Pick Of The Litter

boc121

For all dog people out there, how do you pick a pup from a litter?
Five pups all dogs.
German Wirehaired Pointer Pups.
Any tips would be great.
Cheers.

spideog7

eenie meenie miney moe.....

dicky82

everyone has differant opinions on this, i have bread dogs for a few years and more ofton than not people want the big fat pup or the little skinny 'lonely' one. . .this usually occurs when they have their mots or daughters with them.

i would reccomend that you watch the pups for at least an hour or if you have the time try see them on two seperate occasions, then choose the pup that shows the best qualities typical of the breed. . . choose one that isint too nervous with their litter mates or too boistrus with their litter mates.

im only speaking from my own experiences but bare in mind if its going to be your dog and your going to be its master then pick the one which you want not the one your missus likes or the breeder reccons you should take.

jwshooter

what age are they .

lucy333springer

I would go with marking's on the body and head, after looking at the dog's history, don't alway's pick the bulkest, fatest, sometimes the runt of the pack will make a good gundog

whitser

look for the one that seems quitley confident. not the shy one or the bully in the litter. but its always a gamble.

Alchemist2

there is no fixed formula for picking the "best" pup of a litter..but as the guys have said you dont want a pup to be too boisterous or too timid..i have met some of europes top HPR men and asked them this very question and all said exactly what i said"no fixed formula"... but they each said they would pick the most alert and one more thing they maintain that it is very important to spend as much time with the pup for the first week you bring it home to maximize the bonding process even if it means taking a week off work

murph226

show on bbc2 now about inside the mind of a dog!

jwshooter

not a wire hairs mind murf.

iv 3 all mad in there own ways ,one is rugby mad, brain o would not keep a rugby ball off her.

murph226

Ha, brilliant JW

Anybody watching it though? very good!

Chopperdog 2

Fantastic programme, watch out for it online. Well worth watching.

boc121

spideog7 wrote: »

eenie meenie miney moe.....

:D:D

Alchemist2 wrote: »

even if it means taking a week off work

Sounds good to me:D

jwshooter wrote: »

what age are they .

About 8 weeks.

Thanks lads was thinking it was a bit of a gamble alright, dont mind not getting the "best" pup but you would think if the parents were good dogs the pups would be daecent enough.
Cheers.

foxshooter243

About twenty five years ago ,I was on my way to coleraine in Northern Ireland to buy a spaniel pup from a man who owned the irish springer field trial champion Braehill Freckle, this dog had taken the Irish championship three years in succession. The Bitch he had been mated to produced six fine pups and three pups from a previous mating had went on to win field trials, so the mating quality was very good.
On arrival at this mans home he took me out with one of the previous litter and showed me the dog working, it was the first time I had ever seen a really well handled dog in action and to say I was impressed would be an understatement..the time came for me to choose a pup and he led me into a purpose built shed which had heat lamps over the whelping boxes and were quite impressive to say the least, there were four other
people there doing the same thing as me buying a pup, the first guy that was there was buying three pups, he said "yous folks pick yours ill take the three thats left"..so I picked mines and the others did the same.

We made our way into the house with our pups to get the paperwork sorted and after that was over I asked the breeder who was that guy that took the last three pups?-he answered, that was Dan Keenan, Irelands top spaniel handler at the time!:)

EPointer=Birdss

I remember when I went for my last 2 pups
On 1st one, there was 4 pointers. 2 dogs & 2 bitches. I had a dog in my head but could of been swung for the right pup.
Of the 2 dogs one was well marked & the other was a bit too white for me but I was open enough. Turns out the breeder was keeping the well marked dog so my options were reduced.
He left em out around the yard & I watched em for a good 20 minutes. The white fella was ok, not shy & as friendly as the rest but the well marked fella in that time knocked a window box, tore up every weed in the yard & garden & ran into the house with the rest in toe, made a whole load of noise & re-appeared been chased by the lady of the house with one of her slippers in his mouth.
I turned the owner & said that was the dog I wanted & I had no interest in the other guy & how much did he want. The gent that he was realized the dog sold himself & begrudgingly said I could have him!
2 years on the distructiveness is becoming less & less obvious & he is settling into a nice dog & I wouldn't go back on that decision for any money.

The springer then was the opposite, 1 of 2 left & not as lively as the bitch. Big fatso that was more interested in going back into bed. Couldn't have been more different. Turns out he is 100 times calmer & naturally obedient. Doesn't have the same drive but is starting to get going & will do me.
Go on your own or with a friend thats into dogs & pick the one that draws your eye. Always a lottery & one well worth the risk.

