MARISTELA Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 I would like to know how to test a puppy before I buy it. I know there are some tests a 45-days old puppy should undergo to prove, already at this age, that it has herding abilities. I am going to pick my puppy up in may from a litter, and I am going to have the very first option. Can anybody help me? Thanks a lot, Maristela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lana Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 There is no real way to tell if a puppy will be a good working dog, but if you did your home work and the parents and other relatives are good working dogs your chances are much better. Not sure where you are getting a pup but I would not take a strangers word for any of the following. “ yes both parents work stock, they will work cattle and sheep, there lines go back to X dog who won X trial" ETC ETC ETC Those phrases could mean such a wide variety of things if you had not actually seen the other dogs work or were familiar with the lines. If the pup is out of good lines I would pick the dog that suites you. Some like the dominant pup others like middle of the pack. Best advice I got on picking a pup was from an old timer who said “pick the pup YOU like because you have to live with him!” I love to watch a litter interact when I pick a pup, I will sit for a while and just watch and see how the act with each other and toward me. I also want a dog with a correct bite for working cows and a few other things like that. I pick my new pup this weekend too! Lana Rowley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobcmom Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Our dogs have been rescue dogs. The first was a BC/sheltie mix and current dog is a smooth bc. One of the things I checked was to read up and try a temprement test with our current bc, as a puppy. I'm not an expert but I was looking for a biddable dog that was responsive. I got the dog for which I was looking. One of the items tested, (retrieve a crumpled piece of paper?), had a high corelation for indicating a good performance dog. It never hurts to be informed. The temprement test information I found in the internet was very helpful for a novice. mobcmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 There's not really anything a 45 day old puppy is going to show you that proves working ability without a doubt. You can only look at what the parents do, and what their parents did, and what their siblings do, and what puppies from previous breedings from the parents, if any, are doing. And then it's still a bit of a gamble - but much less so than picking some random parents and then doing a "temperament test" or so-called instinct test on the puppies. If the parents work in such a way that will fit what you need from the pup, and you've picked them based on whether the worst case scenario from the cross will still work for you, then just pick the puppy that appeals to you for no particular reason - or for any silly reason - color, markings, the way it looks at you, the way it acts around its littermates. It's usually good to avoid a pup that seems sullen or super bold, but that's not always a true indicator of the pup's adult temperament - and such things can be shaped with training, too, if we are not talking about absolutely pathological problems. I think it's really telling that many working breeders do not "pick" out of their own bitches, but often simply take what's left after their puppy buyers take theirs. That's faith in the breeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailrider Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Puppy babies at 45 days of age have developed about 3 per cent of their personality. There`s not much to judge. They are flexible and changing all the time, especially as they work things out with their siblings. That`s how they mature and start to grow up. I would never dare to take a pup from it`s home with the siblings at that young an age. 6 weeks!!!! It is a risk of creating more problems than the pup needs. Selling/giving puppies that young is a sign of wanting to get rid of the baby more than giving the baby a best chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painted_ponies Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 I would never dare to take a pup from it`s home with the siblings at that young an age. 6 weeks!!!! It is a risk of creating more problems than the pup needs. Selling/giving puppies that young is a sign of wanting to get rid of the baby more than giving the baby a best chance. I think the OP meant she is going to choose her puppy now, when s/he is six weeks of age, but isn't picking him/her up til May. At least I hope that's what the OP meant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 There's a puppy test that I use. When I can, I start it as young as possible -- sometimes even before the pups' eyes are open. I watch them carefully for interest in their surroundings, how they react to various stimuli, how they respond to me. It's very subjective and difficult to spell out exactly how I do it, but at the end of this test, I have a pretty good idea whether I have a working dog or not. The only problem with this test is that it takes at least a year or two to complete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockdogranch Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 As most have said, there's no way to know the working abilities of a young pup, other than to take a very educated guess from the working abilities of both parents, prior breedings, etc. If all that checks out the way you want, then I let the pup choose me. I sit there with them all, the way Lana describes, and the one that just keep coming to me and won't take no for an answer is the one I take home. Anna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lana Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 That was funny Bill! what about a black mouth dont forget that. Lana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firchow Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 That was funny Bill! what about a black mouth dont forget that. Lana That's an old wive's tale. The only sure indicator is if the dog has more black pads than pink pads. The greater the ratio of black to pink, the greater the dog's ability. I know this to be fact because my best dog has one more black pad than my second-best dog and three more than my biscuit eater. I think dew claws play a part, too, but I have not done the same in-depth scientific analysis I did with pad color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockdogranch Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Now you guys are just being silly...you're totally forgetting about the *real* indicator--the number of hairs from the chin thing Anna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARISTELA Posted March 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 First I am going to choose the pup, but I am not taking it home until it is old enough to leave the litter. I know the father, since he is mine. He is very good at herding. The mother has not be trained, she is, unfortunately, a pet. But I showed her some sheep and she was very excited. She comes from a good herding line, though. I heard from a very prominent trainer here in Brazil, she is European and had classes with Glyn Jones, that there is a very exact test to do. She would do it when the dog is about 45 days old. She wouldn't reveal it to me... Well, I ' ll try to watch the dogs and let my feelings speak. Thank you all. Maristela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARISTELA Posted March 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 First I am going to choose the pup, but I am not taking it home until it is old enough to leave the litter. I know the father, since he is mine. He is very good at herding. The mother has not be trained, she is, unfortunately, a pet. But I showed her some sheep and she was very excited. She comes from a good herding line, though. I heard from a very prominent trainer here in Brazil, she is European and had classes with Glyn Jones, that there is a very exact test to do. She would do it when the dog is about 45 days old. She wouldn't reveal it to me... Well, I ' ll try to watch the dogs and let my feelings speak. Thank you all. Maristela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Dog Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Of course it's opposite in the Southern Hemisphere. The greater the ratio of pink pads to black, the greater the dog's ability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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