**Puppy Questionnaire**

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 or get on our waiting list for a future litter if we don't have puppies available. 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 refuse to answer the questions we cannot sell you a puppy. Thank you.

First Name *

Last Name *

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. However we will NOT refund your deposit if the puppy we offer you isn't your preferred gender and you decline it, nor are we obligated to carry your deposit over to a later litter if you decline the puppy we offer you. *

____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. *


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 did in the past) what type of heath testing have your dogs had? *


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
____Not applicable because I do not have animals yet

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.

**Please initial the following sections:**

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 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 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? *

____Yes I understand and agree

Do you acknowledge that all deposits are non-refundable and only for a puppy from the current litter? *

____Yes I understand and agree

Do you acknowledge that our prices are subject to change at any time and that the quoted price is only good for a puppy from the current litter that you have placed a full reservation fee on? *

____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 deposit if we offer you a puppy that's not your preferred gender and you decline it, nor are we obligated to allow you to transfer your deposit to a later litter? *

____Yes I understand and agree
____Yes I understand but I need a specific gender.

Please explain your reasoning if you need a specific gender.



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 I understand.

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? *