WYSIWYG Welsh Terriers Acquiring a Wysiwyg Welsh Terrier
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We welcome your interest in WYSIWYG Welsh terriers. We hope this information will answer
some of your questions about why and how we breed, what we expect of our puppy buyers, and
more. If you are interested in acquiring a Welsh terrier from us, please read each section
carefully. Then feel free to e-mail or call us with any questions you might have.
We consider ourselves preservation breeders. Our goal is to preserve the original physical
characteristics and hunting instinct of the breed. We selectively breed to maintain these traits as
well as focusing on health and temperament. In addition, we prepare our puppies for the modern
world by using state of the art training techniques. On average we have a litter about once every
two years. We are limited because we have only house dogs (no kennel).
If you are just beginning your search for a canine member of your family and your heart is not
yet set on a Welsh terrier, your local shelters are full of wonderful puppies and dogs, purebred
and mixed breed, waiting for homes. We believe that these dogs are much better pet prospects
than the overpriced purebreds and designer breeds which are produced by cash crop volume
breeders. Consider adopting a shelter dog. In St. Louis, we suggest the Humane Society of
Missouri.
Some individuals choose to wait for a WYSIWYG Welsh Terrier puppy due to the way we raise
our puppies. To find out more about our special methods, please visit our webpage on How We
Raise Puppies.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. Do you have any puppies available?
A. Our next litter is expected in 2022-2023. On average we have a litter about once every two
years, and when we do have puppies most of them will go to homes that are already on our
waiting list.
Q. How much do your puppies cost?
A. We sell them for $1500.00, and new owners have an opportunity to earn $500.00 back by
training their dog in specific ways.
Q. We just want a pet, how much do you charge for a pet?
A. All of our puppies are priced the same.
Q. Will we be able to see the litter ourselves so that we can pick one that is not too shy?
A. You may see the litter (and in most cases both parents), however we reserve the right to
select a puppy for you. You will find that we select our breeding stock and raise our puppies
with such care that you are unlikely to find one that is shy. MORE Information: Why we reserve
the right to choose a puppy for you and below "How We Match Puppies to Homes."
Q. I have a male and I am looking for a female to breed to him. May I be on the waiting list for a
female only?
A. Our puppies are intended for pet homes, not as breeding stock. All of our puppies are
spayed or neutered before going to their new homes.
Q. I am interested in showing in conformation so I would not want my puppy spayed or
neutered. Can that be arranged?
A. As wonderful as we think our puppies are, we have not reached the point where they are all
show quality! We usually keep the "pick of the litter." By special contract we would consider
co-owning a puppy if the new owner was interested in showing in AKC conformation events.
Then, if the pup grew up to be a better specimen than either of its parents, we would cooperate
in any future breeding decisions.
Q. I am interested in showing in performance and/or companion events. I would not want my
puppy spayed or neutered. Can that be arranged?
A. As breeders we must balance our decisions. Puppies we have produced have had no
unwanted side effects from early spay/neuter. We are concerned about protecting the breed
and want to control the reproduction of the dogs we produce. We continue to monitor new
information about the effects of early spay/neuter on all breeds. Here is a 2020 research
article: Assisting Decision-Making on Age of Neutering for 35 Breeds of Dogs: Associated
Joint Disorders, Cancers, and Urinary Incontinence
Q. How can I find out more about your policies and procedures for acquiring a Wysiwyg Welsh
terrier?
A. Read all the topics below!
Steps for Prospective Owners
While You Are Waiting
How We Match Puppies to Homes
When We Have a Puppy for You
Training Refunds (or Can We Really Earn Some Money Back?!)
Our Goals (or Why We Do It This Way)
What You Get With a Wysiwyg Welsh Terrier
STEPS FOR PROSPECTIVE OWNERS
Step 1. Read all of our information
Contact us if you have questions that this material did not answer. We will be happy to clarify
anything!
Step 2. Arrange for a Visit
Come meet our dogs and make sure you like them. Come meet us and make sure you have
all your questions answered. If you are unable to come in person, we could be available for a
virtual visit. Then decide whether you would like to wait for a Wysiwyg Welsh terrier join your
family (we think they are worth waiting for).
Step 3. Application and Interview
Complete and return an Application for Prospective Owners. We will read it over carefully and
contact you to set up an interview. After the interview, we will let you know the status of your
application. If your application is accepted, we will add you to the waiting list for the next litter of
puppies and let you know approximately when that litter is expected.
