what to look for in a puppy?

[Kaidsmom]

What do you look for in a puppy? I am thinking of getting another German Shepherd in the very near future and I realized that I am not sure what to look for in a good quality puppy. I want a dog to train in schutzhund, I also do not know what to really look for in that either, I have a general idea of what I think that I need to look for...but other than that no clue.

Ryn the dog that I took from the shelter is going into drug dog training at a local police department. And I do want another shepherd preferably one with more drive than Kaid.

Help?

[Emoore]

I don't think you really look for the puppy. You look for a quality breeder that you can trust and then work with him/her to choose the right puppy for you.

[Kaidsmom]

Isn't that sometimes challenging? and I would like to know a little more about what to look for in GSD pups because I do not know any good breeders in my area....

[Kaidsmom]

So what are some breeders to look at/talk to near north Alabama?

[Emoore]

You say you want to get involved in Schutzhund. Go to your nearest SchH club, which may be an hour or more away, and watch them work. When you see dogs you like, ask them where they got them.

[doggiedad]

i think you have to look into your
training and socializing.

[Vinnie]

This is actually a question we see a lot around here. Because of this, I thought it would be a good topic for our weekly discussion this week. Maybe we can all pitch in and give our experiences on what we've done and what works.

Thanks!

[JKlatsky]

While I value the opinion of a good breeder, I'm also a control freak and like to be able to back up their opinions with my own personal information that I get from evaluating a puppy. Additionally, training has a lot to do with individual preference, and there are certain things that are higher on my priority list than perhaps others. Some things that you see with puppies are subjective- like ball drive. What looks crazy to you might not look crazy to me, or for that matter I might think it's too much. I like a puppy that has great natural focus, shows environmental soundness, like to play with it's mouth, and likes to hold it's toys with a full grip.

Generally speaking I like using the working puppy tests as a baseline. Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test

Generally speaking, for a working dog, I like to see 2s and 3s with maybe a 1 thrown in.

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by JKlatsky

While I value the opinion of a good breeder, I'm also a control freak and like to be able to back up their opinions with my own personal information that I get from evaluating a puppy.

Agreed, but I then again you are experienced enough to know how to eval a puppy. I think for the novice puppy-buyer, leaning on the breeder is more important than for an experienced person.

[JKlatsky]

Originally Posted by Emoore

Agreed, but I then again you are experienced enough to know how to eval a puppy. I think for the novice puppy-buyer, leaning on the breeder is more important than for an experienced person.

True. But I think an ever wiser idea is to bring in a 3rd party trainer to evaluate the puppy for you. If you're really serious you should have some kind of idea where you want to be training ahead of time.

It's probably cynical of me...but so many breeders out there advertise their dogs as more than what they are. I've seen too many pups sold to unsuspecting people as suitable SchH prospects when they're not really (usually SLs, but some WLs too). If you have a trainer that knows what kind of dog works well with their methods, then they can usually point you in a better direction.

Additionally most people who go out to buy a SchH prospect, have had some experience with their current dog- who for one reason or another wasn't as cut out for sport as they had hoped and so they've moved forward to buy the "SchH puppy". Ideally they should have learned something from training that first dog about what they want to see in the dog that compensates for the lack in the first dog. Ex: No drive for toys= look for a puppy that likes to play! Too independent= Don't get the puppy that walks off and has no interest in you. Too soft= get the puppy that shows higher pain threshold. Nerve issues= look for outgoing environmentally sound puppy. Bad grip= look for puppy that likes to grab toys all the way in the back.

I really don't think that choosing a puppy is rocket science. What is infinitely harder is taking a critical look at yourself and your inherent training style and finding a dog that will compensate for all of your lacks. You're soft spoken, usually say please when you ask your dog to sit? Choose a dog that's softer and more responsive. You're a giant man who doesn't know his own strength? Or perhaps an occasionally too emotional trainer who loses your temper? Choose a harder more resilient dog. And then knowing that regardless of how perfect the puppy is, you will make mistakes somewhere and that it's OK. Your next dog will be better.