The Buying Process

1. Which puppy? 

Some people know exactly what breed they would like to purchase, some do not. If you fall into the second read the bullets below.

• ·         Take our breed selector quiz (mostly just for suggestions)
  
• ·         Make a list of criteria that is important to you. (Example: if you are allergic to fur, non-shedding may be at the top of your list.
  
• ·         Look at our website – use the information provided at the top to help figure out which breeds match your preferences and lifestyle.
  
• ·         Finally, research more in-depth your top breed choices. Make sure the breeds you are considering will be good fit for you and your family.
  
• ·         In addition, you are welcome to call and ask our knowledgeable staff about what breeds fit your criteria.

2. Is the puppy on your website still available?

Our website is updated daily, but before coming out it is a good idea to call ahead (508-987-7161) and confirm the pup hasn't been sold earlier in the day.

3. Do I need an appointment?

We greatly appreciate if you could call ahead and schedule an appointment(A day ahead is all that’s needed). This is because our availability changes and having an appointment will enable us to contact you should anything change. We also don’t have a sales floor so we can’t just show our entire selection of puppies available.  Please pick the best fits for you off our website and we will show them.

4. What are your business hours?

Hours of Operation
Monday–Thursday 9 AM - 7 PM
Friday-Saturday 9 AM – 8 PM
Sunday 10 AM – 6 PM

See the home page for extended summer hours and holiday hours.

Please call ahead before coming to see the puppies.

5. May I see a puppy that is not available yet?

No, that puppy will not be available for sale or show until the stated "first available" day.  State regulation 330 CMR 12:05 prohibits us from showing puppies before they are available to go home.  

6. Can I take the dog home the same day I meet them?

Yes, you can. We do not have an interview process, but before you take the dog home, we will explain our guarantees to you, and give you some information on the care of your new puppy. (You can read our guarantees here, on the sales contract.)

7. Can you hold a dog for me?

We can only hold a dog if a 20% (40% during holiday season) non-refundable deposit if placed on the dog. Doing so holds the dog for up to one week from the day the deposit is placed.

Also, if you’re interested in a specific dog and call when you start your trip to us; we will do our best to hold the dog until you get here. We do ask in this situation that you call if you will be later than 30 minutes from your expected arrival time.

8. Do you take deposits over the phone?

Yes, we take deposits over the phone.

9. If I put 100% down, can you hold the dog longer?

We can’t accept 100% of a pup’s payment before sending it home. Also, we can only hold the dog for 1 week during the year, or up to 2 weeks during the holiday season.

10. I see the prices on the website, are they negioable?

No, they are firm.

11. Any additional fees?

Yes, there is an additional microchip fee of $15.00, $5.00 charge for shipping and handling of registration papers (optional) and an optional guarantee extension. Please see our contact for more details.

There is sales tax of 6.25% on the total price of the puppy and all additional fees.

12. What Forms of Payment do you accept?

We accept cash, and all major credit cards. A bank check or money order also works, but please bring a valid photo id (license or passport works.) We do not accept personal checks.

13. Do you have a payment plan?

Sorry, we do not.

14. What comes with the puppy?

• The puppy's Veterinary Medical Record which has the medical history of the puppy while at our kennel.
• Information on the breeder.
  
• The puppy's shot and immunization record
•  is up to date on shots and dewormed
• 14 Day Health Guarantee
• 12 Month Congenital Defeat Guarantee

See our contract for more information about our guarentees.

15. Do you sell puppy supplies?

Yes, we have small crates, collars, leashes, chew toys, and some grooming supplies.

We also sell 6 pound bags of puppy food. (Performance Puppy - Pro Pac)

Questions about our pups

1. Do the pups have their shots?

Yes the puppies have all their shots for their age. More shots will be required. Your veterinarian will set up a schedule with you for those future shots.

2. Do you breed all the dogs here?

We only breed some of the breeds we have available. They are; Wheatens, Yorkies, Maltese and Cavaliers. If we have bred the dog here under the picture we will post “Laughlin’s Own!” under the picture.

3. Can I see the parents of the puppy?

If we have bred the dog here we are happy to show the parents to you before 4:30 pm. The only exception would be Fridays where we cannot show them until after Noon.

