Grinch (Barley)

Health:

14 oz at Birth

Grinch is extremely healthy. He jumps off of his rear legs with power and gusto. He eats well and has shown adequate growth and size increase. He has never experienced weakness or pain in his joints, legs, or difficulty with movement. However, just when he was beginning to walk as a two week old puppy, Grinch, as well as his other two littermates, showed carpal subluxation (down in the pasterns) that lasted about five days. After this short time, all puppies showed no further signs of this issue and continued to grow normally without ever showing signs of pain or discomfort in any way. All are very healthy with no signs of joint issues whatsoever. Also, at two and a half years old and after her litter, Grinch's mother, Skye, was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. She was placed on medication and is now doing well. Because of these issues, we have tested Grinch's blood twice (one at 6 months and the other at 1.5 years) to make sure that he has not received his mother's health issues. His blood showed normal levels in all areas, including thyroid. 

Temperament:

Grinch shows a loving and sweet personality. He is aloof to strangers and shows no real affection for them, but does not mind being pet by them. Grinch is a more serious type of dog. He does not care to play fetch or chase, but instead prefers to be pet and brushed. He is a deliberate dog and thinks before he acts. He is very watchful of his surroundings and shows a need to make sure that the other dogs are also following the rules. He monitors them and if they begin to play to rough, he will intervene and stand in between them to stop them from playing with too much carelessness. Grinch shows some possessiveness and does not like the other dogs to come near when he is being groomed or pet. He is a balanced type of dog and does not back down or wilt easily when corrected, but he can show some remorse because he works hard to learn the rules and follow them, so when he realizes that he did not follow the rules correctly, he blames himself. You can almost see him thinking about what he did wrong. He almost always corrects his behavior the next time. Grinch is aloof toward strangers. He doesn't really show emotion toward strangers and could take them or leave them. Grinch is on the confident side of life and new sights or experiences do not bother him. He is not a nervous type of dog. Grinch is bonded with his family and does not have a tendency to wander or roam. Grinch is a more relaxed type of dog and does not need lots of space to expend his energy.  He is a highly alert dog and notices everything in his surroundings. He does occasionally bark at other animals he sees that should not be near. He is not a constant barker and always has a reason for doing so. He is easily corrected and stops when asked. Grinch has a medium low drive and does not chase balls or sticks.  He has caught a squirrel before but did not know what to do with it and stood there barking at it. Grinch is on the hard side and does not react easily to correction. He does understand that he should not have done whatever it was that needed correction, but he does not show a lot of signs of remorse. He does change his behavior, however. Grinch is not sound sensitive and does not react to thunder, gun shots, or fireworks. Grinch shows a high pain threshold and does not react to medical shots. 

Conformation:

Grinch stands 26 inches tall at the shoulders and weighs 105 pounds. He is a heavy, muscular dog with a short, thick coat. Grinch has a deep chest and a broad back and rear. His holds his back straight much of the time, but when he is relaxed, his back can show a slight sway in the middle. He has a short, thick golden cream colored coat with some black guard hairs showing down his back. Grinch has a silver colored tail with black tips. His tail is short, but curls tightly over his back when alerted. He has a longer mane or cape near his shoulders. Grinch has a broad skull with a thinner muzzle than we typically see. His ears are longer and did not rise, although the right ear has a tendency to rise at the base and can be seen mostly erect from time to time. His eyes are amber colored and almost shaped. His feet are not as large as they need to be and are more compact than we like. Grinch's bones are also not as thick as needed overall, although he looks stocky in general. 

Faults:

Grinch is perfectly healthy and shows no signs of ill health. Grinch shows a slight possessive tendency from his Anatolian ancestry. Grinch's tail curls much too tightly and rises over his back. Grinch's ears are too long and did not rise. Grinch shows a loose back when relaxed. Grinch does not show large enough feet and his bones are not as large as required. Grinch is slightly too short for the breed standards.