Choosing the puppy from the litter


Lets assume that you will be dealing with a litter of healthy puppies. You should check to make sure that the puppies all appear to be healthy with no unusual discharges from the eyes, nose, or anus. It can happen to even the most responsible of breeders, that a virus can work its way into and then through a litter of puppies. If this happens, a responsible breeder will usually delay sending the puppies home until they have fully recovered.

If you have done your homework correctly in finding a responsible breeder, picking the puppy should be relatively easy. In their interview of you the breeder should have tried to find out something about your life style. Are you very active people? More sedentary? Do you have children and what are their ages and their sexes? All of these things are going to factor into which puppy will fit best in your house.

While within a breed you should be able to expect general trends in activity level, dominance and temperament, each puppy is an individual with its own unique style. Within a litter you will find puppies that are more or less dominant with more or less energy. Just as you wouldn't expect all your children to be cookie-cutter replicas of each other, don't expect this from the puppies either.

Some breeders rely heavily on various puppy temperament testing methods. Some, like ourselves rely heavily on observing and interacting with the puppies to determine their individual personality traits. In our experiences, unless you are looking for specific traits in order to train a dog to compete or work in a specific area (like bomb detection), there are too many factors that can influence how a puppy reacts in a single testing session. Is he tired? Did he just eat? Is he just having an off day? In order to be accurate, the puppy temperament testing, in our opinion, should be repeated several times.

Whichever method your breeder uses, you should trust their judgement in evaluating the puppies. But bear in mind that what you see in a 5 to 8 week old puppy is just an indicator and is not an absolute. The experiences the puppy has once he goes to your home will also determine what the adult grows up to be. We have seen a number of puppies, especially the ones that tended to be quieter and less dominant, simply blossom. We had one puppy that, when we sold him, was a very soft, very mellow, easy-going puppy that would wilt if given a strong correction. When the owner called us nine months later with a behavior problem, what we found was a very strong-willed, confidant adult. The owner was still correcting him like he was a soft, mellow mush. Once the owner became aware that she now had to correct him stronger and that he would no longer wilt, everything worked itself out.

Every breeder works their selection process differently. Some breeders pick the puppies for the new owner, some give the owner full reign. We take a course somewhere in the middle. We make observations about the individual puppy's temperament, activity level, dominance etc.. We may make recommendations against a particular puppy that we don't feel would be a good fit in their home and what they might be facing if they did choose a particular puppy. We do, however, let the new owner have the final decision.

In a well-bred litter from a responsible breeder, don't worry about getting the last-pick puppy. Each and every puppy in their litters will receive all of the necessary care and attention that they need in order to grow up into happy, secure adults. Also, don't be demanding that you get the "pick" of the litter unless you intend to show the dog (and even that's no guarantee.) The story goes that one of the top- winning show Goldens was originally bought as a pet and that his owners picked him out by weighing all the puppies they had to choose from and picked the one in the middle. We have, on more than one occasion, had people that wanted a top pick, only to be sitting there shaking their heads saying "How do I choose?" when they were actually confronted with the choice of 5 or 6 puppies. We have also been in the position of having been left with the last puppy in the litter being one of the ones we would have chosen as a "pick" puppy from a showing perspective. If you check many of the world famous dogs were the last to be sold or were gifted away just like that.

Everybody has a different method of picking their puppy. We have literally had people reach into the puppy pen and pull out a puppy and say "This is the one" to people sitting on the floor for hours going over each and every puppy over and over again. Most will usually sit down on the floor with the puppies and begin a weeding out process. Sometimes it's little things like the color, other times from our observations on energy level, sometimes it's just how quickly the puppies will run up to greet them. We have also had puppies quite literally pick out their new families. One of our recent litters was fairly large and on selection day, as each new family came, this one particular puppy just went off and fell asleep under the desk. We were actually starting to get concerned about him, until one family arrived. We were down to two puppies and he came running out from under the desk and was all over the family, licking, schmoozing, and generally making himself irresistible. It worked. They took him home, and months later they adore him and he adores the family.

What we are tying to say, is that there is no magic way to be sure you get the perfect puppy for your lifestyle. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. In the long run, you need to be comfortable with the decision. If you're looking for some hard and fast rules, there are none. We will, however, give you our general guidelines.

If you have small children (less than 5 years old), pick a middle-of-the-road puppy. Putting a dominant puppy with small children that he can easily intimidate is only asking for problems later. A very mellow, soft puppy might not be able to take the abuse even the most well-behaved children can dish out.

If your children are older or more active, go for an active puppy but with lower dominant behaviors. (Dominance and activity level are not the same thing).