4. How much training have you done with the pups?

We have not trained any of the puppies here, but none of the dogs sold are too old to be house broken. We provide a handout on crate training to help you house break your puppy. We also sell crates and beds to help with the training.

5. Are your dogs socialized?

Yes, they are. They interact with people, and other dogs daily. They will adjust well to a new home, although there will be some adjustment time. If you have another dog at home; we recommend introducing them slowly, separating both dogs if either one seems to be frustrated with the other. Eventually they will learn to coexist and become friends.

6. Do you take your puppies outside?

If a dog needs more exercise than what we can provide inside, we will bring them outside to meet that need.

7. Can I go see where your puppies are kept?

We are not set up for people to go and inspect our kennels. However, we are inspected regularly by the State of Massachusetts’ Department of Agriculture.

8. Why isn’t this dog registered?

Nearly all of our pure-bred dogs are registered, and most mixed breeds are not. There are exceptions though. Mixed breeds can only be registered with hybrid registries, and not all breeders of ours do this. And once in a great while we will obtain an unregistered pure-bred puppy. If so, they will be discounted, however this does not mean the dog is of lower quality or inferior. They will be just as happy and healthy as any other pup.

Training Tips and Information

1. What Should I Expect Taking a Puppy Home?

Puppies are like babies, they will cry and whine, poop and pee, and expect to be feed 3 to 4 times daily.

A puppy is alot of work.

Going home is a new experience for the puppy. It can be very stressful for them. Make sure they are eating and adjusting. They should be happy and alert.

2.  What is the cost of owning a puppy?

Bringing home a new puppy is a joy, and exciting. However this is not an addition free of responsibility. So, what can you expect in additional costs as a pet owner?

For the first year, you can expect to spend at least $600 dollars in additional vet costs for the spay/neuter and booster shots. These are in addition to the costs of food, toys and other supplies for your new puppy.

What are the “regular” costs associated with dog ownership?

A dog requires food, regular check-ups, toys, grooming, a crate and should be registered with your town.  Lumping all these costs together a dog owner can expect to spend around $1000 annually for a small dog, going upwards to $3500 for a large breed.  In addition if you plan to use boarding services or need to pay for any care services please plan accordingly. Estimates place the cost of owning a dog between $90 to $290 a month depending on food, toys bought, vet care, insurance, etc…

3. The first Veterinarian visit.

Find the correct vet for you by getting referrals. 

If you puppy is ill, as long as the dog is in your care you are responsible for the veterinarian costs. At your option you may refuse treatment at the Vets, get a statement, and return the puppy to our care.  We have a dedicated staff who can provide excellent care at no cost to you, all you would lose is a little time. Please expect a minimum of 2 weeks wait while we care for the pup.

When you call to schedule your appointment, it doesn’t hurt to ask what the costs of the procedures and appointment will be. This will prevent a “surprise” at the end of the visit. Some veterinarians offer packages of care for a new puppy, or a special low charge for a first check-up.  So, if you don’t have a vet in mind, it is a good idea to shop around.

You will want to bring your puppy’s vaccination record with you so your vet can plan out the pup’s vaccination schedule.

In addition, you could bring a fresh stool sample so your vet can test your puppy for intestinal parasites. These parasites are common and sometimes do not even need to be treated.

Please have your Vet fill out our “Puppy’s First Health Check Form” and mail or fax it back to us. We want to see how your pup did on her first check up!

4. What are the puppies eating?

The puppies are fed Pro Pac Performance Puppy; it is a chicken and corn base puppy food. It may not be sold in your area. But...

We sell 6 pound bags of Pro Pac Performance Puppy at our kennel for 12.99 plus tax, or

Click here to find places in your area where it is sold.

If you need to change the food, it is very similar to Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy.

5. How often should a puppy be fed and how much?

Here the puppies are free fed, they have food and water with them at all time. We do not recommend this for you, because it makes it harder to get the puppy on a housebreaking schedule. Below is some feeding advice.

It depends on age and size of the dog. These are general rules, individuals may vary. For a more personal answer, ask your veterinarian for a feeding schedule or call us at (508)-987-7161

Place the food down for 25 minutes, whatever the pup eats in that amount of time should be enough. They will learn to eat when you place the food down.

There are usually amount instructions on the bag.

(Talk to your vet if the puppy begins to become obese, a stricter eating diet may be needed.)

