For most of my litters there is the option of getting your puppy when they turn either 8 weeks or 10 weeks old. There are advantages to both and it is up to you to determine what will work best in your family situation for your puppy.

You want to be getting your puppy during a relatively low stress time. It is NOT recommended to get your puppy JUST before a holiday away, while friends or family are visiting, during major life events (getting married, having a baby, big birthday celebrations), during exams, during construction, settling in to new jobs/new house/new school, etc.

You want to be bringing home your puppy when your house is as calm and/or as close to normal as possible. Ideally, it will be a time when perhaps you have some time away from work... even if just a long weekend... so that you can devote the time it takes to get your puppy settled and started into a routine.

Either way, there will be set pick up days and times, whether you choose 8 weeks or 10 weeks. This allows me to give your puppy AND you the dedicated time needed to answer any questions, complete any paperwork, etc. Pickup dates/times will typically be scheduled after puppy selection has been completed by all families (when puppies are 6-7 weeks old).

To help you decide whether to get your pup up at 8 or 10 weeks, I've compiled some advantages/disadvantages of consider.

Bringing Your Puppy Home at 8 Weeks

Advantages

You get your puppy quicker
Your puppy is a bit more dependent on you
Your puppy is more of a "clean slate" for you to bring up how you wish
They are a few kilos lighter for carrying around and "showing off"
You may be able to get them into a Puppy Preschool/Training class earlier

Disadvantages

They will have only had a starter vaccine and are not fully vaccinated. You will be responsible for vet visits/their vaccination schedule (typically a multi-dose/visit routine) recommended by your vet. This may include a longer period of "house-bound" time while you wait for their immunity to be secure.

They have had 2 weeks less of learning key "how to be a dog" social aspects/proper etiquette that you are not capable of teaching (being a human!). This is probably more important if your puppy will be the only dog in your family or if you ever plan to add a 2nd puppy down the line.
Depending on the weather and the overall maturity of the litter, your puppy may or may not have been started on night time potty training and or separation conditioning. This means you may end up with a puppy that is crying through the night or having accidents that first week home.
There is no "discount" for not taking advantage of the 2 weeks extra time at Skylit.

Bringing Your Puppy Home at 10 Weeks

Advantages

Your pup is two weeks older/more mature/more robust (this can be particularly helpful in a household with young children).
Your pup will be fully vaccinated using a single dose vaccine that is good for 3 years.
Your pup will have spent an additional 2 weeks learning how to be a dog with good dependable male and female dog role models.
Your pup will have also spent an additional 2 weeks with some of their litter mates, forging good bonds and learning how to relate to smaller dogs/puppies.
Your pup will have been exposed to more aspects of rural life -- water play, farm animals, safe exploring.
You have two more weeks to properly prepare for your pup to arrive.
Your pup will typically have received some basic crate training, potty training, and manners training. They will have had a consistent approach and should be well positioned to continue what they have learned when you take them home.
There is no additional fee for this beneficial time.

Disadvantages

Your pup is two weeks older AND 2 weeks HEAVIER (for carrying around)!
You will have missed some of the "young puppy" bonding time.
Your pup will be two weeks more accustomed to life here at Skylit which may be very different than your family life/routine.

Fly or Pickup?

While picking up your puppy in person may sound ideal, if the drive home will be longer than 3 hours, I strongly recommend flying your puppy to you instead.

There are many reasons for this including the following:

Your puppy will be to you earlier in the day, making the whole settling in process go MUCH smoother.
Your puppy's vaccinations will not have taken effect yet and any exposure on your way home if driving (ie stopping for a potty break) could expose your puppy to life threatening disease.
YOU will be far more refreshed and up for the challenge of managing a new puppy if you haven't had to do a marathon drive beforehand.

Picking a Departure Date

When a litter is born I will release the Important Dates for that litter. On there will be the date that your puppy will be getting its vaccination and also the range of dates that your puppy can then depart Skylit.

If you are picking up your puppy, I will schedule early/late morning blocks of time on specific days. Just check in with me to see which times are available on the days that you may be thinking.

If you are flying your puppy, check in with me first before making reservations just to see if I have any other departures on the days you are interested in.

Flying Your Puppy Domestically (Within New Zealand)

If your puppy will be flying, you will be responsible for all associated costs and will also be responsible for organising their booking.

There are two ways for your puppy to fly:

You physically fly into Hawkes Bay/Napier or Palmerston North airport, I will bring your puppy to you and you fly back out… checking your puppy as your baggage. (Or you are welcome to come out to Skylit, see the facility, meet the parents or relatives in most cases, and pick your puppy up.)
Your puppy flies via Air New Zealand cargo services out of Napier/ Hawkes Bay airport.

With Option #1 you will pay a live animal handling fee upon airport check-in (I believe this is $75-$100 but you can check with Air New Zealand), your pup will travel in the cargo hold, and will need to have a proper shipping crate.

If going this route, I believe you can book this by ringing Air New Zealand directly. Generally speaking though, unless you can nab a very inexpensive return flight to Hawkes Bay or Palmerston North, super early in the morning with a morning return, Option #2 is likely to be less expensive and stressful all around.

With Option #2, Air New Zealand provides a list of approved Pet Transporters who handle the booking arrangements for you. Their list is located here: https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/national-cargo-pet-services

I have already established relationships with Carla at Pet Travel: www.pettravel.nz (or bookings@pettravel.nz, 021 925 592) as well as Lesley at Global Pets: www.globalpets.co.nz (or globalpets@xtra.co.nz, 03 312 6417). Either of these two ladies will be able to help you arrange your Lab’s travel.

