Since I'm trying to figure out which of the puppies I want to keep (spoiler: they're all great), I'm going to post another update today!
I'm trying to avoid doing anything with the pups that would be fun for their new owners to learn with them, so I decided to evaluate each pup for their
energy level &
playfulness and to see
how easily they will let go of a toy.
Here are the toys I brought out for the pups to interact with:
Going in
alphabetical order again ...
A is very toy-focused. He played with the stick for several minutes (leaping on it, carrying it around, licking it ...). He also really enjoyed the tug toy. However, when I tried to take the stick from him, he did immediately let me pull it away. He wasn't overly interested in either of the frisbee, but that might just be because the stick was
so interesting.
- ENERGY LEVEL: medium
- PLAYFULNESS: high
- COOPERATION: high
Unlike A,
B didn't have much interest in the toys. She preferred to gaze around the room as though daydreaming or look at the camera waiting to be showered with attention. She finally (after almost five minutes), took a little interest in the red & blue ball - she immediately released it when I grabbed it (I suspect because she thought I was going to pet her).
- ENERGY LEVEL: low
- PLAYFULNESS: low
- COOPERATION: high
C spent about half of her time playing with toys and half of her time posing or being cute (sometimes while hold a toy). She loves a round of Tug 'o War and we played for several minutes. Eventually she seemed to decide that the yellow ball was her favorite of the available toys. When I tried to take it away, she wasn't especially pleased with me.
- ENERGY LEVEL: medium
- PLAYFULNESS: medium
- COOPERATION: low
D is a wild woman when toys are in the room. She was very interested in the frisbees, so there might be an undercover future champion here! She especially enjoyed picking up toys and racing across the room with them as fast as possible. When I tried to take her toys away, she wasn't very excited to let them go.
- ENERGY LEVEL: high
- PLAYFULNESS: high
- COOPERATION: low
E was very excited with this afternoon's activities. He picked up each toy and raced around the room until I clicked the camera and then he would strike a pose (with the toy in his mouth). I wasn't overly surprised when he didn't want to relinquish his new treasures. He eventually decided the stuffed chewy toy was his favorite item.
- ENERGY LEVEL: high
- PLAYFULNESS: high
- COOPERATION: low
F spent about half of her time carrying around toys or playing Tug 'o War and the other half of the time scooting her butt across the floor and flopping over while scratching her ear. When I asked her toys, she gave them up without a fight about half of the time. She's really got a goofy personality.
- ENERGY LEVEL: medium
- PLAYFULNESS: medium
- COOPERATION: medium
G was similar to her alphabetically-older sister. She tend to approach most of the toys with caution before eventually picking them up carrying them around. Unlike her sister, she had no problem handing toys over when I asked for them. She's a big Tug 'o War fan and would have kept playing until she exhausted herself.
- ENERGY LEVEL: medium
- PLAYFULNESS: medium
- COOPERATION: high
H was about as chaotic as I expected! He first sat on the frisbee and cleaned his butt. Then he slid across the floor several times. Only then did he seem to notice the toys surrounding him and decide to pick them up and run around with them. He was fine with me taking the ball away from him, but was upset when I tried to take the stick. It seems to be his favorite.
- ENERGY LEVEL: high
- PLAYFULNESS: medium
- COOPERATION: medium
I continues to be very high-energy. He butt-scooted his way around the room and posed semi-regularly as I clicked the camera button. He seemed to have a lot of interest in the frisbees, so he might work well for someone who is willing to work with him on funneling some of his energy into something athletic. He wasn't a fan of my taking the frisbee away though.
- ENERGY LEVEL: high
- PLAYFULNESS: medium
- COOPERATION: low
J likes balls. I mean, he really does. If he's not pouncing on one, carrying one around, or posing with one, he's creepily pointing at one as it travels around the room. He wasn't overly cooperative when I wanted to take the ball away though. He wasn't quite as high energy as some of the other pups though and did spend a good amount of time just chillin'.
- ENERGY LEVEL: medium
- PLAYFULNESS: high
- COOPERATION: low
Next up was
K. She continued to spend about half of her time being playful and half of her time posing. She enjoyed the toys, but wasn't overly protective of them; when I asked for the toy she was holding, she released it quickly. She was a little cautious of some of the toys at first, but warmed-up and seemed to enjoy carrying them around.
- ENERGY LEVEL: medium
- PLAYFULNESS: high
- COOPERATION: high
L might be calm when she's alone in a room, but as soon as you bring out toys she loses her mind. She's got a strong 'pursue' trait - she didn't want to give up on Tug 'o War and chose to play it whenever she could (i.e. didn't want to give me any of her toys). She really liked bringing her toys around the room with her. I'm ranking her energy as 'medium' because she was so calm earlier today.
- ENERGY LEVEL: medium
- PLAYFULNESS: high
- COOPERATION: low
I swear that
M has normal Dalmatian ears - he was just flips them around when zooming around. He seemed to enjoy most of the toys and only seemed overwhelmed by having so many fun options to choose from! He continues to be a high-energy pup. He was a bit unhappy with me when I tried to take a toy away.
- ENERGY LEVEL: high
- PLAYFULNESS: high
- COOPERATION: low
N ignored the toys for a few minutes before finally picking each one up to investigate. She didn't have much interest in playing Tug 'o War. She was excited it was near her though. While playing with her toys, she was very gentle & kind and let me grab them whenever I wanted them. She was much less angsty with a toy around he and also much calmer (no backflips this afternoon).
- ENERGY LEVEL: medium
- PLAYFULNESS: high
- COOPERATION: high
Finally, we have
O who continued to be calm and easy-going until you tried to take a toy away, then he would dig in his heels and hang-on. He mostly seemed to enjoy carting his toys around lovingly. He showed more interest in the frisbee and the stick. I think he might be a good agility dog someday.
- ENERGY LEVEL: medium
- PLAYFULNESS: high
- COOPERATION: low