how to pick a pup?

tobysmith06 · Post by **tobysmith06** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 10:36 am

just curious on if there are any tricks to picking out the better pups out of a litter? any help would be appreciated. i have heard different things, but would like some more ideas.

Post by **Greg Jennings** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:44 am

One of the greats of the field trial world, Delmar Smith, said to pick a great litter, close your eyes and reach in.

I think it's an 80%-20% deal. The first 80% is the litter. The 20% is looking
at the pups' conformation and attitude.

When I picked my GSP, I looked at his chest, angulation, rear hip structure,
how well he ran around compared to the other pups, a bold attitude, etc.

I've been happy with my choice.

Best,

ohiogsp · Post by **ohiogsp** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:12 pm

Most poeple should pick the average pup. Not the one in the corner not the bully just an average pup. Never pick the one in the corner. The bully or alfa dog might end up being a great dog but may be very hard to trian for most poeple.

EWSIV · Post by **EWSIV** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:40 pm

I picked the litter, then went with the boldest pup. Out of the three males I had to choose from, One was a wallflower and eliminated early.

When I was there, the breeder put all the pups in a small portable fence enclosure. The one I eventually picked escaped by opening the pen up. He and one of his littermates males were very close, but the one I picked was slightly more adventuresome, bold, and seemed to naturally lead the pups around the investigation of the yard. Despite this he did not show any 'alpha' qualities. So he seemed like a good pup.

He turned out to be a knuckelhead, but I love him.

Post by **Ayres** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:23 pm

Let your breeder know what you want out of a dog and then ask for their suggestions.

I've had the opportunity to see three litters grow up in the past two years. A lot of the pups end up coming back for training so I have gotten to see what they turned out to be. That "pup in the corner" has turned out to be a mellow house dog yet ferocious hunter a time or two. The bold one has ended up being the one with a head full of rocks on occasion. The personalities constantly evolve and change between 8 weeks and 6 months, so I would really put more emphasis on look and conformation at the 8-week stage, as Greg suggested.

Kurzhaar · Post by **Kurzhaar** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:56 pm

I would tell your breeder what you want in a dog, the type of household you have, and your temperment and training abilities. The breeder can suggest which pups will meet your needs. The puppy buyer must remember that the breeder sees the pups everyday and in myriad activities and situations. It is very arrogant and presumptuous of a buyer to think that they can pick the "best" puppy from a litter after viewing them for an hour or so.

At our kennel we don't sell picks, rather we place the pups based upon the desire of the buyers and their abilities. When a buyer comes to get their pup, I show them the pups that fit their needs. In some cases there is no choice if a puppy absolutely fits what the buyer wants.

Jim

skippy · Post by **skippy** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 4:44 pm

I picked out a pup a while back. When I first went to the kennel there was a pup that was a wall flower. I had decided I did not want that one. I went back two weeks later, with a wing on a string and that is the pup that I picked.

Not saying it was the best choice (still to young to tell) but I think I made the right choice, did I mess up by taking the one THAT WAS the wall flower?

Post by **Greg Jennings** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 6:05 pm

Ayres wrote:Let your breeder know what you want out of a dog and then ask for their suggestions.

Which is exactly what I did. Rick suggested the same pup my wife and I had our hearts set on, so there wasn't much independence of viewpoints.

Ayres wrote: I've had the opportunity to see three litters grow up in the past two years. A lot of the pups end up coming back for training so I have gotten to see what they turned out to be. That "pup in the corner" has turned out to be a mellow house dog yet ferocious hunter a time or two. The bold one has ended up being the one with a head full of rocks on occasion. The personalities constantly evolve and change between 8 weeks and 6 months, so I would really put more emphasis on look and conformation at the 8-week stage, as Greg suggested.

I think too that most people are interested in a middle-of-the-pack pup. Not the absolute boldest, but not the wimpiest either.

What I liked about my pup's personality was that he *nothing* bothered him. He would take rough-housing and always come back for more. He would handle new situations with ease.

Heh, heh, heh, if you see this, grab him before someone else does:

Best,

ohiogsp · Post by **ohiogsp** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:54 am

Or this,

puppies are so cool. Man if everyone starts posting puppy pics this thread could get hi-jacked pretty qiuck.

