Nocturnal Farm Shiloh Shepherds

“At 7-8 weeks of age, our litters go through LER testing, a temperament and conformation evaluation, where we test the response of the puppies under specific situations to determine their temperaments (soft/medium-soft/medium/medium-hard/hard) and how they react to different stimuli. We then evaluate their structure according to the Shiloh Shepherd standard. This gives us a list of the positive and negatives in the puppy's structure, and further helps us determine if the puppy is considered Breeding, Pet "Upgradable", and Pet qualities. This is described more in-depth below. Puppies are ready to go home at 8 weeks of age, no sooner. Final payment is due before your puppy is to go home, and arrangements must be made ahead of time for the pickup of your puppy. We do not ship puppies. Breed Quality: On evaluation by 8 weeks, these puppies are determined to be the best representative of the Shiloh Shepherd breed. These dogs are the future of the breed and should be taken out and shown! We do have additional requirements for Breed Quality puppies, this can be discussed during the interview process. Priority will be given to those who will meet these requirements, as these dogs are crucial to our program and the breed. Pet "Upgradeable": On evaluation by 8 weeks, these puppies are considered to be great representatives of the breed, but may have a minor "fault" that may not be the "most correct" according to the breed standard (ie. a more shallow stop, too wide or tall ears, tail carriage), but possess the potential to develop into a dog that would be suited for the show ring and/or breed quality upon further development and assessment. Pet Quality: On evaluation by 8 weeks, these puppies are found to have minor faults that Nocturnal Farm and/or the evaluator have assessed. Although they may not be destined for the show ring, they still have so much potential to bring to their families. We still encourage owners to go out and showcase these dogs in other ways, be it "out on the town", exploring, dog sports, or being the best friend a dog can be. **Variations in puppy "quality" do not diminish their potential as wonderful companions. The differences lie in how well the meet the conformational standards set by the TSSR and our breed club, not because the puppy themselves are "broken" or "faulty". We Shiloh Shepherd breeders choose those who possess the exceptional qualities that exemplify the breed in order to make sure the breed moves forward in both health and structure. While each pairing selection we make at Nocturnal Farm Shilohs is to produce exceptional representatives of the breed, some puppies may have faults, but this doesn't make them any less of an amazing companion.”