6. How Do I Train My Puppy?  (general tips)

The most effective way to train is with large amounts of praise when the puppy does something right and by saying a stong "no"  and redirecting the animal when he/she does something wrong. 

The puppy may not understand all the words used, but they do understand tone.  The puppy will learn.

A schedule and consistency are essential for training a puppy or dog.

7. How should I housebreak my dog?

There are several ways to train your pet. Your lifestyle, resources, and the type of puppy you chose will be major determinates on which type of training will be most effective. 

 8. Crate Training? (Recommended for small to giant breed dogs):

What should be the size of the crate size?

The crate should have space for the puppy to stand up, turn around and lay down. No more, no less.

Why not a larger area?

A puppy will not want to defecate or urinate where he/she sleeps or lies down. This will teach them to hold it while in the crate, providing he/she is given the opportunity to go elsewhere.  If the crate is too large (a puppy palace) the puppy will have a restroom on one side and a bed on the other.  It will not be effective.

What should be the procedure for putting the puppy in a crate?

Take the puppy outside to use the restroom right before going into the crate, and take the puppy out again right afterwards. Praise the puppy profusely when they use outside as their elimination place.  They will like to know you are pleased and will try to do it again for you.

Unless it is a T-cup or toy breed dog, do not give the puppy food or water an hour before going in the crate.

9. How long can a puppy “hold it” during the day?

 Most people agree with the rule that the puppy’s age in months is the amount of time in hours during the day that a puppy can go without relieving him or herself.  This is a general rule, individuals may vary.

2months = 2 hours

3 months = 3 hours

8 hours at 8 months or older is usually considered the max and only expectable if the is the animal was gradually made accustomed to that schedule. 

10. When will the puppy be able to “hold it” the whole night?

There is no concrete answer to this question. Larger breeds will be able to hold it longer than smaller ones, but it truly depends on the individual puppy.

Puppies should be able to hold it longer during the night than the day because they sleep most the night and are not drinking fluids.

Around four months the puppy can be expected to have better bladder control and go ahead and start training the puppy to hold it all night.  

One way to train your puppy’s bladder is to slowly begin to push back the time(s) you are waking up in the middle of the night to let the puppy relieve him or herself. Each week push back your wake up time(s) to later. Gradual changes are best.

11. Paper Training (or other indoor pads)?

Only appropriate for t-cup to small size dogs.

With t-cup to toy size dogs, it is recommended to have the animal have food and water with them at all times due to the danger of hypoglycemia. Paper training can cater to this since their elimination area will always be available to them. 

Praise the puppy for using papers, and scold the puppy for using other areas.  It is best to catch puppy in the act and move them to your approved place (the newspapers). Be consistent and clear.   In time, they will learn. 

When unable to watch the puppy, confine them away from harm and lay out newspapers.  A crate large enough to have a sleeping area, a place for food and water and newspapers will work well.

For best results, always keep newspapers in same place.

12. How do I obedience train?

Obedience training can be a great bonding experience for owner and puppy. The puppy will enjoy the mental stimulation and attention that comes along with it. You can check out "How To" videos on youtube. Professional lessons are great too.

Some helpful tips for tricks:  

Give clear short commands, like “sit” and “stay”. 

Praise them when they do the trick and say a firm “no” when they do the wrong command.  

Treats are okay as a reward, but not every time. The dog shouldn’t expect it and only listen for treats. 

About Laughlin Kennel and the Breeders

1. How long have you been in business?

We have been a family owned business since 1992.

2. Do you have references?

1. We have a testimonials page; the names are blanked to protect the privacy of our customer
2. The Massachusetts Department of Agriculture – we are regulated, licensed, and inspected by the State Department of Agriculture.  Click here to see the scan of our license.
3. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) - this business investigates and evaluates customer and business issues as a third party. Check out our rating here.

3. Who inspects you?

The Massachusetts Department of Agriculture – we are regulated, licensed, and inspected by the State Department of Agriculture.

The MSPCA also inspects us on an irregular basis. 

4. Where do you get your puppies?

Here at Laughlin Kennel we breed 6 different breeds. These puppies are marked with "Laughlin's Own". We also get puppies from breeders who are licensed and regulated by the United States Department of Argiculture (USDA). For more information on the USDA click here.