06/18/2023
Copying this caption from our Instagram post last week, but updated it with fresh off the press 7 week photos!
As of now, we still have one male available from this litter. I would love for him to go to someone interested in showing OR based in Ottawa or Toronto as I think there’s a lot of potential for him but I’d also be happy for him to just go to a loving home anywhere! If you know of anyone interested in a lovely boy, please feel free to reach out.
As a responsible and ethical breeder, my priorities are to focus on temperament, health, and structure, in that order.
Structure is a description of how well the dog is put together from a musculoskeletal perspective and how well it fits into the breed description. There are a few characteristics that are generally ideal amongst most breeds, as a well-structured dog means that they will have a lower chance of injuries as they age.
We evaluate structure by “stacking” the puppies - putting them into a square stance and looking at their direct profile view.
I have been stacking these puppies since they were 3.5 weeks old and comparing them as they develop over the weeks to identify which puppy would be the best candidate to be a conformation/show prospect and potentially being part of the breeding pool, depending if they pass all their health evaluations when they turn two years old. Here’s a glimpse of what they look like right now at 7 weeks!
It must be noted that while week 4-7 stacked photos are helpful in giving you a clue as to which puppies to keep an eye on, it’s generally accepted that week 8 is the *best* age to evaluate them, as they will look most like what they will look like as an adult, from a proportion perspective. Before and after week 8, the puppies go through what we call “puppy uglies”, as different parts of their bodies go through different developmental phases and they look a bit disproportionate.
The pups are still looking a bit leggy in these photos but these are definitely an improvement over last week. I’m also thrilled that they are EXCITED to be stacked! Can you spot the wagging tails?? Can’t wait for the final stacked photos next week!
