with a copy for your Veterinarian as well as documentation of vaccination and deworming.
Why wait on spay/neuter until over a year old?
Another part of our contract is to not spay or neuter your dog until they reach maturity. There are many, many articles on the poor effects of pediatric spay/neuter has on your dog through its livelihood. We are more than happy to provide these for you if you wish. Spaying/Neutering outside of our contract specifications nullifies the health guarantees we give. Genetically your female puppy is likely not expected to have her first heat cycle until over a year anyway. If it does happen before spaying, we are always here to walk you through it.
Is my puppy crate, house or leash trained?
NO! We work very, very hard on making sure your puppy is the most socially well adjusted puppy possible. But in reality, you will take your puppy home around 12 weeks of age and the most important things at that age are noise desensitization, firm temperament foundation building skills and learning to be good pets. We litter box train all our puppies with great success and it leads to ease in house and crate trained.
However, starting around 7 weeks of age we do introduce crate training and around 9 weeks of age we do introduce yard time and start to encourage house training.
What is Limited Registration?
Dogs on limited registration can not be shown in AKC Conformation events, nor can their offspring be registered with AKC. While we sell on Spay/Neuter contracts and have NEVER had a problem with our wonderful owners- Limited Registration is a secondary Safegaurd. Because your new family member has been deemed a companion, you do not need a Full Registration certificate.
What's Up with the funny formal names?
AKC has registered names for their dogs, as do horse registries, pig registries, cattle registries etc. It's similar to your full legal name on your birth certificate. Each of our litters has a theme for their registered names. This helps up identify which litter your puppy is from. Their registered name does not apply to what their "call name" or nickname is. We urge you to call your puppy whatever you please! We do give each puppy a name while they are here, but that does not have to stick. It's easier for my family if each puppy has a name, we also like to give each puppy an identity instead of Girl 1 or Boy 2 etc. We welcome you to keep our names or change to your preference. For the registered names, each litter has a theme. We do not mind if you pick a registered name for your puppy with two stipulations- It starts with our kennel name of Coldwater and sticks to the theme. If that is not something you care about we can always pick the name or provide you a list of ideas we have come up with.
What will your puppy go home with?
We love sending you home with a goody bag to set you off on a successful path! We will send you home with your puppy's health information (Embark and Medical), registration and microchip details, beginning training information as well as a blanket that smells like your puppy's siblings to help the first few nights go easier, a leash and collar, a chew toy and packet of puppy food of what we care currently feeding and a chew toy to help with teething.
We are also here for you for the entire life of your Beagle and are willing to schedule weekly Facetime calls to help with transition and training.
What are you financially responsible for at time of pick up?
You are responsible for the remaining balance of the purchase price (less the holding fee paid a few weeks earlier) and the microchip registration fees. Our puppies are registered with AKC prior to pick up and we pay all fees associated to registration.
We accept cash, money order, cashiers check, Zelle or Paypal. NO personal checks or Venmo or other cash apps.
What happens if it just doesn't work out with the puppy?
THAT'S FINE! All puppies are sent home with a sales contract that myself and new owners sign. One of the biggest parts is that the puppy/dog be returned to me if things don't work out for ANY REASON. It has and does happen and no judgement is given. We are here for the livelihood of the dog, no matter what. We brought them into this world and will assume lifelong responsibility for them if needed.
