Does your Pooh Eat Poo?

Eating feces, or what is otherwise known as Coprophagia, is common amongst various animals but I am happy to sat that it's not a common practice around here...…… until it gets cold outside. I have no idea why but for some reason a select few of my dogs think that frozen poo or what I refer to as "poosicles" make for a fun treat and I find it to be completely and totally disgusting! I have read countless articles and asked my vet why this happens and it seems everyone has a theory. Some say it's a vitamin deficiency, my dogs are fed better than I am. Some say it's boredom, my dogs are never alone and get tons of play and stimulation. Some say it's because there is poo in the yard, we pick it up on a daily basis and on, and on, and on. So I don't have any idea why this becomes an issue when Winter strikes but I aimed to stop it as soon as it started. I have tried various products to add into their food, I have heard that fresh pineapple helps but they won't eat it, scolding just gets me a look like "okay I'll just do it later," and I think that I have finally found the answer: Adolphs Meat Tenderizer, the kind that is unseasoned and does not contain MSG. I found it on Amazon and when it arrived I lightly sprinkled it on their food. I did this right in front of them so they got all excited thinking that they were getting a new treat and were ready to chow down when I returned the bowls. At first I didn't think that they would eat it because it does have a spicy smell to it but it's not supposed to have any flavor and apparently it makes their waste taste terrible hence stopping the problem.

https://www.amazon.com/Adolphs-Unseasoned-Tenderizer-44-5-oz/dp/B0015AO7YO?th=1

I am happy to report that the dogs didn't flinch when I gave them their food and happily chowed down apparently not noticing or caring that I had added the seasoning. I am also happy to say that problem with the "poosicles" has been resolved. Since I started adding the tenderizer they avoid their frozen treats and I am no longer a horrified dog owner wondering what is lingering on those tongues they try to cover me in kisses with! 

If you are having an issue with your dog consuming feces please consult your vet before putting any type of additive in their food to make sure that it is safe and good for your pet.

If you're looking to add a Cockapoo Puppy to your family please visit our website:

https://www.cutecockapoos.com/

Puppy Take Home Dates

This week I have had a high level of unusual requests from people so I wanted to address the issue to hopefully help educate people. I try very hard to make my website informative but there's a major hitch, it seems that people don't take the time to read it or, if they do, some don't seem to think that some of it applies to them. With that being said let's discuss the take home/shipping dates for my puppies. When I have an available puppy posted on the website I will have a picture along with an informative paragraph below the picture telling you the color, gender, date of birth, take home date, shipping date, price and any other relevant information about the puppy. Here is an example of a post on the "Puppies for Sale" page of my website:

I post all of this information so that we are all on the same page, everyone knows when the puppy was born (be wary of breeders who don't post birthdates about their puppies,) everyone knows the price, and everyone knows the date that the puppies are ready to pick up or be shipped. The take home/shipping date is what a majority of people don't seem to take seriously and I don't know why.

This week I have had someone ask me if they can pick up their puppy a couple days earlier than their take home date because it's more convenient for them. This week I had someone ask me if they could come and pick up a 14 day old puppy this weekend. This week I had someone ask me if they could pick up a puppy two weeks earlier than their take home date because of the holidays and on and on and on…………

The take home and shipping dates that I have posted on the website are not negotiable! No, you cannot pick up a puppy a day or two earlier because it's more convenient, no puppies cannot go home two weeks early because of the holidays, etc. The puppies need to go through a weaning process, they need to be weaned off of their mother's milk, they need to be vaccinated, and I need to be sure that they are healthy and eating/drinking on their own, this all takes time and cannot be interrupted. On top of all that I am a licensed breeder and I have rules to follow, in the state of Wisconsin puppies cannot leave until they are 7 week old when being picked up and 8 weeks old when being shipped, no exceptions, not even by a day.  (There will always be people out there that will say that's too young, too old, etc. I didn't make the law, I follow it, and I will not let a puppy leave if I don't feel they are ready.)

Most of our puppies are adopted at a very early age and the families adopting them are immediately made aware of the take home/shipping dates that the puppies are ready on so please take that seriously and plan ahead to make that date a priority. There have been so many times that people have tried to change the date because they've wanted to make other plans and that makes me nervous because a new puppy is supposed to be a priority and if you can't make time in your life to pick them up when they are ready (when you've had several weeks notice) how are you going to make time for them in your life?

