Time to Pick Your Puppy: Lily x Magic Spring 2025
I cannot believe it is already time for you lucky families to choose your puppy. It seems like so little time has gone by, but here they are, 7 weeks old and almost ready to fly the nest. I am very happy with the temperament evaluations on these guys. And a little surprised. These puppies definitely got their momma’s lower energy expenditure requirements, while gaining their daddy’s workability and motivation. There is definitely a little something for everyone here. I hope you are as pleased with the puppies as I am.
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 first learning how to navigate the threshold with Bailey.
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 do anticipate there will be a few puppies available after puppy picks are complete. We will then allow those deposit holders from Cassie & Veela’s litters to decide if they would like to switch. 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 to 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.
I want to share an observation about these puppies. Each litter is unique and grows at its own pace, but we look for general milestones at specific times. This litter has reached their milestones 2-3 days later than usual, which just means they are maturing a bit slower. As a result, they were "mentally/emotionally" younger during testing than the typical 48/49 days. This made them seem more reserved & timid than usual. Additionally, they had their first vaccine just 24 hours before testing, which can also make them a bit sluggish.
Ideally Suited For: Performance/Sport Home, Hunting Home, Service Prospect, Active Family/Individual
Well Suited For: Family Life
Jolly is SUCH a joyful puppy. He has been Bailey’s puppy since he was 3 days old and would just lay into and relax into her hands for ENS. Jolly is excellently suited for service dog work. He is tenderhearted enough to care about big feelings, while not being so tenderhearted to be at risk of shutting down from them. He has excellent Human Focus and Motivation.
Ideally Suited For: A relaxed family home life
Well Suited For: Active and Respectful Family
Most Challenging: Service Dog/Performance/Hunting/ESA/Therapy
Scallywag’s test had a lot of distraction going on and he handled it really well. He will make an excellent family companion. He definitely prefers a slower, at his speed approach to novelty items. He is a tenderhearted puppy, so big emotions could definitely be something that he struggles. He does have a little bit of a “what’s in it for me” attitude, so keep training sessions short and fun.
Ideally Suited For: Service Prospect, Hunting, Performance, Active Family Life
Well Suited For: Family Life, ESA, Therapy Dog
Savvy has been a stand out since she was 3 weeks old. She has great human motivation, nerve strength, confidence and a strong desire to please. The one caveat with her is she needs very respectful handling. She is very respectful of your space and expects you to be respectful of hers. She is not a sit in your lap and cuddle girl, but rather a sit beside you for cuddles.
Ideally Suited For: Family Life, Performance Home
Swashie is a bit of a softie at times, but is HIGHLY toy and food motivated. She is a super fun puppy with great workability. She will do well in most homes. Whether you want to get out for a hike or just hang out on the couch, she is your girl.
Ideally Suited For: Family Life, Performance Home
Grace is a great middle of the road puppy that typically make excellent family companions. She has good confidence and nerve strength. Great human focus and motivation. She is down for pretty much anything.
Ideally Suited For: Family Life
Well Suited For: Classroom Dog
Most Challenging: Service Dog/ Performance/ Hunting/ ESA/ Therapy Dog
Jack’s results were a little surprising to us. He is typically one of the FIRST puppies to engage in new activities and do things, but seeing him test yesterday really affirms “the why” this tests matters. Jack is perfectly suited for the life of a beloved family pet. He wants to be with people and engage with them. He definitely requires trust be build and respected. A slow and let him do things at his own pace introduction to new things is highly encouraged.
Ideally Suited For: Service Prospect, Hunting, Performance, Active Family Life
Well Suited For: Family Life, ESA, Therapy Dog
Mary is a cool puppy. She isn’t constantly demanding attention and needing human engagement, but she is super motivated to work when asked to. Nice moderate energy level with just enough intensity. She is HIGHLY nose oriented. During the temper tantrum, she actually went to sniff Lesli, and decided that it was a fake and moved on with her life. It was a really cool thing to watch.
Ideally Suited For: Quiet Family Life
Anne is a very soft puppy. As you can see in her video, we actually had to enlist the help of one of her siblings to get her to open up. She is definitely the right dog if you are “looking for a dog for your dog”. She looks to other dogs for confidence and to guide her. She lacks in people motivation and its definitely an “on her terms” situation. Interactions with her MUST be respectful. She will really benefit from early and consistent expectations, outings and rules.
Ideally Suited For: Service Prospect, Hunting, Performance, Active Family Life
Well Suited For: Family Life, ESA, Therapy Dog
Buccaneer is right up there with Savvy and Mary. She is confident, eager to please, motivated and more assertive than Savvy. She is tenderhearted, so PTSD/Depression work is not recommended for her. Some light ESA/Therapy work would be perfectly find.
Picks will be done in order of deposit received/commitment to the litter. As a reminder, the order is as follows.
Jada McClure
Halaina Bladey
Natalie Stewart
Callisto Warner
Rebecca Oosterwyk
Maya Lorey
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.
