Puppy Questionnaire

Prancing Pony Farm Mini Nubian & Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats & Maremma Sheepdogs

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Maremma Puppy Reservation Info and Questionairre

Thank you for your interest in our Maremma Sheepdog puppies. The following questions will give us insight into what your needs are so that we can match the best puppy for each owner, keeping in mind the temperament of the puppies, type of livestock to be guarded, farm size, family situation, etc, as well as your desires and expectations for your puppy. Don’t worry, this isn’t a test and there are no right or wrong answers! It’s just a tool to make our job of helping you a bit easier. The more information you can share with us the better we’ll be able to match the right puppy to your family and livestock. We will refer back to your answers as we evaluate the individual puppies within a litter, matching them with their prospective families. Please answer the questions to the best of your ability and be as detailed as possible to help us best serve your needs and to ensure you're a good match for one of our puppies.

Feel free to add anything that you think we should know and that will help us help you! Completion of this questionnaire doesn’t guarantee that a puppy will be available to you but it’s an important step to getting you there. Once we’ve reviewed your answers and discussed your needs you may make a reservation for a puppy from a current litter by paying a $500 non-refundable reservation fee to get on our Master Reservation List for a future litter, or you may get on a list for a specific litter if we do have openings. We will then work with each buyer to match the best puppy to their individual family and working situation.

*Please note that you must answer every question with an *. If you leave these questions blank the form will not submit. If you refuse to answer the questions we cannot sell you a puppy. Thank you.

If you don’t receive a reply from us in a day or two check your spam folder. We usually reply within 24 hours but our replies often get filtered out or lost in cyberspace! 😩😆 If you still can't find it after checking your spam text or email us and we'll resend our reply.

* Indicates required field

Name *

First

Last

Phone Number *

Email *

Address *

Line 1

Line 2

City

State

Zip Code

Country

How did you find us? *

Do you have a particular timeframe in which you would like to secure a puppy? Please include the year. *

If you have any children or grandchildren please list their ages or list "none" if you do not. *

Who will be primarily responsible for the dog's care? *

What kind of area do you live in *

Rural Suburban City

How many acres do you have? *

Do you own or rent? *

Own Rent

If you rent is your landlord ok with you having a LGD? *

LGD's by nature bark a lot. Will this be a problem with your neighbors? *

Do you have a preference as to gender for your puppy? We can NOT guarantee a specific gender unless it's for a puppy with breeding rights, but will take your preferences into consideration when placing puppies, if possible. We will NOT refund your Reservation Fee if the puppy we offer you isn't your preferred gender and you decline it. We will allow you to carry your Reservation Fee over to the next available litter, if you prefer, but if there is a price increase you will have to pay the new price. *

Male Female No preference One of each

If you have a gender preference please explain your reasoning for your choice and how important it is to you. *

Most of our pups go to new homes around 4 months old, however we sometimes have older pups or adult dogs available, or can keep pups in training longer for an additional fee. What is your preferred age range? Check all that apply. *

4 months old 5-6 months old 6-12 months old 1-2 years old 2 years or older Other

Please elaborate on your choices, if desired. *

What are your goals for this puppy? *

Livestock Guardian Farm Guardian/Ranch dog Other

Please Explain your choice(s): *

Have you ever been around a Maremma Sheepdog in person? *

Yes No

How did you learn about the Maremma Sheepdog breed? *

Have you done research about LGD's in general and/or Maremma Sheepdogs in particular? *

Do you understand that LGD's are different than the average companion dog: bark more, more independent natured and not necessarily as obedient as your typical dog? *

Yes I was not aware of that!

Have you ever owned a LGD of any breed before or do you currently own any? Check all that apply. *

Have owned a LGD in the past Currently own a LGD Never have owned a LGD

If so what breed(s) and how many? Age and gender? Please be specific. *

Do you currently own any other (non-LGD) dog(s)? *

Yes no

If so, what breed(s) and how many? Age and gender? Please be specific. *

Do you own any unaltered dogs? *

All of my dogs are spayed or neutered. I own one or more unaltered females I own one or more unaltered males I own both unaltered males and unaltered females.

If you own unaltered dogs please list them by breed and gender. Be specific. If all of your dogs are altered you may put NA. *

Do you currently breed dogs or have you in the past? *

I currently breed dogs. I have bred dogs in the past but no longer do so. I have never bred dogs. I plan to breed dogs in the future.