For current information about the Cockapoo Puppies we have for sale please visit our website at:
www.cutecockapoos.com

Christmas Puppies........in January

Christmas is less than a month away and the emails are rolling in with people of course asking "Do you have Christmas puppies available?" Yes, I do but they are ready for home in January.

To some that might not make sense, some people are adamant about having a puppy to put beneath the Christmas tree but I see both options beneficial. Some years we do have puppies that are ready in time for Christmas Day and it works out perfect for families to discover them under the tree and celebrate their busy day with the addition of their new puppy. Other times we have found that people who reserve Christmas puppies are really busy, they stress about the time that they can pick up their puppy, what to do with it before they are ready to give it to their children, who will watch it for them, what will they do when they need to travel that day to visit the family, etc? So a Christmas ready puppy can both be a blessing and a hassle all depending on what you have planned.

We have found that our January ready puppies work out really well for the holidays because families can reserve one in advance, secretly get prepared, and then wrap up a picture along with puppy supplies for the kids to open on Christmas morning. Not actually having the puppy there on Christmas Day but letting the kids see a picture and know that they are getting one gives the family an opportunity to be excited but still have time to get prepared together and go through their holiday plans without having to work on training a new puppy during such a busy time.


If you're looking for a 2018 Christmas puppy we currently have some but they won't be ready for home until early January 2019. I am more than happy to send you pictures before Christmas and I have an extensive list of needed supplies posted on the "FAQ" page of the website so you can shop in advance and be prepared. You'd be amazed at how excited kids get when they unwrap a bag of puppy food and are then told that a new puppy will be coming home!!


For current information on the puppies that we have for sale please visit the "Puppies for Sale" page of our website at: www.cutecockapoos.com and feel free to email us if interested in anyone at: cutecockapoos@gmail.com

Pet Poison Helpline

The holidays are right around the corner, most of us have guests over, decorate for the seasons, prepare large meals and get in the festive mood which means your pets may be exposed to additional items that are toxic and/or deadly hence the reason for this blog. The Pet Poison Helpline can be a life saver if you feel that your pet has eaten or been exposed to something that may be toxic. For a fee you can call them and get expert advice and help. They also have a very helpful website with an alphabetical list of items that are toxic to pets. The list is long and worth taking a look at, I didn't even realize that some of the items on there were dangerous. For more information their 24 hour phone number is (855) 764-7661 and their website is:
https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poisons/

This is just a small list of common items/ingredients that are toxic to pets, please check your ingredients and do your research on what your pet should/shouldn't be exposed to:

Xylitol- A sugar substitute that can be found in peanut butter, sugar free gum/candy, toothpaste, etc. It is deadly so please check your ingredients list to be sure you're not putting peanut butter in their Kong that contains this!

Essential Oils- There are many essential oils that you can put in a diffuser that are toxic to dogs including Tea Tree Oil (and others) so please do your research before exposing your pet to them.

Amaryliiss- A very common flower given as gifts during the holiday season.

Chocolate- Obviously there's lots of chocolate around during the holidays and some can also contain Xylitol.

Eucalyptus- A common essential oil put in diffusers, especially during the Winter months.

Lilly- A common plant given out or used to decorate during the holiday season, many types are toxic to pets.

Holly- Often used during the holiday season.

Marijuana- States that have made this legal are seeing more and more cases of animals being poisoned by this.

Mistletoe- Again often used during the holiday season.

Nicotine- Don't smoke but having guests over that do? Check where they put their cigs.

Poinsettia- Another common holiday plant.

Tea Tree Oil- Often used in diffusers.

Windshield Wiper Fluid- Careful about what is open or leaking in the garage.

Antifreeze- This is appealing to animals and they will drink it.


If you think your pet has ingested or been exposed to something toxic please do not hesitate to contact your vet or the Poison Helpline, time is of the essence with some of these items.

2018 Updates on Shipping a Puppy

A lot of things have changed in the past year or two with airline rules and regulations so I wanted to update my information on how to ship puppies. Some of you may have read my blog article I wrote a few years ago about the process and I must say it was a lot easier back then than it is now. We are part of a small group of breeders that doesn’t mind being inspected so we are fully licensed to ship puppies but unfortunately the airlines close to us are making it increasingly difficult to get the puppies on a plane. If you live out of state and want a puppy from us we will certainly be willing to ship to you but please read this to understand that during certain times of the year it may not be possible or changes may need to be made about which airport we fly the puppy to and you will have to consider the other available options.

