Southern Belle Goldens Albertville, AL 35950
Helpful Info
Before taking your puppy home
Deposits
- How much does SBG require for a deposit? $500
- Are your deposits refundable? No. We do offer to transfer your deposit to a future litter, however we do not refund deposits unless it is our fault and we are not able to provide you with a suitable puppy.
- How do you accept deposits? We most frequently use PayPal, Venmo or Zelle, this seems to be this best option for most families, we do ask when using the goods and services option that our families add $15 to cover the 3% fee, and the amount is paid using a credit or debit. We also use ApplePay, CashApp and Zelle as free options for our families who are comfortable using these options.
I sent my deposit, now what?
- Awesome, we are glad to have you in the Southern Belle Family! Now that you have your deposit down and your litter picked out, all you have to do for a while is wait for weekly updates. We normally pick one day a week to do pictures.
- Pick/Go home Day This is such a fun exciting time for our families to come and meet our puppies, to set in the floor and play, take all the pictures and videos you want, and get to know our precious puppies and choose the puppy that will become your new family member! We ask on these days that you refrain from visiting places that could bring any sickness with you (dog parks, pet stores, the vet's office). We may also ask you to step on a damp sanitizing towel to sanitize your shoes before you come in (we don't think you're dirty!! lol, we are just super cautious with our precious pups and want to keep them well!) For our families who aren't local we can FaceTime, send pictures and videos to help you choose your puppy on pick day! Pick day and pickup day are now one! We will set our schedule for the day to start with our first pick family and go down the list allowing each family an hour to choose their puppies before the next family arrives.
I'm not local, how do I get my puppy?
- We offer Delivery or Meeting halfway. We do charge a fee for this service but it is very reasonable, we get enough to cover our expenses and time but when we have more than one family on our route, we are mindful of this and we are normally able to give a nice price break when we have multiple deliveries on a trip. Our main objective here is being able to get your puppy to you safely with as little stress on the puppy as possible. While we understand you may have a preference for a transport company or may find a transport company who can offer a cheaper price, however, we do not send our puppies with anyone we do not personally know for a number of reasons, but mainly for the protection of our puppies.
What vaccines has my puppy had?
- Vaccine Schedule- At four weeks we give our puppies a vaccine called Neopar, this is a preventative against Parvo. We give this vaccine ourselves. At six weeks, we take our puppies in to see our Vet and he gives their first round of "puppy vaccines". This vaccine protects against Parvo, Parainfluenza, Adenovirus and Distemper. When your puppy goes home, he or she will have their patient chart from our vet detailing this so your vet will know exactly where they stand with their vaccine history.
Do you offer Full registration?
- Yes- This is the short answer. For our Golden Retrievers, we do offer Full AKC registration, however we do charge an additional fee for full rights. This is new for us, up until 2020 our pups came with full registration, but we are making big moves to improve on our lines. We want the families who purchase full rights from us to have the same concern for the genetic health of our Breed.
Helpful Info
after taking your puppy home
Taking home a new puppy should be a wonderful experience but it can also be stressful, not just for your pup changing environments but also for a new owner who may have a lot of questions, This sections will hopefully help you out!!
Picking a Food. We recommend finding a good grain inclusive food. Be sure to avoid foods with Peas, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Lentils and Legumes in the first five ingredients. It is a plus if the food company employs a Nutritionist and does trail studies on their foods. Right now we are feeding our puppies Royal Canin Large breed puppy and have been pleased with how our dogs have done with it. Some other good options are Purina Proplan, Bil-Jac, Science Diet or for a more budget friendly option, Purina One can be a good options as well.
- Transitioning. Should you choose a different food for your puppy, you will need to slowly transition him/her to the new food, but first be sure to give your puppy at least two weeks to get settled in before you start to transition food. They need as few changes as possible when they go home. We recommend starting with 25% new food with 75% of the existing food, do this for two to three days before moving to 50/50, doing this for two to three days, then to 75/25. A sudden change in foods can really mess with your puppy’s system and cause some unwanted issues like stress, a weakened immune system, loose stool and can just over all make your puppy feel unwell.
- Vaccines. Your puppy will come with his/her first set of vaccines given by our vet at six weeks of age. Your puppy will need a series of four of these vaccines given at 6,9,12 and 15 weeks. At 18 weeks your puppy will be ready for his Rabies shot, this needs to be done at a later age because it's important not to do this at the same time with any other vaccines. After that, your vet can advise according to the risk in your area how often a booster may or may not be needed.
- Deworming and Heartworm schedule. We have a deworming schedule of Pyrantel at 2 weeks Panacur at 4 and 6 weeks and again just before going home. We recommend getting on a monthly deworming pill shortly after the puppy goes home. A brand we like is Interceptor, it covers all worms plus heart worms as well.
