Temperament
Steady, observant, family-connected, and aware of surroundings.
Foundation litter
Meet the foundation Palouse litter.
The Palouse Farm Dog is our developing farm-family dog for real Inland Northwest life, acreage, rural homes, hobby farms, and active families with secure yards. This foundation litter is our first step toward a dog shaped by real weather, real winters, real acreage, real livestock, real predators, and real families.
Honesty statement
The Palouse Farm Dog is not an AKC-recognized breed and not an established breed yet. This is a developing line and a long-term project. Individual puppies will vary. We are not claiming a finished breed standard, we are beginning with a clear purpose, careful observation, and honest placement.
Why the Palouse?
Rooted in this place.
We call this project the Palouse because it is rooted in the place and life we know. The Inland Northwest means open ground, changing seasons, cold weather, livestock, predators, families, and dogs that need to make sense in real life. Our goal is not novelty. Our goal is a practical farm-family dog with substance, calm presence, intelligence, and family connection.
Why this pairing?
Built from purpose.
This foundation litter is 3/4 Great Pyrenees and 1/4 white Australian Shepherd. We are drawn to the Great Pyrenees for substance, steadiness, weather tolerance, and guardian presence. We are drawn to the White Australian Shepherd for attentiveness, intelligence, responsiveness, and versatility.
We are not trying to recreate either parent breed exactly. We are selecting toward balance.
What we're aiming for
Practical traits, not hype.
Active without being frantic
Substantial without being oversized
Guardian-minded without being disconnected
Intelligent without requiring constant work
Weather-capable for Inland Northwest seasons
Family-connected and people-aware
Suitable for acreage, hobby farms, rural homes, and active families with secure yards
Calm presence with practical awareness
Palouse Standard v0.1
A working target for what we are watching over time.
This is not a registry standard. It is our working target, the qualities we are watching, documenting, and selecting toward over time.
Size
Substantial enough for country life, but not intentionally pushed toward extreme size.
Energy
Active and engaged, but not the constant high-drive intensity many families associate with working herding breeds.
Environment
Built with real Inland Northwest conditions in mind: weather, winter, acreage, outdoor time, and family life.
Trainability
More handler-aware and responsive than many traditional livestock guardian breeds, while still retaining calm presence and independence.
Home fit
Best for acreage, hobby farms, rural homes, and active families with secure yards. Not ideal for apartment living.
What we track
Observe, record, learn.
We do not pretend that one pairing guarantees a finished result. We observe, record, and learn.
Weekly puppy weights
Handling response
Confidence with new surfaces
Reaction to normal farm and household sounds
Littermate interaction
Human engagement
Settling ability
Outdoor exposure
Parent observations
Puppy personality notes
Feedback from families after placement
Long-term documentation
Recognition, Records & the Palouse Registry
The Palouse Farm Dog is not currently an AKC-recognized breed. This is an early-stage farm-family dog project, and this litter is our foundation litter.
Our focus right now is not official recognition. Our focus is documentation: parent information, puppy records, weekly weights, early personality notes, health care records, and long-term feedback from families as these puppies grow.
Over time, we hope to build a private Palouse Project registry, not as a claim of official breed status, but as a way to responsibly track the dogs, their development, their traits, their homes, and what we learn from each generation.
Optional Family Participation
Participation in the Palouse Project registry is completely optional for families. Once your puppy goes home, you are under no obligation to send updates or participate.
That said, we deeply appreciate families who are willing to share updates as their puppies grow. Photos, adult weight, temperament notes, training experiences, family-life observations, livestock exposure, urban/suburban yard fit, and general health updates all help us better understand the Palouse Farm Dog as it develops.
Our hope is to stay connected with willing families at simple milestones like 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months. Those updates help us learn what traits are showing up consistently and how these dogs are fitting into real homes.
6-month update: size, temperament, energy, family fit
12-month update: adult direction, training, personality, health
24-month update: mature size, temperament, working/family traits, overall fit
What We Hope to Track
Adult size and weight
Temperament and energy level
Family connection
Trainability and responsiveness
Confidence and steadiness
Weather tolerance
Livestock or acreage exposure if applicable
Urban/suburban yard fit if applicable
Health notes
Owner feedback
Photos over time
A clear honesty note:
This registry is not an official breed registry and does not imply AKC recognition. It is our private record-keeping system for a developing line. We believe careful documentation is the responsible way to build anything meaningful over time.
Want to be part of the foundation?
Families who bring home a foundation Palouse puppy have the option to stay connected as the project grows. Updates are always appreciated, never required.
Early exposure matters
Gentle, age-appropriate experience.
Before puppies go home, we focus on gentle, age-appropriate exposure: daily handling, family activity, outdoor surfaces, farm sights and sounds, littermate play, and simple transition routines. We keep this positive and appropriate for their age.
What we do not promise
Because this is a developing line, we do not guarantee adult size, temperament, guarding behavior, livestock behavior, or working ability. We also do not claim these puppies are fully vaccinated at pickup. They go home with their first age-appropriate puppy vaccine, deworming record, weekly weights, and care notes. New families should continue care with their own veterinarian.
Who they're for
Homes with room and rhythm.
Palouse pups are for people who want a substantial, intelligent, family-connected dog and understand the commitment of raising a large puppy. That may be acreage, a hobby farm, a rural home, or a suburban family with a secure yard and an outdoor rhythm.
They do not need livestock to be loved well, but they do need space, structure, daily interaction, and a family prepared for a large dog.
Foundation litter
The beginning of the Palouse Project.
This is our foundation Palouse litter. These puppies are the beginning of the project, not the finished result. We are watching carefully, documenting what we see, and using what we learn to shape future direction.