Picking Pup???'s

Pat M

Pat M

Active member
So Sunday I am going back to the breeder and get first pick for the males. Any helpful hits or pointers?? This will be my first time picking a pup. I'm going to try to bring a duck wing I saved at the end of last season in anticipation for getting a pup to see which pups are most interested. I've heard of a couple dominance tests, like turning them over on their back to see how much they wiggle and when they quit. Any others? I can use all the help I can get. I'm taking the gf along so I hope it doesn't come down to which one is cuter. She knows he's supposed to be for "me" to hunt with.

On a side note, its going to be a busy weekend. One of my wrestlers qualified for state which starts tomorrow afternoon and runs until Saturday night. He's ranked 1 in the pre-state rankings so keeping fingers crossed that he wrestles well.

Thanks for the help Getlemen and Ladies
Pat
 
Good luck with both endeavors. I would take a pup collar along to tag "your" dog once you have picked it out. I always liked picking mine by the back test and also by seeing which one kept following after me. On a side note, if you are going to train your dog, I heard an interesting technique the other day. I have trained many dogs, but never put thought of this. A guy I know trained his dog to sit upon the sound of a gun going off. He also trained it to sit when a bird flushed. For the flushing, he used a kick trap and live birds to teach the second. This makes the dog very steady in the blind, boat or field, and keeps the dog from "breaking" at any gun shot which can be dangerous in close quarters. Good luck...............dc
 
PatM If it was me I would be looking for one of the nosest little buggers I could find and give it a good looking over to see if it had any problems IE cleft mouth and so on.
take care and God Bless
Eddie.
Its all about Building that Bond.
 
Picking a pup is and odd endeavor concerning what does it all mean...if the pup does not pay attention to the wing does that mean he will not be a good hunter?....if the pup does not follow me around is that an indication he will not be oriented towards or listen to your commands?......All I would say is maybe or maybe not....

The last pup I picked was towards the tail end of a litters left overs, only two males. I simply took them both in to some long grass and wandered around and watched them both to see how they reacted. The one I ended up picking did not wander to far but had his nose into every hole and corner checking it out while still paying attention to the humans around him. The other pup ran crazy, bounding through the grass and was not paying much attention to the people, he also was checking the new smells out but at a less frequent pace. My pup ended up being my favorite lab out of all the labs I have owned, calm, cool, collected, yet very much a bird hunter when that task was required. He was a joy to have around the house and in the field. As for the other pup I never heard how he turned out. At least one other pup from that liter got his master hunter and was an excellent dog, so the potential was there for that liter.

Was my method the end all pup selection method? No far from it....I say just pick what your fancy strikes....and train away. Just make sure they are healthy pups.

Matt
 
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There is a book entitled "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete. It gives really good information on the natural instincts of dogs and their psychological behaviors, and how we can understand and use this to our benefit when raising and training dogs. They have a whole series of books and videos, that I would aso recommend at some time, but at this point I would recommend you get this book ASAP, and begin reading it PRIOR to picking out your pup. Way back when I was in private practice, I lived in a small town with only one bookstore and kept them in business sending new puppy owners over for a copy of that book. Good luck, there's nothing cuter than lab puppy. Alex
 
Never look at pups that have just had their shots that day or the day before.Their true personality can be subdued and that calm mellow little fella you picked out can end up being a holy terror once they come to.

Qualification that this is from my one and only purchased dog so my experience is right at 100% accuracy but the data set is very small.

Based on all the springers that my folks brought home when I was young I would have to say that picking a dog that picks you is not a bad way to go, but its limitations are that the dog may not like anyone else in the family. Rare but can happen.
 
If you picked a good breeding, put all of the pups of the desired gender and color in a box, close your eyes, and the first one you grab is your pick.
 
Pat,

I have had very good luck at dogs over the years. Some people think it's because I know how to pick a pup out of a litter. Personally, I think it's the way I raise them and bond to them. In any case, I'll tell you that when I go looking for a pup I try to pick an intelligent pup, not easy for sure when you aren't around them all the time. At any one time they could be just getting up or ready for a nap and none of them will seem appropriate. Also, look for a pleasing personality. You don't want the house bully or the shy one. Pick a pup like you would pick your next best friend because that's what he will become.

If you can meet the parents you will get a pretty good idea of what your dog will be like. Sometimes I pick a specific gender based on what I want out of the dog after seeing the parents.

Good luck at State. I was a wrestler in HS as well. What wt. class is your boy wrestling in?
 
I agree with Pete.....training and how they bond to you and you to them is a big deal....not the 5 minutes scratching your head and going HMMMMMMMM....... I also agree with the parents and the breeding, but I assume that by this juncture in buying a pup you have investigated that..
 
Pat,
There is probably more BS out there about picking out a pup than anything else you can think of. Above all don't rush. To some degree let the pup choose you. I like the "roll em on there back test but have been told that that is BS so ?????. Probably the best advice I have is to be honest with yourself on what you can do, what you want and how much "drive" can you handle. Be prepared to learn more from the dog than you teach it!! The very best of luck to you. Oh yeah remember that any color lab is good as long as it is yellow. (heheheh)
 
My wife refuses to consider a yellow or chocolates.....blacks only.....

