picking out the right pup out of a litter

Picking out the right pup what do you look for?

 

the first one born is the pick of the litter....

 

I pick whichever dog has the best markings and colors because you cannot tell the pups true temperment at a young age.

 

All B.S to the side...
8 weeks is that really the best time to select a pup and evaluate its structure.
I know personality has a lot to do w/ it as well, shy and skittish pups arent what you want right?
where is ABK she should be all over this post leading:rolleyes:

 

Markings - you're gonna be feeding it, might as well have something nice to look at.
Size - I usually pick the girl and a runt but with my last pup I chose a solid male
Behavior - High drive, full of life, bully or a very fearless, independent pup.

 

i look for nice conformation & certain traits the mother or father might have that i like that i see in the pup

 

smarts.....loyalty.....heart and of course body structure

 

l look for all the above:p

 

when looking at them when they are only a few days old, i look at which pup or pups are at the bottom of the pile up. in theory those are the ones with the highest drive to survive. they are getting to the bottom to keep warm and stay alive. granted this isnt proven science, it has some logic behind it. at 8 weeks old i like for them to be active and not shy.

 

I always try to pick the boldest pup. The one that will at 4-6 weeks will walk right up to you with no fear. They also seem to have an air of confedence even at that age. The structure is also just as important, if the pup turns out to be a good one you wont it to be as structurly sound as possible.

 

i agree with that,i used this to pick my last pup

 

i have chosen the runt in 2 outta my last 3 dogs.

 

haven't choose many,useally the runt

 

y the runt?

 

Because they have to fight more to eat and stay warm while young which means creates more attitude and more drive.

 

yeah the runts cool but make sure they all healthy and close your eyes and lucky dip lol. or if they are couple months old grab the real high energy one you will spot it they stand out and if they are a bit older again i also like the old headed serious but confident looking pup. its great fun choosing a pup i always want them all but just dont have the room or the funds lol.

 

There is no sure fire method for picking a pup. The last pup I purchased five years ago was getting roughed up by her littermates and looked like the last dog on the world you would want. She blossomed into a smart, nasty bitch who takes no mess. If I wasn't dead set on getting a bitch I would have never gotten her. Long story short pick whichever one strikes your fancy. It is roll of the dice or spin of the wheel and hope the stars line up. If you are looking for a conformation dog go with all the structure stuff mentioned earlier.

 

I'm with Jelet, there are a few things I will look for but other than that, it really comes down to which dog is the closest in phenotype to the dog I hope him to be like. You can't tell much about what the dog is as a pup. Even little balls of fire can cool down fast, so I base it off looks for the most part.

 

LOL last litter i had i sold all but one pup bc my yard was so full sold them to close personal friends and the pup i kept at the time i thought this is gonna be a worthless hound but turns out he was the best dog in the litter u never really know while they are pups how they will turn out

 

Yeah I agree, you can't really tell at 8 - 10 week. I once had a runt who turned into the greatest dog anyone could own. She was smart, confident, and protective. Damn I miss that dog.