Puppy Pick Day: What to expect
One of the Most Exciting Steps on Your Journey
Welcome to Puppy Pick Day — truly one of the highlights of bringing home a Stokeshire puppy! We’re honored to guide you through this process, pairing our expertise with your hopes to find the best possible match for your family.
What to Expect:
How Puppy Pick Day Works
If you’ve secured a POL spot, your appointment & selection happen first, ahead of the standard list.
Virtual or In-Person Appointments
Your Puppy Pick Day will be scheduled based on your waitlist position, which is determined by when your deposit was received. Appointments typically take place via Google Meet, so please ensure the app is installed and working on your device.
Sometimes, to keep everything moving smoothly, we may adjust the meeting order slightly to accommodate travel or scheduling needs. Rest assured: your place on the waitlist is always honored during actual selections. You might see a family with a later appointment time meet earlier, but selections happen in official waitlist order.
Choosing Your Puppy
Your 72-Hour Selection Window
Once it’s your turn to choose, you’ll have up to 72 hours after your appointment to finalize your puppy’s adoption. During this window, no other family can claim your selected puppy.
If payment isn’t completed within that time, your puppy will be made available to the next family. This helps keep the process fair and on track for everyone eagerly awaiting their new family member.
Understanding Availability
Why Preferences Aren’t Guarantees
We know how easy it is to fall in love with a particular puppy from photos or videos. But please remember: final selections depend on your waitlist position and the choices of families ahead of you.
It’s normal to feel a little disappointed if the puppy you hoped for is chosen by another family. In our experience, however, many families find the puppy they didn’t initially expect ends up being the perfect fit.
Thank you for your understanding and flexibility. This approach ensures each puppy is placed in the best possible home, and each family finds a companion suited to their unique lifestyle.
Matching Puppies to Families
How We Help You Decide
Before your meeting, we’ll ask you to share your top preferences for coat type, temperament, gender, and color. This allows us to focus your time on the puppies most aligned with your goals.
During your appointment, we’ll go through temperament testing results, daily observations, and answer all your questions. Our goal is to help you make an informed decision — not just based on looks, but on which puppy will truly thrive in your home.
Important Policies to Note
Protecting the Fairness of Our Process
Selections follow your official waitlist order. We can’t guarantee any specific puppy until your selection is complete and payment is finalized.
Non-response policy: If we don’t hear from you within 7 days of your Puppy Pick Day appointment, your deposit will be forfeited and your waitlist position may be reassigned.
No “skipping the line.” We cannot move a family ahead of others on the list, even with additional payment offers. This protects the trust and fairness of the process for all.
Payment & Finalizing Your Adoption
Quick, Secure Checkout
After you’ve chosen your puppy, we’ll email you a direct link to complete the secure checkout on our website. We accept:
All major credit and debit cards
Afterpay & Klarna (pay-over-time, if eligible)
Payment is due within 72 hours to reserve your puppy. If you’d like to discuss installment plans in advance, please contact us before your Puppy Pick Day.
What If My Preferred Puppy Isn’t Available?
Trust the Process — It Works!
It can be tough if the puppy you’ve followed on social media is selected by another family ahead of you. Please know this is very common, and why our team’s matchmaking expertise is so valuable.
We’ve placed hundreds of puppies, and time after time, families discover that the puppy meant for them often wasn’t the one they originally pictured — but is even better.
About Doodle School
Early Training Sets Your Puppy Up for Success
Many families opt for our Doodle School program, which focuses on crate training, basic commands, and socialization. It’s an excellent way to help your puppy start life with confidence and good manners, making the transition into your home even smoother.
