Pupdate: Lola x Finn Summer/Fall 2023 It is Time To Pick Your Puppy!!!!
It seems like just yesterday you were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the newest litter at Valaurah Farms, but time has a way of slipping through our fingers faster than we can grasp it. Now, here we are, already at the moment when you must make the significant decision of choosing your precious poodle puppy. From the first tentative wobbles on unsteady legs to the playful antics that have become a cherished part of our day, the time has come to embark on this exciting chapter of welcoming your newest family member into your loving home. As the clock ticks, it's time to take a deep breath, trust your instincts, and make the choice that will forever change your life for the better.
Due to my internet connectivity issues and the anticipated amount of time, I think it will take to upload all the videos/write this pupdate, we are going to test just a teensy bit early. This won’t have a HUGE effect on the outcome, but there may be a little extra reserved-ness, shorter attention span, or slightly longer warm-up time exhibited by the puppies. This isn’t something to be hugely alarmed about but is just something to keep in mind with the nature of the testing just a little earlier.
This is a VERY LONG pupdate and has tons of great information. Please take your time and read through everything carefully. There is currently three reservation spaces available, it is anticipated there will be 1 female & 2 males available. Once all deposit holders have made their selections, we will update the Available Puppies page of our website.
We have gathered all the data available to us at this time and have tabulated it on our spreadsheet. Just like the last time I did this pairing, I am blown away by how mild-mannered, empathetic, and gentle these puppies are. These babies are the epitome of “What Is A Standard Poodle”. They are biddable, athletic, intelligent, and adaptable. Oh and beautiful! There is seriously not a “bad pick” in the bunch.
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 “WOAHH, 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.
Prey Drive - 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.
Females
Lavender Haze
Best Suited For: Quieter homes with Adult/Teenage Children, Homes with a Retired Couple, Home with young, respectful kids
Well Suited For: Most Average Pet Homes, Show Prospect?,
Most Challenging: Agility and/or Obedience Sport Home, Facility Dog, Hunting Prospect
Lavender Haze is a little more independent and calmer than many of her siblings. She approaches life a little more cautiously and slower. She loves to snuggle, but tends to be more the kind who wants to sit NEXT to you, as opposed to in your lap. She is extremely polite in her approach to both humans and other animals, waiting for permission before just BARRELLING into new situations.
Betty
Best Suited For: Service Dog, Therapy Dog, Family Pet, Classroom/Facility Dog, Sport Prospect
Well Suited For: Hunting/Retrieval Work, Homes with Young Kids, Home with No Kids, Home with Adult Kids, Retired Couples
Betty is the kinda girl who needs a job. She is EXTREMELY human motivated and human focused, but she is only somewhat tenderhearted, which makes her a nice option as a service dog.
This is the type of girl who would make a great diabetic alert dog or potentially a seizure alert dog. She is resilient, confident, and motivated.
Anti-Hero
Best Suited For: Nose/Scent Related Activities, Family Pet for All Types of Families, Classroom Facility Dog (with Respectful Kids/Patients)
Well Suited For: Hunting/Retrieval Work, Homes with Young Kids, Home with No Kids, Home with Adult Kids, Retired Couples
Anti-hero is a softer girl with a nice laid back disposition. She requires easy corrections and is very biddable. She has a moderate amount of confidence, but when she does become unsure, she possess great resiliency and recovers quickly and easily from “scary” situations. She really enjoys nosework activities, which are also great confidence boosters. She is tenderhearted, but not exceedingly. She is also not very human assertive, making her a nice and polite addition.
Males
Enchanted
Best Suited For: Hunting, Upland/Water Retrieval, Shed Hunt, Show Prospect, Energetic Family
Well Suited For: Dog Sport Family, Therapy Work
Most Challenging: Quiet Families with Lower Energy Expenditures,
Enchanted is an energetic boy with a lot of motivation and desire to please. He is not tenderhearted and just keeps on going pretty much no matter what happens.