IMPORTANT WHEN BOOKING YOUR PUPPY'S FLIGHT

Request a flight departing NAPIER/HAWKES BAY between 8am and 10am unless your puppy is flying to Christchurch (in which case request the earliest non-stop flight) -- Early morning flights are cooler (less chance of your puppy getting too warm/dehydrating). Late day flights are not recommended because if for some reason the flight is cancelled, there may be no other flights until the next day and your pup may need to spend the night in their crate in cargo. I also do not feed puppies the morning of their flight. They travel much easier on an empty stomach so the earlier the flight, the sooner they get to you and get to EAT.
Choose a direct flight (nonstop) if available -- I would much rather drive your puppy to the airport at 5am so that they can fly on a direct flight than to put them on a 10am flight where they have to make a connection. If there is a connection/layover, it will be a minimum of 1.5hrs added to your puppy's travel time, not to mention a greater chance of something going wrong (puppy not being transferred, the flight not going off and your puppy sitting unaccompanied in an airport until it can fly out, etc.). With no connections, I'm at one end and you are at the other ensuring your puppy is properly looked after.
Do not book the crate HIRE with the pet transporter but do book the EMPTY CRATE RETURN with the pet transporter — See below for more information on this

I am VERY accustomed to making early airport runs so please do not worry about inconveniencing me. I do not charge anything for this service and will be at the airport with your pup until they are checked in and confirmed that the flight is on time. After that I will be tracking your puppy's flight all the way to you via Flight Tracker!

Flying Your Puppy Internationally (Overseas)

If your puppy will be flying overseas to you, it will typically need to be a minimum of 12 weeks old (although Australia may be younger). You will be responsible for all associated costs and will also be responsible for organising their booking through a Pet Transporter.

Puppies flying internationally cannot fly as checked baggage.

Puppies flying internationally out of New Zealand cannot fly in the cabin (they must fly as cargo in the cargo hold).

I recommend you contact George at Pet Transport: https://www.pettransport.co.nz/

It is quite an involved process and George will guide you through it. George has shipped several Labs for me in the past (to the UK and Australia) and everything has gone smoothly.

Airline Travel Crates

Due to the recent change in IATA crate requirements, I am now "hiring out" crates for flights to ensure families have an APPROVED airline travel crate. This saves families having to purchase an airline compliant crate that would only last their puppy through 4-6 weeks at best. (Note: You are still welcome to purchase an airline compliant crate if you'd prefer!)

There were major changes to the compliance regulations in 2020. There are multiple crates on the market that say they are airline (IATA) compliant but ARE NOT! Beware!

Also, do not pick up a 2nd hand crate. Remember your puppy is likely not immune from disease and a 2nd hand crate is not worth the risk that it could be harbouring disease. If you have a close friend or family member that has a recently purchased shipping crate, send me photos of all 4 sides and the measurements and I can let you know if it should be airline compliant (based on the new requirements) and a suitable size for your puppy.

When your puppy flies, it will fly CARGO. You will collect your puppy from the Cargo counter (not the domestic portion of the airport), typically 1-1.5 hours after the flight arrives.

With a hired crate from Skylit, you will remove your puppy from the crate, give it a quick wipe down (if your puppy had any accidents while flying) and hand the crate back into the cargo personnel for its return flight to Napier/Hawkes Bay.

The cost breakdown for hiring the shipping crate from Skylit is as follows:

Skylit Crate Rental: $75

Deposit: $100 (This is refunded once the crate is returned.)

This crate hire is offered directly through Skylit and is not affiliated with any crate hire the pet transporters may try to offer you. With my crates you are assured that the ONLY puppies that have flown in the crate previously were healthy Skylit puppies!

You do however need to book and pay for an empty crate return ticket through the pet transporter when you book your puppy’s ticket.

PUPPY DELIVERY

Depending on how busy things are at Skylit, I am often able to offer a Delivery option when I have several puppies going to the same region within the north island. If this is going to be an option for your litter, I will let you know shortly after puppy picks are made.

The Delivery option is easier on your puppy as they travel with other littermates to a central location for pickup. They are far more relaxed during the ride and it also allows you to get your puppy home quicker on departure day and start getting them settled in. It is also a less expensive option than flying your puppy.

You won’t need to have a shipping crate for your puppy as I use one of mine to transport the puppies.

Choosing puppy delivery also has the added benefit of getting to meet and greet other families in your area that are also getting their Skylit puppy and if you haven’t had the opportunity to meet me personally, I will of course be the driver!

Another advantage to the Delivery option (although this is also an option for those living locally and being able to pick up their puppy) is that you can order starter packs of raw meals that will make those first days less stressful for yourself (and your puppy) as your puppy will be maintained on the same food regimen as they were on while at Skylit. You’ll find the raw starter meals on The Dog House Shoppe website (www.thedoghouseshoppe.co.nz).

Puppies DepartING Skylit AFTER 10 WEEKS

Typically I offer the regional delivery option after the 10 wk departure dates. That way, while I’m on the road making deliveries, I do not have puppies still at home. Puppies that are unable to depart Skylit by this time will incur a $25/day boarding fee for their extended stay.

I highly encourage families to have their puppy in their home prior to 12 weeks of age. Puppies have a limited window of opportunity for proper socialisation that sets them up for life and that window begins to close at 16wks of age. During that stage of 10-16wks is the time when you need to be showing your puppy everything about their new life and environment. Obviously life at Skylit (with 13+ other dogs) is very different from what life will be like in your home. There’s a lot to introduce your puppy to during those few weeks. If extenuating circumstances impact your ability to receive your puppy prior to 12 weeks of age, it may be worth waiting for a future litter where you will have more time to devote to this very crucial stage for your puppy.