Oh the drive thingy.........that is part of the breeding I think, some dogs are insanely intense (driven field trail types) and so if you want that pick a breeding using parent that are similar...If the breeding has happened before I like to talk to people that have pups from that breeding to check out how the personalities are and such...
 
I think I've picked a decent set of parents. We met sire the first time we went out and looked at the female and facilities. Both dogs were very calm but also engaging and wanted affection. I like the best friend comment. We were leaning towards a male and after seeing the sire it affirmed our opinon. He has that nice blocky head and body but nothing too huge.

My wrestler is at 145 in D3 from Rio. He took first at sectionals so he has a first round bye at state.
 
Thanks for all the help. I have done a bit of homework, since this is my first I don't want to screw up too bad but know there will be issues. I found a good breeder with good blood lines and characteristics we wanted. The sire was there both times we were there and he has good energy but wasn't hyper. We talked to some references of litters from previous breedings of these two who have their master hunter titles. I'm not looking to train a titled dog but an over all good hunting partner. But I want a dog with a good amount of drive. We have a couple areas we hunt that we could push a few fields for pheasants after a morning of duck hunting. So it would be nice to have a dog with the desire to do that.
I have picked up a couple of decent books and DVD series on training. I have the Tom Dokken's Retreiver Training book, the Fowl Dogg DVD Series, a Puppy Training DVD by Gun Dog magazine and anther book that I picked up in my schools library that I came accross about training versitile dogs (DD) that has alot of good hunting dog information no matter what the breed. I will try to get "The Art of Raising a Puppy" Alex, one of the neighboring libraries has so I just need see if they can deliver it to my library. I want to have a good, dependable and obedient hunting partner. I have a good chunk of time in the summer, being a teacher and all that I'm hoping I can accomplish it.

Oh and he going to be Yellow, I think we are leaning towards Kodiak for a name. I wanted Yukon but it reminds my gf of my drink of choice to much. (I was born in Alaska so was looking for some conection, if we got a girl it was going to be Mckinley or Denali)
 
Pat, I'm sending you a PM with my phone number. Please call me, too much to write here, but if the breeder has a lot of experience breeding and selling puppies to hunters, hunt test and field trial folks, you best bet is to give them as much information as you can regarding how you are going to use the dog, then let them pic the pup. They have lived with all of the puppies since they were born, shold have tested them in various ways and will have the best idea on which pup is best for each new owner.

Call me.

John
 
Pat, Well we share good tastes in drink and places to live. And even crazier my first lab was named Yukon Jack, he was a yellow licker. At the same time we had friends with a swamp collie named McKinley. We had just gotten back from a 6 week trip to Alaska.
 
John thats good advise, this is what Sandra did for me when I got Meg and now she doing the same for Amber and I have every faith in her as she gave me the best dog I have ever had.
take care and God Bless Ps. sandra has been breading dogs for over 50 years and she knows her stuff.
Eddie.
Its all about Building That Bond
 
I've owned a Chesapeake, Labs and now have four Llewellin Setters. I even got into breeding the setters for a while. Over the years I had the opportunity to work with breeders of all these types of dogs and Springer Spaniels to boot. There is one thing that I'm convince of when it comes to coosing a puppy. The owner makes the pup successful. A calm owner generally has a calm dog. Make your best guess, spend lots of time with him, and I am very partial to male dogs by the way, and over the long run your new pup will work out to be a wonderful hunting partner. After training retreviers and now setters one thing I'm sure of is that different dogs develop at different rates, the biggest mistake you can make is try and make any pup fit the time frames stipulated in anyone's book. Hunting with a dog only makes the whole experience more memorable, and hunting over one that you trained yourself no matter how "finished" they are is one the best things going.

Good Luck---and I'm a sucker for puppy pictures please take lots!
 
Pat,

Based on all the info you've provided, Mr. Robinson is at least 75% correct.

If there's any chance your gf is going to push you toward a pup you don't want, don't take her. She is your gf, not your wife and you said this is your dog. Don't take significant others or children to help you pick a pup, if it is to be YOUR dog and especially a working dog.

Also, picking a pup is hocus pocus - whatever you believe, stick to it. If you are independent and stubborn, don't all of a sudden become a pushover.

AND, I almost didn't pick her . . . I was set to take a different pup, but at about the last minute the breeder said, "take this one." This was after I found the parents I wanted, the litter I wanted, and saw the pups several times. I was confident that none of the pups would be bad, it was just a question of which one was best for me. At the moment of truth, after all I had told the breeder and his experience raising several litters, he made the suggestion and I took his word. I can confidently say that I've put more into my dog than the other owners did, and she has become everything I wanted. I'm 99% sure she outperforms all the others from that litter.

So part was her, part was me as the owner/trainer, and she wouldn't have even come home with me if it weren't for the breeder's advice.

Good luck, and remember, the vast majority of people think the world of their dogs, so you will probably be just fine!

NR
 
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