Puppy Personality Profiles (4/22)

I am frequently asked: “What can you tell me about _____ puppy?” It is an obvious and normal question to ask. My family and I are around the puppies all the time, so we are the “experts”. Usually, people can come out and get to know the puppies in advance, but since it is not legally possible to have people over to play with the puppies this year, I have decided to help in the best way possible.

I am posting “Puppy Personality Profiles” along with individual pictures and videos so you can see the puppies on their own.

Up Front Caveat: I try to encourage families to adopt puppies who have a similar personality to their own, but there is never a certainty. I can usually help people avoid complete opposites, but it is hard to know how a puppy will develop in each individual scenario. Families who like to sit on a couch and watch TV for hours and hours, should not adopt a dog that needs to run and run for hours and hours. (Well, maybe they should, but that’s a different topic.)
 

When people come to select a puppy, one of the greatest deciders seems to be which puppy is most quickly drawn to snuggling or playing with that family. Puppies I feel would be good fits are sometimes napping, and thus overlooked. If I really think there will be a dramatic difference, I’ll bring it up, but most 2-month-old puppies are very similar. Coat color, coat curliness, face shape and size, and other purely physical features are the most obvious points of differentiation.
 

With all of this in mind, I am going to do my best to give you some information on each puppy. I value my 11-year-old daughter’s opinion as well. Next to me, she spends the most time with each individual puppy. She is my “puppy whisperer.” My 14-year-old son loves the puppies too, but his attention gets back to playing soccer quickly.

I had each of us take an online survey about each puppy. We answered the questions independently, and then I averaged the results and those are what I will show you.
 

My wife, the scientist, is concerned I didn’t get a big enough sample size for the survey results; I am, however, just a computer nerd so I thought the online survey was “fun.” I hope this helps!

==>>Here is the link to the Puppy Personality Profiles: (CLICK HERE)

Selections and Pickup Appointments (Monday 4/20)

As of yesterday, I have now set up appointments with everyone on our reservation list. I have one remaining puppy available, and I have begun contacting people on our waiting list. I will update this list as I find that last person.

I will also update this list as quickly as I can with which puppy has been adopted, so other people on the list will know what to expect.

Here is our current Reservation list, and preferred puppy gender (and Selection Date/Time)

Reservation List
1: Jim C      - Girl            5/1 @ 12:00 PM
2: Leanne S - Girl           5/1 @ 1:00 PM
3: Erin F.     - Girl/Boy    5/1 @ 2:00 PM
4: Mike T    - Girl            5/2 @ 9:00 AM
5: Kasey E   - Girl            5/2 @ 10:00 AM
6: Scott G    - Girl            5/2 @ 11:00 AM
7: Amber F  - Boy/Girl    5/2 @ 12:00 PM
8: Suzanne P - Boy           5/2 @ 1:00 PM
9: Kim D.   - Boy/Girl   5/2 @ 2:00 PM


I am spending much of today editing video and pictures for the "Puppy Personality Profiles" describing each puppy in a little further detail. I'll post them here when they are ready.

Thanks!

The Puppies Are Now Five Weeks Old!!! (4/15)

OK. First of all, what's up with this snow? I really wanted to get the puppies outside to romp around in the tall grass and get some cute videos. Nope!

The puppies are acting just like my kids - they need to get out and run!! As I look at the upcoming weather, it looks like this weekend will be a decent chance to get out and do some serious running. Stay tuned.

I do have some pictures I took today as my daughter and I were cleaning their bedding, but it's just not the same. Before the pictures, here are a few updates:

• I have the Vet check-up scheduled for 10:30 on Friday May 1st. That is the final step in making sure they are all ready to go to their new homes. Assuming there are no problems, and I certainly don't have any concerns, the puppies will be ready for pick up starting that Friday afternoon. I'll be contacting people on our Reservation list (from the top down) to set up appointments. If you are on the list, I'll be in touch over the next handful of days to try to schedule a pickup. 
• Scheduling the Vet day made me realize I can't count. That first weekend in May will be the puppies' 7 1/2 week birthday, not their 8th week. It truly won't matter for the maturity of the pups, and they will still be fully vaccinated and de-wormed and micro-chipped, but I honestly though it would be week 8. I'm better at raising puppies than I am at counting to 8!
• With this weekend's break in the winter weather, I am hoping to give a good "expose" of each puppy and some details about their observed behavior. I'm hoping this will help you narrow down the decisions in your mind so you will have less frustration come pick-up day. I've helped families make these tough decisions for years, and I know it's not easy. I'll do my best to help since the Governor won't be letting us meet before the end of the month. 
• When I am able to post the videos and the info on each puppy, my recommendation is to consider which puppies won't be the best match for you or your family's needs. It's kind of like voting people off the island, but, for example, if you REALLY want curly hair on your puppy, there will probably be 1 or 2 with hair that will be straighter, and eliminating them from consideration will be helpful to you.
• Following the wise precautions of staying home and staying safe - and assuming the weather will cooperate on the first weekend in May - we will do all of the pick up process outside. That will give everyone room to maneuver and be safest.
• I'm sure I'll have more updates as we get even closer.

OK. On to the pictures:

We send each puppy home with a handmade fleece toy. It is a soft, chew-able, machine-washable toy that is made by a school friend of my children. You'll see a green one and a red one in these pictures. The puppies love them and usually start tug-of-war with them.

A bunch of puppies fighting over the green toy

Miss Red chewing the far end of the red toy, and Miss White (I think) chewing the near end.

Miss Purple, waiting for my daughter to pick her up

Miss Blue standing calmly in the midst of turmoil

Mr. Black wondering why I'm not picking him up to snuggle!

One of the training things we do is to hold each puppy safely and securely in our arms while they are on their backs. It is such an unnatural position for them, learning not to be afraid helps them improve their submission to humans as they learn to trust people more and more.

Miss Red taking a break from being the center of attention

Let's End the Day With a Video!!

I had a tough day at the office today. In between Zoom meetings and answering emails, etc., I found just a little time to enjoy the sun with the puppies. They loved it - I looked for sunscreen!

Here is the video I promised:


Here are a couple of pictures of some friends walking down the street to pet the puppies:

The puppies wanted to play with the "Guy from The City" who drove by and said "Hello"

But, basically, it was a quiet day for the puppies... and me!

Some liked the warm shade, and others were happy in the hot sun

Adorable Puppy Update! (4/8)

Penny (Mom) came down with a mild eye-infection. That meant we stayed in the Vet's parking lot while someone in a hazmat suit came out and took Penny inside for a check up. The verdict was an eye infection, probably originated by a scratch from a puppy or a hair caught under the eye lid. Nothing major - BUT, because she is a nursing Mom, we had a choice to make.

The only way to give Penny the medicine she needed, was to not let her nurse any longer. The medicine wouldn't be good for the puppies. So, on the advice of the Vet, we started weaning the puppies about 3 days earlier than normal. Again, nothing major.

Doggy Moms always have a huge task in front of them. They feed their puppies almost every 2 hours every single day for weeks and weeks. They clean the puppies regularly, "talk" to them - which sounds more like a whine with some Moms (I'm looking at YOU, Penny!) - and generally worry about their puppies whenever they hear a loud noise or smell some animal outside.

After 4 weeks of this, most Dog Moms start to lose interest. It is incredibly common, and expected. The puppies nurse aggressively and relentlessly. The puppies' teeth start coming in, and their claws get sharper, and BOOM!, Momma looks at me and says "Tag, you're it!" This almost always happens about 4 to 4 1/2 weeks after the puppies are born. This is the time we start adding food to their diet.

We start with dry kibble blended with water to an almost liquid consistency. Editor's Note: We use Purina Puppy Chow for our food, as it has provided the basic core nutrients to puppies for generations at a reasonable price, and without controversially adding - or subtracting - ingredients in an effort to be trendy. There are MANY wonderful dog foods out there, and I am not going to tell you that you have to use one you can only get from me, at a ridiculous mark-up. I send each puppy home with a bag of food and you may feel free to use that to transition the puppy to your preferred food - or just keep it as a bonus bag of food. Transitions work well, and everyone is happy!

Over the next few weeks, as the puppies get more used to "normal" food, and their teeth become stronger, I slowly thicken the food from "liquid," to "honey," to "wet, soft, and whole," to fully dry kibble. I am able to monitor their transition and I keep an eye on their weights to make sure they are growing as expected.