- Spay/Neuter. We do not have a spay neuter contract; however, we do recommend for females who will not be bred, to be spayed before their first heat cycle which normally occurs around 8-12 months old. We know there are arguments that a dog should be allowed a first heat before spaying for the hormones to help her growth plates close, but when you are looking at the increased risks of mammary cancer when allowing a female to have a heat, the risk of cancer (in my opinion) outweighs the risk of the possibility of joint issues down the road. Joint issues, should they arise, can be managed for years; however, cancer can not.
- Potty Training. Before your puppy comes home they will have been introduced to a couple of different methods of potty training that will help in the transition of going from our home to yours. We litter train as well as offer a doggy door to our older pups, so they should go home knowing they do not potty where they eat and sleep. This normally plays into crate training really well. We recommend getting a crate with a divider that can grow with your puppy. When introducing your puppy to the crate, make the crate very welcoming with blankets and toys. It is very important the puppy has time to explore the crate before just being put in for their first time. We also strongly encourage you to not use the crate as punishment, the crate needs to be a safe place for your puppy and if your puppy associates the crate with all things good (like eating, naps, toys and treats) then it will really help your dog keep a healthy view of his/her crate instead of having to coax or physically placing them in the crate each time the need to crate arrises. We like to start out by making it welcoming, then we introduce it with some treats, placing some in the crate and let them walk in and explore first. Ideally you want them to go in and take a nap willingly. We have also found it helpful to say “Crate” or “Go Crate” when it’s time to go to bed or time for them to go up. ‘Go crate’ is all have to say to one of my girls and she’s upstairs in her crate waiting for me to come shut the door. When you are using the crate to potty train, as soon as you open the crate (after naps, first thing in the morning, after meals, ANY time that the puppy has been in the crate for any longer than ten minutes) pick your puppy up, take them outside to where you want them to potty THEN sit them down. When first getting started, if you allow your puppy any time to sniff between the crate and the potty area, it is very possible they will squat and potty sooner than you would have liked. When taking them outside to potty, try not to interact with them much until they potty, then you can praise. This will help them know that outside time is for potty breaks first then for play time. Also, a puppy will generally pee at least twice before they are really done, so be sure that your puppy is really done before coming back inside to avoid accidents.
- Biting/Mouthing. Before your baby came home they have been playing and wrestling with their brothers and sisters. Sometimes when a puppy goes home we hear “my puppy is biting”, we call this being mouthy, because sometimes a new puppy may treat you like they would their littermate. Goldens are naturally mouthy dogs, so this can be pretty typical, but this is an easy behavior to correct and should not be tolerated. Should your puppy become “mouthy”, what I do is, I take my thumb or a finger and place it on their lip and push their lip under their teeth. I do NOT apply any pressure, yet I allow the puppy to control the pressure. So if he/she tries to bite at my hand, they will be essentially biting into their own lip and will stop very fast. They make the connection quicker when they know they just tried to bite you and it caused discomfort for themselves, they will not continue this behavior once they see it is no longer fun for them.
- Socializing - When/Where. Socialization is very important for your new puppy, and we can understand the urge to take your puppy to all these new places to show him/her off (because who wouldn’t want to see them?! So cute!!) But, right now your puppy is still very vulnerable to viruses and diseases that can be very harmful to your new baby. We want you to enjoy your new baby, but we want you to be safe while doing so. So until your puppy is done with his/her vaccines, we recommend you keep them away from high traffic dog areas, like dog parks, walking trails that you know dogs frequent. We also recommend holding your puppy at the vet’s office versus allowing the puppy to walk. We do this because if a sick puppy had just been in the waiting room and had gotten sick in the floor, you don’t want your puppy to come in after it to possibly step where they have been. When we go the vet, the only surface our pups touch is the exam table after it has been sanitized. Once your pup has been fully vaccinated, we encourage to take your dog basically any where dogs are allowed BUT, we really really discourage you from going to a public dog park. We have heard countless stories of dogs being attacked while at a public dog park. Some owners take dogs who have no business being around other dogs off leash. Sometimes the results are tragic. We trust you will use your best judgement in these situations and if you feel comfortable with a park close your home, that is wonderful. Always watch your dog, as well as the others to see body language and if anything ever looks off, get your dog out of the situation and leave.
FAQ’s
- Normal/Not Normal. When you bring home a new puppy, we know there will be questions, hopefully we can cover most of them here, but remember you have my number and I am always available if you need to reach me.
- My puppy isn’t eating much, is he/she ok? In the first day or so of the transition from our home to yours, it is normal for a puppy to have a decreased appetite, they are away from mom and litter mates, so they are still adjusting. However, if your puppy is refusing any food or water, this is not normal, please call me.
