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Frequently Asked Questions
About our Bolognese and Coton de Tulear puppies for sale.
1. What breeds of puppies do you raise? We raise Coton de Tulear, Italian Bolognese, and Tsvetnaya Bolonka.
2. How do we get a puppy? My Darling Dogs website is shared by Cindy, Glenda, and Sarah. We all have a few dogs each and share the males. Between the three of us, we have several litters available throughout the year. We require a $250 deposit to reserve a puppy. Just e-mail us or call us at the phone numbers listed on the website at www.mydarlingdogs.com.
3. What is the difference in the breeds? All of these dogs are wonderful dogs. They are all companion dogs that love their owners. They are similar in many ways and yet each has its own characteristics specific to the breed. The breeds all have sturdy, little bodies, are not afraid of children, and make great family pets. They are endearing, charming, light hearted, intelligent, love to play games, and love their families. They are all non-shedding, odorless, hypoallergenic dogs.
Coton de Tulear are known for their light, cottony-like coats. The coats are usually straight or slightly wavy. Cotons almost look like a miniature sheep dog, peeking at you with their dark beautiful eyes from under their long bangs. Cotons, specifically, are cheerful and charming. They are known as the anti-depressant dog. They are calm and yet very confident. They pat their paws on the floor and perform humorous antics. They are like a big dog in a small body. Cotons are hardy, robust, enthusiastic and celebrate your homecoming after separations. They exude happiness and harmony. Even though they love you to pieces, they also have an independent spirit.
Bolognese have crimpy, silky like coats. They have been raised for centuries for no other purpose than strictly companions for people. Therefore, they are the ultimate companion dog and are loyal, love your attention, and are abundantly affectionate. They have very strong attachments to humans and love pleasing you. They are even tempered, highly intelligent, and love to be trained. Their winsome ways captivate your heart. They instinctively perform what is called the bolo dance in which they stand upright and dance around, rolling their paws in the air to greet you. They are calm and friendly and love you unconditionally.
Bolonkas are the rarest of the Bichon family. They are small, sturdy, well balanced dogs. While Bolognese are always all white, Bolonkas are any color except white. Mostly black or red/brown, they are beautiful little dogs. The Bolonkas' easy going, playful temperaments are similar to Bolognese, rather than Cotons.
4. Where do you raise your puppies? Our puppies are raised in our homes. We play with them daily as they grow, and they are well-socialized, playful babies when they leave.
5. How do I pick out my puppy? When a litter is born, we post it on the website or if you have a deposit already, we send pictures to you. Customers get to choose puppies in order of deposits. We send weekly pictures so you can watch them grow. At about 4 to 6 weeks, we can tell you about their physical characteristics and personality traits. That is the time you get to choose your puppy, unless you have already spoken for a tri-color or black and white.
6. When are the puppies ready to go? They may go to their new homes between 8 and 9 weeks old.
7. Do you ship your puppies? Yes we do, but you are always welcome to come pick up your puppy. If you live in a neighboring state, we would be glad to meet you halfway. Many of our customers like to do this. We are in Idaho, however, and most of our puppies fly to their new homes. We ship from Boise. Shipping is $165 to $245, depending on which airlines service your area. All of our puppies have arrived safely and soundly. Pets are transported in the live animal cargo section of the plane which is insulated, pressurized, and temperature controlled. The temperature is the same as it is in the passenger area of the plane. Your pet can rest comfortably in his or her crate during the flight. When you use the cargo system, pets are put on the plane last and taken off first to insure their safety. When it gets close to shipping time, we make the reservations to the airport of your choice.
8. How do I pay for my puppy? The deposit may be paid with a personal check, postal money order, or Paypal, if paying with a credit card. The final payment must be paid only with a postal money order or on Paypal.
9. What do I get with my puppy? The puppies are shipped in a crate with a sherpa bed, a toy, their blanket, food and water, and a piddle pad in the back of the crate in case they need to use it. The paperwork, which includes a health certificate, a puppy data sheet to show current worming and puppy vaccinations, a one year health guarantee, registration papers, and a puppy care information sheet are placed under the bed in the crate in a plastic sleeve and shipped with the puppy.
10. Do I get a registration paper and a pedigree? Yes, we will send you the registration papers your puppy. You may order an official pedigree at the same time when you send the papers in to register your puppy in your name.
Shipping Kennel
Puppy Care Sheet
My Darling Dogs
Picking up Puppy at the AirportWe suggest you take along, water, a leash and col lar. The puppy has been in his crate, sometimes all day and will probably need to potty. It is also a good idea to take a small plastic garbage sack; if the puppy has soiled his kennel you can empty it into the sack. Be careful not to put your puppy down in an area used by a lot of other dogs. Your puppy will need all of his/her vaccinations before they are fully protected.
