Most unique dog breeding program on earth... here's why!

The Mr. Rogers Litter (Essex/Meriwether) puppies are two weeks old now. Their eyes are just beginning to open, and they have begun to respond to noises. This signifies the puppies are leaving the neonatal stage where they are completely dependent on their mom for every need, including prompting puppies to move their bowels. Now, they are entering the transitional stage from 2-4 weeks of age where the puppies begin to learn how to navigate on their own the world within their immediate surroundings.

In the Dire Wolf Project, we capture this transitional stage before humans have a chance to alter a puppy’s understanding of the world and how to live within it. We want to see how each puppy will react naturally to unknown stimuli. This is the time we give the second standardized temperament test. It is considered the last RAW pup™ test in the temperament testing series.

In order to protect the scientific integrity of this test, we interact as minimally as possible with the puppies prior to this test. This is why individual puppy pictures are extremely rare from birth to 2.5 weeks old.

(FYI: The third and final temperament test at 6 weeks is not a RAW pup™ test, but a test to see how our human interventions have developed little puppy minds to accept different aspects of living in a human environment.)

One important cautionary note for you, though:
RAW pup™ temperament testing scores are meant for BREEDERS ONLY.

Potential owners should not use these tests exclusively to choose their puppy. It may be that a puppy with a lower score on the test may be the best fit for your family. Puppies with lower scores are not defective or somehow not worthy of being a great family pet.

Furthermore, these temperament tests do not predict adult behavior.

They are only meant to compare puppies to their same age peers.

Dire Wolf Project breeders use these tests to make decisions about which puppies have the raw genetic temperament to propel the breed forward toward our inherited family companion dog temperament goals.

We only share these results with you so that you can follow along with our work… and to hold ourselves accountable for having performed these standardized temperament tests on each and every litter going back to the very beginning of the breed in 1988.

With that said, yesterday, we gave the Mr. Rogers Litter their second temperament test.

You can read the results of these tests and see updated pictures by going to this page:

https://direwolfdogs.com/litters/6/

(Click on one puppy at a time, then click the “temperament” tab on their individual puppy pages to read the new results.)

Here are a few pictures of the Mr. Rogers Litter within the last few days. They are growing quickly.

REMINDER: You only have two more weeks to let me know if you would like to go active on our waiting list for the Mr. Rogers Litter. When the puppies are 4-weeks-old, we close the waiting list to any further alterations. At that time, we go down the waiting list in active starred deposit order so that active approved families can choose their puppy.

If you name is not on the waiting list or is not starred, we will not be considering you for a puppy from this litter.

In order to get on our waiting list, you must complete the puppy adoption questionnaire and follow-up interview, so that we can get to know you better.

Here is the link:
https://direwolfdogs.com/puppy-application/

Once you have been approved, you can place your $600 non-refundable deposit to get on our waiting list. This deposit goes toward your puppy at the time of sale.

If you are already on our waiting list and want to go active for this litter, reply to this email and let me know. I will then star your name as active on the waiting list.

Here is a link to the Dire Wolf Project’s official waiting list so you can check on your status:
http://direwolfproject.com/direwolf-dogs/waiting-list/

Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.