- My puppy has loose stool, is something wrong? So when a puppy has changes to his/her environment, it can be stressful to your puppy’s system, this can at times cause your puppy to have a loose stool. However, if the loose stool is accompanied by vomiting/lethargy, this is not normal, please call me.
- My puppy is really tired and not super active. In the first few days your puppy goes home, it is normal for the puppy to sleep a little more. One, they are still puppies and sleep a lot anyways, but the changes and stress to the immune system will have your pup extra tired. However, if your puppy is lethargic and refusing water and food, this is not normal, please call me.
- My puppy is breathing rapidly, is something wrong? Nope, not at all. This happens most often when a puppy is napping that you may notice your puppy's breathing become more rapid, he/she is ok. We hear this most often in the first day or so after going to their new home so we think it has to do with your pup being a bit stressed during their change of homes.
- What color will my puppy be? With our Golden Retrievers, we generally say they will be about the color of their ears as a puppy. Of course, they will have highlights throughout, especially in their undercoat along their Chest and legs are always lighter.
- My puppy is Teething, how can I help? We find our teething puppies LOVE chewing on ice cubes. We will also wet a wash cloth, roll it into a ring, and toss it in the freezer over night. They really enjoy have something cold and soothing to chew on during this time and if you have some options for them it will help keep them from chewing on things you don’t want them to chew on. Also, with the wash cloth, if you noticed it has thawed and he or she has damaged the cloth at all, toss it. You don’t want them to swallow any strings or part of the rag, so these are supervised toys. You can also try uncooked bones. Cooked bones can splinter and can be dangerous, but uncooked, especially beef bones can be a nice safe treat for them to have.
- My puppy is having accidents in the house/in their crate, what am I doing wrong? Potty training can be frustrating but remember your puppy is still a baby and still has a very small bladder. Your puppy likely wont be able to hold their bladder all the way through the night until around twelve weeks. So if you see your puppy is having accidents in their crate or is whining more often to got out, you may need to limit water close to bedtime. We have also had a family who had a puppy who was getting close to sixteen weeks, and the puppy was doing great with potty training and crate training but normally whined to be let out a few times during the night. I suggested really playing with the puppy before bed and tiring him out, then if he whined around midnight, try ignoring him. I knew if he really had to go he would keep whining, but it turns out he just went back to sleep and slept until the next morning. He had grown accustomed to being let out every time he whined, so he would go two to three times a night, even though he had the ability to hold his bladder until morning. So, when you are training, don’t immediately give into the whining, but also know the limitations of your dog, if he/she is still very young, they may not realistically be able to hold it through the night. If your puppy is having accidents in the house and you don’t want to keep them crated while they are learning, an option is to have them on a leash, and attach that leash to your belt loop, so the puppy follows your every step and you can pay close attention and take the puppy out if he/she begins to look for a place to potty. It’s generally a good idea to take a puppy out every 30 minutes to and hour to try. When you go out, don’t play until they have used the potty, it’s important that they associate the outside with the bathroom first, then as a play place. If you go out and immediately start playing, the puppy will be distracted and you may waste 20-30 minutes with them not having used the bathroom. Also, when your puppy goes out, when they potty, praise them and then wait a bit longer. Usually a puppy will pee two to three times before they are really done. Sometimes an owner sees them pee, then they grab them up and head back inside and get frustrated when they have an accident shortly after going back in. You will learn your puppy, and after having him/her for a while, you will know her bathroom habits and should be able to tell when he or she is done or when they may need to hang outside a little while longer. Also, as your puppy get’s older, potty bells are a really nice to have. The puppy can paw the bells to alert you they need to go out to potty, sometimes we may not hear a puppy scratch at the door, or some puppy just go to the door to stand, so the bells are just an attention getter for us. Training a puppy to the bells, you just tap the bells with the pups nose or paws each time you head out to potty, it doesn’t take long for them to figure it out.
- What foods are dangerous for my dog? Dogs should never be given Chocolate, but you should know if your full grown Golden Retriever steals a Hershey Kiss off the table, he or she will probably be fine. The main concern is the really dark chocolate in bigger amounts, but definitely take steps to keep these things out of reach of your pup. Grapes, Raisins, Onions, Garlic, Chives, Avocado, Alcohol, Anything with Caffeine, Citrus, Macademia Nuts, Xylitol (this is a sweetener mainly found in gum and candy) and yeast dough. If your dog happens to get ahold of something on this list, don’t freak out. Stay calm and watch your dog for any signs they aren’t feeling well, vomiting, loose stool, decreased appetite or decreased energy. Then a trip to the vet is needed. ***If your dog gets into any kind of poison, rat poison, antifreeze or anything of the like, this is a time where a trip to the vet should be immediate, no questions asked***
