Hello,

While I have been a observer of the leerburg kennels for some time (gee I would say 8 years since I ordered my 1st catalog) I have never subscribed to the forums shame on me. It has been about 5 years since I have owned a GSD,and of the 3 previous GSD's, 2 have been basically given to me or were "cheap" and I had alot of issues. So this time around I have done alot of "homework" found a breeder near Dallas that my wife and I feel comfortable with and to our suprise,we were offered "pick of the litter".

Now what?

I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about training and what I wanted out of a GSD,but after reading over the last few months on this site and others,ive come to realize just how foolish my ideas about training are. With the time and money im putting into getting a quality GSD I don’t want to pick the wrong dog. I have come to realize I’m not exactly sure what im looking for while “choosing” a puppy.
Is there any way to get some advise of the subject? I saw that the video “bite training puppies” have some information,but I don’t think im looking for a “working” dog.Would that still be good guide lines to follow?

Here is the breakdown

We are looking for a male ( there are 4 to choose from,also 4 females)

A solid family pet is what we are after. I have a 3 year old in the house. My wife’s family are upset we are getting a “large” dog, fearing for the littlone’s safty.So while temperament is very important.

They are 4 weeks old Tuesday 26th Feb. (we are getting everything ready ahead of time, will have the video’s ordered by the end of the week)We have already seen them at 2 weeks..when is the best time to "pick" one? at the time of pick up or sooner?

We are going to pick him up at 7 weeks, is this too early? My wife and I will be on spring break that week and feel it would be a good time to let the puppy adjust to us and us to him. Is this the right attitude? Or would we be better servered at 8 weeks and a normal home rotine?

I know this might have run alittle long, I would just like to be able to make as informed decision as possible.

Thank you for your time,
Michael

If you found a good solid breeder then you should let the breeder pick for you. They will know far better the temperment of the individuals. There is no way on one or two brief meetings you can properly gauge the temperments. Be VERY VERY clear to the breeder what you are looking for.

I am a little suspicious that a reputable breeder would give "pick of the litter". For the above reasons.

My pup is almost 5 mnths old and to be honest when I went to see the litter and pick him up I would have selected him second, maybe third on first impressions.

Thank GOD I trusted the breeder because Quincy is everything I wanted plus some.

I would spend as much time as possible observing the puppies but you will probably be able to make out their temperments better the older they are. (keep in mind that the most outgoing one isnt neccesarily the most stable one, but probably the most dominant one).
Personally I think that taking it home when you are going to be able to spend the maximun amount of time is good. I dont think that the week will matter so much in this case but Im open for the experienced breeders to correct me there.

I'm just curious because we are "shopping" for a GSD puppy but what were your issues with the (for lack of a better word) the "cheap" GSDs you formerly owned?

While I'm not where near an expert in this, I agree with Michelle. The breeder we bought from gently steered us towards the puppy we bought after hearing we wanted a pet and learning about our family.

There are going to be different "pick of the litter" puppies depending on what you are looking for. If you are a Schutzhund enthusiast, you will want a completely different dog than a pet home. With this said, I would question why the breeder is selling multiple dogs as "pick of the litter".

Can you pm me the link to their website (if they have one).

I wouldn't recommend taking the puppy home at 7weeks. That last week is critical to developing pack behavior that will carry over to your dog training with the new puppy in the new pack.

Just my $.02

Michael, I agree with what others have said. Now, that I have learned so much, I don't believe there is a pick of the litter. I think some dogs are better suited for certain homes. I would question a breeder who would offer a "pick of the litter", and when I see breeder sites who offer picking order on when the deposit is received, I want to pull my hair out. There is so much to learn. Here is a site that I think has great info on choosing the right pup and matching it with the right handler. Link.

Good luck. Oh and I would also recommend leaving the pup for another week. There will plenty of time for bonding. Pretty much the rest of the dog's life.

Pick of the litter is the pup that's the best match for your family...imo the ideal scenario is EVERY pup is 'pick of the litter.'

Well, it's always good to have time off...I likened the new pup experience with a new baby experience (oh the sleep deprivation!). There are different schools of thought on the time...7 weeks is the middle ground but I do agree the full 8 is best - allows more time to learn pack structure/rules and it will make your life easier down the road, exploiting that to teach the pup YOUR pack structure and rules.

Breeders—IMO breeders should be broken down into small and large and then knowledgeable and less so. Therefore if you want a schutzhund or personal protection dog you should then choose a breeder with those expertise. If you want a show dog then choose a breeder that sell *only* show stock. A breeder is Seldom knowledgeable about both types no matter what they say. A knowledgeable large breeder may not have the time to correctly assess the litter, therefore IMO a knowledgeable small breeder is most of the time a better choice.

Pick of the Litter—As has been pointed out there are different picks for different uses. That said if you want a working prospect I don’t believe, a puppy test can separate the good from the great. It can however separate the good from the horrible. A breeder’s expertise i.e., history of producing, in your particular venue is directionally proportional to there ability to identify a "pick puppy" at eight weeks of age. For the most part I believe that the term "pick of the litter" is more of an advertising term than a useful one.

Here are some questions that you should consider asking of any working breeder. I don’t have a clue as to the questions for a show breeder.

1.What have the parents done and what can you SHOW me if I come to visit?

2.Who has obtained a previous pup/dog related to this line that is currently at work in a functional task? Sport? Training beyond basic OB? How are they working out? Request references from working placements. Check them out.

3. How many pups have you produced...how many are healthy adults, how many have you had fail for health/temperament?


If you want a pet or companion and I find absolutely nothing wrong with that, it would be best IMO if you only chose from working stock parents and not show stock for the following reasons. In every working litter there are on average only 30% of that litter that are true working prospects and 30% that are below what is needed but there are 40% that are good dogs and by good I mean they have correct nerve and character but lack the drive necessary for work. Understand that all successful working parents have already been tested by third parties for nerve and temperament and that can’t be said, for the most part, of show parents. Therefore if you chose from working parents, you pup should not evidence unwanted behavior like running underneath a bed during a thunderstorm or fear aggression and should make a wonderful companion. Norman Epstein

I cannot speak for the OP but the problem with "cheap" shepherds are numerious. Usually from BYB so you might have health and temperment problems. Also probably poor early socialization.