Step 1: Starting the Conversation
Choosing the breeder of your future dog is a big undertaking and we want to make sure you feel confident in your decision. Feel free to contact us via email (preferred) or phone with any questions that you have. We will make every effort to answer your questions promptly and truthfully! During busy times, such as when there are several litters of puppies to care for or Mom in Labor, email is much easier. The puppies are housed in a metal insulated AC/heated building and the phone reception is very weak to none; by the time I finish chores, playing, and training with puppies I need to take a break, rest, eat, sleep, take a shower, etc. Plus with emails I may be able to answer questions more accurately with reading material, pictures for examples, etc. Same with voice messages; they seem to pile up and I do not always get a chance to listen to them promptly, but I never miss an email. If you do leave me a voice message and I do not get back with you promptly please email me. Of course, we would love to speak to you, so call 812-661-8543 and if available I will be pleased to speak with you. PLEASE DO NOT leave me a voice message with an important time sensitive information. EMAIL ME! It could be a week before I listen to phone message. Just FYI, I respond best to emails and phone calls are best handled by making an appointment to speak to me. Waitlists for puppies are updated as deposits are taken and wait lists are as up-to-date as possible. If you see a puppy on Facebook Hilltop Pups Owners page, Instagram, or on my Past Pups page that you like the look of this will help me tremendously tell you which litter to go on. Here is the link to the Past Pups page: https://hilltoppups.com/past-pups . I could spend all day answering phone calls and the question I must ask you is, "Do you want me answering phone calls or training your puppy." I do not have phone service where the puppies are so I have to leave your puppies to answer phone calls. Emails are wonderful as I can direct you to the information on my website and you can study and compare your options on your own time. We offer so many options for you to basically customize your puppy. I would love to give you those options and it is much more beneficial in an email as a picture san say a thousand words. It is hard to explain what a dog will look like when I could send a picture of a dog. I only have two long health tested breeding lines here with exception long healthy history. All my ETB Goldendoodle girls are related, thus all the puppies will look very similar except for the size ranging from 8-38 lbs. All my Irish Goldendoodles girls are related and will look very similar. All my puppies are raised with Early Stimulation Training starting at 3 days old and I raise all of my puppies so and all could make it to Working class dogs, perfect companion, calm intelligent, and easy going. All my female dogs are related and I only continued breeding 3 bloodlines that I truly love because they are calm and intelligent. I have had maybe 20 different bloodlines here over the last 18 years and only breed 3 of those lines. That is difference between me and a Back Yard Breeder or Puppy Mill. I only breed the tried and tested trusted best bloodlines. Where Back Yard Breeders or new breeders are just going to Breed whatever dogs they can get access to. Thus, it is fruitless to ask me which litter is going to produce the calmest sweetest dogs, as they all will.
Step 2: Completing Your Application
If you have settled on Hilltop Pups as your breeder, please fill out our application form, located under the “Adoption Information” header. The application will inform us of your puppy preferences and the type of environment in which your pup will be raised. If you have any questions about the application, let us know and we will be happy to assist!
Once we have reviewed your application, we will notify you via email that your application has been approved and that you are cleared to submit a deposit. Please note that, as the breeder, we reserve the right to refuse any sale at any time and to retain a puppy for the betterment of our program. In this case, you will be refunded any money paid to Hilltop Pups. If you are submitting a deposit for a litter that has not been born yet; please check the website around the due date for the birth announcement. As soon as possible after the puppies are born we will post the pictures, do not call around the due date asking if they have been born because if they have been born and we were up 24 hours with Mom delivering the puppies then we are exhausted. Wait for the pictures because they answer all your questions as to the coat types, colors, and sexes of the puppies.
Step 3: Reserving a Spot on the Waiting List
In order to reserve a spot on your litter’s waiting list, a $400 deposit is required. If the litter does not produce a desirable puppy, a refund of the deposit will be honored if the request is made within 24 hours of the first pictures being posted; otherwise, deposits are non-refundable. However, you do have the option of using the deposit in the future or transferring it to another litter; which must be done by the time the puppies are 6 weeks old.
