We will be going next week-end to see the breeder and the puppies and also chose one. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on chosing a puppy. I have read and heard of performing some tests on them so that you know that they will be a responsive dog can anyone help on this?
thanks

Sorry this post was supposed to be on the general forum LOL!

I assume you've decided which sex already, had lots of discussions with the breeder before now, know how many of your chosen sex are available to choose from and that you haven't specified anything other than wanting your puppy as a family pet?  Hope that's OK to just presume these things but they all have a bearing early on in the decision making :P

Ensure first the mum is around and appears healthy (she may not look her best following maternal duties but should look bright eyed even if not bushy tailed!) & friendly both to you and the pups (she may be a little wary to begin with but should relax quickly). The puppies should be outgoing, nosey and playful in short bursts - then usually doze off for half an hour or so before starting up again.  The breeder should be able to help you understand their individual characters and much will depend on whether you want a really bright and inquisitive puppy to say, enjoy training with, or would prefer a calmer and more loving puppy if it's main role is to be a great mate to small children :)

If you can provide a bit more info on what you HOPE your puppy will be, you will get more feedback here but hopefully this helps for now.
Regards,  Teri :)

thanks for your reply terri,
Yes, we have chosen the sex of the pup (male) and there are only two of them that the breeder will be parting with.
We have spoken quite a lot with the breeder about the pups and she says that she has one that is very lively and jumpy and the other one wants constant hugs (personally this is the one that i would probably go for but the decition lies in the whole family) :)
The mum and the dad will be there so that we can have a little play with them and check out their temperament which will be very good.
We are two girls of 20 and 22 + my mum in the house, so i think that there should not be any problem with children but at the same time we do have a small family friend who comes to our house on a regular basis.
Someone had told us that if we throw a scrunched up bit of newspaper that the pup should bring it back to us. ( does this actually work this early on??) LOL
The other thing is that we would be planning on getting another dog in the future so we want the dog to have a good personality with other dogs. Maybe we do want a more loving puppy.
Healthwise what should the puppies look like (eyes, nose, ears etc...)?
The other thing that we were told to do to make sure that the puppy isn't deaf, was to stand behind him and clap. Is that not going to scare the living daylights out of him?
If you need more info let me know but i think that this should be enough.
thanks again Josefina

You don't say which breed or if it is a breed you are familiar with.  Some breeds have hearing issues - such as Dalmatians - the parents and puppies in that case should have had their hearing tested and the breeder able to show you the paperwork for it.  There are several health tests for almost all breeds so do you know what ones are necessary in your chosen breed and have you checked already that they've been done?  (Should have mentioned that in my first reply :rolleyes: - sorry!)

Part 2 just coming - won't let me post long answers :(

Teri

Hi again,  Part 2 as promised :P

Expecting a puppy to bring something back to you is hit and miss - even born "retrievers" are usually trained to bring out their natural instinct - pups tend to run off and play with anything thrown for them :P

Eyes should be bright, no mucous, sticky discharge, tear stains.
Nose doesn't always have to be cold and wet but should be clean and not shrivelled-up dry!
Ears, again should be clean - check inside for dirt or wax and definitely have a little sniff inside them - there should be no nasty odour.
Bottoms and genitalia should be clean too
Coat should be clean, bright, no obvious signs of dandruff, grease or red/flaky/itchy patches, no parasites.
Skin should be plump (not dehydrated - test by lifting gently between finger and thumb it should spring back).
Their over all demeanour is an important indicator to their health status - a calm, gentle puppy should be just that - not quiet or lethargic :( 

HTH, Teri  :)

Hi Teri thanks for that.
The dog we will be buying will be a wire fox terrier.
The breeder has told us that the dogs have been tested in the relevant fields. (should we ask for documentation)?
Thanx
Josefina

Hi again,

Not my breed (or anything like it :D ) but I do really like them ;)  I don't know what the relevant breed specific fields are but hopefully someone in WFT will come on at some point and let you know - or you could contact the breed club for confirmation.

A good and honest breeder will be only too happy to show you the relevant certificates relating to health tests done if you ask - they may even volunteer them anyway which is par for the course in a lot of breeds but as I said asking for confirmation shouldn't make a genuinely good breeder uncomfortable at all.

Just realised that I have to be up and about again in about 5 hours - think I'll have to say goodnight for now :P - but please feel free to continue to post any other queries you may have.  Someone else may still be up and about (or some of our US friends come on line ;) ) and failing that there will be plenty more help available I'm sure from others in the morning.

Bye for now, Teri :)

 

OOps U just made me notice the time as i also have to be up lol!!!
Thanks for your help :)

Just a point, I know that you have already made arrangements to see these puppies, but please bear in mind that a breeder who can show *both* parents may have only choosen the stud for convenience rather than being the best suited partner for their bitch - you might find it enlightening to ask *why* they chose that particular stud dog......

I once found a puppy aptitude test online, maby you could run a search and try those techniques? They are from a temperament/behaviour point of view and i found them very helpful when assessing a litter i was interested in.

Hi Digger
i think that the breeder has arranged for the owner of the stud dog to bring him round to her house so that the temperaments of both of the parents can be seen at the time. She doesn't own the stud dog herself.
I don't think that it is a convenience thing but i will definately ask.
J

Hi I'm Josefina's sister (I've been arranging the whole puppy thing and it was me who spoke to the breeder) :)

Digger- As far as I know the stud does not belong to the breeder, but will be there on the day we meet the pups- we will ask to make sure, but I don't think there should be a problem as we've spoken to a lot of prominent WFT breeders about her and they've only said good things about her and her dogs! :)

The puppy aptitude tests- I've read stuff about them, but the puppies will only be 6 weeks when we meet them - is it fair to expect so much from them?

The aptitude test assesses the puppies in their "pack" status. It helps you to choose the right pup for you, by separating the top puppy from the one that is bullied, the most friendly from the most timid, the most playful from the most lazy and so forth.
I found it helpful from a personality point of view. Unfortunately this only helps from a pet point of view. If you are looking for the pup with the best show potential, better show markings etc etc then it wouldnt be of much use to you.

Make sure you see each puppy alone for a bit because they can act totally different when separated from their littermates. When we chose our pup he was one of the quieter ones until his siblings were taken away and then he totally came out of himself. And on the other hane we looked at some litters where you'd separate the supposedly confident rowdy one and the pup would become quite fearful and shy by himself. Good look choosing!

Thank-you everyone for all of your help. We will let you know how we get on on saturday :)

This is why I would always say it is more important to choose your breeder well than the idividual pup. 

It has been shown that the aptitude tests etc done on baby pups really come to nothing once environement and training come into play.  confident pups can become nervous, and less outgoing ones can become confidetn all down to training/socialisation. these test work fine if all the litter are destined for a particular wayof life with identical training and enviornment and those most suited are chosen (thinking here dogs for guide dogs, Police etc).

If you have chosen a good breeder be guided by their assesment of each pups character, as they will ahve been living with them and seen their personalities develop.  You will only have a snapshot impression when you visit which may be eronous.