According to the description; Mini Poodle and Golden Retriever.

At six weeks, being that size, it's hard for me to picture them being "mini".

With soft pups like that I would think it would. I'd be curious if that's standard with the Volhard tests.

Other then being on the floor I would kneel sideways to the pup and NOT lean over them. Laying flat is my invitation and to show I'm no threat. A puppy play bow is also a good way to let them know your safe.

"At six weeks, being that size, it's hard for me to picture them being "mini"."



Oh, right .... good point.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (01/18/2013 01:32 PM)
Edit reason: error

 Quote: Duane Hull

OTOH, the first pup has the trait that you originally asked about, but is the pup that I would least likely choose, based solely on this single test. IMHO, he may turn out to be an insecure, dependent mess.

Why does it have that trait? I would guess that the one more willing to follow me arround (off leash under distractions without formal training) later in life would be the ones that retrieved better.

That link is very useful, thank you. How would that information change if the person is looking for a pet vs. if its looking for a good obedience dog vs. a protection sports dog (which seems to be the focus of the article).

People love these retriever poodle crosses.

Make sure you like the dam and the sire.

That IME is more predictive of what you will get than tests done at 6 wks.

The problem I have with the retriever poodle cross is how many piece of crap backyard-bred dogs are put together to make this and other high dollar designer breeds.

I do like the combination in a lot of ways but no telling what the parents were/are like.

Betty said
"make sure you like the dam and sire."

That's just about the only way. It would be really nice if they could show what was behind the parents also. Without that they are fancy mutts being sold for high dollars.

 Quote: Jose Miguel Gome

 Quote: Duane Hull

OTOH, the first pup has the trait that you originally asked about, but is the pup that I would least likely choose, based solely on this single test. IMHO, he may turn out to be an insecure, dependent mess.

Why does it have that trait? I would guess that the one more willing to follow me arround (off leash under distractions without formal training) later in life would be the ones that retrieved better.

I guess I missed your original point. I thought you were looking for a puppy that would stick close to you (human/handler oriented). In my own opinion and experience, this is not related to rettieving ability. You can't arbitrarily connect two unrelated behaviors, especially in young puppies. JMO.
In the past, when I wanted a dog with a propensity to retrieve, I selected purebred retievers and evaluated the retrieving of the parents. You could take it a step further by then evaluating a litter of retrieving pups for the other traits you desire.

The other three pups show an ability to become distracted when there is distance from the human. The first pup is oriented to the human, but also looks like he could become clingy and depoendent. He seems to have a low energy level (Bob said "couch potato").

 Quote: Jose Miguel Gome

That link is very useful, thank you. How would that information change if the person is looking for a pet vs. if its looking for a good obedience dog vs. a protection sports dog (which seems to be the focus of the article).

Aside from the breed- and type-specific info in the article, Ed's description of evaluating how the puppies interact with him and each other is pretty mush how I choose to evaluate pups. If I were looking for a specific type, I would just reprioritize the traits I'm considering to conform to the type of dog I want (such as companion). A search of the internet would surely lead to countless opinions on how to select the specific dog you are looking for.

Jose;
I didn't really answer your first question directly.

In the videos that you posted, #1 stays oriented to the tester at all times. The others all have better retrieves, but they check out throughout the test. A dog that is easily distracted (affected by external influences) cannot be counted on to stay with you, especially with no training and constant redirection.

Hope this is more helpful.

This isn't one of the videos you posted, but this is the pup I liked most of about 15 that I viewed;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkNXjW6aVH4&list=UUc99sA7ROURJIczFlF7i4Lw

He's pbly a little more independent than you are looking for, but he's confident, happy, and engaged. He's got the makings of some prey drive, which would help in training. He was a little unstable with the umbrella, but I would work with that because he excels in the other areas of the test.

 Quote: Duane Hull

This isn't one of the videos you posted, but this is the pup I liked most of about 15 that I viewed;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkNXjW6aVH4&list=UUc99sA7ROURJIczFlF7i4Lw

He's pbly a little more independent than you are looking for, but he's confident, happy, and engaged. He's got the makings of some prey drive, which would help in training. He was a little unstable with the umbrella, but I would work with that because he excels in the other areas of the test.

I like that puppy. Seems to be the best one for training if we consider only these tests. It's a shame the umbrella reaction. How would you deal with that?

Also, would it make more sense to test each puppy 3-5 times and then average the results?