How to temperament test a GSD litter??? - Page 1

Hi All! As some of you know, I am purchasing a new GSD female puppy very soon, from the Wildsau and PS lines (Sire is V-Iltis von der Wildsau and dam is Ginta z Pohranicni Straze) and I was wondering, how exactly do you temperament test a litter of GSD puppies? First, I will state what I am looking for; 1. A nice dog, stable temperament, and good drive. 2. A dog that could fit in with my Goldens, if I properly socialize and train her, as I plan to do. 3. A dog that would be wary of strangers, and **MIGHT** be a personal protection dog. 4. A dog that would be content with just sleeping in bed with me, or laying on the couch with me one minute, and then off running with me in our 20 acre cornfield behind our house. 5. A dog that would be SEMI-Dominate, I don't want a POWER HUNGRY DOG! Those are some of the finer points I am looking for in a puppy. And so far, from what I consider a knowledgle able person/GSD Breeder, I was told to get small 2x4's and hit them together at random and see how the litter reacts. I also want to see if I can visit during a thunderstorm, and if ANY of the puppies show any fear, the whole litter is out. I have visited the puppies so far once, at 3.5 weeks old, and obviously not doing too much. One puppy in particular I seemed to like, she came up to me, after eyeing me for about 5 minutes first, then she sat in my lap, and fell asleep. She was VERY wary of me, and then after she saw that I was sitting down and posing neither a threat, nor was her dam (Ginta) scared in the LEAST, (was actually licking my face! Sire did this too!) She came over. Well any suggestions would be appreciated, THANKS to all! I hope to hear esspecially from Bob-O, Vom Brunhaus, DH, RanchingLady, and Blitzen...BUT WELCOME ALL HELP THAT ANYONE OFFERS TO PROVIDE! Krista blueskyekennels@msn.com

Blitzen doesn't know, but there are plenty of others here who do. I did a lousy job of picking my own dog LOL.

My best advice would be; if at all possible, take a very experienced GSD person whom you TRUST to help you evaluate the litter.

You're a hoot Blitzen.

Thanks Buddyspal, the only problem is that none of the GOOD breeders I actually TRUST are within 3 hours of me! :( The breeder has over 25 years expirance, 15 with DDR/Czech GSD's and 10 with GSD's and Wolf hybrids. I talk to him somewhat frequently, he says the female I seemed to really like has a moderate dominance, she's not the head honcho, but she's no where near being an under dog...does that help any? Thanks anyway Bliz, I always look forward to what you have to say! Krista blueskyekennels@msn.com

The breeder likely knows all pups in the litter better than anyone can in an hour or day long evaluation. It is also in the interest of the breeder to appropriately place each pup. I suggest that you do what you can to evaluate the pups and eliminate any that seem a mismatch, but be sure to impress upon the breeder what your needs, wants, and concerns are, and be sure to listen to whatever they have to say about the litter and especially about the parents, as there are frequently clues as to the future of your pup. Good luck, Jonah

You are buying bloodlines, so you need to research the lines to see what type of temperament is present. A good breeder should have a good idea of what to expect from the puppies, but some of what you are asking for is a result of socialization and trained behavior. A good breeder knows the litter...knows the nature of every puppy. They are with them every day for many hours. No single test can duplicate what the breeder observes.

Hi Longhorns, I have personally met two dogs from Ginta and Wolf, and they had a better temperament then the parents, and I didn't think that possible! The bitch I was able to meet was 3 years old, and a nice bitch, nice drive, but had that much desired on and off switch, upon the command of her owner, she was acting like a puppy again, playing with me, and acting the same as her sire and dam, happy go lucky! The male was a trained personal protection dog, and that showed. He was hard as nails, and let his guard down and allowed me to pet him upon his owner's command, but did not act like the female, this male was all business. He was 2 1/2 when I viewed him. I am MORE then satisfied with what I saw, and compared to what some people can view, I felt great to be able to view actual older prodey from the same sire and dam! It was a wonderful expirance, that I was thrilled to be part of! Krista

Hi Kista, thank you for your confidence in me! I appreciate that. I'm not nearly as well versed as so many others here, but I do have a few opinions and thoughts on it. Some how the last post doesn't (to me) line up with the description of what you described as wanting in the first post. But also, I'm not a big on picking personalities at 3-4 weeks of age. All temperment tests I've done, and am familiar with, are done on day 49 exact. There is much argument as to the validity of the results of those tests,too. I keep a very open mind about the puppies up til then, and don't even try to recommend pups to individuals intil after that. I try really hard to match puppy to owner and don't feel I can do a good job of that until they are at least 7-8 weeks old. By the way, I don't let mine go until at least 9 weeks of age. JMHO. Good luck on the puppy!! .....just nothing like a new puppy to bright up our lives!!!Also BTW......I have always researched the BREEDER first, the bloodlines second, and then communicate with the breeder what I am looking for.....and let the breeder pick the pup for me. So far????? Absolute 100% happiness!!!!!!

Krista, I just sent you the standard evaluation points and the document that explains how to sum the score. The best of luck for your new puppy. I do the test with of course a stranger, and it is done between receipt of the tattoo (seven weeks) and nine (9) weeks of age. Bob-O