For the potential Pet owner. Evaluating a dog
 

EVALUATING A PUPPY FOR THE PET OWNER[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/B][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][/B]
I often get asked how do I choose a puppy; what do I look for? So the first thing I always say is do your homework first. Check out the breeder, through all the methods available to you. For Yorkies, Yorkie Talk has many breeder reviews, Google the name and business name, search BBB complaints and YELP, and any other internet reporting vehicle.
Next spend some time in determining what “type” in terms of personality of dog would truly fit in with your lifestyle. Do you want an intrepid explorer, a shy and cuddly love bug, a dog that needs high activity to do really well? Do you have an active lifestyle? Want to take your dog on long hikes, camp, boating, want your dog to travel with you. Are you interested in performance sports with your dog? Obedience, rally, agility, earth dog, disc, flyball, to name just a few. Do you have a busy social life that you want your dog to be part of?
This little exercise will help you to hone and refine, what you truly would like in your adult dog. It is something then you can talk clearly about with your breeder.
I would like to say that all “good” breeders do a standard temperament test on their puppies; how-ever for the toy breeds it doesn’t seem to be as common, as in other breeds. That means along with inquiry of the breeder, you might be on your own to evaluate the puppy you might be interested in.
For now let’s assume you have vetted your breeders, and are on a waiting list with one or two of the preferred breeders.
Before the home visit:
1. Ask for lots of pictures of the litter. Most breeders do love to post pics of the puppies. If they have videos all the better.
2. If the breeder says something like I have two males, or two females to choose from. Ask for select pictures of the two.
2B) Here is what you ask for; Of course the standard seated face on shot – all breeders love to show those cute Yorkie faces. How-ever you will ask for a suspended stack photo; where the breeder lifts their dog up, one hand under chin, and one between their rear legs. A photo that shows the side view of the dog; both right and left sides. A photo that shows them front on, and from the rear.
Nb: Many breeders are not used to doing this; so just ask gently and say I want to get to “know” this puppy from all sides before I visit.
3) These are things that are very nice to have prior to the visit; how-ever in this day and age of digital manipulations, can be suspect.
The Home Visit:
Ideally you will have the opportunity to see the whole litter interact with one another; how-ever some may have been sold etc. Still try to see what-ever the remaining pups are, interacting with one another; even if all the pups left are not yours to choose from. And very important you want to observe the “mother” and how she is, and interacts with the pup and you.
Please plan on at least one hour visit with your “breeder”; you don’t want to feel rushed, or to rush the breeder either.
Who is the leader of the “pack’? Which pup comes out to sniff you first? Which pup who may be first, goes away and stays away? Which pup if any decides your feet are a wonderful bed to lie upon? Which pup is always engaged and active, running here n there. Which pup sits back away from the pack and observes? These are all clues to their temperament.
Examination: And you should intelligently hold and at the same time examine the pup
1. There should be no obvious odor from the pup, except a milky smell.
2. All pups should be observably clean upon your arrival, and the house should smell clean as well.
3. Eyes should be bright and clear, no tearing, no encrustation at the corners.
4. Ears should have no smell at all.
5. Teeth: Examine the bite, or ask the breeder to do it for you. You do not want to see an over or an underbite.
6. As you hold the pup, feel their tiny bones and spine. If their legs feel like matchsticks, as opposed to popsicle sticks, that is a sign that this puppy may have “tiney” bones. Bones are the structures that muscles hang off. Tiney boned pups can be more easily injured.
7. The spine with proper placement of front and rear legs, should be straight. No hollows or dips.
8. When you watch the puppies stand (which they might do for 1-2 seconds), you will look for paws pointing relatively straight ahead, a straight spine, an upright tail, the space between the front and rear legs approximately equal.
9. All puppies should move easily. An occasional bunny hopping type of movement is okay, but if it that is the only preferred movement pattern, that is a caution. Puppies should be comfortable moving at a walk, at a trot, or at a run. And ideally over the time of your visit will show you all those movement patterns.
Ideally 8 weeks old is the first time and for almost all breeds the appropriate time to evaluate a puppy. As at this age; it is a good forecaster of how the puppy will mature as an adult. The caveat being baring, accident, injury, illness, or owner insufficiencies. So if you can visit at 8wks old, and then again at 10wks old prior to making your final selection that would be best.
As owners you need to feed the best food for the puppy, give appropriate exercise, training, socialization and vet care as your puppy grows.

