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selecting a protection candidate

41K views 644 replies 27 participants last post by  tim_s_adams  
#1 · (Edited)
when shopping 7 - 8 week old litters for a potential protection candidate, what should one look for? In an individual pup, I mean. Obviously start with reputable breeder and proven working ped.

but when it comes time to pick one pup out of a good litter, what should one look for?
 
#253 ·
There are far better imprinting videos imo. How about some video of you and Igor?

 
#254 · (Edited)
lookin' for LITTLE PUPPY vids. Pre day 49, if possible. Noteworthy all the little puppy vids are dsd? Maybe them folks are more into early imprinting than gsd folk? curious? anyway, this here's pete and re-pete. I'm not sure which one's which? I keep getting them mixed up?

566119


566120

DOB november 16 (10 days old)

they seem to have very dark undercoats? I'll need an extra pair of hands to get a foto
 
#255 ·
What are you trying to imprint that isn't on those channels? One is GSDs, one is everything, one is mals, dutchies and GSDs.
 
#257 ·
I know you know all this, Winners, but a lot of people reading won't.

@ 10 days old you can't really do anything other than handle them a little and maybe pop a few rounds off when the dam finishes eating/goes back in to nurse. But right around 28 days or so, when pups emerge from the whelping box on their own, it's on! and you've only got appx 20 days until vpat from there. So brief period, from wean (day 28) until vpat (day 49) is all you got.

Not long, and they're little, so it's all very gentle, and they tire out pretty quick. So it's not like "hard work" for a breeder to put the extra effort in, if only for the sake of the pups themselves. Setting them up for success now gives them an advantage as far as what kind of treatment they'll ultimately receive throughout the rest of their lives.

so, with all that said, and bearing in mind we have appx 2 weeks to think it all over before they emerge and we begin, for the time being I'll defer to all the resident experts (this means you). You tell me, what should we be imprinting?

I'll share all my old time hillbilly byb tricks as we go, but I was kinda hoping to take it "next level." I mean they're just mutts. It's not like I'm trying to sell them. It's perfectly understandable why other breeders don't host a "virtual open house," but me and these mutts got no reputation to protect. So lets have at it and see what we get?
 
#260 ·
If your goal is to pass a test, than the criteria of the test is what you should use for imprinting.

If that test is real life, use that. If it's a scorecard, use that.
 
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#261 · (Edited)
We're not trying to imprint for vpat. We want to expose/condition/imprint as best we can for everything that comes AFTER vpat. I tried it both ways years ago, repeat breeding, and the difference was night and day.

I realize all you top tier expert trainers at least think you want a totally green pup and that's fine with me. I think top tier breeder's should by all means supply that demand. But I mean, c'mon now. Let's don't forget this is berno we're talkin' to over here. Remember me? Hello?!? :)

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