Choosing A Gsd Puppy

[gsdog2]

I have chosen the breeder (recommended by someone very active in the obedience world), visited the breeder, seen the mum (lovely gentle nature), and met the dad (a beautiful active, bouncy friendly boy who wanted nothing more than to play the whole time we were there). I will be going back when the pups are 5 weeks old to choose our new pup ;) - replacing the girl I lost to cancer :rolleyes: . At this stage I will be choosing from three female pups and I would appreciate any suggestions on what I should look for in a pup that I hope to take into the obedience ring one day. I am not looking so much at appearance and both mum and dad have good hip/elbow scores, what I'm looking at is character and nature. At such a young age is there any suggestions as to what I should be looking for?

Edited January 26, 2009 by gsdog2

[poodlefan]

I'd say look for social confidence, people focus and an instinct to retrieve.

Resilience is great - how does the pup recover from being startled.

Pity you can't delay the visit until 7 weeks - then you could Volhard puppy test the pups you are interested in. I think 5 weeks may be a bit early to tell much but your breeder will know them better than anyone.

[gsdog2]

I'd say look for social confidence, people focus and an instinct to retrieve.

Resilience is great - how does the pup recover from being startled.

Pity you can't delay the visit until 7 weeks - then you could Volhard puppy test the pups you are interested in. I think 5 weeks may be a bit early to tell much but your breeder will know them better than anyone.

Thanks poodlefan - the breeder has an excellent name and I will certainly be asking her for her opinion as well :rolleyes:

[Monah]

Sorry I'm a useless puppy chooser myself, but K9 force, who has GSDs did mention at a seminar that one of the things he likes to do (if allowed) is to put the puppy in an unfamiliar situation, away from siblings, and see how confident and happy it is away from the familiar, or if it gets distressed and frets. I think 5 weeks may be a bit young to try that though. Hopefully a gsd breeder or other breeder can point you in the right direction on how to choose for your needs.

Sounds wonderful :rolleyes:

[Ptolomy]

I think 5 weeks is too early to tell. ;)

I usually assess litters at 7 weeks of age - and what I am looking for is a confident outgoing pup. :rolleyes:

Actually I usually end up with the ADHD pup of the litter, not once, not twice but three times ;)

[Ptolomy]

http://www.volhard.com/pages/pat.php

Have a read - it will give you some ideas

[gsdog2]

http://www.volhard.com/pages/pat.php

Have a read - it will give you some ideas

Thanks Ptolomy I have added this site to favourites :rolleyes:

[dogdude]

Are these pups from working lines? I strongly recommend looking at pups from working lines, if your serious about trialling. Not sure where you are, but Arya could recommend good working shepherd kennels.

Have you seen the parents of these pups working?

Edited December 1, 2008 by dogdude

[gsdog2]

Are these pups from working lines? I strongly recommend looking at pups from working lines, if your serious about trialling. Not sure where you are, but Arya could recommend good working shepherd kennels.

Have you seen the parents of these pups working?

No dogdude I haven't seen the parents working, however as I said I spent quite a long time with both parents and I was happy with what I saw. This particular breeder is not unknown to me as I've seen various shepherds they have breed working in the trial ring and was very impressed with what I saw. They came highly recommended by someone far more experienced in the obedience ring than I'll ever be, so I'm happy with the choice I've made. My next step is choosing the right pup and this is where I'm asking for your help. I've already learnt that five weeks is a little young so I'm hoping the breeder might let me wait until they are seven weeks. There are some great suggestions here and I appreciate all of them, so please don't hesitate in adding to this list.

[Just Midol]

Are these pups from working lines? I strongly recommend looking at pups from working lines, if your serious about trialling. Not sure where you are, but Arya could recommend good working shepherd kennels.

Have you seen the parents of these pups working?

No dogdude I haven't seen the parents working, however as I said I spent quite a long time with both parents and I was happy with what I saw. This particular breeder is not unknown to me as I've seen various shepherds they have breed working in the trial ring and was very impressed with what I saw. They came highly recommended by someone far more experienced in the obedience ring than I'll ever be, so I'm happy with the choice I've made. My next step is choosing the right pup and this is where I'm asking for your help. I've already learnt that five weeks is a little young so I'm hoping the breeder might let me wait until they are seven weeks. There are some great suggestions here and I appreciate all of them, so please don't hesitate in adding to this list.

It depends on how you intend to train them.

[Jessca]

as mentioned above, 7 weeks is the best age. and definatly take the pup into a new environment and it should be happy confident and want to play.

also watch to see that the pups run up to the fence when you go to see them.

heres a link to a working dog website where someone wanted to know the same thing.

http://www.specialistcanines.com/selecting...nt-testing.html

good luck with your new puppy.

[The Spotted Devil]

I visited my pup's litter when they were 5 weeks - I was limited by other commitments as I had to travel interstate to see them. Fortunately the breeders of my boy are lovely people and had me stay with them for 3 or 4 days (waaaaaay too many long lunches ). When we weren't eating and drinking I spent a lot of time interacting with the pups and simply observing them interact with each other and the environment. I also wanted a dog primarily for dog sports so, although looks were important, personality was more so. I had 9 pups to choose from but I specifically wanted a boy so that left me with 5. Even at that age, they were all very confident and outgoing but their individual personalities were very evident to me. One pup I rejected because he was incredibly persistent - if a door was shut he would bang it and bang it and bang it and bang it and.....you get my drift Another (the show pick of the litter) just didn't seem to want to be around people as much as the other pups - very aloof, so he wasn't for me either.

