I'm waiting for a puppy from a litter that will be ready to go to homes mid-January. Three weeks ago we adopted a pup from this breeder. The pup was 6 weeks old at the time. The breeder assured that this was a mellow dog who would be a good companion to our kids, 5-year old twins and an 8-year old. The puppy had no littermates -- one died at 4 days old and one was stillborn.
We brought the pup home. She seemed kinda nippy but I thought it was a normal amount of nippyness since it had been so long since I'd had a puppy. We had her for 2 weeks before we took her in to the vet (a mistake in retrospect) since he did shots at 8 weeks. The vet found a severe heart murmur (4/6). Hy husband heard it too (he's a people doc).
The breeder agreed to exchange her for a pup from the upcoming litter. I brought her back the next day. The breeder called later that week to say that their vet had found no heart murmur. The breeder also said that they thought that she was a very dominant dog with the way that she was nippy and thought she would be much more suitable with someone who would use her as a 'working' dog and that we might be better off waiting for a pup from the next litter (different mom, obviously, and different dad) My husband and I discussed it and decided to go with the breeder's recommendation. My husband also said that he could never be convinced that she didn't have a significant heart murmur.

I am concerned because I'm not sure that I trust the breeder's ability to evaluate temperment. Am I reasonable to be concerned or would it have been very difficult for the breeder to accurately 'judge' this dog at only six weeks and with no littermates? How can I be sure to get a less dominant dog but one with a sound temperment from this next litter?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

I will say that any breeder who lets puppies go at 6 weeks of age is not a reputable breeder. This flat wrong.

In addition a level 4 heart murmur is not something that is going to go away in a week. So these people either have a cow doctor for a small animal doctor or they are scaming you.

You can go to the article section on my web site and see two articles on selection testing a litter of puppies. These are good tests.

You can also see these tests in the video I did on training puppies http://leerburg.com/108.htm

Your only defense against picking the wrong puppy is to find the right breeder. This sounds much easier than it is. In the last ten years I have learned much about what I like about GSD and even more on what I do not. While no breeder produces perfectly balanced litters with no fluctuation Leerburg Kennels is the closest you could find. You get what you pay for but a 2000 dollar investment over 13 years is about 40 cents a day. If you can not afford that then you cannot afford any dog.

Ps. Ed – Don’t go raising your prices after you see my math until I get my Rambo pup!

My first reaction was the same as Ed's: anyone who would place a pup at 6 wks is either too ignorant or too desparate for $ to be a breeder.

Martha,

Before you can pick the right puppy or even pick the right breeder you need to decide what you want from the dog and what you want to do with the dog. Many people get into trouble by getting the wrong breed or a puppy with the wrong temperament for their experience or family. Once you have decide what you want, what kind of training time you have, and how you expect the dog to fit into your family then you can look for a breed that wil fit those needs. Then you can look for a breeder. A good breeder is an invaluable resource for selecting a puppy. Another thing you could do is find a good trainer that you will be working with and see if they will assist in selecting the puppy.

Many puppies lose their happy homes from poor breed selection. If you have a small house with limited yard space you are probably not going to want a breed that requires a lot of exercise. With small children you don't want to get small dogs. The basic rule I have used is if your child under 10 can pick the dog up it is too small a breed for the family. Some really high drive dogs may not be the best choice for the family with small children as they will often chase and chew on the children and scare them to the point that the family gets rid of the dog.

With clear expectations of what you want it will be much easier to selct a breed, breeder, and puppy.

Good luck.

Richard... THAT was a perfect post. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Ed...sure hope this gal comes to you for her next pup...

Good grief, Ma'am... don't go back there! Get your $$ back (pidley I'm sure) and make an INVESTMENT in a Guaranteed Reliable Dog!

ps... we don't own a Leerburg Shepherd--and those folks you described are a danger to You and to whatever breed they are producing!

Martha . Whats up! this new post is a re-thread? You have stated before"think you are right that there is good chance that I can find a good dog in the next litter. A very kind GSD breeder in my area, who unfortunately won't have any puppies for a while, has offered to temperment test the pups at 7 weeks." Last week you brought home a 2 year sheperd from a different breeder and everything was great. Are you going to become a 2 dog house in this short period of time? For those of you who keep saying a Leeburg pup would be perfect for her.I think not.Ed has said that he thinks its a waste if one of his dogs go into a new home without ever being worked.There are millions and millions of dogs out there who make loving pets and become part of a family.What Martha didn't say in this post is she has 800 dollars invested with this breeder and the only way she can recapture it is to get a new pup.

milt

Dear Milt and All,
Thanks for your interest in my situation -- here's what's up.

Yes, I am thinking the only way to recover my investment with this breeder is to get a pup from them. I could try going thru legal means but I don't think it would be worth my time. One option would be to resell the pup - at a discount if need be - but the only way I would do that is if I had a good buyer lined up in advance who knew exactly what they were getting.

The other option would be to become a 2 GSD family. I am absolutely nuts about the 2 year old GSD - Star, but there's something about Greta's puppiness that I miss. In the past we have been a 'multiple dog' family - 3 keeshonden - about 15 years ago - before kids. It worked out great with the kees but would love to get people's input especially regarding german shepherds.

I think Star would be great with a puppy. She is very friendly towards other dogs. We met a puppy at the vet's that she was especially friendly and tolerant with. The breeder I got Star from has offered to help me pick a puppy from one of the litters from first breeder we got Greta from. I think this should work out but would love to hear what others think.

Richard, I really appreciate your thoughtful post. It is excellent. One concern I do have about a puppy is the 'preying' on the kids. The 5-year-olds loved to run from Greta while she fed on their ankles. The 5 year-old being pursued would jump up on a chair to escape 'the baby alligator' Then the other 5-year-old would distract Greta with a toy and then the routine would start over again. Even though this was fun to watch and they had a great time, I never thought this was a good idea but was never able to stop the 5 year-olds from this game. In the future, though, I'd probably just crate the pup when the game got outta hand.

I doubt any of my dogs will be 'worked' much - probably just obedience.

Thanks,
Martha

Martha, Whats the rush ? will the first breeder allow you to pick out a puppy in future litters? I'm not experienced enough to make any suggestions on a multiple dog household: but theres plenty of good people to help you.

milt

Martha,

This is a kid training issue not a dog training issue. Teach the kids to play ball with the puppy not chase games. The best way may be to have them sit on the floor facing each other, legs apart. For starters they can play some keep away with the ball by rolling it along the floor. When the puppy is a little older they can bounce the ball. The thing is to teach the puppy to play with the ball rather than chewing on them. If necessary you can crate the puppy if it gets out of hand. There is a thread on the board on puppy biting, with a good post by Lou Castle on teaching the puppy to not bite the family.

Milt,

With a multiple dog household there is some advantage to getting the new puppy before the other dog has taken complete "possesion" of the house and family. Even with 2 females there is a good likelyhood that these dogs will get along well if they are both spayed.