FAQs
Where Are You Located?
Highland Glenn is located in the remote mountains of northeastern Washington State.
Do You Ship Puppies?
Sorry, we do not. We much prefer that you come here to collect your puppy! Traveling with your puppy in the airplane cabin as a “carry on” is less stressful for it and a great opportunity to begin your enrichment routine. Who can resist a Havanese puppy, after all! We do all we can to acclimate the puppy for travel and they do very well. We can arrange to meet you at Spokane International airport (GEG) with your puppy. Depending on our schedule, we may be available to fly with your puppy to you (fees will apply.) We also recommend using a flight nanny service. Read Getting Puppy from Here to There.
Do You Have a Puppy Application?
Yes. Upon request, we email our Puppy Application Package which includes all the pertinent information. We do it this way because we like to open the lines of communication right away and build mutual trust with our future puppy families. Contact Us to request it!
What is the Importance of “AKC” and “Champion” Dogs?
Champion means show dogs that expressed their quality through Championship conformation titles. The conformation of a show dog has to be within a specific set of strict Breed Standards in order to win. However, a breeder does not have to show their dogs in order to have excellent quality adults and puppies. They do, however, need to have a thorough understanding of the Breed Standard and breed according to type.
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Our breeding dogs are registered with the AKC. They come from Champion parents and were selected specifically as show/breeding prospects. We are currently not able to show our dogs due to personal health limitations but respect those that do.
Litters are AKC registered and each puppy is AKC registered. Most puppies are placed as companions with "Pet Limited" registration, which means they are not for showing or breeding. All responsible breeders have policies about how they operate and this is what we have chosen.
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We are open to discussing AKC “Full” registration to show and breeding homes on a case-by-case basis. Contact Us for additional information on Full Registration.
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Are Your Dog’s/Puppies Hypoallergenic?
There’s actually no such thing as a “hypoallergenic” dog. However, our dogs have been DNA coat tested for the appropriate furnishings gene so most allergy-sufferers will tolerate them very well.
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We will gladly do a T-shirt test for you! Send us a T-shirt and we will have our dogs sleep with it and add dog hair so that you can gauge your allergic reaction if any.
How Long Have You Been Breeding Dogs?
We’ve been Natural Rearing Breeders of English Shepherds since 2012. As our invaluable working partners and companions here on the Ranch, we continue to do so. Due to chronic health issues, we wanted a small yet sturdy purely companion dog. After much research, we chose the Havanese hands down! Many wonderful people have helped us along the way.
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Here on the Ranch we also breed Shetland Sheep, Alpine dairy goats, and Satin rabbits.
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Are You a Kennel or Puppy Mill?
We are a small, boutique breeder. Because of the extensive early socialization work we do with each litter, we have purposefully chosen to remain small so we can give them our very best.
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A puppy mill? Definitely not! Our dogs are family companions first and foremost! Puppy mills are basically puppy “factories” where dogs have no quality of life and often filthy living conditions. In addition, we don't even have enough breeding dogs to be considered a “kennel” let alone a puppy mill.
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We enjoy doing live video chats so folks can ‘see’ our dogs! We also provide video clips and pictures of the puppies as they are growing to give you a glimpse into their lives.
Do You Housetrain the Puppies?
Our puppies are fairly reliable using a litter box and/or pads by the time they go to their new home! We also begin crate training. Once you have your puppy, we recommend continued crate use, often along with a playpen set up, to finish housetraining.
When Can a Puppy Leave?
Our puppies are released on an individual basis depending on when each puppy is ready to leave and based on the environment where the puppy is going. Generally, puppies go to their new homes between 10 and 12 weeks of age.
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How Long is your Waiting List?
Typically our Waiting List is 6 months to 1 year out. Occasionally, we will have availability sooner in the event a family decides to wait longer for a puppy.
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Do You Have References?
Of course! We are happy to provide them to you upon request.
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Note: if a breeder does not have reviews posted on social media, it's likely because they manually turned them off. The fastest way to weed out a puppy mill is to ask the breeder to provide references!
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Do You Offer a Health Warranty?
Yes, we warrant that all puppies are healthy and free of communicable disease when they leave our home. We offer a 2-year Health Warranty.
Do You Belong to the National Breed Club?
No. Rather, we focus our energies on improving our line in a positive and ethical manner. We are a drama-free breeder that supports our all-breed canine community, other breeders, and dog lovers alike. We believe in working together to rebuild the reputation of small breeders! **
We also reject the practice of a club dictating what is acceptable or not, such as required health tests. As Natural Rearing Breeders we believe in “first do no harm”. Exposing our dogs’ reproductive organs to x-ray is not an acceptable risk.
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It is essential to understand that there are limitations to health tests with respect to genetics. Science supports that lifestyle, environment, and diet combined play the largest role in health. This field is called “epigenetics.” The high standard of Natural Rearing gives our dogs and puppies the best possible foundation!
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As members of the Natural Rearing Breeders Association (NRBA), we are delighted to be in the international company of breeders with the same natural health goals for their respective breeds.
**Note: Additionally, many breeders in clubs resort to the unethical practice of falsely accusing others of being substandard, a puppy mill., or "only in it for the money" even more so if one does not show their dogs. Not only is this unprofessional, but it feeds distrust and negativity with potential puppy buyers. All breeders should be honorable and support each other for preserving our breeds in a responsible and humane way.
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