How to pick a puppy?

[stevcha]

Hi guy! I wanted to know what physical qualities and temperment they looked for when picking out their puppies? I'll be getting a show quality male in about 3 mos and I have the 2nd and 3rd pick of two litters. What should I look for when picking my puppy? Thanks in advance.

Steve

[danyp1]

Originally posted by stevcha
Hi guy! I wanted to know what physical qualities and temperment they looked for when picking out their puppies? I'll be getting a show quality male in about 3 mos and I have the 2nd and 3rd pick of two litters. What should I look for when picking my puppy? Thanks in advance.

Steve

Go get Rottweilers for Dummies it is a great book and also talks about matching the puppies to the owner and also temperament testing on puppies. The breeder should also be able to help you.
Good luck.

[excellrott]

When faced with an actual puppy, it may be hard to be logical. So my suggestion is to take someone with you who knows rotts. Or take some polaroids of the potential pups to someone who knows rotts, maybe at your local club.

[sumojeb]

well you can try asking the breeder, im sure he will be really helpful :D

[poohbearsmom]

First of all, if the breeder is worth his/her weight, they will have asked you many many questions regarding your experience level, your lifestyle, and your expectations..... They will have narrowed down the pups in the litter to 2 or 3 at the most for you to choose from.

Taking an experienced friend with you... perhaps someone from your local club, who is familiar with grading litters.....is an excellent idea.

Choosing a confident, biddable pup that's curious about it's world is very important. Depending on your skill level, you'll probably want a pup that is a "middle of the road" kind of critter.... Not too dominant... and definitely not shy. Retrieve drive is important to me, as is the ability to hear a loud noise and recover quickly. Make sure you handle EVERY inch of the pups you look at.... play with their toes, and make sure they're not fidgety and pull away when you do this. Pain tolerance is another issue... and should be high in these dogs.

Watch the pups interact with the litter, then pull the pups you're looking at from the litter and handle them away from their usual environment.

To me, temperament comes first... then I look at structure... because.... if I can't deal with the dog.. or the dog isn't a correct "fit" for me.. then I don't care how beautiful he/she is.

Good luck!

[frontierrots]

If your breeder is worth anything YOU won't be picking a puppy. The breeder will do it based upon what you want, your lifestyle, experience etc..

The only time you will/should have a choice is if there are two equal pups

[Simba]

Our breeder picked our puppy for us after asking a bunch of questions and seeing how we interacted with all of his Rottweilers for a few hours. After seeing how comfortable I was with them and that my family had owned dogs my whole life he gave us the headstrong and pushy male from the litter, Simba. Just what we wanted, he was the perfect match for us!

[poohbearsmom]

Originally posted by frontierrots
If your breeder is worth anything YOU won't be picking a puppy. The breeder will do it based upon what you want, your lifestyle, experience etc..

The only time you will/should have a choice is if there are two equal pups

First of all, if the breeder is worth his/her weight, they will have asked you many many questions regarding your experience level, your lifestyle, and your expectations..... They will have narrowed down the pups in the litter to 2 or 3 at the most for you to choose from.

:D Agreed !!!

Personally... I still like to have 2 or so to choose from... this allows me to pick out things that may make or break my decision.

Remember... even though you like the pedigree... you trust the breeder... after actually seeing the litter... you may change your mind, and decide none of the pups of that particular litter are for you..... So....make sure you're thinking with your head - not your heart...because there's just nothing cuter than a rottie pup.

This is a decision that affects you for the life of the dog. ;)

[Sharon Marples]

Ditto to what everyone has said......if you are working with a breeder who really cares what happens to their pups and who wants a show quality pup to be successful with its new owners, THEY will be picking the pup for you.

My husband and I ALWAYS choose which pups go to which homes from each of our litters. We temperament test them, we have lived with them for 8-10 weeks before they go to their new homes, we know what the pups are like and what their personalities are like. Your breeder should be questioning you about your lifestyle, the type of activities you want to do with your dogs, your level of experience in the showring as a handler, etc.

The only time that our puppy clients get to choose their own pup is when we have 1-2 or 3 that are so close in temperament, body structure (for a show home) and personality that we know anyone of them would do fine in that person's home. Then they are able to pick and choose for themselves.

As a breeder, we do NOT want to have pups coming back to us, we want to choose the correct pup for the correct home thereby making sure that it is a "forever" home for it.

Hope this helps, I suggest that you really talk to your breeder in depth about a show quality pup. They should know the structure faults and "pluses" that their puppies have, they should know the best pup for you and they SHOULD be helping you to the best of their ability by choosing the best pup they can for you.

[TrishB]

I agree with what everyone else has said. But I have a question...

Why do you have 2nd pick in one litter and 3rd in another? Are you attempting to get 2 puppies at the same time? This isn't advisable - please search the site for "2 puppies" and you'll find a wealth of information.

Also - if the same breeder has two litters available at the same time - it would raise red flags to me. How many litters do they have a year? Most COE breeders only have 1 or 2 litters a year. And they wouldn't breed to have 2 litters at the same time.

There could be some very reasonable explainations for these questions ....

[stevcha]

Thanks everyone for the great advice!!! I've been talking with this breeder for about 2 months now and she pretty much interviewed me the second time we spoke. She seemed to ask the right questions including my experience level with the breed, my home, surroundings, reason for a male over a female, family members, activity level, etc... She did say that she would help me pick the best puppy for me based on the above information. The reason why I have two litter picks is due to the possibility that the 3rd pick litter has only two males or if there aren't enough "show quality". This litter is my first choice. From what she told me these two litters were her only planned breedings for the year. Thanks again for all of your help.

[frontierrots]

I would NEVER ever tell a buyer what "pick" they get. To me there is NO order . Each buyer is evaluated and each buyer is matched to the pup that suits them best.

In practice this means that if the 5th deposit I received suits a puppy better than anyone else and the first deposit I received suits none of the pups, then the 5th deposit will get that puppy and the first one won't

The pup's happiness and well being outweigh the order the deposits were received

[TrishB]

Ah! That makes sense. :) One pick in one litter, or another pick in another if the first doesn't produce what you were hoping for.

I agree that the breeder should be the one to pick for you. You tell them what you're hoping for, they'll get to know you and what they feel would be the best fit - then THEY will pick the best puppy to fit your life / family / wants / needs.

It's exactly what I did with my breeder (I wanted an obedience / show pup, she had one for the right home). He's perfect for me. :D

[stevenc]

Originally posted by frontierrots
I would NEVER ever tell a buyer what "pick" they get. To me there is NO order . Each buyer is evaluated and each buyer is matched to the pup that suits them best.

In practice this means that if the 5th deposit I received suits a puppy better than anyone else and the first deposit I received suits none of the pups, then the 5th deposit will get that puppy and the first one won't

The pup's happiness and well being outweigh the order the deposits were received

Are you kidding me? If I am looking for a show quality dog then I want to be top pick. However, we do listen and question the breeder about the pups and spend lots of hours deciding. But I for one would never let you pick a show quality dog for me when you charge 2x the amount for show. Just my opinion and my money!:D

[TrinityRun]

Originally posted by stevenc
Are you kidding me? If I am looking for a show quality dog then I want to be top pick. However, we do listen and question the breeder about the pups and spend lots of hours deciding. But I for one would never let you pick a show quality dog for me when you charge 2x the amount for show. Just my opinion and my money!:D

Keep in mind what one person's pick is, may not be the next. A lot has to do with what you are looking for, what your goals are. Not just the prettiest puppy. (Well, that too is subject to opinion. lol) :D