Health & Peace of Mind
Fully Licensed, Guaranteed Health
All Stokeshire puppies come with our comprehensive Health Guarantee and up-to-date vet records. We stand by the lifelong health of your pup—learn more on our Health Guarantee page. We’re proud to be fully licensed in Wisconsin and hold an A+ rating with the BBB, so you can adopt with confidence
Thank You for Trusting Us
We truly appreciate your trust and understanding of this process. It’s designed to be fair, transparent, and ultimately in the best interest of both our puppies and your family. Our passion is not only raising exceptional puppies but ensuring they’re matched thoughtfully to forever homes where they will thrive.
⚠ Important Note About Selection Day:
During your scheduled Pick Day appointment, we’ll help you choose a puppy based on your preferences and our professional assessment.Please remember: nothing is finalized until your checkout is complete in proper waitlist order. Until then, availability may change due to other families completing purchases, breeder holds, or health/temperament considerations.
We appreciate your understanding and flexibility — it helps us ensure each family and puppy are the best possible fit.
Have Questions?
We’re Always Here to Help
If you’re feeling unsure, overwhelmed, or simply want more information about any part of this process — please reach out. We’re honored to be a part of your journey and look forward to helping you welcome a new furry family member home.
Stay Informed Policy: Your Responsibility
We work hard to keep our process transparent and stress-free by posting all important dates and updates right here on our website, well in advance.
While we also send occasional emails, delivery isn’t guaranteed — email providers can filter, block, or mark them as spam. It is your responsibility to stay connected, check your litter page, and ensure you’re aware of upcoming dates.
Key Points:
All selection, pick-up, and training timelines are published on your litter’s page.
If you do not see or receive an email, it does not change your selection deadlines or your financial obligations.
Please add hello@wisconsindesignerdoodles.com to your contacts and check your spam or promotions folders regularly.
⚠ Failure to respond within the published timelines (including your 72-hour pick window and 7-day forfeiture policy) will result in your puppy being offered to the next family, and may lead to forfeiture of your deposit.
We truly want this to be smooth and exciting for you — staying proactive ensures the best experience for everyone.
Puppy Pick Day FAQ
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No worries! We’ll guide you through the puppies that best fit your preferences and lifestyle. If you need a little extra time, we’ll work with you — just be mindful that final payment is still due within 72 hours to secure your puppy.
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Yes! While most families choose Google Meet, we do offer limited in-person appointments for Pick of the Litter families. Let us know in advance if you’d like to come to Stokeshire.
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Your Puppy Pick Day appointment is a dedicated time we block off just for you. Because we work through our families in order, missing your scheduled slot may cause you to lose your place in line. If you miss your appointment and don’t communicate with us within 24 hours, we will move on to the next family, and your puppy selection may be delayed or forfeited.
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To officially hold your puppy, final payment (including any training or transport fees) is due within 72 hours of your Pick Day. Otherwise, your chosen puppy may be offered to the next family on the list.
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We’re glad you asked! During your Pick Day, we’ll go over options like Doodle School and transportation. We’ll make sure you have a plan in place before take-home.
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That’s okay — it’s so important to find the right match. If there isn’t a good fit, your deposit can remain on our waitlist for a future litter.
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Yes! If eligible, you can use Afterpay or Klarna right on our site.
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Once your puppy is 8 weeks old:
Pickup or Delivery – Depending on your arrangement, bring your pup home or have them flown to you.
Doodle School & Ongoing Support – If you opted in, your puppy will attend our 4‑week training program. You'll also receive a welcome packet with feeding guides, training tips, vet check recommendations, and 24/7 support from our team.
Join the Community – New puppy families are invited to our exclusive Facebook group for support, resources, and lifelong connection.
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We do our best to give you very close estimates for both Pick Day and Take-Home Day well in advance so you can plan ahead. We strongly encourage families to set aside time on both days early on.
If you run into scheduling conflicts, please reach out — we’ll do everything we can to accommodate, though flexibility is limited once the schedule is set. The more advance notice you give us, the better we can help!
