Puppy Love
Nothing gives me more pleasure than looking at puppies. No matter what breed, I just love those hours spent watching litters once they’re up on their feet, and in what is basically half a century now, I have seen a lot of puppies! I am fortunate in counting several outstanding breeders in a wide cross section of breeds as good friends, and am frequently invited to look at litters and offer an opinion.
It is interesting to note how different breeders vary in their approach to puppy selection. I have some friends who claim to be able, with experience, to pick their keeper when it’s still wet. I was never that gifted, I’m afraid, and, when breeding, I never attempted to sort out puppies until they were around eight to nine weeks of age.
I often recall with amusement the telephone call I had from a young couple living nearby who had become involved with Afghan Hounds. They started with an OK bitch with no glaring faults and then had the opportunity to buy a very promising male puppy from a highly successful breeder with which they did very well in the show ring.
Inevitably they bred their original bitch to their winning dog. The telephone call came telling me that the litter had arrived, and they had a beautiful dog puppy that was “the spitting image of his sire.” They asked if I would visit to look at their first-ever litter, so I asked how old they were. “Two days now”!
I tactfully suggested that they should wait until the pups were around eight weeks, and then I would gladly visit and offer an opinion.
Having friends in a huge cross section of breeds, I learned early on that different breeds develop differently, and many have their own idiosyncrasies.
On one occasion I went to see a litter of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies in which there was a particularly beautiful Tricolor bitch. When I first saw her at nine weeks of age, nothing was amiss, and she had a perfect scissor bite.
I happened to be judging the breed at a major show some time later, and my friend showed this bitch in the 6-9 months class when she was just a few days over six months. To my horror, when I got her on the table she was undershot – not horribly so, but the bite was definitely under, and so she ended up second in her class.
Talking to her owner afterward, I expressed my concern about the bite, and she assured me that she wasn’t remotely bothered as she was convinced it would settle with maturity. Two years later I judged the same bitch and awarded her the CC … with a perfect scissor bite!
Having discussed puppy selection with so many breeders over the years, it seems to be that the majority are in agreement that the best age to sort out a litter in most breeds is eight to nine weeks, as at this stage they are fundamentally in proportion, and the picture they create is a miniature version of what they will be with full maturity.
Obviously, growth patterns vary from breed to breed, and I find that, generally speaking, the larger the breed, the more complex are the growth stages. When I was friendly with one of the most successful Great Dane breeders of all time here in the U.K., I found myself getting very puzzled whenever I visited and we took a stroll to the kennels when litters were on the ground and “keepers” were being run on. A Dane puppy of five or six months that showed great promise at nine weeks can look horribly misshapen and bear little resemblance to the picture painted by the breed standard. I have seen Dane puppies as they are approaching show-debut age look weak in pastern, bum-high and cow-hocked, yet with full maturity things drop into place to make a very pleasing overall package.
On my many litter visits, the host breeders were keen for me to see the puppies, and often, as soon as I was through the door, a puppy was thrust onto the already set-up grooming table for me to examine. (I have to say that the newer the breeder, the keener they were to instantly table. The more experienced breeders were of a similar mind-set to myself.)
When presented with a baby puppy, rigidly stacked on the table, I always suggested making a pot of coffee and sitting down in the yard where we could see the entire litter playing. This was sometimes met with a rather puzzled look, but as we chatted over coffee, watching the siblings play around, I would explain.
Looking at a litter collectively, you can see how siblings interact with each other. There will often be the dominant puppy who thinks he is the King Pin (and it tends to be a male by virtue of mere testosterone), those who are somewhat subservient, and sometimes there can be the shrinking violets. It is important to study puppies at play, as you will get a glance of their character in the sense of how they relate to other dogs.
After half an hour or so, it should be easy to work out the self-decided pecking order in the litter, and then you can get down to more careful analysis. With the aid of external attraction, you will see how the various puppies react to sudden noises, and how they hold themselves when something catches their attention. When something does and they strike a pose, there should be a leg in each corner, their basic conformation being clearly visible.
It is not often these days to visit a successful breeder to view a litter and see puppies that are somewhat inferior and of what we used to describe in the less politically correct days as “pet quality.” However, if there are such puppies (and it could be down to pure cosmetics, such as unacceptable markings), it’s always best to ask the breeder to remove those pups from the equation to concentrate on the more promising littermates.
At this stage I like to separate the sexes, so would ask the breeder to remove the bitches and just look at the males. Depending on the size of the litter, I prefer to look at no more than three pups at a time. Using stimulating noises, study each puppy’s reaction, and then with the aid of toys or bait get a helper to move around so that the puppies will follow. This is when you can see natural carriage, how a puppy holds itself, the accuracy of its footfall, the openness of its side gait and the ease with which it covers ground. So much can be seen at this age, and you can build a clear picture of a puppy long before it ever sees a table! The males studied, then I would look at the bitches.
Obviously there are breed specifics when it comes to evaluating puppies, and breeds such as Pekingese or Bulldogs, for example, will not be analyzed in the same way you would a Beagle or Labrador.
So, having watched the litter in small unisex groups, it’s then table time, and I just look on this as being an opportunity to confirm or refute what I suspected when watching the puppies on the ground with no manual adjustment whatsoever. Watching the breeder stack a puppy on the table can also be most revealing and, without any commentary, can point out the areas that may be causing them concern, as you can guarantee this will be where they will be focusing! I smile when I watch short necks being unsuccessfully stretched, soft toplines tummy-tapped and incorrect rear angulation clumsily rearranged.
As far as I am concerned, the table gives me the chance to check teeth and testicles in a smooth-coated breed, whereas those with heavy coats require a little more hands-on time to determine basic conformation and angulation as well as body weight. It can be disconcerting in a coated breed to get under the hair to discover skin and bone, as in ALL breeds at that age I like to see a degree of healthy “puppy fat.”
It’s often very apparent with some breeders that they have taken a definite liking to one particular puppy, and this may be down to elements of personality and charm. Consequently, they may be making allowances for a puppy because it has “clicked” with them when, in reality, it might not be the best puppy from a show perspective. Sometimes breeders have a problem pitting their head against their heart, but this is where an objective outsider’s view can be of value.
The outsider’s view can be helpful to someone who is looking at puppies 24/7 and might not notice subtle changes. It is also true that some breeders fail to see the obvious.
One litter I recall, five puppies, two dogs and three bitches, was very even in quality and not that easy to sort out. When I came to look at the two males, having looked at them individually I asked the breeder to put them on the table together facing me. The difference in heads was quite noticeable, one of the pair shouting its masculinity ahead of the brother, who was somewhat underdone. When I pointed this out to the breeder, she agreed entirely, yet it was something that had never occurred to her.
Having done all the table work, I can usually say which puppies appeal most to me, which results in a shortlist, and I then like to see those frontrunners back in the yard for another play session. That is when you can discuss with the breeder the various virtues and faults as the puppies trot and pose, again taking time to study how they move around. Those puppies that set up naturally when something grabs their attention, every foot perfectly placed, are the potential show dogs.
At the end of the session, after long discussion the breeder and I will usually (but not always!) have come to a mutual decision as to the keeper(s). The major challenge then is convincing the breeder to forget about them until they get to at least six months. I have known far too many breeders who, after my visit, re-evaluate every week and start self-doubting, a big mistake.
Selecting the pick of the litter can be something of a gamble, but invariably in every litter there will be a puppy that gives you a gut feeling when you see it at play because of its overall balance, the way it holds and carries itself, and its sheer self-assuredness.
The chances are that this will be the show dog, no matter how nit-picking may try to throw you off the scent!