If you breed dogs or have in the past what breeds are/were they? *

If you breed dogs (or have in the past) what type of heath testing have your dogs had? *

It is our strong belief that Livestock Guardian Dogs work best in teams of two or more dogs of similar ages and energy levels. (We always work our dogs in pairs or groups.) Two or more dogs protect the stock better, are happier (a happy dog is a good guardian) and engage less in inappropriate play with the stock. While we don't require it we do highly encourage buyers to purchase two pups and will give preference to families that wish to do so. Please choose the option below that best describes your situation: *

I don't believe that LGD's need to be kept in pairs and don't intend to do so. I already have another LGD who will work as a team with my new puppy. I already own another LGD but it will patrol a separate area and/or group of stock than my new puppy. I acknowledge that LGD's do best in groups of two or more but I am unable at this time to own two LGD's. I will devote extra time and attention to my dog to attempt to make up for this situation. I would like to purchase two or more puppies together.

Do you have livestock now or are you planning to get livestock soon? *

I currently own hoofed livestock I do not currently own hoofed livestock but will be getting it before bringing home my puppy I plan to add hoofed livestock at some time in the future but not before bringing home my puppy I currently own or plan to own poultry only I plan to own both hoofed livestock and poultry I plan to own only hoofed livestock

What types of livestock do you have or plan to have and approximately how many of each? Please be specific. *

If you have not yet acquired your livestock please briefly describe your plans to do so. *

What types of predators and predator load do you have? Have you lost any livestock to predation? *

What type of fencing do you have? How tall? What type/size of mesh? Please be specific. *

Where will the puppy be housed immediately upon arrival? Is the area adequately fenced so that the puppy can't escape and so that the puppy will be safe from predators? What type of shelter will the puppy have? Please be specific. *

What trainers and books do you admire and follow, if any? What techniques do you plan to use with this puppy? If you are a trainer please describe your training methods or philosophy. *

Please include the name and phone number of your canine veterinarian, if you have one. *

Please include the name and phone number of your large animal veterinarian, if you have one. *

Please include two references (not relatives) that know about your level of experience with animals and that can vouch for you as a good potential owner of one of our puppies. *

Do we have your permission to contact the people above, including your veterinarians, to interview them about you as a potential puppy owner? *

Yes you do. No you do not. I acknowledge if I refuse permission I most likely won’t be approved for a puppy. Not applicable because I do not have animals yet

Is there anything else you would like to share with us that you think will help us help you find the best puppy for your needs? *

Agreements to Our Terms of Sale and Policies

Anyone who wishes to purchase a Maremma Sheepdog from us must agree to our policies and terms of sale. These will be further outlined in the Puppy Contract which you will sign before taking home your puppy but we need your agreements now, before proceeding further in the reservation process. Please be sure not to skip any of the acknowledgments below or the form will not submit and if we do not receive your completed form then we can't sell you a puppy. If you do not feel that you can agree to these terms then one of our puppies is not likely to be a good fit for your needs.

Do you acknowledge that the $500 per puppy Reservation Fees are non-refundable for any reason and that if you back out of the sale you will not get your money back? *

Yes I understand and agree

Do you acknowledge that our prices are subject to change at any time and that the price isn't set until you have switched from the Master Reservation List to a Litter List, and is good for that litter only? *

Yes I understand and agree

Do you understand that if you are on a list for a specific litter and you then decide that you do not want a puppy from that litter you can switch to a later litter but there may be a price increase? Do you understand that the price you pay will be the current price listed on the website, not the price from a past litter? *

Yes I understand and agree

Do you understand and agree that Reservations are filled in the order they were received, but that PPF reserves the right to retain any puppies we see fit for our own breeding program or to be sold as breeding quality pups, before filling Working LGD only placements? *

Yes I understand and agree

Do you understand that if you are on our Master Reservation List then wait times are just an estimate and we cannot guarantee when you will get a puppy? Do you understand that we are unable to control when females will get bred, if they will have a successful and healthy litter and how many puppies will be in the litter? Do you understand that a lot of factors come into play that dictate when you will get your puppy, including mother nature and how many people are ahead of you on the list? *

Yes I understand and agree that I need to be flexible and patient in waiting for my puppy and that timeframes are only an estimate and not in PPF's control. I understand that if I buy a puppy elsewhere before a puppy becomes available from PPF or cancel for any other reason that I will forfeit my $500 Reservation Fee.

Do you understand and agree that PPF reserves the right to cancel the sale at any time up to the time pups are picked up if we feel that this is in the best interest of our puppies? This is a very rare occurrence and unlikely to happen but we must look out for the needs of our puppies above everything else. If we cancel the sale then we will refund your reservation fee, unless the sale was cancelled because the buyer violated any of our terms and policies. *

Yes I understand and agree

Do you acknowledge that PPF can NOT guarantee you will get a specific gender (unless it’s for a breeding quality puppy) but will take your preferences into consideration when placing puppies, if possible? Do you further acknowledge that PPF will NOT refund your Reservation Fee if we offer you a puppy that's not your preferred gender and you decline it? *

Yes I understand and agree to take whatever gender puppy is offered to me. Yes I understand but I need a specific gender. I am willing to wait until a later liter, if necessary. I acknowledge that the price may increase if I choose to wait for a later litter and agree to those terms..