Morale of the story, luck, breeding & time spent working with them all play a part.

deeksofdoom

When I was picking out my GWP I went for the runt of the litter, she's a little gem!

jwshooter

some of todays play time

spideog7

I'm away from home this year, had to go to the states for work, after getting word from home that we had to get our old dog put down He was a mut a cocker/setter cross and we got him for nothing must be 13 years ago. I grew up with him and he's been the dog I've shot over since I started shooting, he was as much a friend as anything and he'll be sadly missed.

I'd say since I left this is the first winter that he didn't get out for a hunt in the season. He had bad arthritis and the hard weather for the past while really got to him, he was in a lot of pain. It was a bad sign when you'd start to leave and the once over eager dog will look up at you and turn around go back and sit down He had a lot of miles under his belt and a lot of hours too.

There's lots of dog lovers in the world lads but when you hunt with your dogs you get a friendship with them that can't be beat. You know them inside out and you can tell what he's chasing just by the bark or the way he's moving. This lad didn't have any papers, didn't have any breeding, but he was one of the best hunting dogs around, he just had the nose for it and had a great instinct, so to say it's luck is an understatement.

Best of luck with your new dog and I hope you get as much work and enjoyment out of him as I got out of mine.

lucy333springer

Our dog's are like childern, we take what's coming, love it and rare it the best way we can

boc121

Well lads thanks for all your advice, i looked at all the pups and could'nt see any difference between them so played around with them for an hour and went for this one:D.He seemed friendlier and brighter. One would'nt come near me,one seemed aggressive loads of biting and one was very noisy:eek:
Just will have to wait and see.
So lads any advice,tips,suggestions or books on training feeding anything will be appriciated.
Thanks again.

Here's Duffy

murph226

Congrats, lovely looking dog!

jwshooter

nice looking pup ,best of luck with ( Duffy) good job who ever named him is not into lady ga ga

lucy333springer

Class looking dog, nice saddle marking on his back and well marked, good luck, slan.

dicky82

well done, handsome looking dog.
my golden piece of advice for your traing is to get the basics right and then you'll have a sloid foundation to work on.

heal (right and left circulor) stay, come in to call. one or two simple retreives. half an hour of quality enjoyable training a day is key. and end each session on a positive.

hope your dog brings you as much enjoyment as mine have me.

Richiecats

woof woof

murphy125

Lovely looking dog
Good look with the training

Wolfhillbilly

Best of luck with the pup. This is a bit late seeing as ou've already bought your dog but for what it's worth, the first sugeestion of 'eenie meenie...' is as good as any. I bred a litter of red setters last year, and myself and my dad spent hours studying them, looking for signs etc. They change so much from week t week, day to day even, that I honestly still don't know whether I've made the choice. They are now six months old. The interesting thing for me is that the 'head honcho' when they wer every young, i.e. the pup that always seemed most confident and adventurous, the one that was first off the bench first up the steps to the back door etc and the one that basically picked himself, he is now the one that is more cautious (I kept two pups), and will be top dog when it comes to sorting out the pecking order. I did all the 'tests' with the wing on a fishing line, throwing nuts into the grass etc, but as I say, I still don;t know if I've made the right choice. One thing I am glad about though is that I kept two pups which doubles my chances!!

Deerspotter

The pup looks like he has some wisdom in his eyes - good choice.


Mate of mine has pups at the moment and has CCTV.

The pups are 3 months old and small enough - but the mother does not stay in the bed with them all the time any more and is free to go as she likes.

The other night he saw a fox on the camera go in to the run - (no visability inside the run - just at entrance) fox exited 30 seconds later, with out anything and left on his merry way. (seen it myself from the video)

Puppy owner checked the puppies - all healthy and fast asleep.
Question; would a fox take a puppy? Easy meal - unguarded 3 month old well fed puppy?
Puppy owner says no way - fox was looking for the dog food smell from the dish left there.

boc121

Here's Duffy 13 weeks kind of pointing leaves in the yard

bunny shooter

Called after Joe

Lovely dog, best of luck with it :cool:

ferrete

look at the pups while they all go to feed on milk and the two strongest pups and most dominate ones suckly the top two nipples nearest the head but watch the pups a few times to make sure it was not a one off that it got there they go there for the milk as its the best quailty milk apperantly

EPointer=Birdss

No the singer with the annoying voice! "Mercy"

He's starting to get leggy, the missus will be sick of him soon
Then the real work begins...;)

boc121

Already is,between himself the young fellow 16 month old Paddy they have the place wrecked. Dont know which one is worse and they're in it together:eek: