Choosing Your Puppy

 We care about our new owners and puppies alike, therefore when selling a puppy we listen first to what the prospective owner is purchasing it for. After we have determined the  persons needs we try to match the best puppy to meet their needs. We are here after the purchase for support day or night to answer any questions or concerns you may have, and if we don’t know the answer to your question or concern we will find it for you as quickly as possible. Below are some tips on how to choose your puppy and what you should look for in a breeder as well. 

Your first look should be at the litter as a group. If there are four puppies and three of them are running away or staying at arm's length or woofing suspiciously at you, I'm sorry to say your visit is over.

No, you shouldn't buy the fourth puppy. The chances are too great that shyness or distrustfulness is in his genes, too, and simply hasn't caught up to him yet.

And don't let a breeder laugh off his puppies' timidity with assurances of, "Oh, they just haven't been handled much." Lack of socialization means laziness or ignorance on the part of the breeder. You do not want a puppy from a lazy or ignorant breeder. If he can't even socialize properly, who knows what else he screwed up?

Puppies who hide or tuck their tails or shrink away from you are not safe choices as pets. Don't try to convince yourself that you can "bring them out of their shell." You don't know what's going on in these puppies' genes. Shy puppies usually become shy dogs who may snap defensively at anything that startles them.

If the litter isn't running away, what should they be doing? Normal puppies are friendly, curious, trusting. They mill around your feet, tug at your shoelaces, crawl into your lap, nibble on your fingers.

After a while, they may stop playing with you and begin wrestling with one another. You can tell a lot about the individual puppies by the way they interact with their littermates.

• Which ones are strong, outgoing, bossy, noisy?
• Which ones are quiet, submissive, gentle?
• Which ones grab all the toys and win the tugs-of-war?
• Which ones seem delicate or picked on?

Family Pet Vs. Protection dog

Most families do best with a pup who is neither boss of the litter nor lowest on the totem pole. Look for good-natured, middle-of-the-road pups who don't growl or grab or bite, but who do join in and hold their own.  These puppies make the best family pet.

However if you are looking form more of a working/protection dog.   Working puppies should also be emotionally and physically hard. Working puppies should chase moving objects and it is preferable that they mouth, grab and pick them up. The better ones will retrieve a bunch of keys or other metal objects. I always play with a small rag or sock if testing dogs for bite work. How puppies pursue and bite the rag reveals their "genetic" grip. Puppies that pursue eagerly, even if uncoordinated due to delayed development, grab the rag full or at least regrip to full, then hold hard, calm and firm will do the same if properly trained in bite work. If the puppies grab, thrash, rebite, etc., they will probably do so as an adult, not matter how they are trained. Puppies that are bred to do bite work should be very mouthy, biting people, objects, carrying stuff, etc.

Clap your hands gently, snap your fingers, jingle your car keys, shuffle your feet, whistle softly, cluck your tongue.

• Which pups are interested?
• Which ones come over to investigate?
• Which ones are apprehensive?

You want an alert and confident puppy. A nervous puppy who is afraid of sudden sounds or quick movements will not do well in a busy household. A puppy who is completely oblivious may be too dull, too independent, or unhealthy.

Next, ask the breeder if you can see each puppy who is available for sale, individually. Ask him to remove the other pups.

You want to see how each puppy reacts when he is away from his littermates. Sometimes a puppy who seems bold when "his friends are backing him up" will become uncertain or anxious on his own. Or sometimes an energetic puppy will calm down when not being egged on by the others; given your undivided attention, he may become quite the lap-sitter.

• What is his general expression and body language?
• Does he keep his tail up or mostly down?
• Is his tail wagging, even hesitantly?
• When you talk to him, does he look at your face?
• Does he cock his head and listen to you?

For more information on choosing a working puppy check out this link to Service dogs of America's article on choosing a working puppy.

   Angie Young

German Shepherd Breeder

Chattanooga, Tennessee

423-595-8317

camelotshepherds@comcast.net