We decided it was time to get a puppy 3 years ago. But, the question was "How do we know where to find a puppy that's not from a puppy mill or a backyard breeder?" At that time, we wanted to get a Moyen Irish Doodle. A Google search only found a handful of breeders with Irish Doodle puppies, and they were all around the country. One of them was 4E Kennels. I did a lot of research reading each breeder's website. My wife and I really liked that 4E Kennels was known for breeding Diabetic Alert Dogs, service dogs, therapy dogs and great family dogs. We wanted to train ours to be a therapy dog. It became clear that the entire litter had to be imprinted with the same curriculum in their first 8 weeks, because how could they know which one was the right puppy to become a DAD until then? We also liked that 4E Kennels raised the puppies with their family and the owner had a daughter about the same age as my son. He was afraid of dogs at that time, and we are both allergic to cats. So, getting a hypoallergenic doodle was a priority, as well as needing a puppy used to being around young children. I finally filled out an application and soon got an email from Jeanette. It began a series of several emails. She always ended each one with "Love Jeanette." It seemed odd at first, but then I quickly realized it was because you're actually becoming part of her 4E Kennels Family. She treats you as family from Day 1. Jeanette is also very active on Facebook with educational videos and sometimes raw, heartfelt honesty, as well as cute puppy videos. You start feeling like you know her and see that she's for real.
We decided to wait until recently. Jeanette never pressured us or even threatened to keep our deposit. She simply said whenever we were ready, she would put us back on a list. Finally, I contacted her about getting a Moyen Goldendoodle. Sure enough, she welcomed us back and gave me some upcoming litter options. We got on the list for Eliza and Frankie's Energy Drink Litter.. which were about 7 weeks from going home. That's when the real fun began! Puppy updates were routinely emailed, photos and videos of their training were posted almost daily on the 4E Kennels website on a private "My Puppy Page." And, every email I sent with questions were answered within hours. We got to join her "4E 4Ever Doodle Family" Facebook page.. which is an entire community of people who were clients but became part of the 4E Family. The members offer support, provide information, experiences, and answer questions. Of course, Jeanette is on there too, adding her knowledge, advice and expertise.
The week before Go Home Day, she provided a written evaluation of each puppy, as well as unedited videos of each pup going through the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test, administered by her daughter, Jenna. Eliza had 11 puppies in her litter, and you could really see the differences in Pack Drive and Prey Drive, as well as how they responded to different stimuli and stresses when you compared them. It was educational to see the traits that go with the jobs these dogs could ultimately be good for. For example, one puppy sniffed around quite a bit as she inspected eveything around her. She also really just wanted to be with Jenna..and was not aggressive at all. You could see that would be a great DAD or therapy dog candidate. Another pup had a high prey drive, and low pack drive (he didn't care that Jenna was there to play with him). You could envision him becoming a hunting dog. Jeanette also provided a written evaluation for each pup, as well as how each one scored on the Puppy Aptitude Test. If you ask her, Jeanette will also advise you on which puppy might be the right fit for your family or situation.
We have had our puppy home now for 16 weeks. He is learning things so quickly. People always comment how well behaved he is. Our neighbors say they never hear him bark. When we've had questions, Jeanette is always a text or an email away with advice. We are already making plans for getting Doodle number 2.
It's those types of things that set a 4E Kennels puppy apart from all the rest. If you take a look at her videos and website, you'll also feel real good about buying your puppy from Jeanette. She is truly an amazing and inspiring person.. and she really does pass those traits on to her puppies. read more