The closest airport to us that we ship out of is located in Appleton,WI (ATW.) In the past we were able to use both Delta and United Airlines but unfortunately things have changed and now Delta is currently our only option. United was personally my favorite, they don’t have temperature restrictions like Delta has so that makes most destinations at any time of the year easy to get to and they also offered many more flights than Delta did. Unfortunately last year United in Appleton started using planes operated by Air Wisconsin and they are not compatible for animals to travel within their cargo area leaving only Delta to deal with. Delta has always had temperature restrictions for shipping pets, in the past it needed to be between 10-85 degrees at all points or they would simply deny your flight. This is NOT because of the temperature on the plane, that is always regulated, it is because they don’t want to be transporting animals from the plane to airport and back in extreme cold or hot temperatures. In the past they also offered a “Summer Cooling Program” where they had air conditioned vehicles at certain airports to transport the animals so the temperature didn’t matter, this obviously made it easier to ship in the Summer time but in 2017 they cancelled all Cooling Programs.
 As of August 1st 2018 they have made additional changes that will seriously affect our ability to ship with them. Delta now requires it to be between 20-80 degrees at all stops to ship a puppy. For example if you live in New York and want your puppy shipped to JFK they would travel out of Appleton, WI have a layover in Detroit and then land at JFK, if it's above 80 degrees or below 20 degrees at any of those locations they will not allow the puppy to fly. Anyone who lives in the U.S. already knows that during June, July, and August it is rarely below 80 degrees in most locations during the day and 20 degrees is considered warm for us in Wisconsin during the months of December-February. These new rules will greatly affect our ability to ship out of our local airport!
There are a few options to help deal with the constant limitations being put on us by Delta airlines. The first option to deal with Summer temperatures is to ship the puppy to the layover destination while it is still cool enough, think early morning or late evening, then board it overnight at a licensed kennel who would then take the puppy back to the airport the following morning to get them on the first flight out to their destination to beat the heat. I recently did this with a puppy who needed to be shipped to Colorado in July when daytime temperatures were in the high 90's. I booked the puppy on an evening flight to Minneapolis where he was then boarded overnight and got on an early flight the next day to Denver. Delta charged an additional $175 boarding fee (can change at any moment) which was an extra expense for the buyer but was worth it in the end.

Green Bay, WI also has a small airport about an hour away from us where shipping with American Airlines may be an option. They do have temperature restrictions, it has to be between 45-85 degrees to ship a puppy and flights can be booked 10 days in advance. They are a smaller airline so may not go to all desired locations and in Winter it will be too cold to use them.

 If absolutely necessary we are able to ship out of Milwaukee, WI using either Delta, United (If it's not an Air Wisconsin Plane,) or American Airlines (as long as it's not too hot or too cold.) On a good day the airport in Milwaukee is a 2.5 hour drive each way, we have to check the puppy in at least 2 hours in advance and stay in town until the puppy leaves so it ends up taking at least 8-10 hours of our day up which is hard when you have to be home to take care of all your animals. If we have to ship a puppy out of Milwaukee for you the departure times will have to coordinate with other puppies that we may be shipping on that date so that we can get in and out of town in a timely manner. 

I always post the shipping date in the information listed about a puppy that I have for sale online. We usually ship a couple puppies from each litter so that date is the date that I will be shipping the puppies so that I can coordinate all flights and travel to work together. 

Please realize that there are a lot of rules and regulations when it comes to shipping a puppy, I simply can't go online and pick any flight I want like a person can. If you live out of state and want us to ship you a puppy I will need you to give me 2 International Airport options that I can ship the puppy to. I will try my hardest to book the location that you prefer but it will ultimately depend on the temperatures and the airline that I can use.
I will also need you to be flexible on the day of arrival, I cannot control the weather, flight delays or cancellations so please leave your day free and clear. I cannot tell you how many people have yelled at me because a flight was late or had to rebooked and they had to change their plans, please make the arrival of the puppy your priority!