Step 4. Wait
Wait, wait, and wait! If you are on the waiting list, we will let you know when the next litter
arrives. Until then, we are happy to have you keep in touch with us. If your plans change and
you no longer wish to be on the waiting list, please let us know.
WHILE YOU ARE WAITING
We do not breed often. Your wait could possibly be as long as three years for a litter to be
born. From experience, we can tell you that timing is quite unpredictable! Also, problems may
arise and we may end up without any puppies. Or there may be a small litter and not enough
for everyone on the waiting list.
Therefore, we encourage you to keep looking at other possible sources for your new puppy.
Possibilities include:
* Putting your name on waiting lists with several good breeders
* Adopting a rescue Welsh terrier through WTCARES (the Welsh Terrier Club of America
Rescue Service)
* Considering other dog breeds
* Visiting your local shelter where many wonderful puppies await homes.
* Lucy through her dog training business can assist in finding a dog that is a good match for
you
After the next litter of puppies is born, you will be invited to visit them. Remember, we match
each puppy to the individual home we feel best suits that puppy's personality and needs, so
don't get your heart set on one particular puppy! In fact, we do not guarantee that we can
provide you with a puppy from any particular litter. After visiting, be prepared to wait as we go
through the process of raising the puppies to at least sixteen weeks!
Learn about clicker training and positive reinforcement and how to avoid the need for
punishment. The nature of terriers is to win any confrontation. Learn how to interact without
confrontation. Another source is Lucy's dog training business.
HOW WE MATCH PUPPIES TO HOMES
As the puppies grow and their personalities are revealed through formal aptitude testing and
close observation, we review our applications to determine the characteristics of the homes
available. We talk again with the prospective families and select a home for each puppy that
offers an environment closest to that which we believe will be ideal for that individual. All things
being equal, we select the home that has been on the waiting list the longest.
The first pups to go to their new homes will be those who we will not be including in our
breeding program. We make these decisions when the puppies are approximately sixteen
weeks of age.
We will notify you as soon as we believe we have a puppy suited to your home. If we do select
you as the home for one of the puppies, we will consult with you about equipment and help you
prepare your home for the new arrival.
WHEN WE HAVE A PUPPY FOR YOU
When you come to pick up your puppy, you will read and sign an individualized agreement and
pay for the puppy. Our price is at the low end of the usual price charged by reputable Welsh
terrier breeders. And new owners of WYSIWYG puppies have the opportunity to earn up to
$500 back by training the pup in specific ways within eight weeks after the time the puppy joins
your household.
Note: If you feel you would be an excellent home for a WYSIWYG Welsh Terrier but financial
concerns would make that impossible for you, please discuss your individual situation with us.
We do not produce many litters, and when we do breed a litter, our goal is to breed top quality
Welsh terriers, not to make money. A great deal of planning and money go into each litter with
the hope of producing even finer dogs in each new generation. Our puppy-raising and
placement process does not allow us to break even financially. This is a labor of love for us.
Therefore, we are very careful to do our best to evaluate each individual puppy we produce and
place it in the home that we feel is the best match for its personality and needs.
Take your new puppy to your veterinarian for a checkup within 48 hours. Immediately notify us if
the veterinarian is not completely satisfied with the health of the puppy. Then, raise your puppy
with love and care. Continue the training that has been started. Begin training of your own. We
expect all new puppy owners to do their best to explain to their puppies, using positive
reinforcement, exactly when and where they are allowed to urinate, defecate, bite, bark, chew,
dig, run, jump and do everything else that normal healthy puppies do. Puppies need to do
these things. As a new owner, your job will be to teach your puppy when and where you want
it to do them. If you want or need guidance in teaching these things, we are always happy to
help.
At the beginning of your relationship with your puppy, and throughout its life, if any
communication problems between human and dog occur please contact us for assistance.
It is our experience that Welsh terriers learn best when positive training methods are used,
lots of praise and encouragement is given, and reasonable limits are set for the dog and
maintained by all members of the family. After eight weeks, bring the puppy back or
demonstrate virtually your successful training to earn your refund.
HAVE FUN WITH YOUR WYSIWYG WELSH TERRIER! Let us know about any special
achievements or adventures. Inform us of any health problems that may arise, even in old age.
If, at any time the owner of a dog of our breeding is no longer able to keep a WYSIWYG dog for
any reason, we require that the dog be returned to us. We will provide the dog with an interim
home until the right new one can be found.
TRAINING REFUNDS (OR CAN WE REALLY EARN SOME MONEY BACK?!)
Learning certain behaviors early in its life can make your puppy an easy dog to live with and a
wonderful companion to enjoy. For this reason, we encourage new owners to train these
behaviors and offer money back for each training success up to $500! Here's how this works.