I kept coming back to 'Sage' (as he was known) again and again - he was always first out of the box to explore something new and always with such curiosity and confidence. He would have one look at the 'new' thing and then wander off to find something else 'new'. If a door was shut he would bang it once or twice and then move on if it wasn't opened for him. When my lap was full of puppies and there was no room left, he didn't scrabble and push to find some room but happily curled up at my feet, making sure he was in contact. It was things like these that made me consider him strongly. I didn't absolutely make up my mind that week as we waited for BAER hearing tests and assessments from fellow breeders. I wasn't aware until later that several people picked him as suited to dog sports when the pups were 7 weeks.

To be honest, Ziggy as a 2 yo is just so much what he was like as a 5 week old pup - just the way he approaches anything new or unfamiliar (e.g. agility). Of course, he is still a Dally and was a difficult puppy and teen!!!

[gsdog2]

I visited my pup's litter when they were 5 weeks - I was limited by other commitments as I had to travel interstate to see them. Fortunately the breeders of my boy are lovely people and had me stay with them for 3 or 4 days (waaaaaay too many long lunches :D ). When we weren't eating and drinking I spent a lot of time interacting with the pups and simply observing them interact with each other and the environment.

The Spotted Devil how lucky are you! You would have felt pretty confident with your choice after spending all that time with them (despite the long lunches ;) ). I, on the otherhand, don't live interstate so I don't think the breeder is going to welcome me into her home for 3-4 days *sigh*

[Nekhbet]

if all you want is obedience then I dont see why you particularly need a working kennel. Actually I would probably steer away and go for a good kennel with solid and even tempered dogs, mid level drive and high focus on people.

[gsdog2]

if all you want is obedience then I dont see why you particularly need a working kennel. Actually I would probably steer away and go for a good kennel with solid and even tempered dogs, mid level drive and high focus on people.

Totally agree - that's why I went for this particular kennel.

[Just Midol]

Because if you're training in drive then you can never have too much drive?

[Nekhbet]

Because if you're training in drive then you can never have too much drive?

actually you can. Some dogs can have too much drive and not enough stability, its cropping up in a few Malinois and its not a pretty sight. Spinning, crying, foaming etc its bloody rediculous to watch and it doesnt help the dog. Also some high drive dogs cannot cope with 100% drive training no suppression work.

medium level drive is good for obedience, she's not doing schutzhund. If you have a high drive dog then you also require some suppression work so you dont end up with an out of control monster, highly distracted dog or a dog that is in drive every time it sees you.

[Steve K9Pro]

M: Because if you're training in drive then you can never have too much drive?

N: actually you can. Some dogs can have too much drive and not enough stability,

K9: Then this isnt a "too much drive" problem, its a "lack of stability problem".

its cropping up in a few Malinois and its not a pretty sight. Spinning, crying, foaming etc its bloody rediculous to watch and it doesnt help the dog.

K9: I have seen one or two like this but it wasn't a "too much drive problem" in the ones I saw, it was weak nerves & poor training.

N: Also some high drive dogs cannot cope with 100% drive training no suppression work.

K9: Yes have seen that too, but again its not a "too much drive" problem, its a "too much drive for that training program" problem.

N: medium level drive is good for obedience, she's not doing schutzhund. If you have a high drive dog then you also (MAY) require some suppression work so you dont end up with an out of control monster, highly distracted dog or a dog that is in drive every time it sees you.

K9: Medium level drives are good for obedience at a lower competition level, or they can be more suited to a new handler that hasnt worked with drive before.

I dont feel that having a high drive dog, specially if obtained & trained from a pup will mean you will always need to surpress that drive, I think surpressing the drives is most commonly required when something has gone wrong & the dog has learned a behaviour that isnt desireable.

I also dont think that owning a high drive dog means that you will have an out of control monster & or one that goes into drive when ever it see's you if it is trained correctly. JMO

[Nekhbet]

why buy a ferrari if all you're going to do is drive on the highway?

If all a person wants is competitive obedience then I seriously do not see why go for above and beyond the requirements and end up with more work for themselves.

I'm also assuming the OP wants a family pet as well so I think if she's happy with the breeder then its the way to go instead of a kennel that breeds working line sheps - who predominantly would not only have prey but a decent amount of civil drive/defense and be a little pushier. Everything you want in a security dog, probably not in a competitive obedience dog.

ETA Steve you have your opinions and theories but I dont appreciate my posts picked to death over really stuff that is minor details and having you make your tiny modifications to it to suit what you think. Not everyone HAS to work in drive, not everyone as a handler is happy or suited to own a high drive dog. They are not the be all and end all of dogs and in fact can be more trouble then they are worth at times.

Edited December 3, 2008 by Nekhbet

[Kavik]

I think stability is an important factor - and resiliance. My problems with Diesel aren't really so much drive related I think, but that he stresses and is distracted in busy atmospheres like trials and dog days out. He can work really well, for food or a toy, when he is comfortable and in a familiar place and I am relaxed. A bit more drive would be nice but at times he has shown that he can have plenty of drive for the toy, its just not consistent.

Edited December 3, 2008 by Kavik