It’s Time To Pick Your Puppy: Cassie x Flash - Mythical Creatures
Can you believe it is already time for these little mythical creatures to go home? I have had so much fun watching these guys grow up and become awesome little puppies. Hard to believe they were just sausages with legs a few weeks ago. As expected, there are some truly remarkable puppies in this group. Overall, the puppies showed tremendous confidence, workability and human focus. I think there is something here for anyone and not a single “bad” pick amongst these puppies.
I know it definitely feels like time is dragging for you, but for me, it has flown by far too quickly. Now, the moment has finally arrived for you to choose your very own poodle puppy. From those very first wobbly steps to their delightful and playful antics, it’s time to embark on this exciting journey of adding a new furry family member to your home. Take a deep breath, embrace the joy of this experience, trust your instincts, and make the choice that will undoubtedly change your life for the better in so many wonderful ways.
Puppies responding to the Puppy, Puppy, Puppy Recall
This is a very long pupdate and has tons of great information, so please, take your time and read through everything carefully. Once all deposit holders have made their selections, we will update the Available Puppies page of our website. I anticipate that a few puppies will be available after puppy picks are complete. After all current deposit holders have made their selections, we will follow up with those applicants who we asked to wait until after puppy picks were complete and with other families.
All the gathered data is viewable in the spreadsheet. Push the button below to view the spreadsheet. As we move through the process, I will be highlighting and adding the family’s name to the column for each puppy, as they are chosen. After all reservation holders have made their selection, the remaining puppy(ies) will be made available to those interested.
Alright, so you probably opened that spreadsheet and went “WOAHHHHHH, what am I looking at?!?”. I know I would. You’re probably wondering, what the heck does all this mean? Don’t worry, I gotcha!! Keep reading.
BAB Puppy Evaluations
In the past we have done the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT). This was a great test and provides a lot of great information, however, there were a few things in that test I didn’t like and I felt that the test was not the best at honoring the puppies and building trust. One of our primary goals is to teach puppies that the world is safe, people are good, and other dogs are kind. In the Volhard PAT, there are a few steps to the test that work in direct contradiction to that goal. We’ve begun using the BAB Puppy Evaluation designed by Jeanette Forrey of 4E Kennels. This evaluation is more thorough, honors and builds trust with the puppy, and tests the puppy in a more “real” setting.
How Is The Testing Performed?
The puppies are placed into a room they’ve never been in before, on a new surface, and surrounded by new distractions. The tester sits in the middle of the floor, the puppy is placed into the testing area and is given a few moments to wander around, engage with the tester, check out the toys, or just sit and look around. If the puppy hasn’t wandered over to the tester after a few moments, the tester will begin coaxing the puppy to come greet her. After the tester and the pup have built some trust, the tester will begin the test by asking the pup to play with the toys, work on the equipment, walk on a new surface, experience wobbly surfaces, engage with startling objects, handling, and unstable situations. The test is free-flowing and there isn’t a set order for the pups to be asked to complete the activities. If a puppy becomes too stressed, the test may be stopped to allow the puppy to de-stress.
Definitions
Human Assertive - This is not aggression. Assertiveness is the dog’s willingness to invade your space. Highly assertive dogs will be dogs that will sit in your lap, try to steal your pizza, and will likely want to meet most all people. This is a highly necessary trait for service dogs like Diabetic Alert and Behavior Modification/Disruption.
Prey Drive/Intensity - This could be something like chasing cats, but that is not the only thing that comprises Prey Drive. You can train away from chasing your kids and cats. Prey Drive could also be called intensity. Does the pup focus on his toys? Does he pick them up and shake them? Prey Drive is an indication of intensity and focus. Dogs with high prey drive will need a way to channel that safely.
Nerve Strength/Resiliency - This is an indication of comfort and ability to recover from new situations and new environments. This is an adjustable trait and can be fostered in a pup lacking this particular trait.
Tenderhearted - This is a big one. This is an indication of how this particular dog will handle big emotions (Huge Family Celebrations, PTSD, Depression, High Anxiety). Dogs that are extremely Tenderhearted will break down if put in home environments with a lot of extreme emotions. These tenderhearted dogs will feel responsible for your emotions and try to fix them.
The Recordings
Rather than uploading the videos directly to this webpage and slowing down the load time considerably, I have linked each video to the cover photo below. Please click the cover photo for each pup to be taken to Youtube where you can view the videos directly. The scores for this test are found in the sections labeled Stable Traits and Adjustable Traits on the spreadsheet.