This process usually goes until about 7 weeks. Week 7 is the time the puppies are juuust about ready to go home. (Some breeders do send their puppies home at this stage.) We use week 7 to schedule a Vet check, get the full set of vaccines administered, micro-chip the puppies, and make sure everything is going as it should.

As we've talked, or I've written, this year is a little bit unusual. It doesn't look as though we will be able to have face-to-face play time with the puppies prior to final pick up. I have some ideas on how to provide the best interaction possible, under the circumstances, but I'd love to hear what would make you feel most comfortable.

I am planning to have extensive one-on-one video time with each puppy so you can see a little about how they play and interact with others. I'm planning to describe their observed personalities - usually as described by my 11 year-old daughter, and I'm open to other ideas. If you have an idea, or something I should consider, please drop me an email or text and I'll see what I can do.

I'm hearing voices yelling: "ENOUGH WORDS! MORE PICTURES!!"

Here we go:
You might notice that in some of the pictures, the puppies look like they have "greasy" hair. This is due to Penny spending less time grooming them. Over the next week, the puppies' own, natural, oils will start functioning, and once we give the puppies a good wash, their hair gets back to "normal". No worries!

First "real" food. Mostly water and blended kibble

Penny making sure I haven't hurt her puppies!

Inquisitive Mr. Black

Miss Red: "What are YOU looking at?"

Miss Green and Miss White are trying to figure out how to get to my glove...

Mr. Orange playing "Tag"

Miss Purple

Miss Blue about to charge at me!

Mr. Black trying to figure out how to climb over the fence

Reservation and Wait List Update (Saturday 4/4)

The cuteness is in the next post down. This is just detail-type stuff.

As of today, April 4, we have stopped accepting names for our puppies. Due to the issues going on, we took a few more names than the number of puppies we have, but I know there is a chance someone will not be able/willing to adopt a puppy when their option is available - and that is OK.

I don't expect 4 or 5 people to not complete adoptions, but I also never expected any of this quarantine stuff...

Here is our current Reservation list, and preferred puppy gender

Reservation List
1: Jim C      - Girl
2: Leanne S - Girl
3: Erin F.     - Girl/Boy
4: Mike T    - Girl
5: Kasey E   - Girl
6: Scott G    - Girl
7: Amber F  - Boy/Girl
8: Suzanne P - Boy
9: A.C.         - Boy/Girl

Ladies and Gentlemen! I'm Pleased to Introduce... The Puppies!!!!!!

Maybe I'm getting a little Quarantine Crazy, or just Cabin Fever - or it's just a beautiful sunny day and I wanted to be outside. Whatever the cause, we decided to take the puppies outside for their first time in the big outdoors.

With each litter, this is one of my favorite days. To see these precious little balls of fur touch grass for the first time and feel the warmth of the sun... well, its just a great day.

If you're just getting here, you may be too late. As of 4/1 we had a full reservation list and names on a wait list - in case something happens.

For those who know why you are here, I took hundreds of pictures today, and here are some of the best. You can always tap/click on a picture and it will get bigger, and maybe easier to see.
Helpful hint: Ignore the funny looking guy in red...

Let's start with Miss Gray:
 

She loved the feel of the sun

Mommy checking in on her puppy

Miss Green:

She has a pretty, curly coat

There's Mommy again

Sisters in the sun

Mr. Orange:

It looked like he had something to say, but he never figured it out

Miss Blue: I think she has the curliest coat in the litter. She has been the smallest, and loves to watch everything that is going on. She's fun to watch.

It almost looks like she has a ring around her right eye, but that is just a trick of the lighting.

Miss Red: With her white beard and chest, and a smear of white on her head, she is a strikingly attractive puppy.

Mr. Black:

Miss White:

Her eyes look small, but they are fine. She is very attentive

Miss Blue helping Miss White to learn about the grass

Mr. Yellow: His coat is fairly straight, although I would expect it to be more "wavy" as he matures. He has a nice patch of white fur on his chest, and he is very playful.

Just like Mr. Orange, Mr. Yellow kept his mouth open as if to start talking.

Miss Purple:

And here are a few "extra" pictures of our day:

Miss White

Feel the sunshine!!

My daughter having some puppy time