Great list of detailed of what to do and look for for in a new puppy and the breeder.

Thanks !

This is really wonderful, and it could be so helpful to many people. It would be great if it could be turned into a sticky so that it could be used as a future reference. You definitely are a great person to evaluate a pup. You found my precious Katie for me, and I could not have asked for a more special little girl.

Thanks Dawn. I hope it is not too "overthe head" for most puppy buyers. I hope that it can help an informed buyer be a little more aware of what to observe in that first visit to the breeder.

I'm so grateful you posted this...I had no idea what to look for when we visited Zhoie at 8 wks and picked her up a almost 13 wks.

This will be a a great resource should there be another on in our future:D

Yes, this in a sticky would benefit all:thumbup:

Thanks Perrella. I am so open to ideas if any, to make this list more pet owner friendly. Any way I can make it clearer?

Who is the leader of the “pack’? Which pup comes out to sniff you first? Which pup who may be first, goes away and stays away? Which pup if any decides your feet are a wonderful bed to lie upon? Which pup is always engaged and active, running here n there. Which pup sits back away from the pack and observes? These are all clues to their temperament.

Gemy, when you observe the above pups actions/interactions...what is the meaning behind what they do/how they respond?

I was thinking back to when we visited Zhoie at 8 wks. There was 5 in her litter, 2 girls and 3 boys. The first born was the other girl, and she was pistol..came running and was trying to climg the xpen, LOL. The one male was following right in her footsteps.

The other 2 males and Zhoie was more laid back, snuggled to each other. Would play hard for awhile and go back for snuggles.

Once Zhoie relaxed with us, she was a snuggler, but I noticed she didn't want to rolled on her back. That held true for a long time after she came home. It was like she had to learn to trust us, could that be?

Now, Pat or I walk up to her and she flops the little belly up for rubs, LOL :D

Very good questions. Now without any interaction and question of the breeder(which btw you should do) in a commentary kind of way.

Which pup comes to sniff you out first? The most inquisitive, and sometimes bravest of the pack. Not necessarily the pack leader (cause at this point Momma is the pack leader), but might be over time.

Now the pup that sniffs first then goes away, is not necessarily aloof, but is more of the kind that is courageous enough to suss you out, then goes back to "make up their mind", an independent kind of thinker. If they come back your way with deliberation, they are not truly an aloof dog.

the pup that thinks your feet our wonderful bed to lie upon; will likely be a warm and fuzzy kind of personality. Confident and secure enough (which is a good thing) but would unlikely be really dominant. They may be more laid back kind of pup, and then adult. They just want to be loved.

Now that pup who is always engaged and running around, here n there. coming up for a sniff then on about their business. Well that one, is going to be an active high energy pup. Not in this moment so concerned with humans, but baring other negative indicators, will make a wonderful performance dog. You want them active, confident, and willing to do and explore at this age.

The pup that backs away and observes, is indicative of a more aloof temperment. Not going to be your social butterfly. But would probably do great in an adult home. With lots of love and attention. They would probably not be a dominant kind of pup/adult. But may have a tendency to nervous upsets if they are in a very busy environment. They can bond very deeply with their owners, but won't take too easily with having their routine upset.


Generally speaking this is how I evaluate temperament but your breeder who has lived with these pups for weeks and weeks, also will have very valuable input.

The pup that backs away and observes, is indicative of a more aloof temperment. Not going to be your social butterfly. But would probably do great in an adult home. With lots of love and attention. They would probably not be a dominant kind of pup/adult. But may have a tendency to nervous upsets if they are in a very busy environment. They can bond very deeply with their owners, but won't take too easily with having their routine upset.