He will be a boy up for most anything and will LOVE having a job and a lot of training activity. He could use a little bit more intensity, but his strong desire to please will get him engaged.
Fearless
Best Suited For: Service Dog, Therapy Dog, Family Pet, Classroom/Facility Dog, Sport Prospect
Well Suited For: Hunting/Retrieval Work, Homes with Young Kids, Home with No Kids, Home with Adult Kids, Retired Couples
Fearless needs a job. He is EXTREMELY human motivated and human focused, He is only somewhat tenderhearted, which makes him a nice option as a service dog, provided the emotional stability is relatively consistent in his regular home environment.
This is the type of dog who would make a great diabetic alert dog or potentially a seizure alert dog. He is resilient, confident, and motivated.
Lover
Best Suited For: Quieter homes with Adult/Teenage Children, Homes with a Retired Couple, Home with young, respectful kids
Well Suited For: Most Average Pet Homes, Show Prospect?,
Most Challenging: Agility and/or Obedience Sport Home, Facility Dog, Hunting Prospect
Lover is a very polite, human focused boy. He has a great big heart and will do best in environments that have stable emotions. He could use a little more confidence, but he has great nerve strength and resiliency to help him overcome new situations. This little boy would make a great companion for most average families.
Tim McGraw
Best Suited For: Service Dog, Therapy Dog, Family Pet, Classroom/Facility Dog, Sport Prospect, Quieter homes with Adult/Teenage Children, Homes with a Retired Couple, Home with young, respectful kids
Well Suited For: Most Average Pet Homes, Show Prospect?,
Most Challenging: Agility and/or Obedience Sport Home, Facility Dog, Hunting Prospect
So Tim McGraw’s test I don’t think is as accurate as it could have been. He was the 2nd puppy tested and it WAS HOT where we did our testing. He kept trying to run to a shaded place, making his results for Assertiveness and Human Focus very skewed. After I did his test and realized he was running to the shade because of the heat, I changed our testing location for all the remaining puppies.
Tim McGraw has traditionally exhibited STRONG human focus with a lot of motivation. He is not a very intense boy, but he is faithful. He is the kinda boy who is just always by your side. He is on the calmer side and does not require nearly as high of an energy expenditure as some other puppies do.
Red
Best Suited For: Service Dog, Therapy Dog, Family Pet, Classroom/Facility Dog, Sport Prospect
Well Suited For: Hunting/Retrieval Work, Homes with Young Kids, Home with No Kids, Home with Adult Kids, Retired Couples
Red who needs a job. He is EXTREMELY human motivated and human focused, He is tenderhearted, so service work as a PTSD companion may not be his ideal situation, but task oriented, deep pressure therapy and other service work could be right up his alley. He would also make a great diabetic alert dog.
This is the type of dog who would make a great diabetic alert dog or potentially a seizure alert dog. He is resilient, confident, and motivated.
Photo Albums
Picks will be done in order of deposit received/commitment to the litter. As a reminder, the order is as follows.
Valaurah Farms (Male)
Emma Natalie
Tehila Kwalwasser
Susan Kelly
Open
Open
Open
Open
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 Lemonade, 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 begin marking them as unavailable on the master list. I will also make announcements on the Valaurah Farms Facebook and Instagram as well regarding chosen puppies.
·If out of state, make sure you have made travel arrangements and communicated them to me. Keep Lookout for a Follow-Up E-mail Regarding travel requirements.
·Please send me the details you would like listed on the Microchip
Don’t forget to get your crate, toys and other goodies ready.
·Time to puppy-proof your house.
·Order your Baxter & Bella Lifetime Subscription. Use Promo Code VALAURAHFARMS to receive 25% off the subscription cost.
·Schedule your vet appointment for within 72 hours of receiving your puppy.
·Stay Tuned for More Pup-dates and Additional Communication
