Your Thoughts Please !!!!! I'm begging - Page 1

Ok gonna try this again, The first one got sideswiped. Talking with a friend of mine a long ago breeder. He gave me what may seem some "strange" advice and had I not had previous expeirience using this method I would have called him bannanas !! He said he used to close his eyes when he would sit in the room with his pups and as they would come up he would "examine" them with his hands, feeling they're heads, spine, tails, legs, shoulders, ribs, hips, ears, toes, everything he would litterally cover they're bodies with his hands, He would have his wife sit quietly in the room she would on a sheet mark his comments, sometimes he would be feeling the same pup, funny thing, he would recognize it right away but confirm it with his wife before turning it loose and grabbing for another. His Reasoning behind this "examination" is very simple, Beauty is on the outside, but when you can turn a blind eye and see through it all, You will find "treasures". Of course this blind test was only used for confirmation correctness assesment. I used to breed Meat Rabbits, started this in 4-H as a youngster, and learned that I could pick the best rabbits from any cage by turning my head and NOT looking at them but by feeling they're loin thickness and width and size of legs and would each time choose the largest one out of every cage I went to, for breeding replacements, I specifically went for loin, by not looking at them, I left color and the obvious dilutions colors can cause out of the picture. Now ponder this a bit and go "feel" your dog if you wish and then post your thoughts regarding this method of assesment. I am very interested to hear what you all have to say about this topic strange as it may seem, I think there could be some "REAL" value to it. I would like to stay on topic here on the board, so for anyone who has an agenda with me please email me personally. Thank You. echomeadowsheps@aol.com

Echo,

I'm not trying to be unkind but I think people may be following the "If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all." school of thought.

It's an unusual point of view.  Perhaps people just don't want to engage the outlook.

Maybe I'm wrong, though.

Regards,

Dawg

No it sounds like a decent idea. Deffinatly old school. I can't comment on it, since I have no pups and I am not a conformation expert either.

4Pack you R a College Professor. Im old school also, but knowledgeable in show and conformation.

LOL Brun you kill me...

Makes perfect sense to me. Vets and doctors feel their patients all of the time. Judges at dog shows run their hands over parts of the dogs often. I would say that one would have to be very experienced to do this with any value and accuracy. But I am confused. Why are you begging for responses? Do you have a bet with someone that it is hogwash? Personally, I would never buy a puppy that I did not "feel up" :-) Their is too much hair on a dog to not check it for protruding ribs, cysts, reactions to pain, etc. I know that is not really what you are talking about, but it is along the same lines. The best thing about it is that dogs (and me) love massages :)

That dosent seem like a bad idea...I never had experience with a litter of puppies and dont think I will any time soon, but I mean if I did I just might use this meathod. It seems pretty decent to me :). Andrea

Sounds like something I used to do with co-eds as a young college student back in the seventies.....minus the wife, of course. Worked for me then! You could tell EVERYTHING about the conformation.

I have heard and literally seen it from my eyes that experienced breeders look at the puppies first say at around 8 weeks thru 12 weeks, first they pick say three or four from a litter of 8 or 9 just by watching them playing, and then to pick finally they literally feel the puppy by hand from front to back, but I believe more on my eyes than the feel. The puppy which look better, move better and friendly smily will always be better for show. I am strictly talking about confirmation and showline pup here. Someone has a better idea but it's not me !!!

Good Posts everyone, OK and kind of what I was thinking is what I'm gathering from you all too. That done in an accurate and experienced forum that it could prove a good way of not being deceived by thine eyeballs. :-) Hope more thoughts keep coming, Looking forward to it. DoRight, No bet, simply wanted to gather the thoughts here, I respect the majority of peoples on this board, and genuinely am interested in they're theory's regarding this method.