Our Contract

     In order to be placed on the wait list for the next litter an application/questionnaire must be filled out. After submitting an application we will give you a call to chat and get to know each other a bit more. This is a great time for you to ask any questions you may have as well as a chance for us to get to know you a little bit better. Maintaining a good relationship with the homes that our puppies will be going to is very important to us. 

    Once the puppies are born we would much rather devote all our resources into raising them and exposing them to as many new experiences as possible. Consequently getting to know you ahead of time is beneficial for us, you, and most importantly the puppy as we will have more time to put into raising the litter in an enriching environment that can help foster their growth and development. These puppies are our number one priority!

How much do RedLeaf Redbone Coonhounds cost?

Our AKC registered purebred Redbone Coonhound puppies start at $1750 CDN and go up from there, depending on the litter and parents, if an outside stud is required or if medical intervention is necessary. 

We occasionally have proven health tested retired adults or younger dogs available for less. 

How do I make sure I get a spot on the wait list?

After submitting a completely filled out application and having the initial phone call if your home sounds like it will be a good fit for one of our puppies you will be asked to secure your spot on the wait list with a $250 deposit, which will go towards the final purchase price of the puppy. 

What happens after I am placed on the wait list?

Once a pregnancy is confirmed those on the wait list will be contacted. If new homes would like to move forward with an addition to their family they will be kept in touch with the highlights of the pregnancy and will be notified when the puppies are born. 

How do I make sure I get the puppy I want?

A $250 CDN deposit will reserve each household a puppy with their sex of choice. This deposit does not guarantee a certain puppy, it only guarantees the gender. We do all that we can to accommodate colouring and size preferences, etc but lifestyle and living conditions are our primary considerations. After show potential puppies are pulled the remaining puppies will be matched to their new homes by their personalities. Matching homes this way will ensure we have the highest chance of placing them in their forever homes. This is why the puppy questionnaire is filled out to be on our wait list and also why we will spend some time on the phone with you, asking questions about your lifestyle and your household and what characteristics you are hoping for in a puppy. We would not match up the most energetic puppy in the litter with the most sedentary household for example. Of course you will get a say in which puppy you prefer and ultimately the final decision will be yours. Usually there is more than one puppy in a litter that matches up well to most families.

If for any reason your gender of choice is not available or it's not a good time to add a puppy to the household your deposit can be rolled over to the next available litter, or even the one after that. We will keep your deposit on file for a period of 5 years.

It’s also worth mentioning here that just because a puppy is not pulled as a show potential does not mean that it is less quality. We can’t keep every puppy and we will only retain the ones that reflect what we wish to accomplish in our breeding program. Another breeder could possibly pull entirely different puppies than the ones we would, depending on what they are looking to accomplish with their breeding program. Just because your puppy was not one we kept back for competing in different events does not mean that it will be any less of a great member to your family. 

What if I change my mind?

All deposits are non refundable. We take extreme caution to accommodate everyone’s wishes but we will not place a puppy in a home if we don’t believe it is the right personality for that particular home. If this is the case your deposit will be refunded or rolled over to a subsequent litter of your choice. Placing these puppies in forever homes is our ultimate goal.

What wormings and vaccinations have been done?

Puppies are dewormed at regular intervals. Routine worming is recommended for the life of the dog. They are given their first vaccination at 8 weeks of age and will require booster vaccinations 4 and 8 weeks after their first vaccination (12 and 16 weeks). Rabies vaccination should be done after 4 months of age. If the puppies are still here at RedLeaf when they are of age for a booster or rabies (age-appropriate) they will have them administered by our trusted veterinarian. If they are at their new homes at this time then it is the responsibility of their new owners to get their booster and rabies vaccinations done by a licensed veterinarian. 

Fully vaccinating your puppy is very important and must be done to ensure they do not contract deadly diseases (i.e. Parvovirus, etc.). It is highly recommended to keep your puppy away from high traffic areas until they have developed some immunity to commonly found diseases. We know it’s tempting to go flaunt your new family member but please try to avoid dog parks and shelters until your veterinarian says it is ok.

What if my puppy ever gets lost?

All RedLeaf puppies will be microchipped for identification with an international AKC ISO microchip that is registered for life and requires no renewal fee. You will be sent home with paperwork to have your contact information added to the microchip number on file. Please remember to add your contact information to the chip otherwise if your puppy is ever lost and scanned for a microchip as the breeder we will be contacted first. Also it’s important to update the chip with any address or phone number changes over the years. This is another great reason to keep in contact with me and give me updates on your puppy so if you ever move, change your phone number, etc. we will have a way to get in touch with you if your puppy ever gets picked up by animal control. 

What about registration?

Puppies will be registered AKC (American Kennel Club) and litter registered UKC (United Kennel Club) and we will be naming them with a litter ’Theme’ in mind. Their registered names will contain our name (RedLeaf). You are more than welcome to name your puppy whatever call name you so choose. What you actually call your puppy while at home and what their registered name is are very different. Their AKC and UKC registered name is used for entering them in AKC/UKC events (such as agility, obedience or conformation competitions). It will reflect the litter theme and if you have a particular idea for the name of your puppy’s registration feel free to share it. AKC does have some rules for naming and not every name will be eligible. For example anything deemed offensive or containing symbols or numbers will not be accepted. Ultimately the final registered name will be chosen by Redleaf but we will consider any name you come up with. The puppies UKC Registration papers we be held until we have proof of spay/neuter or OSS/Vasectomy (provided by your veterinarian). 