After spending weeks with the puppies, getting to know them as individuals, and observing their interactions with livestock and people we have a very good understanding of what each puppy is like. We ask many questions on this questionnaire and through subsequent conversations and use the information you provide to us along with our observations of the pups to determine placement. For this reason, we match each family to the best pup for them. No two homes and working situations are exactly alike, and so each family has a different ideal puppy. *

I acknowledge that PPF will choose the best puppy for me, based on their observations of the puppies and the information I provide on my needs and wishes for a LGD.

Are you aware that we are located in Lemoore, California, and that buyers are responsible for picking up their puppy or for arranging and paying for transportation and all associated costs if a puppy is shipped commercially? *

Yes

Do you understand that LGD's take quite a while to mature and to become safe with small stock such as poultry and baby goats, sometimes up to or around 2 years? Are you willing to properly supervise your dog with stock until he is fully mature in order to set him up for success as a LGD? And do you acknowledge that if you allow your puppy to be unsupervised with stock before he's mature he could develop bad habits that will be hard to break and that he could possibly hurt or even kill small animals. Do you understand that it's your responsibility to properly supervise and train your puppy until he's fully mature and trustworthy? And do you further understand that using harsh training methods such as shock collars may undermine the trust your dog has in you and cause more problems than solutions? *

Yes I understand and agree

Do you understand that Livestock Guardian Dogs by nature are designed to bond with mammals and that they can guard poultry but will not bond with them the same as they would with a sheep or goat? Do you understand that if your puppy is to guard only poultry he will need a lot more human interaction to fulfill his need for affection and interaction and are you willing to fill this role for your dog? *

Yes I understand and agree

Do you understand that a non-LGD breed dog is not a suitable substitute for a LGD companion and that caution should be used when allowing LGD's and non-LGD's to interact, especially around livestock? Do you understand that if you allow a non-LGD dog to spend unsupervised time with your LGD around the stock the LGD could pick up bad habits with the stock, or could fight with your non-LGD if it feels the stock is in danger? *

Yes I understand and agree

Do you understand that LGD's bark a lot, and that it is their first line of defense against predators? And do you further understand that young dogs, in particular, take time to build discernment about what they should and shouldn't bark at? And do you further understand that using harsh training methods such as shock collars and anti-barking collars may undermine the trust your dog has in you and cause more problems than solutions? *

Yes I understand and agree

Do you understand that using harsh training tools such as shock collars, choke and prong collars and punitive training methods will undermine the trust your dog has in you and may cause more problems than solutions? Do you understand that Prancing Pony Farm advocates only the use of Positive Reinforcement training methods and will not be responsible for problems caused by harsh training methods? And do you agree to only use Positive Reinforcement with your puppy or dog? *

Yes I understand and agree

Do you understand that all of our Maremma puppies come with a 2 year Health Guarantee but that this does not cover common puppy ailments such as internal and external parasites, Canine Parvoviruses and other highly contagious diseases contracted after the puppies leave here, allergies, injuries and anything out of our control? Do you acknowledge that our puppies are on an age appropriate vaccination and parasite control program and given proper health care and that it is the new owner's responsibility to continue that care once they leave here and that failure to do so could result in a sick puppy? *

Yes I understand and agree

By typing you full name below and hitting submit you are agreeing to all off our policies, acknowledgements and terms of sale. *

Submit

Occasionally the form doesn’t work for one reason or another so if you don’t hear back from us in a day or two text or email us to tell us you sent the form so we can figure out what the problem is. Also check your spam folder as sometimes my reply ends up there!

If you’ve tried more than once to submit the form and it just won’t work you can download the PDF version below, fill it out and email it back to kim@prancingponyfarm.com. Thank you for your patience.

puppy_questionnaire.txt
File Size:	11 kb
File Type:	txt

Download File

If you are interested in our Dairy Goats or Maremma Sheepdogs please fill out our Goat Questionnaire or Puppy Questionnaire. We are located in Lemoore, California.

Goat Reservations

Puppy Reservations

Home
Goats for Sale
Maremma Sheepdogs for Sale
Our Dairy Goat Herd
Past Kidding Seasons
Goat care & Info
Farm Blog
- Our Prancing Ponies
- Fun Farm videos