Whidh One?

[POWERSCOL]

I know this is my first post, but I have been reading here a lot.
I finally found a breeder that has 5 females to chose from. I have first pick

Your thoughts - right now they are 4 weeks old and I am having them take notes on the personality's etc

[Piper'sgrl]

all of them look like cute little blk/tans..all look similar in colour..lots of blk which is good. Decision is all yours Good luck!

[wolfstraum]

pick on personality and suitability as seen by the breeder - photos are cute - but really - you can't tell anything from a photo!

Lee

[POWERSCOL]

Two dogs Green and Red_and_turqoise, seem to have the larger broader heads than the others like the sire. He is directly from a German working dog line. The bitch is a bit more refined from a champion US show dog. I can post pictures of them if that would help. Marking wise I prefer a but more of the deep rust color like shows in Turqoise.

Temperament will be very important when I chose. I plan to do some of the aptitude testing such as the ball, holding on the back, check the teeth, etc. Any thoughts on this

If I understand correctly for the teeth the upper jaw should contact the lower inside top of upper to outside bottom or lower.

Thanks again

[wolfstraum]

Do you have plans for any training or sport? you said you wanted a working dog in your post on another thread....a Am Show cross is not going to have high potential to 'work'.....

Most pups will play with a toy....and depending on when they ate/ slept etc - the 'tests' can be very misleading....

Lee

[POWERSCOL]

As for working, just help with the horses and possibly fun trying out at the local club trials. I do plan on full training starting as a puppy. I'm retired and this will give me something to do.

To me a well trained dog is a happy dog and even happier owner.

I live a ways from the breader an they will meet me half way - about a 3 hour drive for them. I am not sure how this will effect the pupies. I could make a 2 day trip of it for me and see them in their home environment if that is better. Thoughts

[Stevenzachsmom]

If it were me, I think I would want to see them in the home environment.

[JakodaCD OA]

If you haven't seen their home environment, if possible I would make the trip when they hit about 7 weeks old.

While color can be a consideration, keep in mind gsd's as puppies are normally quite dark , as they age, espec black/tans will change dramatically. so what you see now, most likely will not be the coloring as they age.

I have let the breeder pick for me on the last 4 dogs I've bought, telling them my 'wants' and 'unwanted' behaviors/type etc, if you've got a breeder who can peg their puppies and your clear on what it is you want etc, then all else will fall into place.

[WVGSD]

You should see the puppies and their parents in the home environment AND those photos don't tell you anything. Puppies change so much from week to week that you can't tell much about what their heads or bodies will look like without seeing them over time and over several week's time. In addition, a puppy with a marginal bite at seven or eight weeks of age might have a perfect bite later in it's development.

The breeder should also pick the puppy and should match what you want in a dog with their knowledge that comes from raising the litter.

I would NEVER meet a breeder away from the litter's home. This is a huge RED flag in terms of a responsible breeder. You are potentially going to have this dog for ten to thirteen years. It needs to be worth the trip to see the litter at their home.

[POWERSCOL]

I will be getting pictures each week. The minor problem is weather, there are two mountain ranges between me and the breeder. I hope to get good weather and go as people suggest. I will be posting other pictures and their temperament as they get older.

Thanks for the help