Guide to E-Contracts on Good Dog

What are E-Contracts on Good Dog?

E-Contracts on Good Dog are a convenient and secure way to collect legally binding electronic signatures or “eSignatures” from buyers. E-contracts replace the need for paper contracts, and help keep everything organized and in one place for a seamless experience. Your contracts will be stored safely on your Good Dog Dashboard so you can access them at any time.

Who can use E-Contracts on Good Dog?

As a Good Breeder, you now have the option to send a secure e-contract to any Good Dog buyer with a Pending, Scheduled, or Completed payment. If you aren’t yet a member of our Good Breeder community, you can sign up to join today to access E-contracts on Good Dog.

How do E-Contracts on Good Dog work?

1. Prepare: Set up your contract template and highlight specific fields so your buyer knows where to sign or initial.

2. Send: Once you’ve completed Step 1 above, you can choose a prepared contract from your template library and attach it to a payment request.

3. Sign: You and your buyer digitally sign the contract.

4. Store: Your signed contract is safely stored in your Good Dog Dashboard.

Prepare

Ready to use E-contracts? Start by creating a template. First, upload the contract you’d like to use (this could be a deposit or puppy contract for example). We support most file types including .doc, .docx, .pdf, .jpeg, .png, and .txt (see full list here).

Once you’ve uploaded your contract, you can add “text fields,” meaning areas where you’ll want your buyers to sign or fill in information (for example, your buyer’s address). (You can assign yourself areas to fill out, too.). This template will be saved in your library for future use so you only have to create it once!

You have full control over your template. You can decide what kind of information goes in each text field (date, initials/signature, text), who is responsible for filling it in, and if it’s optional or required. We can help do some of the work for you with optional auto-fill fields. These fields are pre-populated for your convenience with information from your or your buyer’s Good Dog account, like name, email, address, program name, and more. After you’ve added all your fields, give your template a name.

After naming your template, you’ll have an option to add a message that will be sent to any buyers you send this contract template to for signature. For example, if you are sending a deposit agreement template, you might want to include a message similar to the below: 

Please sign at your earliest convenience. Once you’ve signed the deposit agreement, your place on the waitlist will be secured. 

You can also choose to leave this message field blank. Remember, the message you enter in this field will be sent to any buyers you choose to send this contract template to, so you won’t want to include any personalized messages that are specific to only one buyer.

Step-by-Step Instructions: 

• What file types can I upload?
• How to create a template
• How to choose and place your text fields
• What are auto-fill fields
• How to access your template library
• How to edit a contract template

Need help getting started with a contract?

Head to our Legal Resource Center to review our sample contract templates

Send

Now that you’ve prepared your contract template, it’s ready to be sent. With E-contracts on Good Dog, you have the option to add a contract to scheduled, pending or completed payments.When you attach your contract to a payment, we’ll email a copy to you and your buyer to sign digitally.

Note: The Breeder App doesn't currently support attaching a contract to a payment request, we're working on adding this soon!

Keep in mind that once your contract is sent, it cannot be edited. If you need to make changes to a specific contract that has been sent, you can cancel it.

Step-by-Step Instructions: 

• How to send a contract to a buyer
• How to cancel a contract after it has been sent

Sign

After your buyer receives and reviews the E-contract, they can digitally sign it with an eSignature. An eSignature is as legally binding and secure as a paper signature. You can sign the contract before you send it to your buyer or after your buyer signs and returns the contract. Once you and your buyer have both signed, you will both receive an email with the fully signed/executed contract and you’ll have a permanent record of your signed E-contract.

Step-by-Step Instructions: 

• How to sign a contract
• Where to find signed contracts

Store

When your E-contract is complete, it will be safely stored with your buyer’s information in your Good Dog Dashboard. You can find your signed E-contract by following the steps outlined here. You can download or print the signed contract and reference it any time you need to, meaning you, your program, and your pups are protected for life.

We created E-contracts on Good Dog to make it easier and more convenient for you to collect legally enforceable eSignatures from your buyers. You put your all into your program and you deserve protection and peace of mind when you send your puppy to their forever home. If you have any questions about building, sending or signing E-contracts on Good Dog, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Good Dog Specialist Team at breederteam@gooddog.com.