Bisart Dobes Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 This interests me greatly. Upon speaking to another breeder recently they stated that they can 'pick them when they are wet'. A pretty big call or is it ?. Can you when you have litters grade your puppies within their first 24 hrs of life ? At first I just shrugged it off thinking, well I won't say what I thought . But it has since been popping up in my head and has got me thinking about our last two litters. Alot of things I could see within the first few days - head structure, overall structure, bone, etc etc and so I have gone back over my notes from these litters and have realised that the notes I made from day one have corresponded with our eventually gradings within each litter. Now, I am not sure that I would say I am confident in grading a litter within the first few days as this is only our 3rd & 4th litters but with each litter we are developing the pedigree's we want to achieve and therefore are developing a constant type / style whatever you want to call it. So after closely looking at this I can see where this person comes up with such a statement - maybe after many more years of breeding I will be confident in grading a newborn. Interested to see what others think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamSnag Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Alot of ppl grade puppies wet.. they call it hung... I picked mine from day one and 10 months on he is doing me proud.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxerheart Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I pick them in their first three days. I can see the structure is there or not. Knowing my lines helps too..that takes years. What is left is usually hoping for two normal testicles, eye colour/ pigmentation, health checks etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotwyr Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I puppy puzzle at 8weeks plus/minus 3 days... So far it's worked for me.... I always have pups I like thru the weeks but don't make a decision til the 8 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I picked the pick dog in the last litter, the second he was born. He came out and I just knew he was the one. I marked all of the pups and wrote down each week what I thought of them and ranked them and he came out on top. He was also the choice of others that looked at the litter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldust Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 So far with all my litter's i have 'picked' pups whilst i am rubbing them to get them going and 90% of the time they are the ones i end up keeping and mature into lovely dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Yes and no. You can see structure at birth - the main bones are much more obvious and that really never changes. Type I would say depends on breed and bloodlines, and stuff like eye colour and ears obviously have to wait. Last three generations in one family I've picked at birth and been right. Last litter (different family) there were two really obvious picks at birth, one has panned out so far (only 5 months old though), the other one turned out to be a major disappointment at only a few weeks old, developing a fault I haven't had before so couldn't say if there was any tell tale way of picking it at birth or not, but the rest of him is just as I would have predicted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Yep I pick em wet - always double check and keep an eye on them of course but Im rarely wrong and my pick is usually the same at 6 months at it is at 6 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffy Magee Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 (edited) I have always picked mine wet. I have had 4 litters and picked all my keepers from the moment they were born. First litter there was only 3 puppies, however I had never whelped a litter and never shown a dog, she was to be my first. Out she popped and I just went , this is the one, I just knew she was the best, and she was. 2nd litter there were 2 standouts from day dot and those are the two that continued to be standouts and I kept them both. 3rd and 4th litter at same time, I had a number of nice puppies I picked, only one of them didnt cut it in the end simply because by the time she got to 8-10 weeks I felt she didnt have enough substance. Unfortunately I didnt have enough show homes for them all, I held on to 3 (all did well in the ring while I had them) in the hope I would find show homes, but it got to a point where 2 had to go, I had too many. Only 2 of them are in the ring now, the other 3 I regret rehoming, but unfortunately we cant keep them all. ETA: I guess Bullmatiffs being a "head" breed I have some indication, as I can instantly tell who will have the nicest heads along with pigment, as a black mask is essential.I also look for substance and boning. Things like movement, mouths, eye colour, temperament I have to assess later on. Edited April 19, 2011 by Kaffy Magee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wags Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 This interests me greatly. Upon speaking to another breeder recently they stated that they can 'pick them when they are wet'. A pretty big call or is it ?. Can you when you have litters grade your puppies within their first 24 hrs of life ? At first I just shrugged it off thinking, well I won't say what I thought . But it has since been popping up in my head and has got me thinking about our last two litters. Alot of things I could see within the first few days - head structure, overall structure, bone, etc etc and so I have gone back over my notes from these litters and have realised that the notes I made from day one have corresponded with our eventually gradings within each litter. Now, I am not sure that I would say I am confident in grading a litter within the first few days as this is only our 3rd & 4th litters but with each litter we are developing the pedigree's we want to achieve and therefore are developing a constant type / style whatever you want to call it. So after closely looking at this I can see where this person comes up with such a statement - maybe after many more years of breeding I will be confident in grading a newborn. Interested to see what others think. Absolutely pick them wet and I haven't been disappointed yet. You see the puppy in all it's honesty when first born. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 My bitch had a section this time, and I have struggled to pick my pup because I didn't get to see them wet. My assessment on my first ever litter when wet was correct, so I am doubting myself a little this time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 I prefer to disturb the bitch as little as possible when they are born so don't really touch them much until they have all arrived and the bitch has settled. I check for the sex, note down the markings and leave it at that. Once they are all settled or there is a long wait between puppies, I put the scales next to the box and quickly weigh them before giving them back to the mum. All of my bitches have been very stressed if any of the puppies are moved to anywhere they can't touch them in the first few days so I tend to leave them be as much as possible. I do make early preferences but try not to and do a full assessment at 6 and then 8 weeks. The only things I cannot pick with my breed is how big they will grow and how high the ears will lift. Other than that I have never been wrong assessing my litters or anyone else's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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