All about Rocking W Coonhound Crew

How long have you been raising redbone coonhounds? I grew up with coonhounds raised by my beloved late grandfather. In 1996 Dwayne expressed interest in getting a coonhound and a grade redbone named Sable came to live with us. We bought our first registered dogs two years later and the kennel has grown from there. We raised our first litter in 2000.

Where are you located? We live just south of Palestine, Texas, near the small town of Elkhart. We are about halfway between Dallas and Houston.

How do I contact you? The best way to contact is definitely email to breezylynn@webtv.net. If i am home and in the house, and not asleep - i'm online! I usually answer emails in the early evening and late at night. phone contacts are best made after dark, about 7 to 10 central time to 903 764 1162. I also have a cell phone, 903 391 5324. When I am on duty at my 'real job' Monday through FridayI do not answer the phone during work hours, but if you leave a voice mail I will return your call on one of my breaks at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., during my lunch hour, or after work at 5. I prefer to send information by email, so if you are a person that does not check email regularly, please let me know you prefer phone contact.

How many dogs do you have? We currently have 3 adult males and 8 female redbones in the breeding program, two male puppies we are growing out for stud potential, plus two retired spayed redbone females and one Black and Tan male, and my son's Beagle who are not part of the breeding dogs, for a total of 17 dogs. Of the 8 'intact' redbone females only 4 of those are breeding age, with the remaining 4 being less than two years old.

What registries are your dogs registered with? The dogs are all registered with UKC (that's United Kennel Club), which we feel is THE coonhound registry. They have a great coonhound program and no other registry promotes the coonhound breed as a working dog like UKC. AKC is currently accepting redbone coonhounds in their foundation stock program and we have thus far registered all but Deuce and Freedom with this program. Rumor has it that Redbones will be a fully recognized breed in February of 2007. We are now registering all eligible litters with AKC and UKC..

What papers will I receive with my dog? If you are buying a puppy you will receive the temporary puppy papers from UKC which can be sent in for permanent registration. If the litter is AKC eligible you will also receive AKC temporary papes as well. Sometimes there are delays in receiving these papers from UKC and AKC and if I do not have the papers at the time you get your puppy I will mail them as soon as they arrive.

How are your dogs housed? We take pride in the roomy pens the dogs live in. The pens range from 10 x 15 to 20 x 30, with the smallest pens holding weaned puppies and the adults being afforded the larger pens. Depending on size the pens house one to three compatible adults. Each pen has either natural trees and shrubbery for shade or a silver sunblocking tarp over plastic doghouses. The houses contain plenty of hay in the winter but are kept bare in the hotter summer temperatures as the dogs find the cool plastic more comfortable in hotter weather. In 2005 we added our nursery barn for newborn puppies and their mothers. This is a custom made wooden portable buiding with shingled roof (cooler in our scorching texas summers than a metal building) with two 4 x 8 whelping/nursing areas with plexiglass doggie doors leading to attached 20 x 30 runs in addition to standard doors for the humans to go into to check on the puppies. The building is equipped with an air conditioner and heat lamps for comfortable climate control.

What do you feed your dogs? We feed and recommend Purina Hi-Pro.

Do you raise any other breeds? Not at this time. We do own one black and tan and one beagle male but we have no plans to breed him. We are dedicated to raising just redbone coonhounds.

How many litters do you produce per year? Usually four to five litters per year.

Do you socialize your puppies? The puppies receive a lot of handling from birth to make them comfortable with human contact and to socialize them properly. During this time we are also making observations on their individual personality traits so as to better match puppies with owners.

Do you screen for hip dysplasia? Not at this time, although we may in the future. We have confidence in our breeding stock and the fact that they are active working dogs and would be unable to withstand the rigorous hunting if they had any orthopedic problems. We also keep close tabs on most of our grandpups to ensure they are not having problems.

