Skipper

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July 7, 2017 - Puppies born today severely dehydrated and glucose deficient due to Tina's intestinal blockage.  July 9, 2017 - Puppies nursed on Tina for 2 days before Tina went into surgery to release the intestinal blockage from swallowing a piece of rope toy and she passed on the table. The puppies remaining will be raised without their mother from this point forward. We are very sad at Tina's loss. The puppies remain severely dehydrated and glucose deficient despite efforts to replace their mother's milk consumption. 

July 10, 2017 - Puppies brought to vet for hydration and glucose support. The puppies will not be on lactated ringers (subcutaneous fluids) and catheter feeding to get their glucose content up. Puppies are under incubation at 85 to 90 degrees. Pups are still in critical condition at this time.

July 13, 2017 - Puppies continue to suck on their own and look must healthier. Weights indicate that hydration and glucose intervention is working, and all puppies have gained significant weight at this time. Puppies continue to remain in incubation at 85 to 90 degrees.

July 14, 2017 - Puppies are doing well and gaining weight appropriately. Puppies are transitioning to a lower heat incubation as they are now producing their own heat adequately. We are now keeping the heat at 80 to 85 degrees. 

September 30, 3017 - They are growing up so well. No indications at all of any injuries or illness. They are sweethearts that love to be with their people. They are hiking with us in the mornings and evenings. Such beauties.

Health:

Skipper is extremely healthy. He has not had any tremors, seizures, weakness in the legs or feet, limping, panosteitis symptoms, issues with his eyes or ears, excessive scratching or other allergy symptoms, soft stools, etc. He runs, jumps, lopes, lies down, etc without any difficulty. He has never showed signs of pain or any symptoms of illness at any time. He is extremely healthy and vibrant. Skipper has been DNA tested and is a carrier for Canine Multifocal Retinopathy. He tested clear for all other inherited health conditions.

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* Temperament scores are estimates only as this litter was not raised as a RAW dog litter. This litter was orphaned after two days with the mother, so this litter cannot be assessed for genetic temperament with any accuracy. The scores presented reflect an overall estimate of temperament based on a general knowledge and assessment of the puppy's personalities presented. Please be aware that the scores may reflect a learned behavior and should in no way be stated as genetic or inherited in nature.

Temperament:

Skipper is sweet and loving. Although he does not crave attention and affection from people, he does cherish it. Skipper is on the dominant side of things and takes charge over others. He does not back down easily from conflict and asserts himself with the other dogs. Skipper is indifferent to people and other dogs that he does not know. He could take them or leave them. He prefers his people family and the familiarity of the dogs with which he lives. He likes consistency and routine. Skipper is slightly more nervous regarding new places, people and dogs than is desired in the breed. He will require confidence training through socialization in order to accept a friendly stranger without caution. Skipper is not as devoted to his family as we like in our dogs. He does have a mind of his own and seeks his own satisfaction without thinking as much of his people. Skipper is calm for the most part, but not as calm as we hope to achieve in our dogs. He loves to run about the yard and is busy looking and sniffing from here to there on a walk. He is certainly much calmer than a working type of dog, but could be calmer to meet the temperament standards within the Dire Wolf Project. Skipper is highly alert to his surroundings and notices everything around him, even things that are happening fairly far away. Skipper does not have too much prey drive, but he does possess more prey drive than we would prefer. He will chase scents a short distance and look for things to pick up. Like his mother before him, he is a seeker and searches for things to do that interest him. Skipper is appropriately touch sensitive and does not require much touch as all in order to react or notice the touch. He is a softer dog, in this way, and responds to even slight corrections. Skipper is not bothered by loud sounds in the least. He does not tremble at thunder or gun shots. It takes a lot for Skipper to show that he is in pain. Skipper has also inherited a possession trait. He feels it necessary to guard his food from other dogs and does not allow other dogs to share his things when he is playing or eating. 

Conformation:

Skipper has a lovely medium length coat with thick straight fur. He is a silver wolf gray in color with a black mask and amber eyes. He has very little white spotting. Skipper has a short tail that does rise higher than we want. He has a longer thicker mane, called a cape, that is soft and lush. Skipper has a broad frame and a heavy weight, although he is on the shorter side. Skipper shows a thick bone structure and medium sized feet. Skipper has a longer neck than we like, but his body length is correct. Skipper can sway his back, which is not as desirable as a firm straight back. Skipper has a minimal stop and slanted eyes. His ears are weak to rise and may not rise completely, much like his father's earset.

Faults:

Skipper has been DNA tested and shown to possess two copies of a gene for smallness. We suspect this will limit is overall height. Skipper is a carrier for Canine Multifocal Retinopathy. He shows a sway back. He inherited the guarding/possession temperament. He is too dominant in nature. He is not as confident as we need.