Delta Rules:
It has to be between 20-80 degrees to ship a puppy and the flight has to have a minimum of a 2 hour layover. Puppies need to be checked in at least 2 hours in advance. No double connections.
Flights can be booked 13 days in advance.

United Airlines:
They do not have temperature restrictions but puppies are not able to fly on planes operated by Air Wisconsin. Puppies need to be checked in at least 2 hours in advance. No double connections.
Flights can be booked 30 days in advance and no later than 5 days in advance.

American Airlines:
It has to be between 45-85 degrees to ship a puppy. Puppies need to be checked in at least 2 hours in advance. No double connections.
Flights can be booked 10 days in advance.

If shipping a puppy does not appeal to you there are also a couple of other options for people to consider if they live out of state and want a puppy from us. You may want to consider driving or flying here. The closest airports to us are Appleton, WI or Green Bay, WI (GRB.) The two largest are Milwaukee (MKE) which is about 2.5-3 hours away and also Chicago O’Hare in Illinois that is about 4 hours from us. I have had people fly here, we order the required health certificates for the puppies and we either meet them at our local airports or they have also rented cars and driven up from Milwaukee or Chicago. 

One other possibility is having a puppy nanny personally fly the puppy to you. Remember how I said it’s difficult for us to ship out of Milwaukee because we have to be gone so long? This means that us personally flying a puppy to you is difficult and will not always be an option but if we are not available we may have friends or family that would be willing. If someone is available to fly the puppy to you, you the buyer will be responsible for the cost of the flight, the fee to have the puppy onboard the flight, the crate and health certificates needed to have a puppy on board, and a flat fee of $300 for the person traveling with the puppy to cover their time, transportation, parking fees, etc. Someone would fly your puppy to the airport of your choice and you would then meet them there to pick up your puppy.

So as of now that’s what I know as far as what is going on with the airline industry, I will continue to keep everyone updated whenever I find out new information. Please keep all of this in mind if you live out of state and are interested in getting a puppy from us.

 To see the Cockapoo Puppies that we have for sale please visit our website: https://www.cutecockapoos.com/puppies-for-sale

Xylitol is TOXIC to Dogs!!

I live on a farm and do a lot of physical labor which requires frequent trips to my chiropractor. She's a very natural and holistic type of doctor and often has organic, natural, and sugar free items for sale in her office. One day while waiting for my appointment I looked over the ingredients of all the sugar free candy and gums she had out on display and they all contained Xylitol. My chiropractor also happens to breed Boxers so I asked her if she was aware of how toxic and deadly Xylitol is for dogs and she had no idea. I don't think enough people are aware of the dangers of Xylitol and I wish that all of the products that contain it were required to have a big red warning label informing people that ingestion by their dog can lead to death.
We all can't wait until the teething puppy stage is over, right? Those crocodile razor sharp teeth constantly nipping on your fingers, grabbing at your toes, eyeing up your favorite shoes for a snack, it's torture and most of us will do anything to make our puppies happy and to stop them from eating your fingers. Kong toys are one of the best and most popular toy brands out there and they make a lot of fun products that you can stuff with cheese or peanut butter to keep your puppy happy and busy for awhile. Did you know that some companies use Xylitol in their peanut butter? Innocently adding peanut butter to a toy or treat to keep your puppy busy can lead to death if you accidentally use a brand that contains Xylitol.
So what is Xylitol? It is a natural sugar substitute that is often found in sugar free products like gum, candy, peanut butter, chocolates, tooth paste, cookies, muffins, vitamins, and various supplements. Seeing it is found in so many products if you are a dog owner it is vital to find out if anything in your house contains Xylitol and to be sure that you keep it out of reach of your dog.
If you suspect that your dog has ingested Xylitol it is vital that you immediately get them to a vet, time is of the essence! As little as 0.1g ingested by a dog can cause hypoglycemia (drop in blood sugar) which leads to weakness, lack of coordination, seizures, coma and even death in as little as thirty minutes so that is why it's so important to seek medical help immediately.
Xylitol consumed in slightly larger doses can liver failure which often cannot be reversed or becomes too costly for the owners to repair.

