FAQs

  • Yes, we offer waitlists as we have litters throughout the year, please visit our wait list page for more information.

  • Priority Waitlist
    If you have specific preferences—like a certain color, coat type, gender, or timing (for example, wanting a puppy in a particular season)—we recommend joining the Priority Waitlist for a $50 fee.

    Priority members are contacted first, in the order they joined, and have the first opportunity to choose from upcoming litters.

    If we’re unable to meet your preferences within two years, or you don’t select a puppy during that time, we’ll issue a full refund. However, if a puppy matching your preferences is offered and you decline, the deposit becomes nonrefundable.

    For more details, check out our Priority Waitlist FAQ below.

    Regular Waitlist
    The regular waitlist is free to join and a great choice if you’re flexible on gender, color, or coat. You’re still welcome to list your preferences, but selections will be made in the order you joined, after priority members have chosen.

    To learn more, check out the Regular Waitlist FAQ below.

  • 🐾 Puppy Selection Process

    1. Litter is Born
      Once the puppies arrive, we begin our selection process.

    2. Notify Priority Waitlist
      We first announce the litter to our priority waitlist.

      2a. Priority Waitlist Picks First
      Priority families are contacted in order of their spot on the list and given 24 hours to choose their puppy. We’ll let you know exactly where you stand in line.

    3. Regular Waitlist is Contacted
      If puppies are still available after the priority list has chosen, we reach out to the regular waitlist—again, in the order names were added.

    4. Public Posting
      If there are still puppies available after the waitlist has had their chance, we post them on our website and social media for the general public.

    5. Schedule FaceTime + Place Deposit
      Once you’ve chosen your puppy, we’ll schedule a FaceTime visit. A deposit is required to secure your puppy.

    📌 If no available puppies match your preferences (such as gender or color), your spot can roll over to a future litter of your choice.

  • After you fill out the waitlist form, we’ll reach out with details about available puppies and upcoming litters. Puppy selection depends the type of waitlist you’re on and your place in line on the waitlist. A deposit is required once you choose your puppy. We’ll also post weekly updates on our website and social media so you can follow along as they grow!

  • The Priority Waitlist guarantees your spot to choose a puppy from a specific litter for a $50 fee. This non-refundable fee is applied toward the total adoption cost.

    Our goal is to have all puppies in their forever homes by 8 weeks of age, as it is a crucial time in their development to bond with their forever homes instead of us. To keep this timeline, we reach out to waitlist members informing them of a new litter, however Priority Waitlist members only have up to 12 hours from when they are contacted to make their selection. We contact you no earlier than 8am and no later than 8pm unless otherwise specified. To give every puppy the best chance to find their perfect forever home by 8 weeks, we share them on our website when they’re just 1 week old. This way, families can have plenty of time to fall in love and make their choice!

    If there is only one puppy is available, but we only have 3 on the waitlist, your spot rolls over to the next available litter of your choice. In addition, if for any reason, you don’t find a puppy in the litter that fits your preferences—whether it’s gender, color, or any other factor—you’ll be rolled over to the next available litter of your choice. This ensures you’ll still have the chance to find the perfect match for your family!

    Priority Waitlist members are contacted as soon as the puppies are born and can select their puppy based on the order of payment.

    For example:

    • If Jane Doe is the first to join Chase and Bonnie’s Priority Waitlist, she gets the first pick.

    • If Brenda Joe joins after Jane, she gets the second pick.

  • The regular waitlist is a free, non-paid waitlist. We will contact clients from our regular waitlist after the paid waitlists have finished choosing their pick of the litter.

  • Our family consults with local veterinarians to ensure proper care for both mother and puppies. Mom’s diet and activity are monitored closely throughout her gestation.