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At Stokeshire, we deeply value your preferences and the vision you have for your new puppy. We also know each puppy’s unique temperament, coat, energy, and developmental profile because we live it with them daily. This allows us, along with our trainers and staff, to thoughtfully guide the final placement decisions to best match each puppy’s needs with your family’s lifestyle and goals.
While we absolutely welcome your input on traits and preferences, our process is designed to ensure the long-term success and wellbeing of both your family and our puppies. This means final placement decisions rest with us, drawing on over a decade of experience breeding, raising, and placing therapy-grade dogs.
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They’re helpful tools — but just one part of the bigger picture. We watch our puppies grow, play, and learn every day, which tells us far more than any single test. You don’t need to worry about interpreting numbers or what a “3” vs. a “4” means — that’s our job. We’ll guide you through what’s most relevant for your family.
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We understand life happens. We allow one courtesy reschedule if notified at least 24 hours in advance. Last-minute rescheduling or multiple changes may result in your appointment being moved to the end of the current selection order.
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You can absolutely share your top choices and preferences, and we’ll consider them carefully. However, we make the final decision on placements. This ensures your puppy’s personality, energy level, and social needs are the best possible fit for your lifestyle — which is why our families trust us to help make this important choice.
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Because real life doesn’t always follow a perfect list! While appointments generally follow the order of deposits received, sometimes we adjust meeting times to accommodate schedules, travel plans, or to keep the process moving efficiently. Selections aren’t official until checkout, so you won’t lose your spot.
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Your puppy is officially yours once you’ve completed checkout and paid in full. You’ll have 72 hours after your selection meeting to finalize payment. If not paid within that window, the puppy becomes available to other families.
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That’s perfectly normal. This is what we do every day — you’re not expected to become an expert overnight. Trust us to guide you through the process with clear, simple recommendations. Our goal is for you to feel excited and at peace, not stressed or pressured.
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Selections are made in official waitlist order, so it’s always possible that a puppy you were hoping for may be chosen by a family ahead of you. We know that can be disappointing. Our team will help you explore the remaining puppies to find the best fit for your family’s needs and lifestyle — and many families tell us they’re surprised by how perfectly it all works out.
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No — to be fair to every family, we strictly follow our waitlist order based on when your deposit was received. We don’t allow anyone to skip ahead. This ensures transparency and trust for all.
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To keep the process moving fairly for everyone, we allow up to 72 hours after your appointment to finalize your decision and complete payment. After that time, the puppy will become available to other families.
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Because each family ahead of you has the right to choose first, we can’t promise any particular puppy in advance. However, we take great care to understand your preferences so that when it’s your turn, we can help you make the best choice from the puppies available.
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We understand color and markings are important, but we encourage families to also consider temperament, which often matters more for a happy lifelong match. If the exact look you hoped for isn’t available by your selection time, we’ll guide you through the options to find the best overall fit.
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Yes! Even if the puppy you had your heart set on is chosen by another family, most of our clients say they ended up with the puppy who was truly meant for them. Our process is designed to support that outcome with expert insight, daily observations, and your input combined.
Real Pick Day Stories
“Wonderful experience from start to finish—professional, informative, and we’re so in love with our mini Bernedoodle, Zara.”
““I could not be more impressed—quick to respond, helpful, honest, and clearly passionate about dogs. You can be confident you’re purchasing the highest quality pups!””
Transportation
Testing
Puppy Temperament Testing: A Guide for Your Stokeshire Selection Day
At Stokeshire Designer Doodles, our goal isn’t just to raise wonderful puppies—it’s to help you find the right puppy for your family. That’s where our temperament testing process comes in.
We combine methods from Stokeshire Doodle School, Empowered Breeder, and Puppy Culture to give your puppy the best start possible—and to give you peace of mind on selection day.
What’s the Purpose of Temperament Testing?
Temperament testing helps us:
Understand Each Puppy’s Personality – Energy, sensitivity, confidence, and curiosity all matter!
Match Puppies to Families – Based on your lifestyle, we help guide you toward the right temperament for your home.
