Picking a pup: early temperament tests
Picking a pup can be one of the most exciting things you ever do. When you head to the breeder’s place (you do go to breeders don’t you? Never support pet stores), there will be a lot of activity. You’ll likely get to meet mom and maybe dad. And there will be cute little puppies running amok.
The basis of a dog’s temperament is set pretty early and you can see this in the pups based on a few things (most notably their interaction with litter mates). You should first decide what type dog you want because the type of dog you want may not be the type I want. For example, you may want an overly submissive dog. I don’t. It try to look for certain characteristics in a pup and, based on their behavior, can usually determine if the have those traits. Back when I trained police dogs, we picked up pups regularly. However, I’ve only picked out one now in the last decade.
Following are traits I look for and what I do to ascertain if the dog has those traits:
Inquisitive (and not fearful): does he run up to me or run from me? I’ll drop my car keys. The pups that run are ruled out. The ones that stop and look without retreating are curious. The ones that run up to the keys to check them out are the inquisitive ones. Stamp your feet on the ground and see who runs and who does a play bow.
Confidence: When you reach for the pup, does he turn away? How about his interaction with littermates? Does he rule the roost or is he quiet? Is he picked on by others without responding? When it’s time to nurse, does your pup get moved out of the way by littermates or is he the one diving right in there?
Intelligence: This one, you just have to watch for cues. There’s not really a test. However, avoid the one that keeps running head first into hard objects.
Play drive: Take a small ball or a wash rag. Try to initiate a game of fetch/catch with the pups with the ball. Does he take to it or run? Is he interested but cautious? Try to get him to play tug with the wash rag. Does the pup play hard or does he give up as soon as you tug back. Jiggle your keys and see who comes running or runs away.
Prey drive: Drag the wash rag along the ground. Does he chase it? Does he mouth things (yeah, all pups do)?
And remember, if you do all these tests and decide that Pup 1 is the dog for you, you may end up getting Pup 2 because your wife thinks the patch over his eye is cute.
May 28th, 2004 at 2:23 pm
My take on picking a pup from a breeder: don’t. Go to the pound and get an adult dog instead. Then you know exactly what you’re getting, and you’ll save a good dog from being euthanized.
May 28th, 2004 at 2:31 pm
I tend to agree with you when it comes to family pets. But if you are wanting a working dog, it can be dangerous to train older pound dogs who may have already developed bad habits that can’t be overcome.
One of our dogs (Politically Correct Dog) is a stray that the Mrs. found one day. The other (Politically Incorrect Dog) we got from a breeder.
May 28th, 2004 at 2:59 pm
>Intelligence: This one, you just have to watch
>for queues.
Yes, any puppy who’s smart enough to know how to stand in line for something is a mutant genius puppy. ;>
May 28th, 2004 at 3:05 pm
Heh. Good thing we don’t check them for grammar.
May 28th, 2004 at 9:57 pm
Xrlq:
Our current dog is a purebred, picked up from a reputable breeder. Our next dog (probably in about a year or so, when this pup’s fully trained) will be a rescue. We will likely alternate that way.
There’s nothing more noble than rescuing a mutt from the pound, but there’s a lot of uncertainty about what you’re going to get, so it’s not for everyone. Was the dog abused by a previous owner? That can take a lot to overcome. Also, when you research purebred dogs, you can learn a lot about which breeds have which traits, and pick a breed that works with your lifestyle — not gospel, but a good starting point. With a mutt, you’re playing doggie roulette. 🙂
If I had my way, everyone who loves dogs would go out and rescue one. But I’d rather have people make informed dog decisions than to get a dog, decide it’s not working, and drop the dog right back off at the pound.
May 31st, 2004 at 12:50 pm
Good post. James
May 28th, 2004 at 10:08 pm
picking a pup
about a week ago, I wrote a post about picking the perfect dog.
June 1st, 2004 at 11:19 am
Check It Out…
I haven’t been nearly active enough here the past few days but fortunately there are others who have… Les Jones has his Friday Dog Pics up and they look like a nice bunch of fella’s. Say Uncle has advice on…