Do you really know??

[campgsp]

From some posts I have read today and in recent weeks.

Can you tell if a puppy is going to be a great bird dog?

You go to choose a pup and a lot of people do this. Which dog is pointing the most, which pup is showing Desire, etc. Do you think that pup will be a better bird dog then the one running around paying no attention to the bird or you, even the pup sleeping in the corner. Can he not be one of the best bird dog? Can you tell a 7 or 11weeks old?

[ezzy333]

NO

[AzDoggin]

NO

Agree.

Delmar Smith never cared about "pick of the litter" either. He talked about getting good lineage, and then taking the pup left over after everyone else had chosen theirs.

If you really NEED TO KNOW, a young adult dog is the way to go if you have the $$.

[DonF]

Another no.

[Tyler S]

Nope

[RayGubernat]

You cannot tell....for sure... which one is going to be a great bird dog at 8 weeks....

BUT

You can tell which pup has the type of personality you prefer. You can tell which pup wants to be with you. Read through the Volhard Puppy Aptitude test for a clear description of the evaluations and what they can show a prospective buyer. You can tell(with some degree of accuracy) which pup will be the most "trainable", via some version of the Volhard retrieving test. The Seeing Eye apparently has had success selecting service dog candidates with this approach.

Soooo, if you get a pup whose momma and daddy do what you like in the field and it has the kind of personality that you can work well with, the desire to bond with you and the willingness to submit to training....you mightactually have a pretty good shot at getting a bird dog that will be great...for you.

RayG

[Echo Hill Kennel]

No, you can not tell but by doing your homework and knowing who is doing the breeding and what the parents are like will help you in this process.

We believe by selectively breeding the right 2 dogs together we will have consistency through out our litters for the most part.

We evaluate each litter as the puppies become older and always strive to improve the breed line in future litters

[RoostersMom]

Nope - and I think letting the breeder choose a pup for you is at least as good as you picking it yourself - and probably better. They live with the litter - they know the pups. I'm talking a reputable breeder of course.

[ACooper]

You cannot tell....for sure... which one is going to be a great bird dog at 8 weeks....

BUT

You can tell which pup has the type of personality you prefer. You can tell which pup wants to be with you. Read through the Volhard Puppy Aptitude test for a clear description of the evaluations and what they can show a prospective buyer. You can tell(with some degree of accuracy) which pup will be the most "trainable", via some version of the Volhard retrieving test. The Seeing Eye apparently has had success selecting service dog candidates with this approach.

Soooo, if you get a pup whose momma and daddy do what you like in the field and it has the kind of personality that you can work well with, the desire to bond with you and the willingness to submit to training....you mightactually have a pretty good shot at getting a bird dog that will be great...for you.

RayG

This.

[campgsp]

Personality is about the only thing you will find out when picking a pup at 8 weeks. But even then when you get home and in a new setting that can change. Who you thought was the bold pup can be the middle of the road or shy. An hour or so at the breeder with the pups doesn't always show everything. And even a reputable breeder knows things in a pups personality can change in coming weeks after the pup has left.

It's all a gamble as far as I'm concerned.

[Sharon]

Obviously , you can draw some conclusions about size at an early age. One pup here becaame a big bruiser and one was a runt at 28 pounds fully grown. This may affect your choice for several reasons.

[Cicada]

No not really but you have to pick one.

I picked one pup because he was the one with the stick in his mouth keeping it away from his mates, Best GSP I ever had he would dive for ducks and bust the bush with the best of them. Some time things just work out.

Grant

[myerstenn]

You can tell a lot of things, such as tail angulation/ style, tempermant, if they have a tendency to be out frount when your walking them,independence,self reliance,how biddible they are,do they point and what do they look like during the intial introduction to the wing. All that being said , that doesnt guarantee that you picked the best one in the litter, it might indicate that it has something to offer you at that stage of dvelopment. To me thats better than picking with a blind fold on.

[cmc274]

You can be sure of sex and color.

[Karen]

We kept this one:



Any idea why?

[RayGubernat]

You can be sure of sex and color.

You can be sure of a whole lot more than that, IMO.

Puppies are almost totally honest and will show you who and what they are if you know how to look.

I have used a shortened version of the volhard puppy aptitude test on several different puppies and it has ALWAYS indicated accurately if the puppy was extremely bold...which is one of the principal things I look for in a dog. Each pup that I took home after it indicated a high level of boldness...turned into an extremely bold adult dog.

As I mentioned previously the Seeing Eye saw a HUGE improvement in the percentage of dogs which successfully completed the service dog training program after they began pre- selecting puppies that showed a high level of cooperation.

If it is in there when the pup is eight weeks old, it will be in there when the dog is an adult...unless the trainer drives it out or crushes it.

I will also second the suggestion that you ask the breeder for help in selecting the dog which is best suited for the owners wants and needs, They certainly should know their dogs best.

Oh and for those who are interested in conformation, there is a body of evidence to indicate that a pup which is EXACTLY(to the day) eight weeks old...is an exact miniature of what it will be as an adult. The proportions at that point in time are supposedly the same as the adult proportions. I saw a video some years ago detailing the evaluation process and I understood that folks paid real money to the originators of the process in order to evaluate litters of dogs for future dog show stock.

RayG

[myerstenn]

We kept this one:



Any idea why?

Because it points with a low head and bad tail.........