Mason_Gibbs Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 At 6 weeks i am going to go and see a puppy I am interested in, i picked my current dog as he was keen on interacting with me by retrieving toys sticks etc. I do obedience with my dog and i would be keen to do it with the pup too so i was wondering what traits people who compete look for in a pup?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 At 6 weeks i am going to go and see a puppy I am interested in, i picked my current dog as he was keen on interacting with me by retrieving toys sticks etc. I do obedience with my dog and i would be keen to do it with the pup too so i was wondering what traits people who compete look for in a pup?? I sent my breeder a list - for agility, not obedience, but much the same I should imagine. Confidence. (Attitude optional - unfortunately I think she missed this bit. ) Conformation. Drive. Everything else was desirable, but not essential. I'm sure others will have more extensive lists and fill in gaps I've missed, but that was pretty much it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doglifetraining Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Congratulations! You can puppy test to the hilt but all it tells you is how that pup is feeling on that particular day. There is only one thing I look for in my pups- food and play drive. Mainly food though as you can always build play drive. I want my pups exposed to all sorts of different food, I have found his prevents fussiness. While I visit the pups I always take some treats and see how they respond to food. If my dog loves food I can do anything with them. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doglifetraining Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Congratulations! You can puppy test to the hilt but all it tells you is how that pup is feeling on that particular day. There is only one thing I look for in my pups- food and play drive. Mainly food though as you can always build play drive. I want my pups exposed to all sorts of different food, I have found his prevents fussiness. While I visit the pups I always take some treats and see how they respond to food. If my dog loves food I can do anything with them. Good luck. I should also mention- trust your breeder to help choose a pup for you. Good breeders are excellent sources of information as they spend so much time with the pups. Your breeder will be able to narrow the choice for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Its a labrador so food drive wont be a problem lol !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 At 6 weeks i am going to go and see a puppy I am interested in, i picked my current dog as he was keen on interacting with me by retrieving toys sticks etc. I do obedience with my dog and i would be keen to do it with the pup too so i was wondering what traits people who compete look for in a pup?? I would look at the Pat Hastings STRUCTURE IN ACTION book. To do obedience you want a good mouth, and good conformation. Temperament- I would be relying on the breeder for this. Ideally you have gone to someone who has already produced pups that are involved in dog sports, so they will have a good idea from previous litters what pups are likely to have the right personality and temperament to do what you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Labradors here are not used a whole heap in dog sports ( well not much in obedience anyway) so its hard to tell but temperament wise I know the father and he is lovely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 With my Dally I was lucky enough to stay with the breeder in Canberra for several days when the pups were 5 weeks old - I watched them interact, played with them and handled them. Zig was the standout for me in terms of being the first of the litter (of 9!) to explore novel objects and try new things (such as climbing stairs). When the breeder held a 'puppy party' everyone agreed that he was the stand out for dog sports. Perfectly adequate conformation but he wouldn't have been the show pick - good structure but more lightly built than the other boys. Em comes from such strong working lines with very even litters that I was pretty content to have any pup that had four legs and one head In the end I had 2 bitch puppies to choose from and Em immediately stood out in terms of response to loud noises and interest in retrieving plus I just clicked with her. I still can't believe how easy it was to choose between them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Labradors here are not used a whole heap in dog sports ( well not much in obedience anyway) so its hard to tell but temperament wise I know the father and he is lovely. There are Labrador breeders who compete in obedience and plenty of Labs with titles. I would be looking for a resilient, people focussed pup with an interest in retrieving. Personally I think 6 weeks is a bit young for assessment. 7 or 8 weeks would be preferable and I'd suggest you be guided by the breeder if they have any experience in the sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 If all else fails, the cheekiest in the litter is a good start Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 you be guided by the breeder if they have any experience in the sport. Has worked perfectly for me - so far so good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 At 6 weeks i am going to go and see a puppy I am interested in, i picked my current dog as he was keen on interacting with me by retrieving toys sticks etc. I do obedience with my dog and i would be keen to do it with the pup too so i was wondering what traits people who compete look for in a pup?? I would look at the Pat Hastings STRUCTURE IN ACTION book. To do obedience you want a good mouth, and good conformation. Temperament- I would be relying on the breeder for this. Ideally you have gone to someone who has already produced pups that are involved in dog sports, so they will have a good idea from previous litters what pups are likely to have the right personality and temperament to do what you want. OT sorry, but why is a good mouth neccessary and what do you mean by good mouth? Good luck in choosing you ne wlittle one Mason!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Congratulations! You can puppy test to the hilt but all it tells you is how that pup is feeling on that particular day. I disagree. I think you can definitely tell a lot about a pup if you know what to look for. The best advice I've ever been given was once you have a puppy you like take it somewhere new (ie the neighbors front yard) and test how well they respond to you and your rewards etc there. A puppy that chases a tug for ages in it's own environment but shuts down in a new environment is not a puppy I would consider taking for a second. For a performance home I would want a puppy who wants to chase tug for hours or shows a strong food Drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Trkuble is i wont have a choice after the breeder has chosen the 1 to keep which is why i need to know some things to look for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Trkuble is i wont have a choice after the breeder has chosen the 1 to keep which is why i need to know some things to look for The breeder should still be able to assist you with your choice. The demon of the litter isn't necessarily the pup I'd want in every breed but I'd be happy with that in a Lab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Trkuble is i wont have a choice after the breeder has chosen the 1 to keep which is why i need to know some things to look for The breeder should still be able to assist you with your choice. The demon of the litter isn't necessarily the pup I'd want in every breed but I'd be happy with that in a Lab. I have a sneaking suspicion my pup was the demon of the litter But she has lots of confidence and a massive play drive to go with being so naughty... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsdog2 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 (edited) I disagree. I think you can definitely tell a lot about a pup if you know what to look for. The best advice I've ever been given was once you have a puppy you like take it somewhere new (ie the neighbors front yard) and test how well they respond to you and your rewards etc there. A puppy that chases a tug for ages in it's own environment but shuts down in a new environment is not a puppy I would consider taking for a second. For a performance home I would want a puppy who wants to chase tug for hours or shows a strong food Drive. The only problem with that huski is finding a breeder who'll let you take a pup that's not fully vaccinated to the neighbours front yard - I'm pretty sure Indi's breeder wouldn't have allowed me to take her to their own front yard. They did allow me to spend time with the three girls I was interested in (without the rest of the litter around to distract them), but in the end I trusted their pick and couldn't be happier with her I found my breeder was more than happy to find the right dog for me when I said I was thinking of doing obedience with her - it's their name that's going to be out there so they want the dog that's just right for that particular competition ;) Edited July 13, 2011 by gsdog2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 The dog that I let the breeder pick for me has turned out to be the best dog I have had Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Congratulations! You can puppy test to the hilt but all it tells you is how that pup is feeling on that particular day. I disagree. I think you can definitely tell a lot about a pup if you know what to look for. The best advice I've ever been given was once you have a puppy you like take it somewhere new (ie the neighbors front yard) and test how well they respond to you and your rewards etc there. A puppy that chases a tug for ages in it's own environment but shuts down in a new environment is not a puppy I would consider taking for a second. For a performance home I would want a puppy who wants to chase tug for hours or shows a strong food Drive. Thats basically every labrador out there Many service organnisations look for a puppy that will chase and bring back an item like a ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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