# evaluating pups 12-14 wks...



## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

i'll be going down to pick up a pup fr Edge's breeder tomorrow, the pups will be about 13 wks old, and i'm hoping someone can give me some feedback b/f i leave at 9 a.m. CST (i'll also check in tomorrow night b/f i make my decision friday). for those of you that don't know, and wish to comment, it'll be a GSD.

this breeder DOES work/title their dogs and puppies, so the pups have been worked on developing prey drive, crate/leash training, etc. 

my priorities (unless someone convinces me otherwise) are going to be: retrieve drive, prey drive, reaction to "surprises" (not bad surprises, just unexpected sounds). in that order, as i'll be training for both (gay) Sch and HGH herding. 

if nothing else, hopefully this thread will generate some thoughts for future purchasers of "older" pups as to what to look for. 

BTW, i DO have a secure kennel set up, but he'll be a house dog for the most part (99%). i'll post pics and my thought process on choosing the pup after the fact, then we'll see what i can do with him in the future (but he won't be HBC/disa-frickin-ppear). 

third time's a charm, right?


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Have the pups been separated or are they still kept in a pack?
Either way, it's great that they have been played with.
Pedigree?


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## Colin Chin (Sep 20, 2006)

Hi Bob,
Would like to know if there are any implications of being separated or living as a pack (in a litter) ? What if they stay as a pack, let say sleeping time but they come out and interact with humans individually ? Thanks.

Colin


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Colin Chin said:


> Hi Bob,
> Would like to know if there are any implications of being separated or living as a pack (in a litter) ? What if they stay as a pack, let say sleeping time but they come out and interact with humans individually ? Thanks.
> 
> Colin


Not just my opinion but a dog will bond with another dog much faster then with a human if allowed to spend to much time together. 
With my own dogs I let them spend some time togetther in order to create acceptance but they aren't allowed to much free time together until after the younger dog is 7-8 months old.
It may not be a very noticable thing but I do believe it can happen. In paticular if the dog/handler relationship isn't developed asap. 
I don't see a big difference in this case because the pups are still young and sounds like they breeder spends plenty of time with them. Hopefully as individuals.
In the extream, studies have shown (Phyfenburger SP?) that pups kept away from ALL human contact till 16 wks will never bond strongly with humans.


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## Cesar A. Flores Dueñas (Oct 1, 2009)

This is the kind of pup i will pick or look for:

high prey drive, fast recovery from diferent situations and experiences, willing to explore the enviroment, dominant, secure with the enviromental stimulus; !A world can fall apart and i dont care, i am the one! kind of pup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ouEB8ZJQ0U

This pup on video is a quick example of that, this pup just get out from the plain after a 12 hours journey and this video shows his first minutes on his new home.(this is not obviously a GSD but doesnt matters). As you can see he is secure on an uknown place, uknown people and dogs. He also tend to challenge new owner and other big dogs, one of the bigs dogs tend to intimidate him and he recovers almost inmediately. He is exploring the enviroment with tons of energy, he shows his prey drive drive and no stimuls was needed , this are just some of the things this dog told you on few minutes and i am sure you can read a lot of more good things from a puppy like this.

The kind of things i would look on a puppy


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/para.utkoma?fadir=524027&modir=485959#


IDK if they're kenneled together or separately, i do know they're worked individually, get house/crate time.

sounds like i'm on the right track.

and bob--i'm with you on the dog/dog vs dog/human bonding: Brix was allowed just enough interactionw/the other dogs for them all to accept each other, while i let Edge interact w/Gracie more; Brix was MUCH more bonded to me than Edge (though Edge was plenty bonded), but there was a noticeable difference. so this guy's going to be raised on the "Brix" protocol. 

i gotta get gone!


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

Cesar A. Flores Dueñas said:


> This is the kind of pup i will pick or look for:
> 
> high prey drive, fast recovery from diferent situations and experiences, willing to explore the enviroment, dominant, secure with the enviromental stimulus; !A world can fall apart and i dont care, i am the one! kind of pup.
> 
> ...


Couldn't have said it better. Sounds like my kind of dog. The recovery time, if any at all, better be short.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I think a pup that has spent a goodly time on a plane and gets off like it owns the world is a great indication of strong nerve.