We will be doing online registration when you come to pick up your puppy. Once registration is completed AKC will e-mail it to us both directly at that time. A paper copy registration certificate will be mailed to you directly from AKC to your home address within a few weeks depending on postal service. If your puppy is being shipped we will do registration with you over the phone and computer ahead of time.

All pet puppies will be registered as LIMITED on AKC papers.

When can we come pick up our new puppy?

When it’s time for puppies to go to their new homes after 8 weeks of age it’s highly recommended to come pick them up from us if at all possible. If this isn’t feasible we can ship to any major or international airport. We ship out of Edmonton INTL Airport. Shipping does come with additional costs. Rates within Canada are typically $200+ depending on location via Air Canada. International shipping is slightly more. An air travel approved shipping crate is required and in some cases a health assessment by a licensed veterinarian is also required ($70 CDN and this is a mandatory requirement for international shipping). Because we live a 7 hour drive roundtrip away from Edmonton Airport and flights are often very early (5AM check-in most times) we will be adding a $75 airport delivery fee to your invoice to help cover the costs of fuel and hotel stays. If you require a quote for shipping please let us know and we would be happy to get a more specific price for you. If at all possible we like to avoid airline shipping and prefer to meet halfway, or at a mutually agreed upon location. We sometimes travel far distances for dog events and would be happy to bring your puppy along with us to meet you and avoid airline travel whenever possible.

Is there a health guarantee?

Your RedLeaf Redbone Coonhound is guaranteed to be free of genetic health diseases for the life of the dog as per our contract. We take extreme caution to ensure all coonhounds that are bred by us are free of any health issues. We conduct health tests that are certified by the OFA (Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals) and if one of our dogs fails any health test they will not be placed into our breeding program. It gives us peace of mind to know that we are doing the very best we can to ensure your new puppy won’t be one large vet bill after another and to ensure that the Redbone Coonhound stays a healthy breed.

Do you allow visitors?

If you’d like to visit us you are welcome to come anytime other than the week or so leading up to the puppy's due date and the first 2-3 weeks post-whelp. We would prefer our new mom not be stressed by visitors during this time. If you are visiting please be mindful to keep clear of any areas that could contain illnesses that would interfere with the health of our dogs and puppies. Dog parks, veterinary clinics, farms, highway rest stop areas, dog boarding facilities, animal shelters, etc. are considered high risk areas and must be avoided for a few days leading up to your visit with us. The health of our Coonhounds is very important to us. I’m sure you can appreciate all the work being put into this litter so we appreciate your co-operation in this matter.

What do I need to have lined up before our puppy comes home?

Some items we recommend you have lined up before your puppy comes home are:

- A kennel/crate and crate pad/bedding for the inside. Crate training is a great way to train good behaviours like eliminating outside instead of in the house and a safe way to contain the puppy when he or she can’t be supervised.

- A Dremel for nail maintenance (optional). There will be more information on proper nail care in the puppy care information binder that will go home with you.

- Ear cleaning solution

- Chew toys and toys that are safe for a puppy. 

- A leash and a collar (we recommend a Martingale-style collar).

- The contact information for a trusted Veterinarian close at hand.

Some other basic info to know about:

After 6 weeks of age we will be hosting a puppy party. This will take place on a weekend yet to be determined in the early afternoon. The puppy party is a get-together involving playing with puppies, learning how to train them and a bit of education on the best ways we’ve found to care for them. You’ll be meeting our other adult coonhounds and others involved with this litter. We will be having a nice BBQ dinner after to celebrate. You are encouraged to attend if you are able. If you can’t make it or a party isn’t your thing please try to visit another time. We do have 2 guest bedrooms and full bathroom in our finished basement that are available for those travelling large distances. Skip the hotel costs, you are more than welcome to stay with us. If you would prefer a hotel there are many options available 20 km south of us in the Town of Bonnyville, AB.

We will be posting weekly pictures on our website www.redleafcoonhounds.com and weekly pictures as well as videos onto our facebook and YouTube page. At close to 7 weeks of age we will be having temperament testing done by an outside person knowledgeable on dogs. This will be done in unfamiliar territory to get an accurate assessment of their behavior away from us and their littermates. We use this tool to help get a good idea of how they will truly behave and adapt to new experiences out of our house. We strongly encourage you to take your puppy outside of the home to experience new things with other safe, well-rounded dogs as often as you can. Socialization of your puppy at this critical age is one of the best things you can do for your new family member and will be important long term for your coonhound. The Puppy Culture program protocols we are using to raise this litter strongly suggest that new owners socializing their puppies correctly will be the very best thing they can do for their new dog. 

As soon as we know which puppy will be placed with which family we will let you know. Be mentally prepared to not know until after 8 weeks of age. A lot of planning and careful consideration will go into the puppy selection for the best possible family placement. We will be working every day with these puppies to get them familiar with all kinds of new experiences. Interactions with different animals and people, basic potty training hygiene, and leash and kennel training will be started. These puppies should be well-adjusted and ready to face their grand new adventure moving into your household with minimal issues!

The puppy stage will likely be a difficult age and I promise it will get better soon. We have interacted daily with these puppies and have done all that we can to get them used to all kinds of life experiences. Now it’s your turn. This may require some adjustment on everyone’s part. Encourage others to take part in the care and socialization of the new puppy. Be gentle and go at his or her pace. If they are scared, don’t push it. The Redbone Coonhound can be sensitive as a puppy so try to stay positive at all times. If you would like any additional training tips or advice please get in touch with us. We’ll will be sending you home with some care guidelines to help with this adjustment period. Additionally the AKC American Kennel Club (AKC.org) has many excellent articles online on everything puppy training related. They are a great resource for training tips and information and I highly recommend reading up as much as you can ahead of time to make the transition as smooth as possible.