Ideally Suited For: Active Family Life
Well Suited For: Relaxed Families, POSSIBLY Service/Working Dog
Druid is a very human focused and noticeable puppy. He is often underfoot and likes to make sure you know he is there. He has good confidence and is an very playful, energetic puppy. He is tenderhearted, so huge swings in emotion will take their toll on him in a sustained environment. Druid will make an excellent family companion for a family looking for a fun and active boy with attitude and zeal.
Ideally Suited For: Active Family Life; Service Dog
Well Suited For: Relaxed Families, Sport Dog, Working Dog
Harpy is a polite little girl with a lot of human motivation, confidence and resiliency. She is not as crazily energetic as some of her siblings and displays a lower intensity, making her less likely to think of your hands and kid’s feet as toys (no promises though :-) ). She is a tenderhearted girl that will want to stick by your side when you are feeling blue.
Ideally Suited For: Active Family Life; Service Dog; Sport Dog;
Well Suited For: Active Families
Spriggan tested well for a service dog, especially if you are hoping for a more laid back and less intense dog. He isn’t as human assertive as I typically like, but I figure he will be more assertive with his family. He is a motivated puppy and very human focused. He has a lot of confidence and nerve strength.
Ideally Suited For: Family Life
Valkyrie is just the softest, sweetest thing. She LOVES people and is so eager to do things, but the pressure of being ASKED to do it is a lot for her. She is a girl who isn’t going to require harsh corrections as an adult. Probably just a stern look and a stiffening of body language would be enough to get the point across. She is an absolute joy of a puppy with great energy, low intensity and a very polite approach.
Ideally Suited For: Active Family Life; Service Dog; Sport Dog;
Well Suited For: Active Families
Dragon is my number one service pick for this litter. He just has it all. Confidence, resiliency, human focus and motivation. He is not tenderhearted, so will be well suited to handling big emotions, if PTSD or other emotional related needs are required.
Ideally Suited For: Active Family Life
Well Suited For: Relaxed Families, POSSIBLY Working or Performance Roles
Selkie is a fun pup with good confidence and resiliency. He is very energetic and eager to do whatever it is you are doing. He will love life as an active and included member of the family. He is definitely a tenderhearted boy who will want to fix you when you are feeling down.
Ideally Suited For: Active Family Life; Service Dog; Sport Dog;
Well Suited For: Active Families
Hello Energizer Bunny. Rusalka is my favorite puppy in this litter. She is A LOT. She is invasive of space, confident, eager, zealous about life, has nerves of steel , and a human focus that just can’t be stopped. She is tenderhearted. Multiple times she broke out of her enclosure to join the puppy being tested during the temper tantrum portion of the test. This is an intense puppy who NEEDS a job. She is ready and eager for whoever is up to the challenge of taking her energy and funneling it into some good!
Ideally Suited For: Family Life
Siren was an interesting puppy. We had to have the help of Druid to get her to really engage with us and the test, but with his help, she was willing to engage and work with. She is a puppy who would do really well with another dog in the home. Siren is definitely very independent and toy motivated. Funnily enough, we struggled to get her to take the test in the beginning, but towards the end of entire session, she kept trying to get tested a second time.
Ideally Suited For: Family Life
The embodiment of cuddly. Kitsune LOVES to cuddle, however, she does not like handling she finds less than respectful. She is assertive enough to ask for cuddles, without being CRAZY. She is a nice middle of the road dog. She likes to sit back and observe before BOUNDING into situations. Mild Energy level.
Ideally Suited For: Active Family Life; Service Dog; Sport Dog;
Well Suited For: Active Families
Mesmer is my 2nd favorite service pick for this litter. He was just A LITTLE less focused and motivated. He is also way more tenderhearted, so big emotions will be more difficult for him than they were for Dragon. Otherwise, I really like him as a service prospect.
Picks will be done in order of deposit received/commitment to the litter. As a reminder, the order is as follows.
Harmony Courtney
Marissa Kelly
Kalani Rizor
Rebecca Oosterwyk
Devan & Katie Leder
Lauren Bedard
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Following puppy picks, I will be circling around to those who are “waiting in the wings” and then we will be opening puppy picks to newcomers on a first-come basis.
Following the receipt of this e-mail, I will begin reaching out to individuals to discuss and confirm their selection. This could be as simple as an e-mail stating “I want Anne, please” or a more complex phone conversation. Please plan to have an appointment within the next 36 hours. The document that tabulates all the testing details is changeable on my end. As puppies are chosen, I will mark them as unavailable on the master list. I will also make announcements on the Valaurah Farms Facebook and Instagram as well regarding chosen puppies.
I will be reaching out to figure out our go-home schedule. It is always nice if we can combine trips to the various places with multiple puppies. But in the meantime, check out the survival guide.
