picking a pup

padave

padave

Member
Hi all,
In a few weeks I'll be picking out my first pointer ( GWP ). As of now I have 2nd pick of a male ( I think the litter consist of 6 males and 1 female ). Do you all have any tips on picking out a pup the dos and don'ts should I bring a live bird or just a wing what to look for etc. etc.. My requirements for the dog is #1 family dog, #2 hunting dog, #3 easy to train <if that's possible :eek:
 
I had 2nd pick male for my 10 month old pup, I had a color thought in mind but mostly watched the pups and how they acted with the dead quail the owner of the female brought out. In the end we picked the one that picked us, he was the only one that would come to us on a regular basis. Which turned out to be the one pointing the bird and carrying it around the most also.

My trainer/stud dog owner said if it's a reputable breeding and solid lines you can take the last pup there and have the same shot at having a awesome dog as getting the pick of the litter.

My sister looks at the conformation, with my pup we had to take it to our or a second vet for a health/body check for his health guarantee.

If it's a good breeding id find the one that looks closest to what drew you to the breed and not look back!

Good luck! It will be fun no matter what.
 
padave said:
Hi all,
In a few weeks I'll be picking out my first pointer ( GWP ). As of now I have 2nd pick of a male ( I think the litter consist of 6 males and 1 female ). Do you all have any tips on picking out a pup the dos and don'ts should I bring a live bird or just a wing what to look for etc. etc.. My requirements for the dog is #1 family dog, #2 hunting dog, #3 easy to train <if that's possible :eek:
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First off, picking out a puppy at 7-8 weeks mostly is a crap shoot. IF you've already done your homework and picked the right breeder who has picked a particular breeding based on your wants and needs then most of your work IMO is done. If this breeder has a good track record of producing dogs of your liking or if you have purchased a pup from him in the past, then let them pick the pup for you. They see these pups everyday, they can tell you the individual characteristics of every pup and can probably match one up for you better than you could. Why not?
 
You really can't tell what they are going to turn into at 8-10 weeks.
I like to pick one that is paying attention to me (or family member) but is bold enough to explore some on its own.

But most of the time I pick the litter, my wife picks the pup. :thumbsup:
 
Ask the breeder what they think of the pups. They have seen them more than anybody else and know more about them. Tell the breeder what you're looking for and they may be able to suggest a pup. That's what I'll be doing with the pup I'm getting next month.
 
Went through this process myself three years ago when picking my first pup. Got her at seven weeks. Had already done my homework on blood lines and family history. After that I tried to read several books about training and all stated that as long as you did your research on blood lines and history you might as well close your eyes and grab one. This is due to the fact that the pup may have been bouncing off the walls yesterday and just loafing today because it was tired from the day before and vise versa.So I gave my wife the job of picking one. The minute we walk in our new pup walked up and picked her. Had her for 2 1/2 years now and couldn't be happier.
 
I have had two dogs mailed to me and pick out the rest.

Breeding is key. Training, patience, time in the field help some too. ;)
 
I raise puppies as a hobby and to produce hunting dogs that I like. Number one thing you can to is communicate to your breeder what you want out of the dog. I spend the first 7 weeks with that dog and I can tell you more about him than you can learn is just a few short visits. Many times people want to pick a dog based on color or how they come to that person, or some other method. I know what they are like day in and day out. You might show up and the one you think is the most mellow happy puppy might be the bully of the litter but he just played for an hour and is now sleepy! Good breeding will go a long way to eliminating poor hunting dogs. Tell your breeder what you want and ask him which puppy you should choose. Then make your decision from there. You don't have to take the breeders choice for you. But if you trust him with your money you should be able to trust him to help you pick the right dog. Good luck, nothing funner than getting a new puppy.
 