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## Melissa Blazak (Apr 14, 2008)

When I got my new pup (German lines standard poodle) he flew overnight from Portland, OR through Atlanta, GA and on to Buffalo, NY at the end of January 2009. He was in the plane, on tarmacs, etc. for over 12 hours. He came out of his shipping crate at Delta Cargo in Buffalo with his tail up and wagging ready to greet the world. He rode the hour to the US Canada border looking out the window, had fun with the customs officials and was dumped into 3 feet of snow when we came home. He acted like he had never been on the longest journey of his life so far. He was 11 1/2 weeks old.

Rudy still has the same attitude today.


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## Mike Lauer (Jul 26, 2009)

i would have guessed that puppy in the video was raised in that house with those dogs. If like oyu say he just walked in that amazing


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## Cesar A. Flores Dueñas (Oct 1, 2009)

Mike Lauer said:


> i would have guessed that puppy in the video was raised in that house with those dogs. If like oyu say he just walked in that amazing


Yep that dog is from a friend of mine kennel , and at the time i saw the video i just feel bad !............

Cause that puppy wasn´t mine 

lol


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## Mike Lauer (Jul 26, 2009)

i hear ya, i liked my dogs until i saw that


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

ok, i said i would post results, so here we go:

the choice was a really difficult one for me: one of the pup's was laid-back, but still had plenty of drive, and one wasn't a bit laid back. also, had to choose based on an eval at the breeder's home (it was dark and had been raining to boot for weeks--yuck!).

but i chose based on what i saw in those 3 hours, and my criteria of retrieve/prey/nerves. pup #1 had a nice balance of prey/retrieve, and was more mellow in personality. pup #2 had really nice prey/retrieve, and had an "energetic" personality. wish i could've seen them in an unfamiliar place, but...wish i could've brought them both home w/me TBH...

but i went with #2, so now i have a pup that's going to be a blast to train (don't try to fold clothes in front of him, he thinks it's time to play), who is quick, agile, not afraid to try to go up/down anything, has a great nose, and has already figured out that "come here" means coming to me at a high rate of speed ending w/a sit jammed up against me. 

the fact that he's very food-driven helps a lot at this point in time. loading the marker, adjusting schedules, keeping him separate fr Gracie (who loves puppies)...well, we'll see how my "mad training skills" and my simple eval turns out.


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## Cesar A. Flores Dueñas (Oct 1, 2009)

what means laid back?

congratulations on your new puppy!!!!!!


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

Sounds like the choice I would have made Ann. I am not into laid back. I think it is easier to reel em in a bit than continually have to build up.....if that makes sense.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

cesar-"laid back" means more calm, easy-going. does that make sense?

don-Ike is a little firecracker! so far he settles pretty well if he's tired, otherwise he is a busy boy! i'm not going to have to worry much about "building drive", he turns on in an instant: goes fr 0 to 200 mph in 0.05 seconds


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## Cesar A. Flores Dueñas (Oct 1, 2009)

ann freier said:


> cesar-"laid back" means more calm, easy-going. does that make sense?
> 
> don-Ike is a little firecracker! so far he settles pretty well if he's tired, otherwise he is a busy boy! i'm not going to have to worry much about "building drive", he turns on in an instant: goes fr 0 to 200 mph in 0.05 seconds


Ok thanks!, sorry my english is bad :-#


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

no worries, cesar--your english just got better!! 

myself, learning/communicating in a second language, well, i wouldn't be nearly as good as you are


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

"Laid back" "Mellow"!  Those words make the hair on my neck stand up! :lol:;-)
Sounds like you done good!


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

well, we'll find out if i did or not! 

the other pup definitely isn't a dud, but Ike was the hot-rod. it'll be interesting to see how they both turn out: the more laid back, but possibly really serious pup vs the goofy crazy pup. 

said goofy crazy pup is now lying under the desk on my foot, after having decided that a blanket from the couch may be his best new toy-NOT!!

i have 4 yearlings here (horses) that he noticed today: from 100 yds away, he froze, hackled, then went to the deck, where he stood and just watched them. i have to keep reminding myself that we're less than 48 hrs into our journey.

and it's going to be an interesting one


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