Picking A Puppy

Picking A Puppy

By:


Years ago I read a dog-training book written by a professional trainer that contained a chapter entitled Everything I Know About Picking A Puppy. The pages were all blank. The authors point was clear. However, while there is no definitive method for picking a puppy, you can increase your odds of getting the right pup by looking at the parents and by checking Pups reactions in a few simple tests.
The most effective way to select a puppy is to evaluate his or her parents, paying particular attention to the kind and quality of retrieving work the parents have done. If the parents are field-trial champions, be aware that youre probably going to get a dog with enormous energy and desire. That could be more dog than you want or need. And, avoid dogs with show pedigrees; show dogs are bred purely for confirmation and may have minimal hunting instincts. If you want a combination hunting dog and family dog with a calm disposition, look for parents that have those same qualities.

The dog you select is likely to be with you for a good part of your hunting life. Youll devote countless hours to training the dog, hunting with him and, just as important, living with him for the next 10 or 15 years. Besides time, you will commit an important piece of yourself emotionally to your hunting companion. If you have a family, they will become deeply involved as well. Therefore, you want to select the best pup you can.

The best way to evaluate the parents of a prospective puppy, if you are able, is to watch the parents work in the field. Talk with the breeders about the line of dogs they breed and, if they employ a trainer for their own dogs, talk with that person also. And. interview clients who have bought dogs from a previous litter of the same parents or of similar bloodlines.

Finding breeders that produce the kind of retriever you are looking for may require a bit of detective work but the effort will be well worth it. If you have a friend who is an avid duck hunter, ask who he recommends. Find out who his veterinarian is and have a chat with him/her. Call members of your local Ducks Unlimited chapter to see what dogs they have bought and what bloodlines they recommend. Ask if you can see their dogs work in the field. And, if possible, hunt with the sire or dam. Volunteering to help with their training regimen is a good way to repay the favor and will teach you even more about the training process.

If you dont know someone who can personally recommend a kennel, you can look online at organizations like the American Kennel Club (AKC), the Hunting Retriever Club (HRC), the North American Hunting Retriever Association (NAHRA) or the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA). Most such organizations have retriever hunt tests that effectively and honestly score a retrievers ability. If you get a puppy from proven parents, you wont always hit the bulls eye but you will always, as the very least, hit the target. Once you find parents that are like the dog you want, there are other things to consider.

What size do you want? Females are generally smaller than males. Are you keeping the dog in your house? There are some pretty big labs out there. Again, the size of the parents is your best guide to the size the puppy will be. Pay careful attention to the possibility of genetic defects. A very real problem among some retriever breeds is hip dysplasia. Never buy a pup unless it comes with certified records that show the bloodlines are free of hip dysplasia. Review these records with your small-animal veterinarian before buying a pup. One the great (and expensive) heartbreaks is to have your dog bond with the family and make enormous progress in his training only to discover, around age two, that the dog is crippled with hip dysplasia. Demand certified records.

When you find a litter from proven parents that have the qualities you want in a hunting companion, its time to pick the pup. There are a few tests that you can use that may help you select the right pup. None are guaranteed but they should point you in the right direction. The goal here is to eliminate the extremes pups that are either overly aggressive or too passive. The six tests recommended are in our popular DVD Family Dog and in our book Top Dog. See FamilyDogs website for these training videos and books.

Enjoy your new pup!

About the Author:
Drawing on his research talents and his marketing abilities, Middleton searched the country for the best trainers of hunting dogs. He looked at the AKC's and NAHRA's field trial competitors and other training books and videos on sporting dogs. He found that the time-proven methods of Richard A. Wolters' books were widely used and accepted for training dogs for both hunting and field trial competitions.

Middleton, after much research, selected and worked with some of the top hunting dog trainers and experts to update and transfer Richard's books into videos. With the help of many people including Dave Meisner, Gene Hill, Charlie Jurney, Tony Harnett, to name a few, Middleton took his film making talents and produced the six instructional vi



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


Tags: ,

|

Loading...
Related....
Videos...

Recent Self-Improvement Articles

Comments

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!

Loading

Site Navigation:

Copyright 2005-2011 ArticleSnatch, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.