Every Family Is Different. So Are Our Puppies.
We consider your needs when evaluating and matching puppies:
Energy Level – Need a hiking buddy? Or a movie-night companion? We match accordingly.
Kid Compatibility – Gentle, patient pups are ideal for households with younger children.
Multi-Pet Homes – We evaluate how each puppy interacts with other animals too.
What Makes Our Process Special
Stokeshire Doodle School
Our puppies begin basic training and socialization before ever coming home. This builds confidence, resilience, and a smoother transition.
Empowered Breeding & Puppy Culture
We introduce our pups to new environments, problem-solving exercises, and gentle handling from an early age to help shape emotionally healthy dogs.
Extended Time with Mom & Aunties
Longer time with mom and our other nurturing “auntie” dogs gives pups social grounding and better bite inhibition.
Our Puppy Evaluation Process
We use professional temperament testing, which looks at key personality traits such as:
Confidence – How they approach the unknown
Motivation – Willingness to engage and learn
Nerve Strength – How they handle stress
Touch & Sound Sensitivity – Reactions to handling and noise
Prey Drive – Instinct to chase or focus
Human Focus – Attention span and desire to be with people
Tenderheartedness – Emotional awareness and empathy
Dog Friendliness – Social skills with other canines
Each of these plays a role in finding a match that suits your family dynamics, whether you're looking for a future service dog or a sweet companion.
Trust the Process
Our testing is a tool—but it’s not the whole story.
We’ll share score interpretations, insights, and real-life observations with you. But the best matches often come from what we see every day: personalities, bonds forming, and unexpected connections.
So while this testing will guide you, we encourage you to also trust your heart, and our team.
We’ve done this hundreds of times, and each match is something we take personally.
| Score Range | Best Fit Home Type | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Mostly 1s | Working or experienced handler | High drive, confident, dominant. Needs a firm, consistent handler. May challenge authority if not guided. |
| Mostly 2s | Active family or structured home | Outgoing and trainable, but needs guidance. Can do well with children and socialization. |
| Mostly 3s | Average family or first-time owners | Adaptable, easy-going temperament. Moderate energy and social needs. Great for most homes. |
| Mostly 4s | Quiet, calm, gentle homes | Submissive and sensitive. Thrives in calm environments. Not suited to loud or chaotic households. |
| Mostly 5s | Experienced handlers only | Very shy or fearful. Likely needs special training or therapy work to overcome trauma or low confidence. |
| Mixed | Needs individual analysis | Mixed scores require looking at specific categories. Could be adaptable or show inconsistencies needing further evaluation. |
| Test Category | Purpose | Score 1–6 Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Social Attraction | Measures sociability and confidence in approaching people | 1 = Bold; 6 = Independent or aloof |
| Following | Willingness to follow a person, trust in handler | 1 = Confident follower; 6 = No interest |
| Restraint | Tests acceptance of human control in awkward situations | 1 = Relaxed quickly; 6 = Struggled constantly |
| Social Dominance | Degree of acceptance of social dominance by a person | 1 = Jumped up, licked; 6 = Avoided or hid |
| Elevation Dominance | Acceptance of dominance while in a position of no control (e.g., vet exam) | 1 = Relaxed; 6 = Resisted hard or struggled |
| Retrieving | Willingness to do something for a person (trainability) | 1 = Retrieved eagerly; 6 = No interest |
| Touch Sensitivity | Measures pain threshold and sensitivity | 1 = 8–10 sec before response; 6 = 1–2 sec |
| Sound Sensitivity | Tests reaction to sudden noise or sound (startle, curiosity) | 1 = Approached barking; 6 = No response |
| Sight Sensitivity | Reaction to a moving object; visual alertness | 1 = Attacked/bit; 6 = Hid |
| Stability | Startle recovery from a sudden object (umbrella test) | 1 = Bit or pawed object; 6 = Ran away |
Updated: 6.29.25