“Aquila”

Training engagement (low/medium/high):

One Year: High as a young puppy under 6 months. 6-12 months medium

Three Years: Medium

Energy level (low/medium/high):

One Year: Medium. He’s got a lot of energy and endurance but isn’t hyper, and has a good off switch. 

Three Years: Medium

Biddability (low/medium/high):

One Year: Medium. Perfectly independent and can and will make his own choices if left to his own devices. But he will also listen to what is asked of him most of the time.  

Three Years: Medium

Vocality (low/medium/high):

One Year: Medium. In the house and yard he is generally quiet. Barks when people come and go for a brief moment and maybe when he sees a chipmunk outside through the window.  

Three Years: Medium

Prey drive (low/medium/high):

One Year: Medium. He loves to chase and hunt, however he learns extremely fast what is off limits (cats, livestock, baby chicks, pet rabbit) and is trustworthy around them.

Three Years: Medium

Human social (reactive, aloof, neutral, social):

One Year: Very social. Loves all people with no hesitation.  

Three Years: Social

Dog social: (reactive, aloof, neutral, social):

One Year: Very social. Still displaying lots of puppy behavior and overexcitement when greeting other dogs but he loves them. 

Three Years: Social

Environmental sensitivity - (scale of 1-10, 10 being very reactive/unable to redirect and 1 being sleeping and/or completely engaged and able to ignore the world):

One Year: 6- he’s improved immensely. We’ve worked very hard to being neutral in public and around other dogs, but it’s been tough and he had complete meltdowns in class and on walks often. We’ve recently made huge strides so I’m confident that number will continue to go down. But being neutral did not come naturally in the first year, he got very overstimulated easily and would lunge and bark and would not redirect well. 

Three Years: 5. He continues to become more and more neutral to his environment and other dogs as he matures. He is still very aware and alert but has self control now and understands he doesn’t need to vocalize when he notices anything and everything.

Confidence level (scale of 1-10, 1 being afraid of the smallest change/shadow and 10 being completely unafraid in any scenario):

One Year: 10- he is the most confident dog I’ve ever met. He loves new situations and is overexcited by them if anything. He’s been around fireworks, trains, loud traffic, farm animals, groups of children. I’ve never seen him waiver. He’s amazing in this regard.   

Three Years: 10.

Velcro (scale 1-10, 1 being very independent and aloof and 10 being living in your skin at all times):

One Year: 5- he has the perfect amount of independence. He loves to run our property by himself, hang out with guests and different people aside from me. He likes to be in the same room as me but doesn’t like to be in my lap.

Three Years: 7. He sticks to us better now in a positive way. I have to recall him less off leash and he natural stays close. In the house he likes to follow us around and be close.

Affectionate (scale 1-10, 1 being not ever seeking or giving affection/attention, 10 being the most affectionate dog ever):

One Year: 7- he’s not demanding but he likes to come up and sit and stare at wag his tail for some pets and love for a minute but don’t overdo the affection or he will leave.  

Three Years: 7.

Problem solving skills/independent thinking: (scale 1-10, 1 being needs help with everything/can’t generalize, 10 being puzzle master):

One Year: 9- I can hide toys (different ones each game) and have him find them and he rarely comes to me for help and will independently find them himself. He figured out all his puzzles way too easy. He’s a very good problem solver.   

Three Years: 9

Off switch?

One Year: The best off switch ever. He could be outside all day, hike and swim, and keep up. Or he could laze on the couch all day. He is truly an “up for whatever” type of dog.

Three Years: Still has an excellent off switch.

Favorite activities:

One Year: Swimming, hiking in the woods, hunting for chipmunks, playing with his kids, fetch, FastCat, Barn Hunt   

Three Years: He still loves swimming, hiking, fetch, barnhunt, fastcat

Personality quirks?

One Year: Likes to howl when he hears certain noises.   

Three Years: He really pays attention to our behaviors and conversations. For example he will fly across the room to go outside if he hears me put on my “farm shoes”, versus nothing when I put on regular sneakers. He knows if we’re not feeling ourselves and is very attentive to our feelings.

Pros?

One Year: The sweetest, most stable dog. He is so confident, happy, social, and unbothered by anything. He is 10/10 with children and truly enjoys being around them.   

Three Years: Still the same pros! The most stable happy guy that is extremely wonderful with children and other animals (even our bunnies and baby chicks). He handles himself really well with other dogs even if they are snarky with him.

Cons?

One Year: “Reactive” (barking incessantly, lunging, unable to redirect the behavior even with high value treats) traits as a puppy but we are quickly growing out of that. So in general, a little bit of a rougher puppyhood than I expected. 

Three Years: He gets bored and vocal in class. It’s something we’ve had a hard time overcoming but feel confident we will get there eventually

Any additional comments?

One Year: He has been the perfect fit for our family. I really didn’t know if I would get a herding breed that meshed perfectly into family life but I did, and I’m so very happy I found this breed. Even if we’re just living a normal day, I think he feels fulfilled because our lifestyle even at a basic level with nothing extra going on, is something he really enjoys and loves. I feel lucky everyday I got placed with him because he’s everything I’ve wanted in a dog.

Three Years: Just that he’s the most wonderful dog I think I’ve ever owned. So thankful we got placed with the perfect dog for us!