"Alfalfa" Blue Collar Male $4,500

Alfalfa is our thoughtful little guy who has simply moved through life at a slower pace than his siblings from the very beginning.

 

He has consistently been one of the more reserved puppies in the litter, and we saw that again during his temperament test. It took him a little while to feel comfortable enough to get started, and he wasn't particularly motivated to work through things just because Austin asked him to. What I loved, though, was seeing little glimpses of connection develop as he became more comfortable. At the very end, he quietly laid his head on Austin's knee, and it was probably my favorite moment of his entire test. Alfalfa doesn't seem like the puppy who is going to hand his trust to everyone he meets. I think he is going to choose his person, build that relationship slowly, and then bond incredibly deeply with them.

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Alfalfa needs a family who understands that confidence is something we are going to help him build, not something we expect him to magically have. His ideal life is probably a little slower and more predictable, with a person who enjoys having a calm companion and is willing to take him along for positive one-on-one experiences. We have already started taking him on individual adventures away from his siblings, and I fully expect that if we tested him again after more of these experiences, we would see a puppy who was more comfortable navigating the test. His future family should continue that work by exposing him to the world without coddling or overwhelming him. Let him walk into the hardware store, meet a new person, attend a puppy class, explore a new trail, and learn over and over that he can do hard things.

 

Alfalfa isn't going to be the instant "life of the party" puppy, and that is okay. For the right person who is willing to earn his trust and build his confidence, I think he has the potential to become that deeply devoted dog who looks at one person and thinks, that's my human.