I found an article online that contained a list of products known to contain Xylitol, I am sure that ingredients change and new products pop up all the time so please be sure to check your items yourself but here is the link, hopefully it will help save a life:

https://www.preventivevet.com/xylitol-products-toxic-for-dogs

Unfortunately a lot of pet owners are unaware of the dangers of Xylitol so please help spread the word, no one wants to lose their pet, especially if it can be easily avoided by checking the ingredients list of your household products.

To see the Cockapoo Puppies that we have for sale please visit our website: https://www.cutecockapoos.com/puppies-for-sale

It's Spring & Ticks are Here

Today is March 20th, 2018, officially the first day of Spring! Temperatures here in Wisconsin have been all over the place, two days ago it was 60 and today it's in the 30's and the East Coast is gearing up for their 4th Nor'Easter so it certainly doesn't seem like Spring weather wants to come. We decided to start grooming off the shaggy Winter coats of our dogs today and along with that start to treat them for ticks. I am not a big fan of putting too many chemicals on my dogs so when Winter weather starts we stop applying flea and tick topical. We don't have fleas but we do live out in the country and do have ticks so topical is necessary (in my opinion) during the warmer months. While I was grooming Jackson my mom walked in, saw the topical on the table, and asked me if it was 'tick season again?' I said I wasn't sure because of it being up and down with the warm and cold temperatures but thought it was better to be safe than sorry and she agreed.
About a half hour after I was done grooming Jackson I picked up one of our kitties, felt a lump on her neck and proceeded to pull off a tick, so yes, it is officially tick season here.......

Guess What? I screen my Customers!

I have to share a short story that leads to the title of this post. I get inquiries every day about my puppies, mostly through email, most of them good, some of them bad. I will admit there have been several times where I have simply hit the delete button instead of responding to a message because I instantly knew I was not interested in working with the person that had messaged me, this doesn't happen often but in all my years of doing this I can usually tell pretty quickly if someone is wasting my time or just not what I am looking for. Recently I was contacted by someone asking about a puppy I had for sale, their first message was normal so I responded and then a few messages later it was clear that I was not interested in going any farther with this person and did not want to do business with them. They asked me for references and wanted to come to my house and I declined because my gut was just telling me this wasn't going to work out and boy was I right! I really value my customers and the people who are on my reference list and I don't want to waste their time by directing people to them for a reference if I don't feel the family is what I am looking for. I don't often deny people references but if I do I have a reason for it. This person did not like being told "no" which resulted in them sending me a flood of nasty emails telling me I was rude, unprofessional, fake, etc. They posted negative things on our Facebook page and then posted a negative review on a website with little or no verification (careful about some of the reviews you read.)  After the barrage of emails I simply explained to them that I didn't provide references because I didn't want to do business with them and they replied that 'it was a silly excuse to simply not give references' so they had the last word and hopefully felt better about themselves! The whole experience really bothered me and my husband said it's all part of doing business and to brush it off, which I think is easier for a male to say, we females get our emotions mixed up into things, we just can't help it. In the end I got a bad review online but I went with my gut and a few verbal punches directed my way was much better than having that person get their hands on one of our puppies! So to anyone that witnessed the garbage on our Facebook page I am sorry, I'm not on the computer all the time and I don't always see what gets posted right away.
Now with that all being explained I do want to tell you that I screen my customers and I hope you understand and respect that. Thankfully the majority of families that contact me are good people who can provide good homes for my puppies but I still feel it's my job to ask questions to be sure. I often get asked if I have an application for adoption and I don't but I will ask you common questions about your dog experience, living situation, work situation, finances, etc. I don't ask questions to be nosey, if I were selling you a lamp it would be a different story, but a puppy is obviously a living breathing beautiful creature that deserves a wonderful life and I am a big part of that process. Consumers definitely have a much easier time doing research on a business than a business does when screening a customer. Business opportunity here: Can someone please design a website where a company can look up reviews on a potential customer just like a consumer does on a business? I would gladly post glowing reviews on my clients!
Long story short, I will never be able to appease everyone that contacts me, I won't always bend over backwards for every request that is asked of me, but I will always try very hard to make my customers happy and will continue to screen potential customers to give my puppies good homes.
If you would like to see some heartwarming pictures and honest updates from actual clients here is a link to a post on our Facebook page that will definitely make you smile:
https://www.facebook.com/cutecockapoos/photos/a.194733553882704.43032.143281459027914/1632508063438572/?type=3&theater