goldenboy said:
I raise puppies as a hobby and to produce hunting dogs that I like. Number one thing you can to is communicate to your breeder what you want out of the dog. I spend the first 7 weeks with that dog and I can tell you more about him than you can learn is just a few short visits. Many times people want to pick a dog based on color or how they come to that person, or some other method. I know what they are like day in and day out. You might show up and the one you think is the most mellow happy puppy might be the bully of the litter but he just played for an hour and is now sleepy! Good breeding will go a long way to eliminating poor hunting dogs. Tell your breeder what you want and ask him which puppy you should choose. Then make your decision from there. You don't have to take the breeders choice for you. But if you trust him with your money you should be able to trust him to help you pick the right dog. Good luck, nothing funner than getting a new puppy.
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Golden Boy is spot on!!! I have produced 31 litters since 1995. I've seen folks take 4 seconds to choose the first pup, and 8 hours to choose between the 2 last pups. I've seen folks that had to get a pup with a black spot on the roof of it's mouth and I had folks that wouldn't take a pup out of the best dog I ever owned because he was only a grandson of a champion. Do your homework about the bloodlines and parents. If you can visit the kennel, have the owner run one or both parents to see what you can expect from these parents. Don't ask to run a bitch who is 9 weeks pregnant or lactating and full breasted in hunting cover, I won't! If he has pups from the same cross in his kennel, check them out. Ask the breeder the personalities of the individual pups and be willing to consider what really fits you. DON'T be so stuck on a color or spot or any individual trait that you overlook the gold nugget staring you in the face! Understand that 7 week old pups have limited vision and the some times won't point the obligatory wing on a string. Some never will. Put some faith in the longevity of the breeder and the bloodline. If it's a 4th or greater generation of this bloodline in his kennel and they are bird finders, it is probably important. If you watch the American Field or NSTRA records, does this bloodline win often? Does it win is varied conditions or trial formats? Do numerous crosses with this sire or bloodline produce winners? If any or all of the answers to these questions are yes, it should give you some additional confidence. If you can talk to previous puppy buyers as references, they will tell you whether their pup had the qualities you are looking for. Enjoy the dance and pick a pup that you will put the time into. If it takes a certain look to get there, don't bring home anything else! The other half of this equation is you and the pup putting in the time!
 
Last spring I had the same worries as you. I had first pick out of 5 male GWPs.
How do you pick one?
fivemales_zps5a646c19.jpg


I listened to the breeder and then picked the one that was the most aware and attached to me. I narrowed it down but really the pup picked me.

It must have been the right pick. (even though he is beardless)
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In all likelihood I could have picked any of them because he was from a good breeding. Just make sure and get the pup exposed to anything and everything early on. And birds make bird dogs; pigeons, pen raised or wild, whatever you can get it on.

My breeder has been at it a long time and can pick out general things but says there is no way to know what ones are "The Best". Mostly because what everyone thinks is the best is different. He had an 'expert' come in and evaluate one of his litters. They did it 3 days in a row and came away with 3 different rankings.
If you picked a good litter then just have fun and pick the one you like for whatever reasons you like. The hardest part is picking the right dam and sire.

Tim
 
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Awesome guys thanks. What do you all know about if a breeder uses frozen sperm, that's the situation I'm in, would that make a difference. The sperm is from a field trial hunting champ that was born in 1998.
 
I don't think it makes a difference. The breeder I got my first two dogs from has some sperm frozen for future use and I wouldn't hesitate to get a pup from him if he decides to use it.
 
Go through the same research and come to a similar opinion. If the dog was important enough to collect, he probably is still relevant in the breed. I'm sure there are dogs that were collected that shouldn't have been, but I would expect that the % of those is less than the % of live males bred that shouldn't be. I have had frozen semen dogs before and their quality was every bit as good as pups I've gotten from live sires. The genetics is the same as if the male were still living.
 
padave said:
Awesome guys thanks. What do you all know about if a breeder uses frozen sperm, that's the situation I'm in, would that make a difference. The sperm is from a field trial hunting champ that was born in 1998.
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If it's not a secret who is the field champ?

Tim
 
I tried a different approach. I invited the breeder to hunt with me on the farm is SD and hunted over his dogs--made it an easy choice as I will be getting my 1st ever hunting dog from them. :)
 
SDJIM said:
I tried a different approach. I invited the breeder to hunt with me on the farm is SD and hunted over his dogs--made it an easy choice as I will be getting my 1st ever hunting dog from them. :)
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I can't think of a better way to evaluate a litter than to hunt over the parents.:cheers:
 
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