Practical Dog Training Tips

Finding A Good Prospect...

About Potential

Okay, you've found a good breeder with a really good litter and now it's time to choose which one will be your companion for the next ten years. Don't panic! Remember this is a "really good breeder" and a "really good litter". Right? How far wrong can you go? If you've done your homework up to this point, probably the worst you can do is choose an above average puppy. Not bad, but we're here to find the best puppy.

The temperament or disposition of a mature dog is the product of inherited traits and environment. The instincts a puppy is born with are shaped and modified by his experiences. Puppy testing does not tell us what the puppy will become. It tells us what he has the potential to become. A puppy with very little prey instinct, for example is probably not a good candidate for advanced training. He will certainly be more difficult to motivate for such work as tracking, search and rescue, etc.

If you find the puppy with the greatest potential and take him home and chain him to a doghouse in a corner of the back yard, he will not turn out as well as a puppy with much less potential that is raised in a decent environment.

Pros and Cons of Testing

Understand that testing puppies to determine which ones have inherited higher levels of certain instincts is not an exact science. It can be an excellent indicator if the tests are carried out and evaluated objectively by knowledgeable testers. Hopefully, the breeder will have been conducting tests and making notes since the puppies were a few days old. I think all breeders should be doing this. Unfortunately, not many do. But, even if he/she hasn't tested the puppies, your breeder has been interacting with them every day and knows them better than anyone else. Input from the breeder can be helpful in making your selection, just bear in mind that if the breeder is biased or mostly interested in making a sale, it may also be misleading.

Testing a litter is not as simple as it sounds and the quality of the results depends on the skill of the tester. The more experience with dogs the tester has had, and the more litters he or she has tested, the more accurately can the puppies' instincts be assessed. Also, to be of any value, tests must be conducted objectively. A breeder testing their own puppies, for example, might have a tendency to turn a blind eye if the results of the tests are not what they had hoped for.

So, if the breeder hasn't done any tests, what can you do? Well, there are a few simple things that you can do to improve the chances of picking a superior puppy.
First you will need the permission of the breeder to do the tests. Be very careful that none of the puppies get hurt or frightened or you will almost certainly make "bad friends" with the breeder.

If you're set on getting a male, don't bother looking at the females. Ask the breeder to separate the males for testing.
If you're new to testing puppies, limit your testing to the most important characteristics.
Sociability, prey instinct, dominance, and confidence, are some of the instincts you want to know about.

Over the years, researchers have devised a multitude of tests to help evaluate a puppy's potential for various jobs. Since the tests you will use depend on what type of tasks your dog must be suited for, detailing them all is beyond the scope of a single article, but a search using 'Google" will turn up lots of examples of tests, some of them general and some for specialized jobs.

Most tests for sociability involve some variation of the "follow me" routine. Does he want to go with you or not? Definitely don't pick a shy puppy that hangs back in the corner.

Tests for prey instinct generally involve rolling a ball and observing a puppy's reaction. In my own tests, I encourage the puppy to bring the ball back to me, which gives me feedback on how co-operative he is. Any puppy that will not retrieve a ball for me by eight weeks of age, is not considered a good prospect for a working dog or for breeding.

Dominance is one of the most important characteristics to check for. Placing a dog with a very dominant nature with a permissive owner will almost guarantee problems. A very submissive dog with someone who is naturally very dominant doesn't work either.

A dog may be dominant towards other members of his own species, or he may be dominant towards humans. If you take two puppies and drop a bone between them you'll get a pretty good idea of which one is more dominant.

The puppy that charges up and grabs your pantleg the first time he sees you might seem cute but most likely will need the guidance of an experienced handler to control him.
Dominance tests include such things as rolling the puppy over on his back and seeing how much he struggles and how quickly he submits.

Confidence and dominance are not the same thing although some people seem to think they are. Confidence involves a degree of trust and calmness. It does not include a need to be "king of the mountain".

Testing the puppies on just one occasion won't do. Some may be tired. Some may have just woke up or just ate. Others may just be having a bad hair day. Try to visit and test two or three times before making a selection. Make notes as you go because it's easy to get confused if you try to keep it all in your head.

In general, look for a middle of the road puppy. Don't choose a pup just because he's the biggest. Don't choose a runt just because you feel sorry for him either. You don't want the most dominant, or the timid one that wants to hide. You also don't want any puppy that shows signs of being anything but 100% healthy. Runny eyes and noses, bloated bellies, etc., are warnings to steer clear.

Next we'll think about what we need before we bring a new puppy home.

Good luck selecting your puppy.

Neil

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