Menu

Breeder of Stoopy

Before the time has come that you can really get a pup, there's a lot of time spent on the preparations. Just think about the visits to the different breeders and looking at the different litters. When you went to see the pups, you've seen in what kind of an environment they had to live. If you only went to visit breeders who's addresses you got from the pup intermediate of the breeding association, you problably haven't seen a litter somewhere in the back of a shed or stable.
For the pup it is much better that it got to know the different daily noises in a family. The sound of voices, vacuumcleaner, radio and television and possibly contact with other dogs and other animals is good for a pup. It's not good for the socialization process when a pup hasn't heard or seen any of those impressions. It is then possible that they will grow up being afraid or shy and timid. Correcting this is almost impossible or not possible at all.
Also, the area the pup lives in, has to be spacious and clean. A pup that has to lie next to faeces and urine and, when playing, has to walk through it, is more difficult to house-train.

At some point, it is finally time! Your puppy, at least 8 weeks old, can be picked up. The way one will get a puppy, is very different. Every breeder has chosen his/her own way. Some breeders decide which pup is meant for which person or family. The new owners can't decide for themselves. The breeder has to depend on the honesty of the new owner(s). They will have to have told their experience with dogs, the family members etcetera. The breeder has made a decision based on those facts and the different characters of the pups. There are owners that find this method very pleasant. People that have a lot of experience with dogs and/or think they have, are at first not very happy that they can't decide for themselves. This usually changes slowly once they have heard the breeders motivation, on what the breeders decision is based.

Another group of breeders lets the new owner decide for the biggest part. That breeder will be there when the choice is made and will advice when asked. When one can't make a decision or has trouble to come to a definite choice (usually insecurity), the breeder will tell them what choice he would have made and why. In the end, the definite choice is made by the new owner.

Then there are breeders who let the new owners make the choice all by themselves. The breeder is usually not around the litter where the choice has to be made, but he waits somewhere until the new owners have made a decision. For a new, unexperienced owner, this is very difficult and in my opinion, also not very fair for dog and owner. The new owner has to take a chance, which can work out the wrong way too. There is a good chance that the dog will end up in a dog home if it's character doesn't match a person. In this case, this could have been prevented if the new and unexperienced owner had some help in making his choice.

If you have a choice, don't make the mistake in thinking that the first pup that comes towards you, is the right pup. Pups from a well socialized litter, will all come towards you. The first one that comes to you, is the most dominant one from the litter. For someone that has experience with dogs, this might be the right choice. For people that never had a dog before and for people that just want a nice house dog, a dog like this might be a little too much. It's likely better to go for a pup that isn't the first one in everything.

What I want to say is, that the choice of a puppy also depends on the question what you want to do with your dog. First ask yourself what it is that you want : a guarddog, a nice house dog, a pal to walk with, breeding, go to shows, of a dog you want to work with. You can imagine that when you want a guarddog, you don't want a very self-confident dog. A self-confident dog won't guard (bark) than a dog who is less self-confident. A dog that is self-confident usually has a calmer character and is very suitable for a house dog or a pal to walk with, but of course, also for breeding, going to shows and to work with. If you want a dog to work or breed with, it needs more good character qualities. Do not believe the stories that some people can always pick the right pup from a litter, nobody can see how the pup will turn out to be in the end. This depends on many factors, which the owner sometimes can't influence. One can discover however, if the pup has a talent for something. If you want to use your dog as a tracker dog, you will try to find out if the dog has a talent for using it's nose. With permission from the breeder you can leave a little bit of meat near the litter and see which puppy will notice this first. You will have to make sure that none of the pups can see that you put something somewhere. You can also take a ball and roll that away and you will see that there will be a puppy that runs after the ball and even bring it back. If you want to work with your dog, this pup can be a good choice. There are more of those games that you can think of to make a good choice. Do make sure though, that you ask the breeder for permission to do this and inform them about the things you would like to do. The breeder might have certain arguements not to let you do some tests. For example, it's pointless in doing certain tests if you are the last of the 9 new owners for the one dog that is still there. You could have done tests like that while it's littermates were still there. I myself have the puppy tests done by someone who cares a lot about animals and dogs in particular and who will not do all the tests that future owners want to do, because a pup won't respond anymore when a keyring is dropped for the 9th time. When everyone does the same test, it's not objective anymore. A test like that isn't worth anything anymore and superfluous. Besides I want to see if my impression of the pup was the right one, a confirmation of my expectations. People that are interested in a puppy test can find several websites on the internet. For example the Dog Whisperer (see Links).

I want to mention another important aspect that can't be omitted in choosing a puppy. One will like a dog with a dark colour coat and one will like the opposite. Make a choice from those pups that colourwise live up to your expectations. The same goes for the size of a dog. It's also possible that all of a sudden you are attracted to a certain pup, this can be mutual. In that case it is wise to ask someone else's opinion. There is the danger that the choice is made emotionally instead of rationally. If you have to choose between "equal pups", then it's wise to let your feelings speak and choose the pup you feel attracted to. Do realise that you can only make a choice once and that, if all goes well, you and your dog will be together for 12 to 14 years. Take your time in making your choice and don't let one of the children decide. Of course, this doesn't apply when the children are old enough that they want the dog for themselves and can bring it up and take care of it to work with it later on.

Wie geeft hier commentaar.
Iemand die absoluut een leek is op het gebied van honden
en dus al helemaal geen kaas gegeten heeft van puppy-keuze.

Maar ook iemand die geinteresseerd is in de Oud Duitse Herders-
hond en speelt met de gedachte zo'n hond aan te schaffen.

Mijn commentaar betreft de zorgvuldigheid die ik aantref op deze 
site.  Zorgvuldigheid verpakt in een vergaande voorlichting.
De voorlichting is bijzonder belangrijk voor met name mensen zoals 
ikzelf die eigenlijk geen gedegen soort/ras- en nestkeuze kunnen doen.

Wat deze fokker aan voorlichting levert, kan ik inhoudelijk niet op 
waarde beoordelen.  Ik wil dat ook helemaal niet.
Uit alles proef je gewoon dat het geschreven is om de adspirant eigenaar
voor teleustellingen te behoeden en . . . . . 
wat minstens zo belangrijk is,  de pup een goede baas te bezorgen.

Bert Nijhuis