If you have never had a dog before, again go for the middle- of-the-road puppy or a softer puppy if you don't have children. A less dominant personality in the puppy will make it easier for you to take control from the start.

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PUPPY APTITUDE TESTING 



The research of Scott and Fuller, Clarence Pfaffenger, William Campbell and others, showed that temperwnent is composed of a nwnber of traits, such as dominant versus submissive, independent versus socially attracted. These traits are observable and measurable- The various combinatioons of these traits is what makes some dogs more tempmentally suited for certain tasks and enviromnunents than others. 


The tendency for these traits is heredity. If it were not, we would not have the number of breeds we have today. For example, it's easier to teach a Greyhound to chase rabbits than to retrieve ducks because the Greyhound has been genetically selected for the instinct to chase rather than to retrieve. 


However, enviroment has a tremendous influence on these traits. As research by Scott and Fuller indicates, the enviroment influences the puppy as early as three to 12 weeks. These early development stages are the same in all dogs regardless of breed. Traumatic events during a critical period may have a lasting influence on the dog. TRAINING CAN MODIFY THE EFFECTS OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS, BUT THE DOG MAY NEVER REACH HIS TRUE POTENTIAL. 


Research by William Campbell devised a test to select puppies most likely to be a good family pet. Clarence Pfaffenberger developed tests to select puppies most likely to become responsible guide dogs for the blind, and Elliot Humphrey and Lucien Warner designed test to select puppies for the working German Shepherd Dogs. 


Using items from these tests, Jack and Wendy Volhard trainers devised a system in the early seventies to select puppies with the greatest obedience potential. They also found it useful in matching the right puppy to the right owner. 


Of course another application can be selecting those dogs that are temperarmently suited to become show dogs, perhaps going on to a long and demanding career as a specials dog. As these dogs must travel a great deal, spend many hours in crates or small x-pens and often times away from their owners, ft stands to reason they should be those dogs that have the temperaments to withstand such stress. 


The tests attached here for your information have beenn modified several times over the years. A word of caution, The PAT is not without flaws. Puppies sometimes give responses which are not on the test. Depending on the amount of knowledge of dog behavior the tester has, these responses may be difficult to score. Also, some people have difficulty in giving the test correctly. For example, on the retrieving subtest, if the test tosses the crumpled up paper 12 feet away instead of four feet away, ft may be out of range of the puppy's vision. 


A film of Wendy Volhard testing a litter of Newfoundlands was made. The 20 minute movie complete with soundtrack, playable on any Super 8 projector(1980) was entitled PUPPY APITUDE TESTING and it won the Dog Writer's Award for Best Film About Dogs in 1980. This film was available through the Newfoundland Club of America. I do not know if it is still available, 

Several articles have been written and published in the GAZETTE by Melissa Bartlett on the subject. Those used in this presentation were"A Novice Looks at Puppy Apitude Testing," March 1979, 'Puppy Apitude Testing", March 1985, "Puppy Aptitude Testing for Competition", February 1987, and "Follow-Up: Puppy Apitude Testing", May 1987. Reprints of all of these article are available by contacting the AKC GAZETTE 


Puppy testing helps to pick the puppy which will best suit the owner's purpose. For example, a very quiet submissive puppy may become an excellent child's pet but may not be a good choice for the breed ring where a more energetic, bold animal will show the best. It can also help in training animals occasionally in giving the owner some insight into their puppy's behavior. For example, one owner had difficulty housetraining his Cocker Spaniel. The puppy turned out to be extremely submissive. By scolding the puppy, the authority figure, the owner, caused the little dog to urinate submissively. Therefore by understanding his dog's temperament, he was able to learm more effective, less authoriatarian methods of training his dog. 


If the combination of traits which a dog has fits in with his owner's lifestyle and purposes, that owner is very likely to say his dog has good temperament. Of course, the best matched puppy in the world still needs training, proper environment and lots of TLC to reach his potential. NO DOG CAN FULFILL HIS POTENTIAL IF HE'S NEGLECTE

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Social Attraction

Purpose: Degree of Attraction to people

Method: Place pup in testing area 4 feet
from tester, who coaxes puppy to her/him.

