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ForumsMain > sport puppy and litter evaluation (0 replies)
by TIG on 28 December 2007 - 04:23 |
| I have not bred that many litters but over the years have seen many many dogs that friends have owned and bred. The short answer to you questions are yes and yes. Puppy tests are not science and most of them out there are not really designed to test and look for working traits. They at best test response to stimuli, new situations, maybe recoverability and probably some retrieve or prey drive. Good candidates can fail for a number of reasons including lack of proper development by the owner, growing into a physical problem that impairs the work, bad training etc etc. Another dog might be a "sleeper" that one day wakes up and you have a dynamo on your hands. IMHO I think we ask much to much of our young dogs and do not give them proper time to grow up. The ones that get that time tend to be these "sleepers". They have to develop discrimination and thinking ability and confidence and a whole bunch of things. To quote a friend what you get for your money with an 8 week old is "puppy breath" and hopefully some potential. Anyone who tells you they can guarantee a dog will be this or that if full of bs and we need to start getting that message heard and understood. A puppy is not a toaster and can not ans should not be guaranteed like a toaster. Your best bet to find a dog with potential you can develop is to find a breeder who knows what they are doing, has been doing it for awhile, had a proven track record (look at actual provable accomplishments not "claimed" ones). They probably are also successful H.O.T. competitors so they know what it takes to develop a young dog successfully. This kind of breeder can tell you more about the potential a puppy from their lines has than any puppy test will ever tell you because they have watched them grow and play and develop since day 1 and probably have done the same with their dam and granddam and great grand dam. That's the kind of breeder you need to find. Hope this helps. I'm sure some other folks will pipe up now. |
TIG
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