  • Puppies first weeks are spent in a customized heated whelping crate to ensure each puppy is safe and warm for healthy growth. As they grow, they are transitioned to solid food, receiving “mush”, a high vitamin diet of goats milk, crushed kibble, baby oatmeal, and pumpkin. At 2 weeks old, puppies receive their first de worming with SENTRY HC WormX DS (pyrantel pamoate) Canine Anthelmintic Suspension De-wormer for Dogs and continue to receive de working every 2 weeks until they are 8 weeks old. At week 7, puppies get their first and only Canine Spectra 5 vaccine.

  • We update our social medias (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook) every Friday with our current litter. MiniDoxPups is always available to answer any questions.

  • The puppy(s) will receive pee pad training, fireworks desensitization, recall training, crate training, as well as touch desensitization by touching their paws, nose, ears and tail for ease of care in the future. The puppy(s) also receive socialization training with kids and pets.

  • Each puppy goes to their forever home with their proof of registration, kibble, blanket containing their mother’s scent, puppy shot pamphlet and a puppy travel carrier.

  • For deposits, we take PayPal, Zelle, and Venmo. For the final payment, we accept cash in addition to all forms of previous payment.

  • Yes, we currently offer stud services with all our studs. Please contact for more information.

  • Limited Registration is also known as a “pet.” This means that a dog is registered and has access to the dog’s ancestry, however any litters it produces are not eligible for registration with AKC/CKC, and cannot continue the lineage or entered into a competition. All litters from MiniDoxPups come with limited registration. For full registration/breeding rights, see below.

  • To have breeding rights, otherwise known as full registration, your dog could produce AKC/CKC registered litters. If you have breeding rights/full registration, what this means is when you have future litters, each individual puppy from that litter will be able to be registered with AKC/CKC, continue their family lineage, and be entered in AKC/CKC competition shows.

  • Yes, MiniDoxPups offers breeding rights for an additional fee. Even if your dog has already been registered as “limited” with AKC/CKC, we can still offer breeding rights and change the registration from limited to full. We offer breeding rights/full registration for an additional fee.

  • Puppy colors and coats can change as they grow up. Although color, coat and length may appear straightforward, genes are complex and there are many different factors that determine how a puppy looks as they get older.

  • Scheduling. We set schedules of hours, and blocks within those hours, in 15 minute increments so we can best accommodate visits for puppies. With busy workweeks for potential puppy parents and our caretakers, switching to virtual visits make it so we’re more available to meet the needs of the people we work with and the puppies we take care of.

    Distance. The caretakers we work with are located mostly in Sacramento but also other cities nearby. We can schedule virtual visits that accommodate for any day of the week, regardless of the distance between you and the puppy caretaker.

    Health. Puppies are more likely to catch a disease or virus due to compromised immune system from not being fully vaccinated. We give them their first shot at 7 weeks old, and your veterinarian usually continue their shots until they are fully vaccinated at around16 weeks old. Switching to virtual visits only, has allowed us to help ensure that the puppies can make it to their forever home as safely and healthily as possible. Unknowingly, you can be carrying viruses around that can transfer to puppies. Viruses can linger on clothes, also by indirect contact with a contaminated objects. One of the most dangerous yet common viruses is Parvovirus. Parvovirus is a highly contagious virus that is resistant to heat, cold, most cleaning solutions, and can last for months to years. Parvo can be found in places like parks, gardens, and fields. It can survive in soil, on surfaces, and in trace amounts of feces from infected dogs. For more information, please visit https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/parvo-in-puppies/

  • We do not offer microchipping. Microchipping is a minor procedure that can be stressful for young puppies. We prefer to leave it to new owners and their trusted vet to ensure the best timing and experience. Our puppies stay in a safe, secure environment until 8 weeks old.

  • We base our estimates on the mother’s previous litters to ensure she’s calm, stress-free and healthy. We do not offer X-rays to count puppies, though we know these services are widely available. We prefer to keep our pregnant mothers in a safe, secure environment until the puppies are born.

  • As the health and well-beings of our dogs are our top priority, all of our damns and sires are Embark tested for health and DNA.

  • Our normal operating hours are 8am - 8pm PDT. We’ll do our best to get back to you as soon as we receive your message!