i am looking at a liiter of pups and the one i really like for showing is a bit withdrawn/shy when humans are about but i do know they dont see much of people  but runs round fine with the others She is 12 weeks old Has anyone come across this and can you let me know the outcome

I have found shy pups can become somewhat shy adults, they take a lot of extra training to bring them out and they never really seem to have that extrovert sparkle in the ring, thats my experience anyway some others may have a differing opinion.

Hi welshie

I'd be cautious of having a puppy from any breeder that had not ensured they'd seen a lot of people, all shapes, ages, sizes, in all manner of situations inside and outside the home front by the time they were 8 weeks never mind 12 weeks - and this whether a toy or giant breed and anything in between ........

As for a slightly less outgoing - rather than shy pup - in a litter, then if it stands out as being clearly the pick without question on type and construction it may be worth a gamble however if it's a close call on either issue with another pup which has a bit of 'attitude' then for the show ring that could make the judgement call less risky and I'd go for the second mentioned one.  Attitude, confidence, x-factor - whatever you want to call it rightly or wrongly plays a part in decisions and in breeds where correct type and conformation are present in sufficient numbers for judges to be picky, voila, cue the 'showing fool'

Taking on a less than confident pup with a view to show ring success is not usually wise but of course there will always be exceptions.  Much will depend IMO on whether this pup being withdrawn is inherited through nature or the result of insufficient socialising during nurture.

HTH a little towards your decision,
best wishes Teri

I'd be very cautious.  What breed is it?  Only asking because I would only expect a toy breed to be around at that age.

I wouldn't I'm afraid.
Chances are it may get better but it will be a gamble and over years you'll  find history repeats itself.

we have first hand experience of a shy dog (working breed)whose fear is inherited,we exposed him to lots of different things as a pup,even went to ringcraft to watch as soon as he was old enough,then began to participate etc,but 50% of the time is not happy around strangers,or at least them touching him.hes never been mis-treated or attacked but has a deep seated fear of new people unless hes seen you several times and sussed you out,which is no good for the show ring.we persevered with him for 3 yrs trying all kinds of tablets,drops etc to calm him but at 50% of his shows he refused to be gone over,even though hes won match night at ringcraft 3 times in a year and behaved.at those he did accept,he was placed well and has qualified for crufts but we wont be taking him as the crowds would really push his tolerance to the max,and at 90kilos we dont want an incident espec with all the bad feeling over show dogs etc.we have now taken the decision to retire him from showing and will take him to ringcraft just cos he enjoys it and knows the people there.in contrast our new pup of a different breed was very confident from day one and loves strangers and being made a fuss of,is generally bomb-proof,and its brought it home how different in personality they are.my advice is that theres enough to worry about with a show prospect without the risk of the pup being too shy to be happy being handled.its hard constant work to keep them de-sensitized to strangers and i feel our dog never really gave his all in the ring,and actuallly always moved like a dream when we were going back to the car!lol my advice is pick the confident puppy unless youre prepared for the heartbreak of a stunning dog not being able to be shown.hope this helps,roy.

I have a shy bitch (full of herself at home but not outside) & I would say no aswell, i've been trying for a year & the only time she's confident around people is at places she's gotten use to ie ring craft, she's started obedience in a different club/hall and only last night night did she seem to enjoy it, she actually wagged her tail/bum (been going for 4 months now)

It's alot of hard work & when you think you've got there you actually haven't, i took her to a champ show as she'd been brill at training and she was brill at this champ show (judge was a big guy, gentle but big) so i took her to another champ show (judge was a petite lady) but as soon as she came near her she became shy again and hit the deck.

No matter how well made she is she'd never do well if she kept freaking out in the ring, my boy on the other hand is the oposite loves people & showing & he's done well because he shows well & has that spark.

I can only add to what others have said.  We took a fabulous OES puppy once with outstanding bloodlines. He was obviously the shy one from the litter but we were experienced with the breed and know a lot about socialisation. To cut a long story short, although he grew up to be a stunning example of the breed and a kind gentle character with us at home, we never showed him and he was shy all his life. I wouldn't do it again.

I don't know which breed you have in mind and how prevalent nervousness is, but chances are if you walk away, there will be another pup for you in another litter somewhere.

Good luck.

For a show dog I would definately avoid a shy puppy....you want an outgoing 'show off' that will have that look at me presence not a shy nervous one
Nikki

Hi, Welshie

I agree with what's been said. When we went to choose our pup he was the one who would rather run around with the other pups, no interest in who we were. Even now, 21/2 years later, the attraction of other dogs is greater than us and recall is dire despite training classes. We also faced other difficulties and believe he wasn't as well socialised as he could have been. Love him to bits but I find it's been hard going with him being so dog orientated.

As the others have said, I wouldn't consider a pup which hadn't been properly socialised, young pups should be confident, inquisitive and love new things/people, if they're not, either the breeding is wrong or the socialisation.  Bad enough in a pet pup but a BIG disadvantage in a show pup. :(

On the other hand I'd be very careful about picking the pushiest/bolshiest in a litter as well.  They aren't necessarily the most confident of the pups, just a bossy one ;)   the breeder should be able to tell you whether the most confident looking one on the day, is actually as confident as it looks ;)

Hi Welshie
I would've agreed with the other posters.........until recently.  I picked up my pup at 17 weeks, and having been run on by the breeder he'd had very little socialisation (although I had researched his pedigree and he had very healthy bloodlines, and both parents have done fabulously in shows).  I was very concerrned, but also desperate to fill the giant void Rugby's death had caused.  He was quite introvert when we brought him home, very shy, he was even scared of our chickens!  Every day since we've had him I've ensured he has seen something new, and met new people and dogs, in every conceivable situation.  He's also been having swimming lessons, and is attending both obedience and ring-craft.  2 months later I can honestly say he's come on in leaps and bounds, he's a very confident little man but still so laid-back and placid, and I have no worries about how he'll react in any situation.  He's the polar opposite of our outgoing, bouncy Rugby, and maybe he hasn't got the charisma Rugby had to pull it off in the show-ring, but our tutor at ring-craft is confident he'll do well so only time will tell (we've got our first show in April).  Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe I'm nieve and I'm heading for a fall, but I wouldn't swap this little guy for the world.
I agree that you should proceed with care, but I wouldn't write it off entirely
   

Well foolish or not i got the puppy and must admit she is coming along wonderfully  although  shes only 11 weeks which i am hoping is still in her adapting  weeks She has stood outside the school eveyone fussing her been to watch at training class, and is running around like a good un with my other bitch and although i,d rather she didnt run around too much i think her confidence is more important So everything crossed and i will wait and see 

LOL - not big on advice then ;)

I hope she works out for you! best wishes,
Teri

lol as much as you like but still grateful for all comments but heart overtook head

You're not alone - the only way to really ensure hearts not overtaking heads is to not visit in the first place ;)
She sounds as though she's quite confident in her new surroundings so perhaps she's not actually shy but was only a little reserved when in among her littermates.

Enjoy her :) Teri

you see not only had she her litter mates to contend with but there were 6 adults as well Not all kenneled together of course but a lot to take in for (babies)