What are the shipping charges? We prefer to ship Continental Airlines from Tyler, Texas and the following charges apply: Airfare - 200 Health Certificate - 25 Shipping Crate - 25 Transportation charge - 25 total - 275 We can also use Delta, American, or Alaskan Airlines with varying airfare rates, and as we must drive to Dallas for these airlines there will be an additional $25 charge for the additional distance. Puppies will be fed and watered prior to shipment. Food will be attached to the outside of the crate and airline personnel will feed and water puppies during the trip if necessary, per airline guidelines. Bedding in the form of absorbant pads and/or newspaper will be placed in the crate. You will receive a call from us after we turn the puppies over to the airline, and we request you call us at home or on my cell phone as soon as the puppy arrives. We will often make one or more follow up calls and/or emails in the first few weeks to monitor how your puppy is settling in.

How do I book a puppy? Once we have discussed your needs and decided which litter and sex you desire a puppy from a $50 deposit will hold your puppy and you will be given a 'place' in line as far as priority in getting a puppy We typically pre-book four puppies of each sex before the birth.

What if there aren't enough puppies in the litter for everyone who booked one? In that case anyone who is not able to choose a puppy from their first litter choice may choose the opposite sex (if there are any available), be moved to a waiting list for a future litter, OR they may choose to receive a refund of their deposit.

Is the deposit refundable? Only if we are unable to provide a puppy for you from you first litter and sex choice. If after making your deposit circumstances arise in which you cannot get your puppy, you will not receive a refund of the deposit but we will 're-instate' your deposit on a later litter if you find you are able to get a puppy at a later time.

Will I get to pick the puppy I want? you may or may not get to 'choose' your puppy. In order to ensure successful placements, I rank and evaluate the puppies for specific homes depending on whether they are going to be hunting dogs, show dogs, search and rescue, therapy, or companion dogs, and if a companion home then will they live in an apartment (yes they do live successfully in apartments!), a farm, a residential neighborhood, with an older retired couple, a bachelor who likes to camp and hike, or someone with children, so i may have chosen a very specific puppy for you, or i may offer you several to choose from that I feel fit your needs and have the best chance of fitting into your home successfully. I also take into consideration any special requests such a dark color, long ears, specific personality, etc.

What payment methods do you accept? You may pay by paypal to breezylynn@ webtv.net, this is our preferred method of payment because it is an instant payment and provides an instant electronic receipt for your payment. If you are not familiar with this service i urge you to go to www.paypal.com and check it out - you can open an account in minutes and make payment with any major credit card. Deposits may also be made by check, POSTAL money order, or wire transfer. Final payments may be made by the same methods but must be made two weeks before shipping to allow time to clear our bank and allow us to have the funds in time to purchase crates which take time to be shipped in, and to make vet appointments and have the funds to pay for the certificates, which depending on what our personal and show schedule is at the time of shipping we may get anywhere from 24 hours to 10 days before shipping.. Final payments for picked-up puppies may be made by cash only on the day of pickup, or by any of the previous methods if made two weeks before pickup.

Can I come visit your kennel before I book a puppy? Absolutely! We love visitors. However, we may not allow visitors into areas where newborn puppies are being housed before they have had their shots.

When can my puppy be shipped or picked up? They may be picked up by private individuals only (no shipping companies) at 6 weeks of age, or can be flown to their new home at 8 weeks of age.

What health care will my puppy receive? The puppies begin worming at 10 days and are wormed weekly thereafter until they are picked up. We alternate between Nemix-2 and Panacur. They will receive a 5-way shot shot at 5 weeks. Shipped puppies and puppies not picked up by 8 weeks will receive a second 5 way at 8 weeks. The shot we use is the 5+CVk from Fort Dodge, AKA 'the puppy shot'. Also starting at 5 weeks they will be administered sulfa drugs in their water supply as a prevention against coccidiosis. If your puppy is 3 months of age or older at the time of sale they will also receive their rabies shot. If your puppy is 4 months of age or older they will have started on monthly heartworm medication (we use Ivermectin) and will have a negative heartworm test before sale.

