Why We Breed To Our Waiting List

Because for us, breeding isn't about having puppies available — it's about finding the right homes for the puppies we bring into the world.

One of the questions we are sometimes asked is why we have a waiting list for our puppies.

The simple answer is that we believe every puppy we breed deserves a wonderful, carefully chosen home, and every family deserves the right puppy for their lifestyle.

Our waiting list is also telling us what colours people are wanting.

If they are wanting a puppy for the show ring.

We don't believe in breeding litter after litter simply because there is demand for puppies. Our breeding programme is carefully planned, and we breed with the families already waiting for our puppies in mind.

Why a waiting list matters.

When you join our waiting list, you're not simply putting your name down for a puppy.

It's the beginning of getting to know each other.

We like to learn about the families who are interested in one of our puppies, what they are looking for, their lifestyle and what they hope their new family member will be like.

Likewise, we want you to get to know us.

Choosing a puppy is a big decision, and we want you to feel comfortable asking questions and learning about how we raise our puppies and how our breeding programme works.

We don't breed just to have puppies available

Our puppies are planned well before they arrive.

We carefully consider the parents, their health, temperament, pedigrees, colours and how they fit into our breeding programme. We also consider what our waiting families are looking for.

Sometimes that means a family may need to wait a little longer for the puppy they are hoping for.

And we're completely comfortable with that.

We would rather have families wait for the right puppy than rush the process simply because someone wants a puppy immediately.

Raising puppies is a big responsibility

By the time one of our puppies goes home, we have invested an enormous amount of time, care and love into that little dog.

There are sleepless nights, vet checks, health considerations, feeding, cleaning, socialisation, handling and all those funny little puppy moments that make raising a litter so special.

We get to know their individual personalities.

Some are the confident adventurers.

Some are the cuddly ones.

Some are little comedians who seem determined to keep everyone entertained.

And some take a little more time to find their confidence.

Those individual personalities matter when we are helping match puppies with their families.

It's about the whole journey

For us, responsible breeding doesn't stop when a puppy leaves our home.

We want our puppy families to feel that they can stay in touch, ask questions and share their puppy's journey with us.

We love receiving updates, photographs and videos as our puppies grow.

Seeing a little puppy who once fitted into the palm of your hand grow into a much-loved member of a family is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do.

Finding the right home, not just a home

There is a big difference.

We don't simply want every puppy to have a home.

We want each puppy to have the right home.

That's why our waiting list is such an important part of our breeding programme.

It allows us time to get to know our families, plan our litters carefully and make thoughtful decisions about where each puppy will be happiest.

And sometimes, the perfect match isn't the puppy a family originally imagined.

That's okay too.

Our job is to help make that match.

Years of learning, growing and caring

Our breeding programme has developed over many years, and we are constantly learning and looking at ways we can do things better.

We believe breeding should be approached with care, knowledge and a genuine commitment to the dogs we bring into the world.

For us, the goal has never simply been to produce puppies.

It's to raise happy, well-socialised puppies and help them begin their lives with families who are excited, prepared and committed to them for the years ahead.

And that's why we breed to our waiting list.

Because every puppy matters.

You will find our puppy application form on our website

Free Range Pooches NZ

Canterbury, New Zealand