Buying A Puppy From Flood Farm
As a family pet, everyone wants pretty much the same thing from their puppy. People are looking for dogs that are not too difficult to train or control. They want dogs that are fun and energetic for family playtime or activities; but they also want the same dog to be relaxed and calm in the house. When buying a puppy, it can be difficult to predict which pup will grow up to become that kind of dog. But there are three things you can do to give yourself the best chance of buying a puppy that will be a reliable companion for years to come.
Meeting the Parents
Like people, each puppy is born with its own personality. Some are bold and confident; others are more reserved and cautious. The most important thing you can do when buying a puppy is to meet the parents. Their individual personalities will give you a good understanding of what your future puppy might be like. Here at Flood Farm, people love to meet our dogs and we love for them to meet our dogs as well.
Our sire Kipper is, by nature, loving and willing to please, fun, playful, calm, and confident. He can be trusted around children and other animals. It is because of Kipper's natural temperament that the first thing people notice about Kipper's puppies is that they aren’t as boisterous and squirmy as most German Shepherd puppies. They have a willing and playful nature, but their energy isn’t uncontrolled.
Aptitude and Temperament Testing
Flood Farm does temperament testing when pups are seven weeks old. We use the Volhard Puppy Aptitude test, which looks at things like dominance, willingness to serve, sensitivity and stability. This helps us place our puppies in homes where we feel that they will naturally succeed. Quite typically though, Kipper's puppies land in the middle of the Volhard scoring spectrum. This means they’re generally good with people and are often the star of the obedience class.
A Solid Training Foundation
When you’re buying a puppy, you’re making a commitment to take over its education from the breeder. This means you must make a commitment to training your dog. While we lay the foundation for your success, you must continue the work to ensure your puppy becomes a well-adjusted and well behaved companion.
From their first weeks of life at the farm, we carefully condition and socialize pups. This deliberate handling involves things like holding the puppy on his back, handling toes and ears, and gently massaging his gums. Conditioned to accept this kind of handling, the puppy is much easier to handle as an adult, especially when it comes to grooming and vet visits.
We also teach them basic commands such as ‘come’ and ‘sit’. And they are exposed to a variety of people, other animals, travel and loud noises. Puppies learn very quickly. Especially when treats are involved. Most of their rewards, however, are just praise and affection – that’s a real tail-wagger for these puppies. This early training and conditioning makes buying a puppy less daunting. You can be sure that you’re getting a puppy that has been shown love from day one and conditioned to be comfortable around people with a good training foundation.
