March 20, 1999 Update from Tina

This is Tina's last update on these pups as they will be making their way to new homes later this week. We've enjoyed bringing you these updates on their progress and hope that you have as well. The previous updates will continue to be available.

We had a beautiful day for our 7 week temperament test. It was semi warm and sunny so that we were able to do each puppy outdoors. All (except for one independent male) passed their human interaction-sociability, elevation forgiveness-gun tests with flying colors. None of the pups seemed very interested in the ball or tug outside (probably due to the crisp wind and strange environment) it was a different story when they were back in the house!

Rear drive was excellent, even at this age! Fronts were good and broad! A few of the pups could use a bit more "leg" and wither to suit me--but I have to remind myself that there is no such thing as a "perfect" litter of pups! Just the size, bone, huge heads and confident stable temperaments make this an exceptional litter! The only surprise I got from them was in the submission department. I expected a lot more fight, but they averaged closer to medium-soft than hard. The longer they allow a stranger to hold them on their backs (submissive position) the less dominant and aggressive they will be. Guess only 2 of the boys (3's) will be more "hot-headed," the rest of the pups will be a lot easier to handle than I expected them to be. Much better temperaments then I got in some of my Bear grandkids!!!

Please try to remember that there are many "facets" to temperament. What is good for one person may not be for another. I did not see any problems (certainly no spooks) in this litter! Overall most Shilohs that I have tested over the past few years avaraged extremely low in pain tolerance (1-2), this IF combined with a very submissive dog (9-10) usually results in a very passive, "laid back" adult. In some cases it can even lead to a more "fearful" type dog, especially if they have to deal with too much stress (certain training methods could break this dog down easily!) Yet most families love that gentle giant "golden" personality, so in order NOT to lose the good qualities, but add COURAGE & CONFIDENCE to those qualities instead, we chose a line with a bit more "drive." Expecting to get some of the more "working" (stuborn, independent, "hard-headed") traits to come along as a package deal. NOT SO! I can see these pups oozing with confidence, but they have still retained the gentle (easy to train) qualities that have made our breed so endearing!!

Please note: the (numbers) inside the parenthesis constitute (Submission-Pain tolerance) on each individual pup, as they grow in their new environments, we will be providing you with progress reports, and you will be better able to see how these tests done at 7 weeks, reflect personality traits that these pups will have for life.

For more information about Shiloh temperaments, etc., please watch for our new FAQ pages, coming soon.

This guy is a perfect replica of his Sire, very well balanced, nice movement, good reach. An independent thinker, with the best nose I have seen in a long time!! This guy will do well as a SAR dog! Such independant-intelligence doesn't come by often, I would really love to see him go to a home willing to take him to the limit! 3/31 update--this puppy is going to a SAR home!

The perfect medium! This beautiful bi-colored girl was the only smooth coat in the litter. With that head & bone, she is going to blow some minds in the show ring! Great confident loving temperament! She was to be Lisa's dog, but has chosen her 5 year old son Josh instead, and they have been inseparable ever since!

The light girl with the biggest head & best ear set!! What a beauty she is! This girl has a personality to die for, just wants to be loved! Her bone is amazing, what a tank! I can't wait to see how she does in the European shows ;-) she has a beautifully powerful, non-tiring gait, with such an elastic extension that it is a joy just to watch her move. I know this girl will be making a name for herself shortly.