It’s Time To Pick Your Puppy: Minnie x Magic: The Farm Sounds
The moment is finally here! Will you be bringing home a little Oink or a Baaaaa! What about Mister Honk? Isn’t he just the most amazing little boy with all these sisters bossing him around? These tiny littles were such a hit at the vet yesterday and just solicited attention from everyone. I’m going to miss walking around the house calling for a Squawk! or Where’s Moooooo!
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.
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 began using the BAB Puppy Evaluation designed by Jeanette Forrey of 4E Kennels about 3-4 years ago. This evaluation is more thorough, honors and builds trust with the puppy, and tests the puppy in a more “real” setting. I have been very happy with the results I have seen from both puppies and families from this switch.
How Is The Testing Performed?
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. Highly assertive dogs will also need firm boundaries and consistency in those boundaries if you do not wish for them to jump on you, your kids, and other people.
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.
Examples of big emotions can include things like PTSD, Yelling at the TV during Football/Sports Ball, Loud Family Dinners, Kids Birthday Parties and other examples. It also includes things like extreme anxiety and depression
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.
There is definitely a little something for everyone in this litter. The puppies did not test universally consistent, but rather each definitely seems to have their own personality and approach to new situations and adventures.
Honk - Male
Honk is such a sweet and special little boy in this litter full of girls. Honk would make a good service prospect, especially a Diabetic and/or Allergy alert dog. He is an very nose/mouth oriented puppy. He is super quick to forgive and get reengaged into whatever it is you are doing together.
Honk would excel in a most all home environments where he is given respect and adequate mental and physical stimulation. He would make a fantastic take to work dog, and I could see him doing well as a therapy dog. Because of his desire to be with people and his need to be worked with, homes that are seeking a more independent dog, might be frustrated with his “what’s next” attitude.
Baaaaaaaa!!!!
Baaaaaa is a little girl who is going to need some work. The version of her we saw in her temperament testing, I think could be radically different depending on the time/energy investment into her. She is definitely lacking in confidence and has larger than normal reactions to sight stimulations. She is also lacking in nerve strength.
Baaaaaa, would really benefit from some fun training games and a dedicated enrichment plan to get her exposed to a variety of circumstances. In order for her to become her best self, she will need some time spent bonding and really building a relationship.
Baaaa will bond DEEPLY with her people. She is an independent puppy and has a great ability to self entertain. She MUST be empowered in her new home and not coddled.
Cluck - Female
Cluck has consistently been one of the most outgoing and adventurous puppies. She has nice confidence and nerve strength, is eager and motivated to work and good human focus. She has a decent energy and stamina to hold her through a long workday. She is tenderhearted, although not overly so. Big emotions for sustained and lengthy amounts of time might wear on her, but the occasional big emotion or therapy session would be totally doable.
Cluck would make a nice service dog or facility dog.
Oink - Female
Oink is a nice independent puppy with the ability to self-entertain. She is very polite and doesn’t need to be assertive with herself. She would be an excellent dog with younger/respectful kids. She will need firm, confident boundaries and to not be coddled. Concentrating on exposure around items that move would greatly benefit her.
She has a high touch tolerance and is an excellent snuggle buddy.
Hee Haw - Female
Hello, Miss Independence! Hee Haw is a funny little girl. She has some toy drive and some engagement, but ultimately, at this time, she really just kinda has this feeling of she really doesn’t care about much of anything. She likes the people, she likes the toys, but really she is just here for herself.
Spending time bonding with Hee Haw and creating a sense of “why” is going to completely change her. She could be a fun sport dog and she will make an excellent family companion. She will love everyone in the house and be a great fit for everyone.
Squawk - Female
Squawk is our smallest little girl, but boy is she fun! She is a spunky little thing with a decent amount of confidence and is motivation. She could use a little more nerve strength, but its not bad. She would enjoy life as a casual sport dog, hiking partner or other active activity she does in partnership. She wants to do things with you.
She will need firm boundaries and rules and definitely will need some brain games to keep her happy and fulfilled.
She would be a great snuggly buddy, after she has her physical and mental needs met.
Quack - Female
Quack is an excellent family companion for most all families. She is a nice, middle of the road puppy with a laid-back, go with the flow attitude.
She has a moderate energy expenditure requirement and has decent nerve strength. A little confidence boosting would go a long way with her.
Moooooo
Mooo is going to bond so deeply with her people. If you are lucky enough to bring home this girl, you will be the absolute center of her world. While she is lacking in confidence and nerve strength, her motivation and human focus is so high that she “get over it”, because she doesn’t have time to be scared/nervous, the people are on the move and she neeeds to be with the people!
Mooooo will absolutely thrive in a family that treats her with respect and consistency. She is going to be one of the my loyal and faithful girls out there. She is eager to please and very snuggly.
Cheep Cheep - Female
I LIKE this puppy! Cheep Cheep show so much promise. She needs a little confidence building, but she has great nerve strength, motivation and human focus. She always has a “what’s next” approach to life. She has a fun energy level that makes her a delight to work with. And she has an intensity and dedication to the task that is just AHHHH-mazing.
I think, with exposure and confidence building this girl could be a nice service dog. I dont think it would take much to build her confidence up, either. I think some nice brain games and basic obedience and really understanding what it is that is being asked, the confidence will just come naturally.
Picks will be done in order of deposit received/commitment to the litter. As a reminder, the order is as follows.
Valaurah Farms
Crista Odell
Shandel Poveda
Bernice Cheung
Emily Hashberger
Open
Open
Open
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 Baaaaaaaaaaaa!, 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.