If you have not predetermined whether you want a male or female puppy, you are required to do so by the time the litter is 72 hours old. Your gender preference will be posted by your last name on the website, though we can post a name as a surprise, if needed! Male puppies are suggested for large families if you want the puppy to be friendly with all family members and acquaintances. Females like to think and weigh their options before responding to commands and are more cautious; they tend to cling to the person that provides food, water, and potty breaks. Which is fantastic for the single person that wants the constant companion by their side. PLEASE be respectful of the people on the waiting list behind you and decide on sex as soon as possible, because just like you they want to know if they are getting a puppy now or need to move to another litter.
The quickest and most convenient way to submit a deposit is via the PayPal link on the “Payment Info” page of our website. Alternatively, you can mail us a deposit check; just email us when you mail the check so that your name can be immediately added to the waiting list.
Litters listed on the Future page are my breeding plans; after the Dam conceives the litter is moved to the Coming Soon page and dates are more accurately predicted. Puppies may arrive 5 days prior or later than the due date. ASAP after the puppies are born I move the litter to Available Now and post pictures of the puppies so everyone can see the colors, coat types, and sex.
The best process for futures litter 6-12 months in advance of wanting to take a puppy home is to complete and application, get approved, and submit your deposit. By following the questions on the application as for timing, coat type, size category I can track your deposit so you get at the top or near top of a litter as it is planned. Once I get litters confirmed I put you on the litter and give you an email. Then you can watch that litter and/or other litters being announced. If you prefer another litter you have until the current litter you are on turns six weeks old to transfer your deposit to another litter without forfeiting your deposit.
Litter picking advice: Pick a litter with an open spot that gives me the best chance of getting exactly what I want as for as the look and position on the list and then you can request an Alternate Spot. An Alternate Spot is listed behind the scenes and those are the spots not posted on the website. Example: We post 6 spots on the website based on the average number of puppies a dog that size normally produces here and then in our tracking system we start recording Pick 7, 8, 9. This way people don't get their hopes up and think they are guaranteed to get a puppy from that litter when they are pick 13. You are not allowed to hold two open spots on two different litters. There is a NOTE SECTION when making a deposit. This is where you would record the litter you want, sex, alternate spot, and for returning customers they receive $300 discount and type in -300 RC, to remind me to record the discount, so I know when I send out invoices. Example: Maggie litter, male, alternate on Millie litter, RC -300.
Step 4: Visiting Your Litter
You are both welcome and encouraged to visit our home and our dogs, for you have the right to see where your beloved companion is coming from. We encourage you to wait to visit newborn pups till 3 weeks of age.Bev stays home full-time to run our breeding program and will gladly show you the puppies and dogs. With that being said, please be respectful of our property by scheduling a visitation appointment. Please visit a restroom prior to visitation if required, there is not a public restroom in the Visitation Area. More information on visitation scheduling is available on our “Visits & Pick-up” page.
Step 5: Picking Your Puppy
Picks for our litters are honored in the order in which the deposits are received. Picking begins when the puppies turn 5 weeks old; after the set of 4 pictures of each puppy is posted and videos. You may visit in person or pick from the pictures and videos along with my assistance. As people chose their puppy the puppy's name is posted next to the families name, so everyone can watch the pick process. When it is your turn to pick please pick in a timely manner in respect for the individuals and families listed below you on the waiting list. We will send out an email notifying you when it is your turn to pick. From that time, you will have 24 hours to inform us of your pick, otherwise a puppy will be designated for you based on your known preferences. Thus, if you are farther down on the pick list it may take a few days for you to be notified. You do not need to wait your turn to visit in person, you can visit anytime and get to know the puppies. Say pick day is Thursday, or you can't make it the week of picking; you can visit at any point in time and meet all the puppies and get a feel for the puppies. That way when it becomes your turn to pick you are ready to make your choice. When you get your puppy choices down to 2-3 puppies I can take a video of those puppies by themselves and during all videos I try to point out any different personality traits. Understand our main focus here is insuring every puppy can make it to working class dog or perfect pet status. There is a written puppy score test that Breeders can do at 5 weeks old, which I think may be more suited for a hunting breed or a puppy that has never had human contact. The test was useless to me as all my puppies scored in the 4-5 range which is working class to perfect companion pet. This tells me we are doing something right:) We start ALL our puppies at 3 days old with Early Stimulation Training, so we know our puppies very well. If we see a puppy being more shy or aggressive we work with them at an early age and by 5 weeks old their personalities are very similar. Sometimes I can pick out a slight difference. The largest puppy in the litter is normally the laziest and the smallest is the most energetic spunky puppy, because it had to fight to get milk from Momma. I cannot Facetime or Zoom at our house, because we do not have a strong enough wifi signal, I barely have enough for cell phone service and sometimes I have to drive in town to load videos to youtube. We live in the middle of 80 acres on the edge of town, actually we are the last house in the Jasper School District and our driveway is in Dubois School District. We spend most of our time in the town of Dubois, which does not have cell service at all. This is also why it is hard to reach me on the phone. Cable will not run to my house, because we live to far off the road. We have satellite internet. The price we pay for privacy and be able to have more than 2 dogs, which is city ordinance here.
