Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• How are your dogs housed?

  All of our dogs are loved members of our family. They live in our home with us and enjoy car rides, fetch, playing in our local pond, going for walks, and lounging in the living room. However, we are only allowed a certain number of dogs at our house. Right now that number is 2. So where do all the rest of our dogs live? In guardian homes. All our dogs in guardian homes at this time are female. Each female is on contract to have 3-4 litters assuming they pass all of our health screening.

• Why do you use guardian homes?

  Guardian homes allow us to shorten the waiting period for those looking to purchase a puppy for our program and increase the variety of what we are able to offer. Guardian homes make it possible for each of our females to have one forever home and not have to be rehomed when they retire from breeding or fail to pass all the health testing. Guardian homes make it so each one of our dogs has a loving family and is cared for individually.

• What is included in puppy prices?

  Our puppies go home at 8 weeks of age. At that time they will have received several, at least 2 rounds of vaccinations, several deworming treatments, and will have a current vet examination. AKC Poodles will have tails docked and sew claws removed unless specifically requested otherwise. They will have received their microchip. They will come with a folder that includes health records, parent health testing information, and training tips for a new puppy. They will have a bag that includes a sample bag of the current food they are eating, a toy, a blanket with littermates scent, a leash collar, a brush, nail clippers, and treats. * Bags may vary based on availability. All puppies come with a 2-year genetic guarantee and lifetime support from us!

• How do I place a deposit?

  We first ask that you fill out an application.

  We will review your application and follow up with you within 1-2 business days. After your application is approved we will email you instructions on how to place a deposit with us. We require a deposit to be placed on our waitlist. Our waitlist is determined by the order in which we receive deposits. Our deposits are non refundable but can be transferred to another available litter, one time only. We will only refund a deposit if pregnancy is unsuccessful/not enough puppies born.  Deposits are $250 due at application approval and $250 due when puppies are born. If placing a deposit on a puppy already born, the full deposit of $500 is due upon application approval. All deposits are applied to the final purchase price. 

• What forms of payment do you accept?

  Deposits can be paid via Gooddog pay.gooddog.com/raintree-standard-poodles or Venmo @ Raintree Standard Poodles. We will not accept a deposit until an application is approved first. For the final payment, which is due by the puppies pick up at 8 weeks, we accept cash only, in person. If you are not picking up your puppy in person we can accept Venmo but an additional $10 fee for an instant transfer is required. We do not accept PayPal as a final payment option.

• Do you allow visitors?

  We allow visitors ONLY to people who have paid a deposit and are on our current waitlist and only by appointment. This is to ensure the safety of our family as well as our dogs. We do not have a “facility” our dogs are in our family home.

• How does the puppy pick process work?

  Puppy picks are done in order of deposits received. Puppy picks are done at our home when puppies are 6-7 weeks old. Picks will be done after puppies have had their individual puppy evaluations and vet examinations. We schedule everyone in order of deposit received, not the application, and everyone will have a scheduled appointment time to make their pick. Puppy evaluations will be sent out prior to pick day so families can have this prior to picking. If the distance is a factor we can arrange a FaceTime call and assist you in choosing your new puppy. *Raintree Standard Poodles reserves the right to first pick of any litter. We also reserve the right to refund/refuse a puppy if we feel that it is in our puppy’s best interest. That is always our main concern. 

• How are your puppies raised?

  Our puppies are raised with the Puppy Culture program and the Bad Ass Breeder program. Our puppies are born in a whelping pen in our bedroom. This is where they stay for the first 2.5-3 weeks of their life. Once their eyes begin opening and they become more active they are moved to our puppy playroom, which is a designated puppy room in our house. We begin potty training them with a litter box and as they get older we transition them to going outside to use the bathroom. We also begin crate training as well. All of our puppies are raised around our children and we accustom them to the daily activities of an active family with young children.

• Do you allow breeding rights?

  Most of our puppies born to parents that pass all their health testing/screening are available with full breeding rights. Occasional we will breed dogs that are carriers of a certain gene associated with a disease. In this case, each puppy in the litter will be tested for the gene and only genetically clear puppies will be available with breeding rights.  Puppies with breeding rights cost more. Not all our puppies will be sold with breeding rights and not all our puppies will be available for the lesser “pet only” price.

• What kind of updates can we expect of our puppy as he/she grows?

  Our updates will be a mixture of individual puppy pictures and social media posts. We also send out email updates as well as puppy evaluations when they are completed.  We like to keep our families part of the entire process before bringing their puppy home and we know that lots of pictures and videos are important! We stay VERY active on social media and post a lot of videos in our Instagram stories as the puppies are growing and learning.

• What is the average wait time for a puppy?

  We are a very small breeder and do not have litters at all times. Our average wait time is 6 months. Our waitlist tends to fill up quickly and is typically full before our litters are born. We recommend filling out an application right away if you plan to purchase a puppy from us in the next 6-12 months. Other factors that affect the wait time are requests of specific gender/colors. Families who are open to color and gender will typically have a shorter wait time.

• Are your breeding dogs health tested?

  YES! That is the most important part of our breeding program. All of our breeding dogs must first pass their health testing before being bred. The health tests we have completed on our breeding dogs are not all the same. We do all the testing for our purebred AKC dogs to be OFA CHIC certified. Although OFA does not have a similar certification for non-purebred dogs, most non-purebred dogs receive all the same testing which is usually DNA, hips/elbows, cardiac, thyroid eyes, and patellas.

• Do you ship your puppies?

  We do offer to meet our puppy families in Boise or Salt Lake Airport if needed and arranged in advance for no additional charge. We have a couple of options for our out of state buyers. We can meet you with your puppy at the Salt Lake International Airport and you can fly home with your puppy in the cabin of the plane. We also work with several great flight nannies and ground transporters. The prices vary for these services, so please let us know if that is something you are needing assistance with.