We assign five specific behaviors to be trained by each new owner. Individual assignments
depend on the temperament of the puppy, previous training already provided, and training we
feel this particular puppy needs in order to work best in its new home. We will show you how
to teach these behaviors.
Eight weeks after the puppy or dog goes to its new home, its new owner makes an
appointment in person or virtually to demonstrate its training. The owner will earn $100 for
each behavior performed successfully.
We want you to succeed! You can call us for help during the eight weeks if you are having any
problems with the training. Our hope is that you will not only find it easy to train these
behaviors to the puppy, but that you will enjoy the process enough to want to do more training
on your own!
Each family is given different training assignments based on the needs of the individual puppy
and the circumstances in the new home. Some examples of behaviors we have assigned in
the past are:
1) The new owner walks the dog up and down the sidewalk for a period of up to two minutes
without the dog pulling on the leash. A one-minute practice will be allowed before the test
begins. Occasional tightening of the leash is permitted, as are giving the puppy one or two
treats, but the owner is expected to use voice and body language to keep the dog with him. The
leash cannot tighten repeatedly during the exercise.
2) The new owner tells the dog to lie down and stay, and it does not move from that position for
5 minutes. The owner may provide occasional praise, pats or treats. Three tries will be
allowed if needed.
3) All members of the new owner's family can play actively, even wildly with the puppy, but can
interrupt this play three times with a cue to sit, and the dog stops and sits. The sit cue may be
repeated twice if the dog does not respond on the first cue.
4) All members of the new family's immediate household demonstrate that they are able to call
the dog back and forth in the back yard, with the dog completely approaching each member of
the family and allowing that member to grasp its collar. The dog will be wearing a collar but not
a leash. Each person must call at least twice. Every family member must be able to control the
dog in this way.
5) The new owner shows proof of completion of a training class (usually a 5-, 6-, or 8-week
session of weekly classes). A photocopy of a certificate from any established training facility
will serve as proof.
6) The new owner demonstrates that the dog will touch its nose to the end of a stick on
command. This is called "targeting," and should be taught by first teaching the dog to
associate a sound with a treat. Then the sound and treat are given when the dog happens to
touch the end of a stick with its nose. At that point, a cue is introduced to let the dog know that
now is the time to touch the stick and get a reward. The end result is: owner gives cue, dog
touches stick, owner makes sound associated with treat, owner gives treat. This targeting
behavior is a wonderful starting point for training many cues and tricks.
7) All members of the new family's immediate household demonstrate that they are able to
grab suddenly for the dog's collar and hold onto it, and that the dog will accept this action
without shyness or resentment. Each individual may have up to three tries. The dog is not to
shy away, duck, cringe, growl, whine, or bark.
OUR GOALS (OR WHY WE DO IT THIS WAY!)
As breeders, we believe that bringing more dogs into the world when so many cannot find
homes is a major responsibility and commitment. It is very important to us that each puppy we
keep has the potential of improving our breeding program, and that each puppy we sell will
lead a long, healthy life as a member of a loving household. Our dogs compete in shows and
performance events, but they are also house pets and part of the family. Since we expect the
puppies we sell to be beloved house pets as well, temperament is our top priority as
breeders. A dog with a poor temperament is no good as a show dog and a disaster as a pet!
While our dogs will be terriers, not sporting dogs or herding dogs, we expect to produce only
Welsh terriers with stable, appropriate terrier temperaments.
We follow the above procedures in order to set everyone up for success. We want the
transition from breeder to new owner to be smooth for the dog. We want the new owner to be
well prepared to guide the dog toward becoming a well-mannered pet. And we want the
relationship to last a canine lifetime!
We welcome applications from admirers of Welsh terriers who have similar goals.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE WITH A WYSIWYG WELSH TERRIER
A puppy that has been carefully bred and raised and selected especially for you.
A healthy, normal puppy, with all vaccinations appropriate to its age.
A pet that has already been spayed or neutered.
The following materials to get off to a good start with your puppy:
Puppy raising information
Health and shot record
Growth chart
Pedigree
AKC registration papers
A bag of puppy food that the puppy is used to eating
Advice regarding diet, training, management, grooming, parasite control, etc.
Advice and encouragement - as much as we can give to anyone interested in participating in
any type of training or performance events. Please take advantage of our years of experience
with Welsh terriers!
Ongoing support - we will be available to answer questions and provide advice throughout the
life of every WYSIWYG Welsh terrier.
Puppies Taly, Gryf and Moose - four months old.
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