Temperament Testing And What We Have Learnt

I have found that when we did temperament testing on our 7 week old pups that all had the same results. All too often it looked liked like I tested one pup and gave its marks to all its siblings but it just wasn’t so. The reason I truly believe the results of each pup at 7 weeks were always so closely matched is due to the handling, assertive leadership and love each pup has received from birth. The ONLY difference we find in each pup is a certain degree in their energy levels, we discuss these levels below. All our pups are playful and eager to spend time with us but some like to lie on our laps instead of chasing a ball over and over again. So now I'm confident to do my testing based on each pup’s energy level....not its temperament because all our pups leave here with the same eager to please, wanting to cuddle submissive temperament that all pups need to start off with. I do allow picking to start right from birth and if the energy level isn't what a family wants then they can choose to move to the next litter. We have never had a family move to another litter after the pups reach 7 weeks old because they wanted a lap pup but there's turned out to be high energy. More about our energy rating can be found below.

The dominant pup that families stay away from will not be found here and if it is then we ourselves failed that pup and it becomes our responsibility to correct it and get it back on track. If by chance we see one acting dominate then we step in and take control. No pup will be allowed to leave here until they realize that we as humans are their pack leaders. BUT the dominate trait never leaves ANY pup/dog. Dominance can be set in after the new family brings home their pup and allows it to pretty much get away with anything because they are small, fluffy and OHHH so cute. At our house we show our dominance and the pups learn very fast that we are the pack leaders and they are the submissive followers. But they still need a leader outside our home because in their minds If there is no leader then they must step up and become the dominate figure for their pack (your whole family). Asserting your dominance does not in any way mean hurting the pup or causing it harm. Hitting, slapping, kicking, screaming, spanking all mean on thing to a pup/dog, pain and this only sets up fear in the pup/dog and makes it leery of you and you end up losing your pup/dogs confidence in you. You need to become a dominate leader before you bring a pup into your home.

I am telling all families this because I feel some breeders are misleading when it comes to telling a family what that cute pup on the computer screen is like in person. Just because the pup you get is a little dream dog doesn't mean you do not have to work at keeping him/her this way.

Even if you don't get your pup from us make sure the one you are getting has been taught proper puppy manners and pack rules before it enters your home....or else you will have to show this pup you are the leader once you are home and this can take a couple weeks to a few months to gain.

Raising Our Pups and Asserting Our Leadership Role.

Birth to 4 weeks - pups are handled by me or my husband and by our children when we are around to watch. We do not pamper the pups by being very quiet around them, we want them use to every day house hold noise. The main caregiver is the Mother, and she is the one we pamper the most at this time.

4 weeks to 6 weeks - our pups are started on mash and are finger feed for the first 3-4 days. Each pup smells our scent while eating off our fingers and this shows them that we are providing them with food. This helps to start that leadership role we want to express to them. We handle the pups a lot more at this time. They are brought into our family room for play and training. We place the pups on their backs, play in their mouths, with their paws we gently pull on their tails, we hold them in a pinning position and release once they settle, we do not allow nipping of us or to each other. We welcome pups onto our laps but only if we invite them. All of this is done out of love and it is because we want the best for them. Spoiling is very easy but it has to be done on our terms because we are setting up a pecking order that they need to submit to.

7 weeks to leaving - we start to train pups to go outside (weather permitting). Each pup takes naps alone in a kennel so they become familiar with being alone and a kennel. We teach our pups to be aware of their area by placing large objects like baskets in their play area and by going up one stair that is connected to our family room and kitchen. We make loud sudden sounds and use other items such as umbrellas to teach them to trust and not to fear loud noises or unfamiliar items. This builds confidence and at the same time we still teaching the techniques from our 5-6 weeks lessons.

All that we do to bring these pups up right is why they score the same in temperaments. This is the reason why we talk to owners about energy levels now instead of temperaments. The temperaments of our pups are loving, eager to please, confident, playful, ready to cuddle at all time, very social with strangers and able to fly without getting stressed.

My views on backyard breeders and outside kennels.

The problem with kennel pups not raised in the home is once the doors are closed to that kennel no one is around to stop litter mates from fighting and the litter then sets up their own pecking order. This is where you get pups who are dominate and pups that are submissive. Too many times I have gone by pet store windows and seen pups cowing in corners shaking with fear (submissive) or pups who are on top of another attacking it (dominate). These pups are showing that little time was spent with them to prepare them for the world outside their whelping box. Anyone can put two dogs together and house puppies till they are old enough to leave. But many times these are the dogs that end up in shelters.

Time and patience is what we put into all our pups to put them into another family’s home on the right paw. The important thing required is a buyer willing to set limits and continue to be the pack leader for there new family member. Like kids pets require and want leadership to grow up healthy.

What Makes Our Pups Testing Different?

Instead of showing pups with the same temperament testing results which they always end up with through our raising methods we now rate our pups by their energy levels on a scale of 1-10.

8-10 The Higher Energy pups tend to learn new things very fast when it comes to training, they are the type of pup that wants to learn everything and they love a challenge...i.e. the fly ball, agility types. The high energy dogs will play and play and play and as long as you are not doing the same thing for an extended time they will stay in tuned to you. High energy dogs are great at being rewarded with a toy or excited praise. They do not sit long with you but they still love to cuddle. They will squirm to get out of someone’s arms if held to long and they want to play. They do well with children 7 years and up because when they are pups they could easily squirm out of a child’s arms and end up falling. If you are looking for hiking or long walking partner then this would be a great pick....not typically suited for an older couple wanting a lap dog. Great dogs to keep kids 8-18 active, the kids will tire before their companion does.

4-7 The Average Energy pup tends to be right in the middle. They can sit and cuddle yet get up and go for a 2 hour hike in the woods. Most would make great Therapy dogs but not all have enough energy to run an agility course and stay in tuned to you. The tend to vary from day to day being either a great lad dog one day to wanting to go for a long walk the next. There attention span can wonder at times. They get the odd hyper fit typically after a bath or just out of the blue. They are great with any aged child but because our pups are small they still need to be watched when a child is holding them. We do recommend children sit to hold a puppy instead of walking around with it.

1-3 The Low Energy pups tend to make the best therapy dogs then running any agility course. They still love to play but will often give up half way and drop a ball when you are playing fetch together. Their attention span is wonderful but they often get bored and start to ignore you. These dogs tend to love treat rewards more then a tussle with a toy. They do make wonderful Therapy dogs because they love and live to cuddle up to you. They also love the spot light and really know how to work a crowd. They live to be petted, pampered and in your arms. This doesn't mean they will never get hyper but that it is short lived. These pups are wonderful for a retiring companion...they still will go for long walks. They are great with any aged kids but some kids may not enjoy them as much as the more playful High Energy pup.

*Remember that when you get a puppy they will all have energy to spare but as they get older they should fall into a certain category. We have carefully watched these pups for many hours and our results are formed from having raised pups pretty much all my life.

The above information is put together through my own research through years of experience with pups/dogs and specifically the type of pups we raise. This is basically my finding and our training methods.