Trapper · Post by **Trapper** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:58 am

I wrote an article about it on my blog if you want to check it out. But to summarize...

* Choose a reputable breeder.
* If possible, research and select a superior pedigree.
* Choose which sex you would prefer.
* Visit the pups between 5 and 7 weeks old.
* Observe temperament, avoid overly aggressive or overly passive puppies
* Determine your preference in markings. Dogs with more white are easier to spot in dense cover and harder to spot in snow.
* Tell you breeder what traits you are looking for. He knows the pups better than you will in an hour or two that you are there.
* Pick up your pup when they are ready and shower it with love.

tfbirddog2 · Post by **tfbirddog2** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 7:48 pm

I have my first litter right now and have all but two pups spoken for so I am really paying attention to them since I know all of the other puppies owners and other than the two females those who picked out theres have taken the ones they like and off to the side played with them to decide.As a first time breeder it is cool to see the different personalities of the seven of them.I picked out my Lab/cross by the "belly method",you know flip'em over and if they lay there your good.Then my 1 yr old daughter picked my liver GSP it was the one that came and sat in her lap out of the other 8 that were there.And the mother of the pups was a gift little hard to pick those.A couple of you are right though if it is a small litter an the breeder is watching they can help too.

Scotsmn30 · Post by **Scotsmn30** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 7:51 am

I wanted to try and do a bit of an experiment when I picked pups. My father in-law and I both found a breeder that we liked. He picked the boldest of the pups that did not show any agressive tendencies and I picked the wall flower. Now 2 years latter the wall flower is probably the best dog I have ever hunted behind while my father in-laws, though a very good dog is still rough. The trainer that we used to start the dogs has had the oppurtunity to train 5 of the 7 in the litter and said that the 2 wall flowers were the easiest to train and probably the best noses of the bunch.
This just goes to show it is hard to tell what a puppy will be like.

Dirtysteve · Post by **Dirtysteve** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 1:10 pm

I currently have 3 gsp's and of the 3 I didn't pick any. 2 of them I talked to the breeder and they made the decision for me. The third was the last one of a litter. I am very happy with all of them.
Find the bloodline you want and pick one. Give it love and training and you should be happy with it.

Vizsla Vince · Post by **Vizsla Vince** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 6:31 pm

I took the Smith approach. I picked the parents & breeder, then let the missus pick & name the pup. That way, he's "her" dog when he's naughty!

PointingGunDogs · Post by **PointingGunDogs** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 11:19 am

Some great advice. Not sure I have the experience to add anything. But, I have purchased three new GSP pups over the past year. As they are maturing and progressing in training I have noticed a few things. Jake was picked by the breeder after I told them of my situation and what I was looking for. He has turned out to be exactly what we wanted - easy-going and a close ranging hunter. Our little female Abby was also picked for us by the breeder. She has a great nose and I am amazed at the apparent differences in the personalities of male vs. female. Abby doesn't let anything bother her and she seems more interested in what I want her to do than Jake is. Our third puppy, Rocky Road was also recommend by the breeder with anohter little male. My son chose Rocky because he played fetch longer and with more enthusiasm.

The moral of the story is to communicate with and trust the breeder. Even if you could visit the litter daily, the breeder would still know their personalities better than you. But, like Delmar Smith said - If you pick the right breeder/litter any puppy will be a good one.

cgbirddogs · Post by **cgbirddogs** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 5:25 pm

I read an article on PDJ (could have been Gundog) awhile back that actually had a pretty neat system for selecting a pup. First, choose the sex you want. When you go to visit the pups, have the breeder only show you the males or females, depending on your preference. Out of the ones you have to choose from, avoid the overly aggressive pup, and the overly timid pup. That may leave you with 2 or 3 choices, might be the only choice. Out of the remaining pups you have to choose from, find the best retriever by tossing a ball for each one. Whoever brings it back, take him/her. If the both (or all 3) retrieve equally, then choose based on your own preference for markings, etc.

BTW, I'm new to the forum, but not new to bird dogs. I love both Pointers and Shorthairs, but at the present time I only have Pointers in my kennel. I expect to have another shorthair before the end of the year if I can find a litter somewhere within 200 miles or so of Vegas. I'm a wild bird hunting fanatic, and yes, there are places to hunt wild birds near Vegas.

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