Comes readily, tail up. jumps, bites at hands ...................................................... 1

Comes readily,tail up paws, licks at hands .....................................................................2

Comes readily, tail up.......................................... 3

Comes readily, tail down .....................................4

Comes hesitantly, tail down ...............................5

Does not come at all ........................................... 6

 

 

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Following Purpose: Degree of willingness to follow human leadership Method: Stand up and walk away from puppy, encouraging verbally.	Follows readily, tail up, gets under foot, bites at feet ........................................................... 1 Follows readily,tail up gets under foot...............................................................2 Follows readily, tail up......................................... 3 Follows readily, tail down ...................................4 Follows hesitantly, tail down .............................5 Does not follow at all ......................................... 6	.
Restraint Purpose: Degree of dominance or submission; response to social/physical dominance Method: Gently roll pup on its back and hold it for 30 seconds.	Struggles fiercely, flails,bites ............................ 1 Struggles fiercely, flails .......................................2 Settles, struggles, settles with eye contact ........................................................... 3 Slight struggle, then settles ................................4 No struggle, tail tucked .......................................5 No struggle, strains to avoid eye contact ........................................................... 6	.
Social Dominance Purpose: Degree of acceptance of human social dominanace; how "forgiving" the pup is. Method: Pup sit facing tester at a 45 angle. Tester strokes pup and puts his/her face close to the pup	Jumps, paws, bites, growls ................................ 1 Jumps, paws, licks ................................................2 Cuddles up to tester, tries to lick face ................................................................. 3 Sits quietly, accepts petting, nudges/licks hands ..............................................4 Rolls over, no eye contact ..................................5 Goes away and stays away ................................ 6	.
Elevation Dominance Purpose: Degree of accepting dominance while in postion of no control. Method: Cradle the pup under its belly, fingers interlaced, and elevate just off the ground for 30 seconds.	Struggle fiercely, bites ........................................ 1 Struggles ...............................................................2 No struggle, relaxd, tail wags ............................ 3 No struggle, relaxed .............................................4 No struggle ...........................................................5 No struggle, frozen, tail/rear legs tense ............................................................. 6	.
Retrieving(Obedience and Aptitude) Purpose: Degree of willingness to work with humans. High correlation between ability to retrieve and successfuk guide dogs, and field trial dogs. Method: Attract pups attention with crumpled paper ball. When it is watching, toss paper 4 feet away. When pup goes after it back up 2 feet and encourage it to come back.	Chases object, picks it up and runs away ............................................................. 1 Chases object stands over it, does not return......................................................2 Chases object, picks it up and returns it to the tester.......................................... 3 Chases object, returns without object to tester ......................................................4 Starts to chase, loses interest .............................5 Does not chase .................................................... 6	.
Touch Sensitivity Purpose: Degree of sensitivity to touch. Method: Take webbing of one front foot and place between finger and thumb lightly, gradually increasing pressure on a scale from 1-10. Stop as soon as puppy shows discomfort.	9-10 counts before response ............................. 1 7-8 counts before response ................................2 5-6 counts before response................................ 3 3-4 counts before response ................................4 1-2 counts before response ................................5 Does not follow at all ......................................... 6	.
Sound Sensitivity Purpose: Degree of sensitivity to sound. Method: Place pup in center of testing area and make a sharp noise a few feet away. A large metal spoon struck sharply on a metal pan twice works well.	Locates the sound, walks towards it................. 1 Locates sound, barks ...........................................2 Locates sound, show curiousity, walks towards it.................................................... 3 Locates the sound ...............................................4 Cringes, backs off, hides .....................................5 Ignores sound, shows no curiousity ............... 6	.
Chase Instinct Purpose: Degree of response to moving object; chase instinct. Method: Tie a string around a towel and drag it in front of the puppy from left to right.	Looks, attacks, bites ............................................ 1 Looks, barks, tail up .............................................2 Looks curiously, attempts to investigate ......... 3 Looks, does not go forward, tail down ..............4 Runs away, hides ..................................................5 Ignores, shows no curiousity............................. 6	.
Stability Purpose: Degree of intelligent response to strange odjects Method: Place pup in center of testing area. Closed umbrella is held 4 feet away and pointed perpendicular to the direction the pup faces. The umbrella is opened and set down so the pup can investigate. *	Walks forward, tail up, bites............................... 1 Walks forward, tail up, mouths ...........................2 Walks forward, attempts to investigate ........... 3 Look curiously, stays put ...................................4 Goes away, tail down, hides ...............................5 Ignores, shows no curiosity............................... 6	*note:Puppies frequently startle upon seeing the umbrella open. Score the pup's response after the umbrella is set down.
Energy Level Purpose: Degree of physical energy Method: Observe pup on the other sudtests and score according to the most frequent activity observed. Check with breeder for confirmation.	Continually runs, pounces wiggles, paws ............................................... High Mostly trots, occasionally runs, pounces, wiggles.....................................Medium Walks slow, sits quietly, remains in position usually...........................Low Stands rigidly, eyes roll, tail down, ears back...........................................Stress	.