RECAP: You have until puppies are 6 weeks old to transfer your deposit to another litter; you go to the end of the waitlist of the new litter you choose. Picking begins at 5 weeks old in the order the deposits were taken and each family has 24 hours to pick their puppy when it is their turn. As people pick their puppy I put their puppy name next to their family name on the website so you can follow the picks. Then I contact you when it is your turn to pick.
Step 6: Paying for Your Puppy
Full payment is required when you take your puppy home, one week prior to transportation service pick up or flight . The purchasing price for our puppies start at $2,800 up to $3,500. You are required to pay Indiana Sales Tax, which is 7%, when taking possession of your puppy within the state of Indiana. If you choose to have your puppy shipped, no sales tax is charged when the puppies fly out of Louisville, Kentucky. A $450 shipping fee is applied, however.
Cash is always the preferred method of payment, however you may also use Quick Books Invoice, PayPal, personal checks, cashier checks, or postal money orders. Personal checks should be submitted two weeks in advance of your puppy going home to ensure that the check clears. Similarly, cashier checks will need to be verified before they are accepted. Please refer to the “Payment Info” page for more information.
Step 7: Preparing for Your Puppy
To prepare for the arrival of your new puppy, you will need to buy a crate or playpen, food and feeding supplies (buy stainless steel bowls for bacteria control), grooming supplies, cleaning supplies, and a variety of toys.
Step 8: Taking Your Puppy Home
Once the puppies are 8 weeks old, you may choose to either pick up your puppy in person or to have it shipped to you. Puppies are usually flown using United Airlines Pet Safe program, though we occasionally use Delta and American Airlines as well which also have Pet Safe programs in place. We have always had positive experiences shipping our puppies, with them arriving safe, well rested, and ready to meet their new families. You retain the shipping train which is a good size to use for the first few weeks or months depending on how fast they grow. We put shredded paper in the crate with the puppy so if they have to potty they do not get nervous and can potty and stay clean. We also put their baby blanket in the crate with them to emotionally comfort them. The puppy food sample is attached to the top of the crate and the rest of the puppy supplies from us along with the paperwork is mailed in a USPS Priority mail package prior to shipping. If you have a different address to receive your mail please inform us as the puppies registration paper and Veterinarian Chart will be in the package.
On pick-up day, you will receive the following:
- Clean, micro chipped puppy, with dewclaws removed
- Prepaid application to transfer your contact information for the microchip
- Gift Bag
- Signed copy of the Health Warranty and Purchase Agreement
- Veterinarian record of your puppy’s vaccinations and deworming schedule
- Application for 30-days of free health insurance
- CKC registration application for Goldendoodles - Irish Goldendoodles are non-registered and receive a birth certificate.
- Sample of Eukanuba Puppy Growth dry puppy food
- Sample of NuVet immune builder supplements
- Leash/collar combination
- Blanket, stuffed animal, potty training bell, and various toys
- All the baby pictures ever taken of your puppy, emailed upon request
More information is available on the “Visits & Pick-up” page.
Step 9: Raising Your Puppy
As stipulated in the Hilltop Pups Warranty and Purchase Agreement, you are expected to maintain your dog in good health, provide preventative health care, spay or neuter your dog, and provide your dog with obedience training. Please refer to the “Raising Your Pup” section of the FAQ for additional information and resources on raising the perfect companion! Same as above, please download this link for valuable information on bringing home your new puppy. /sites/hilltoppups.com/files/files/1%20welcome%20letter%202018.docx