To anyone who really knows!

I have already done my reaserch of the parent dogs and they both are from working blood lines .... I kneed to know how to pick a dog from the litter tht has the charicter of a working dog?

Ne tips or tests tht i can do or try...


Help!

Wouldn't the breeder be able to help you there? One option is to take someone with you who is very experienced in that field when you go to choose a pup.

Hi
Probably there may be some who can pick a working Dog from a litter, but for me i think it is only in the mind of the person who does it, have your choice if you can i expect i would like to have done not for picking the best one, as would not know any difference but for the interest of picking my own choice,
But for me i can say i have never had a Choice, Fred the 11 month old G.S Pup was the last one left in the Litter
And my other G.S Pup 4 month old Goran was the last one in the litter,
now there was 13 pups in these two litters so we had eleven people who thought they knew, i had no choice but i cannot be happier with the Pups i have, Lets give it a couple of years and renew this thread, we will see then how good or bad my two rejects by other eleven other people turn out in Schutzund Competitions or Training to be in the above
I can guess now at least one of them will make his mark and i can guess by the way he reacts the Baby Pup will also hold his own, not my words, as i am a novice to the sport but from many who are among the best in there country, but as we say
'Time will tell'

http://www.leerburg.com/pickpup.htm

Above is the link from Leerburg on "How to selection test and Pick a Working puppy"

Great article full of information.

Carol
I did read Eds Article on Selection, and there would be points one can look for but i bet there is no guarntee from any breeder that the pup will turn out a great dog and no one could expect that of anyone ,
But i did not have that choice anyway, but i am happy with my two

 Quote: Steve Patrick

Carol
I did read Eds Article on Selection, and there would be points one can look for but i bet there is no guarntee from any breeder that the pup will turn out a great dog and no one could expect that of anyone ,
But i did not have that choice anyway, but i am happy with my two

I don't think there are ever any guarantees with a puppy. After all they are living creatures and much depends on the environment as well as the genetics. The best thing, imo, would be to get a pup from an experienced and knowledgeable breeder and let him/her help you choose the right puppy.

I totally agree with you and this article is a great guideline.
Sometimes you can do all the right things, "pick" the right puppy and it turns out that the dog they grow into will not work out.

Knowledge and experience are the best way to choose a pup. I had my trainer pick my first Mal for me and it turned out GREAT.....I can only hope she passes her drive and temperament to her pups. But, like you say.....Only time will tell.....

Jehangir,
What kind of work are you looking for? I presume you are looking at GSD (probably because that is what I keep). And if you are looking at that breed, the range of of work is large indeed. So the question is, what kind of work are you looking for?
If I was looking for personal protection, I would look for something much different than if I was looking for, lets say, herding or search and rescue. And the dogs could all come from the same litter! They are after all, everyone of them, working dogs and can be all shaped to a certain extent to the will of the owner/handler. However, picking the right animal for the end you want always makes things not only easier but more satisfactory in the end. It's also part of the magic in the 'journey' of picking, training, and becoming one.
So the question remains. What is it you want besides a working line dog? What do you expect from the dog in the end?



Randy

Jehangir,
Have you decided exactly what you want?
Now, find a mentor, a teacher you trust, a guru if you will in the discipline you are interested in persuing.
Have him/her pick the pup for you.
Picking dogs out of a litter is not a quanitative science for anyone. Life is too varied for that to happen. You can only increase your odds for an easier road.

The end is important, the journey makes the end worth while.
Randy

Here are some links I read before picking a breeder:

http://www.breedingbetterdogs.com/achiever.html

http://www.malinut.com/ref/write/paws/

http://www.volhard.com/puppy/pat.htm

I used the PAT scores as part of my decision with Starbuck. It was between her and one other pup in the litter. The breeder did the PAT test at 7 weeks.