Our litter of English Shepherds is growing up fast and will be ready to start going home Monday, March 31! It doesn't seem like it has been eight weeks yet, but they have been steadily growing in stature and confidence! Here they are, with descriptions based on our observations and their Volhard temperament test. If you are interested in a puppy, please contact me through the form here: Contact us. For more information on how we raise our puppies, please see our posts on how we help with pre-housebreaking, Pat Schaap's Rule of Sevens as well as this information on neurological stimulation. I will try to get some video up of them playing in their play area soon!
We were blessed with five tri-colored pups and five sable. So without further ado, the puppies:
First up is little Erika.
Erika (now Nala) is home with her new family!
She's a pretty gentle soul, eager to please and happy to accompany you wherever you wish to go. Curious and playful, she's been one of the children's favorites from the beginning. She has a lot of energy and will need a job to keep her alert mind busy.
And look at that cute little tail. When she gets a little older, I'm sure that whole backside will wag with happiness, just like her mother's! It is a naturally bobbed tail.
Next up is Susan. Fortunately, she loves to snuggle, because who could resist?
Susan (now Rosie) has gone home to Pennsylvania. Congratulations, Craig!
Susan is loyal and confident, staying with us for chores and trotting along behind us almost anywhere we go on the property. For the past few days, we have been taking the puppies out on their own to explore, and she will go the furthest before wanting to return to the safety of the litter. She walks nicely at your side or a little behind. She likes to sniff everything, but comes right away when called. Her Volhard testing indicates a pup with maybe a little more energy and a little more drive than her sister, Erika, but she has a definite "off" button. She reminds me a bit of her mother in that she likes to lay down somewhere with a good vantage point to watch what is going on but becomes quite animated as soon as something interesting happens or when she is called.
She also has a naturally bobbed tail, but it isn't as short as the last picture makes it appear. She's holding her tail off to the side there. You can get a better idea of the length from the side view.
Lucy is also quite the sweetie pie. Lucy is reserved.
Lucy is another fairly laid back puppy. She is eager to please, loves her people, is good with the other animals and just loves to play. She likes tagging along for chores and investigating every scent. She is calm around the poultry and is quietly curious and will follow them around but has not shown any inclination to chase them. She's energetic, biddable and would definitely benefit from a job to do with her energy and intelligence.
And you can see how well she pays attention to her people. My daughter is just off camera in each of these shots and little Lucy watches intently to see what to do next.
Edmund has gone home to his family just around the corner (OK, a couple of corners, but still close enough for a visit!)
He's a little more independent than his sisters, but is eager to play. He loves fetch, the slide in the puppy playground and the little teeter totter. He's also pretty sure the guinea fowl should not be up on the retaining wall squawking down at him, but he isn't sure what to do about it just yet. For now, he just watches them intently. He has shown no inclination toward chasing the poultry (including those pesky guineas) when he is out of the puppy pen. He would like a home where he can put his energy to good use. So far, he is pretty motivated by play time and comes running at the sight of new objects to explore or someone who looks willing to play fetch.
Thomas is a cuddler. A lover. Definitely a very good lap warmer after a hard day of playing. Especially since he found that hill every bit as much fun as Edmund said it was.
Thomas is playful and curious, but not as assertive in the litter as some of the other puppies. He is happy to play and readily explores new places. He makes himself at home pretty quickly wherever we take him and seems to gain his confidence from being at our side. The notes on his Volhard test indicate that the tester had a hard time getting him interested in fetch because he just wanted to crawl in her lap to be petted. I think Thomas will be a dog motivated by praise and affection and will likely love to tag along anywhere he can meet people.
Mariposa is a pretty laid back young lady. Mariposa is tentatively reserved, but we will take your name if you are interested in her until we have a firm commitment.
She has a gentle disposition to accompany that curious look. She is easily redirected and is happiest when invited to do whatever you are doing. She scored pretty solid 4's on her Volhard test, which generally indicates a calm, friendly dog without any desire to rise above her humans in the "pack" order. She should be easy to train, sociable and a fun dog to be with as she will most likely use her intelligence to figure out how to please you.
Peter has those eyes that seem to look right into your soul.
Peter has found his forever home. Congratulations!
He's a very curious little guy, always up for a game. He's confident around the poultry, and shows a little higher drive than some of his littermates. He will definitely need a job to do, and a firm, but gentle leader to help him direct his energy toward constructive outlets.
These pictures don't show it as well, but he does have a long tail, tipped with white.
Surge is an energetic boy, living up to his name.
Surge is curious, playful and always on the go. He loves to run with the children and is game for anything from stroller rides to sliding down the slide. His temperament test showed pretty solid threes, which is generally an energetic dog with a desire to work. He will do best in a home with an outlet for his mental and physical energy. He would like some stock to look out for, a dog sport to learn or an active family to keep him busy!
Paul is also an energetic boy with a lot of confidence.
Paul is an energetic puppy with a lot of drive. He is very playful, loves accompanying us for chores and is good with the poultry. He is good with our children and loves racing around his little playground, sliding down his slide, running through his tunnel and playing with the other equpimpent we've put out for the pups to explore. He has been introduced to our cattle, minihorse, cats and a variety of poultry. He is curious but has not shown any inclination to chase. He would prefer a home where he has some stock to protect or a very active family where he can join in the fun.
Grimalkin is a lot like his brother Paul. And he has found a home and earned a new name: Adonis Wolfirik.
Grimalkin (Now Adonis) has gone home. Congratulations, Sophie! He is looking forward to running off those pesky predators, looking out for his poultry flock and joining his new mom as a running buddy!
He loves to play, especially anything high energy. He likes to chase toys, pounce on the teeter totter and explore new things in his environment. He is still young, but I see some guardian instincts in him. He is one of the more vocal puppies and was the first to find his bark. When mom and dad go out to bark at coyotes, he will sometimes add in his two cents from the safety of his bed. And when the puppies were first moved downstairs, he would bark at the guineas. Once they were old enough to be let outside, he accepted the guineas and their noise fine. He spends a lot of time watching them from his side of the fence, but he doesn't bother them or chase them when he is out and approached with curiosity when one jumped in the puppy pen. These are good instincts when you have stock or boundaries that need to be protected, but he will likely not do as well in an urban or suburban environment since he is more vocal. He is brave little pup and didn't retreat when the goose hissed at him (it was safe behind a fence) and wasn't bothered by the cow licking him. He will also need a good leader who can help him direct his energy toward something constructive and continue his socialization so he learns all the wonderfully helpful things an English Shepherd can do with all thar energy!
The mattress is there because Mouse sleeps with her beloved Faithfull until she starts delivering. Last year, Faithfull woke her up by laying a newly born puppy on her! As soon as things got started, the mattress moved out so Faithfull and her puppies could have plenty of room.
And it didn't take long at all before puppy number one came along.
And number two.
And number three.
And numbers four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and finally ten!
And for all that work, mama defnitely deserved a little nap with her newborns.
Marley, the papa of the litter, so wanted to know what was going on in that box. Everyone was paying so much attention to those squirmy, squeaky things, he knew it had to be something special.
But alas, Faithfull is a good mama and not quite ready to share her litter. Her people are allowed to touch. And to fall in love.
But for now, Papa has to wait.
I will post more about English Shepherds and how we raise our puppies later, but for those who are interested in more information, this is a link to our