Island Icies

FAQ

Questions we get asked

If your question isn't here, just ask us — we would rather answer it twice than have you not ask.

How much is a puppy?
Our puppies are priced the same regardless of sex or colour, and the current price is shown on each puppy's page. The price reflects health testing on both parents, prenatal and whelping veterinary care, eight weeks of feeding and raising, the first vaccinations, worming, microchipping, and the go-home pack. We do not make money on a litter, and any breeder who does is cutting something you would want them to spend on.
How long is the wait?
We plan around two litters a year and they are usually spoken for before they are announced publicly. A realistic expectation is six to eighteen months from joining the waitlist to bringing a puppy home. If you need a puppy sooner than that we are happy to point you toward other Icelandic Sheepdog breeders we trust.
Is the waitlist a queue?
No. It is an email list, so you hear about a litter before it is posted publicly. When a litter is announced everyone applies, and we match puppies to households rather than going in order. A quiet older couple and a family with two toddlers need different puppies from the same litter.
Can I choose my puppy?
You can tell us your preferences and we will take them seriously, but we make the final match. We have watched these puppies every day for eight weeks and run a structured temperament assessment at seven weeks; you will have met them for an afternoon. Almost every breeder who lets buyers pick purely on looks ends up with at least one badly matched placement.
How does the deposit work?
We never take a deposit before we have reviewed your application and spoken with you. Once we have offered you a specific puppy we email you a link to pay the deposit invoice by card or bank transfer. The deposit reserves that puppy and comes off the total. It is non-refundable if you change your mind, and fully refundable if we cannot place a puppy with you for any reason on our side.
We are on the mainland. How does a puppy get to us?
We are on the Big Island, so this needs planning either way. What we prefer is that you fly to us and carry your puppy home yourself — it means we get to meet you, and it is usually the cheapest option. When that is not practical we use Island Pet Movers, a Honolulu pet relocation company who have been doing Hawaii departures since 2009. They book the flights, tell you exactly how to prepare the crate, handle the health paperwork and airline requirements, and see your puppy through the connection. You pay them directly. Either route is a Kona or Hilo departure, usually connecting through Honolulu, so budget for a long travel day and talk to us early — it is very doable, it just is not a same-week decision.
Are there rules about bringing a dog into or out of Hawaii?
Leaving is the easy direction. Hawaii is rabies-free, so bringing a dog IN is the heavily regulated part — that matters to us when we import a stud or a new dam, not to you taking a puppy to the mainland. Your puppy will travel with a current health certificate and everything the airline asks for. If you are moving TO Hawaii with a dog, or bringing your new puppy back later, look up the state's import requirements well in advance, because the pre-arrival testing schedule is long.
What health testing do you do?
Both parents are tested to the breed parent-club panel before being bred: hip evaluation, patellar luxation, an eye examination by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist, and a DNA sample on file. We also run elbows and a cardiac evaluation. Every result is published on our dogs' pages with a link to the verifying body, so you can check rather than take our word for it.
What is the Puppy Culture programme?
It is a structured raising programme by Jane Killion that runs from birth to twelve weeks, and we follow it for every litter. In practice it means early neurological stimulation and scent introduction from day three, teaching puppies to ask politely for what they want, deliberate startle-recovery work, problem solving and barrier challenges, and resource guarding prevention — each done in the developmental window where it actually takes. Our raising page walks through it week by week.
Limited or full registration?
Puppies go on AKC limited registration, which means they can compete in every performance sport but their offspring cannot be registered. Full registration is occasionally available to an approved home with a serious interest in the breed, discussed case by case and never as an add-on purchase.
When do puppies go home?
Eight weeks, after a full veterinary examination, first vaccinations, worming, and microchipping. We do not release earlier. Weeks six to eight are when puppies learn the most from their mother and littermates about being a dog, and skipping that shows up later as poor bite inhibition and weak dog-to-dog manners.
Do you take dogs back?
Always, at any age, for any reason, for the whole of the dog's life. It is written into the contract. If your circumstances change, call us — we would far rather have the dog back than find out later that they ended up in a shelter.
Can we visit?
Yes, once the puppies have had their first vaccinations, and we would like you to. Before then we keep visitors away for the puppies' safety, which is exactly what the cam is for — you can watch as much as you like, whenever you like, without an appointment. We know a visit is a bigger ask from off-island, which is another reason the cam exists and why we are happy to do video calls.
Are they good with children and other pets?
Generally, yes, and it is one of the breed's real strengths — they are patient, sturdy, and genuinely enjoy children. They are also a herding breed, so young dogs may try to herd running children and will need to be taught not to. They usually live happily with other dogs and with cats they are raised alongside.
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