Nature vs. Nurture

We have witnessed, time and time again, how informing a family of the nature of a puppy will help them tremendously with the specific training needs of that puppy. All puppies are different. Within a litter of 8 puppies, we will have puppies that have a more assertive nature, puppies with a balanced nature and puppies with a more submissive nature. With proper nurture from their new families, any of those puppies would be the perfect family companion. More assertive puppies require steady boundaries and steady praise/correction. Balanced puppies require an equal amount of praise and correction with consistency. More submissive puppies require a lot of love and cuddles to give confidence to come out of their shell. No matter the nature of the puppy, with the correct nurturing the puppy will be a very balanced and wonderful member of your family.

We have many families in need of a service dog and knowing the nature of a puppy helps us determine the most successful service dog candidates when they are very young.

In order to determine the nature of a puppy, we as breeders have to SPEND TIME with the litter. Hours per day, every single day from the day they are born. It’s the only way to do it right. We give our puppies a lot of time and touches, we know them inside and out by the time they are ready to go to their new families. This helps us be able to let you make a very informed decision when you’re picking out your puppy.

Another tool we use is aptitude testing. When puppies are 7 weeks old, we put each of them through 10 exercises and score them on how they complete each exercise. It’s not an absolute, definitive answer to their specific nature but it’s a helpful tool we use. All of our puppies go through this testing and we’ve found it to be beneficial. It’s called the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test.

If you choose to get a puppy from us, we’ll make sure you’re very well informed as they grow and we’ll give you specific tips on the puppy you choose to help nurture them into the perfect companion for you and your family.

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