Is there a health guarantee? The health guarantee covers infectious diseases for two weeks. Puppies are guaranteed to be free of infectious diseases for two weeks after pickup or shipping (this covers the incubation period of common puppy diseases). You are expected to take your puppy to your vet for a checkup within two weeks of purchase for their next puppy shot and to continue with vaccinations and worming according to your vet's recommendations. If your puppy requires any additional vet care or medications for any infectious disease during first two weeks of ownership we will refund any vet bills upon receipt of copies of the bills, up to amount of your purchase price. In the case of a severe defect or disease that results in death or requires euthanasia we will replace the puppy.

Do your dogs hunt? Redbones ARE a hunting breed and we promote our dogs as hunters. Most of the dogs receive at least some basic hunt training in order to evaluate their skills. Most of them are pleasure hunted and a few are hunted in competition. See each dogs individual page to see what their status as far as hunting is. Buyers are welcome to come hunt with parents or siblings of the puppy they are considering, if applicable.

Do you show your dogs? Yes, we show almost every weekend at coonhound shows and the dogs have made quite a showing in our part of the country. See our show wins page for their achievements.

What else do your dogs do? The dogs also participate in field trials, water races, and treeing contests. In addition, we participate in a pet therapy program at the local nursing home where puppies (when we have them) as well as some of our adult dogs go to the nursing home to visit the residents.

Will you show my dog for me? Yes and we will greatly appreciate the opportunity! It benefits our kennel for as many of our grandpups as possible to become show titled. In the past we have taken in the grandpups for showing and only charged for food and entry fees while we show them. Starting in August 2004 we have instituted a 'no charge' policy where we will keep and show ANY of our grandpups at absolutely no cost to the owner - we will cover all expenses including entry fees. However, the owner must arrange their own transportation to get the pup to us and back home to them once we have titled them.

Will you hunt my dog for me? At this time we are unable to take in any dogs for hunting because of the limited time available that must be dedicated to hunting our own dogs. We will, however, recommend trainers for you.

Do you offer any incentives for hunting titles? Anyone who makes a nite champion out of one of our dogs may choose their next puppy out of any of our litters at no charge.

Do redbone coonhounds make good pets? They CAN - if the owners do their research and are prepared to compensate for the special needs of the breed. They MUST have a fenced in yard to confine them outside. They can also make good indoor/outdoor pets. They are a very intelligent, active breed that must have an outlet for their energy or they may become destructive in frustration. We highly recommend obedience training for family pets. Also, although every dog is an individual we are dedicated to matching the right puppy with the right family, and we will recommend specific litters that are more suitable for pets, based on the parents' temperments. Fancy Publications (the publishers of Dog Fancy magazine) put out an excellent informative publication that can be purchased at most pet stores such as Petco or Petsmart - ask for the Coonhound edition of the 'popular dogs' series by Fancy Publications. This contains much valuable information about coonhounds in general and raising a coonhound as a pet and we were honored to have been allowed to contribute to this publication. If you are considering a coonhound as a pet we highly recommend purchasing and reading this publication during your decision making process. At your request we can also put you in contact with other buyers who have purchased puppies from us and are raising them as pets so that they may give you more specific information and advice about their own experiences of raising a redbone coonhound as a pet.

Our dog will just be a pet - should we have him/her spayed or neutered? We highly encourage pet buyers to spay/neuter their pet at their vet's earliest recommended age. This makes them a much better family member and eliminates the possibility of unwanted puppies.

Do redbones drool? You may have seen some of our dogs 'slobbering' in tree pictures, but they do not drool in regular day to day functions, and not in the way you may have seen dogs like St. Bernards or Bloodhounds drool. They may drool a little if extremely excited (as seen in some of our hunting pictures) or if they are nervous or ill (nausea can cause drooling), but they do not simply drool when not excited or ill.

Do they shed? Very little. Their haircoats are short and neat and do not shed excessively. We have two adults that live in the house and i'd be hard pressed to find any dog hair in the house -- even in the dogs own beds there is not any hair buildup.

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