******* All of your paperwork is in a plastic sleeve, taped under the puppy bed inside the kennel.
Immediate Care (first few days)
After the long trip make sure to offer your puppy water and a little food. He needs to be drinking and eating within a few hours after arrival.
Puppy has been in a warm, clean, environment among its littermates since it was born. For the first day or so it is important for you to keep your little puppy warm and comfortable. It may take him/her a day or two to adjust to his new surroundings. Provide your puppy with a soft blanket and puppy toys. Please use the blanket, bed and toy that came with him for the first few days. He will be familiar with the feel and smell of his blanket, which will provide him/her some comfort and help to alleviate the loneliness of being separated from his siblings.
Feeding
It is very important to make sure your puppy is eating, especially during the transition into his/her new home. We feed our puppies Innova Puppy Food. You will receive a baggy of food with your puppy. Moisten the food with a little water or a spoonful of cottage cheese in the morning and evening for the first few weeks or until the puppy has all his teeth in and is eating dry food well. Keep clean, fresh water and a small dish of dry food available for the puppy at all times. If you wish to feed a different brand of dry dog food, mix the food sent with him half/half with your brand. We do not feed dog food with corn or wheat to our puppies or adult dogs. It can and usually does make their eyes tear. As your puppy gets older you can introduce new foods, either mixed with his dry food or given as treats. We feed our dog’s eggs, meat or a little cheese for treats. When introducing new foods, do it slowly, one at a time, giving just a bite or two to start with. We feed our adult dogs, Evo Small Bites / chicken or red meat variety.
You can usually tell if your puppy has had enough to eat. His little belly will feel full, but not hard. He will be playful, not listless, and he will have normal bowel movements. If you ever observe your puppy straining to go potty. Check his little bottom to make sure he does not have poo stuck to his bottom, plugging him up. Always keep him clean and the hair clipped around his bottom.
DO NOT …. feed puppies or grown dogs… Chocolate, Onions (raw or cooked) or Raisins. All of these foods are extremely poisonous to puppies and small dogs!
Vet Care
The Puppy was checked by our Veterinarian prior to leaving our home. We suggest you visit your vet within a day or two after arrival. All the information your vet needs is on the “Vet Copy” of his medical record. Your veterinarian will put the puppy on a schedule to finish up his/her shots. This is also a good time to talk to your vet about spaying or neutering your puppy. We strongly suggest you spay or neuter….this is part of being a responsible pet owner. Neutering your male puppy will also make house training much easier. It also calms down both male and female puppies.
Bath Time
Before bathing always brush and comb their hair out thoroughly, making sure to comb out any mats. Get a good tearless puppy shampoo and mild conditioner. Take care not to get water in his ears. After towel drying him, use a hair dryer with the temperature set on warm not hot. I keep my hand constantly moving under the dryer to make sure it’s not getting too hot. For a more natural Bolognese look…. after bathing just comb out and let your puppy air dry in a warm place. Between baths one of our favorite items for keeping puppies clean are baby wipes….. They work great for puppies! I use them to clean puppies eyes, muddy feet, bottoms, you name it… it gets wiped with a baby wipe! Our favorite brush is the green pro-brush by www.lespoochs.com. It is a little spendy but worth every penny. It really brushes them out well in half the time!
Playtime
Sometimes it's hard for us to resist the urge to play with puppies. Please be careful to supervise small children. Puppies love to play and tend to run after your moving feet, or even lie down at them, sometimes when you are only standing still for a moment or so.. and it's so easy to accidentally step on the puppy. If the puppy gets hurt too many times he will either become very timid, or aggressive. It's also important to resist the urge to wake up the puppy to play with him. Like his human counterparts, he will play to exhaustion and could become so tired he will forget to even eat.
House Training
Try and take the puppy outside to relieve himself every hour or two for the first few weeks. We recommend that you keep your puppy confined when you are not with him. He needs a large enough space for his bed, food and water and to move around, but small enough that he won't want to soil his quarters. Remember though, he is still a "baby". And like humans, he doesn't have complete control over all his bodily functions. So it's more a matter of "catching" him at the right time. Scolding him after the fact will only confuse him.
Thank you for giving this puppy a wonderful home and for continuing to support and appreciate these rare breed dogs. We are always so grateful to find loving homes for our puppies. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to give us a call. Please keep in touch…we love pictures!
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