This is spot on for my girl. Definitely not a social butterfly. She's in an adult home, just Pat & I and she doesn't care for small children. She does get nervous when out and about in a busy environment. She is very much a creature of habit..she notices anything out of place, lives by schedule and routine. We have a deep bond that goes both ways.

Ahoie has 3 yorkie friends and she has to be the total controller and they let her, however, I know not all dogs would and fear what the alternative to that would be.

Gemy, again thank you so much! This is so informative and helpful for those in search of a pup. I'm sure it's so important for those searching for a pup to find a little one that fits with their lifestyle, better for the pup and the family.

This reminded me of when I got my first yorkie, Chelsea. I was the first person to look at the puppies, and she was from a litter of all females. I couldn't tell the pups apart and kept picking the one that was spoken for.

I had to ask the breeder if she could only let the ones that were actually available, out of the pen, so I could choose the one I wanted.

You are more than welcome. Just know that we all are excited when we go to meet the "litter" for the first time, and that includes especially a show breeder, who is going to pick out their "show" pup. There is after all a lot weighing upon the "joint decision". That joint decision in this case is the breeder who believes they have a show gal or guy, and the purchaser who is prepared to pay a big price, and an even larger financial commitment to show and finish this puppy.

But every breeder is at the minimum enthusiastic to show off their puppies and Mom and Dad (if there), to any puppy buyer. And the good ones are just as interested in placing their precious puppy into a good home for him/her.

Truly I said one hour to plan on the visit; how-ever I've never spent less than three hours for the first visit, and the second visit might be shorter, say 2hrs. But I do know I'm not the "average" puppy buyer. How-ever it is best to conduct these things in a more leisurely way. He/she is after all going to be your companion for 15 yrs or so. If you are on the market to buy a house do you do it in 15minutes? It gives both breeder and you true time to share things along the dog line.

Questionnaires are all well and good, but they are just in my mind a starting point in the perfect puppy for the buyer. And for the breeder the perfect home for their puppy.

I think this is fine and well but a bit over the top for someone looking for a pet. No one sees my puppies until they have had their first vaccination minimum 10 weeks. And that is only after I interview and it sounds like it could be a good home. I also would know if one of my pups that might be available would be suitable for that person depending on what kind of lifestyle they had which is discussed during the initial telephone interview or is int he information provided via email.
These are pets and no show breeder will ever produce all show dogs and that is what will be sold to a pet home.
If you are talking show dog, never ever consider buying until it is minimum 7 months old, older is better as they can change so much and it may not be towards conformation etc of a show dog.
If you are buying for agility, obedience or something like that you would want to be sure it isn't too small to have the stamina and have a certain temperment to want to do it. Size you would know at 12 weeks but as I don't start vacc's until 10 weeks, no one goes anywhere until 14 weeks.
AS for temperment well I have had them fall apart at 10 or 11 months, forget showing or anything else other than enjoy it as a pet and taking it for walks.

Thanks good advice.

Very informative list and very useful, especially if you don’t have confidence in your breeder. I have another way of choosing a pet; I find a breeder and get to know her. I learn why she is breeding and what she hopes to accomplish with her breeding program, and when I have confidence in her and her program, I would go for a home visit, but not until then. I then let the puppy choose me. :p

I'm really not looking for the perfect specimen as a pet, but I do want a healthy dog and my second objective is to support a breeder who I believe is doing right by the breed. It might be good to discuss some of these things with the breeder. Joey’s breeder talked about some of this stuff, but I’ve got to say, it didn’t matter at the time, I was love sick. I would hope every would-be breeder would at least do this. By the way, about the teeth, I thought that didn’t really matter unless you were breeding?

Here is an article link to some consequences of incorrect bite:

Dog Malocclusions (Underbite or Overbite) and Unstable Jaw

Getting to know your breeder is all well and good, and as I posted should obviously be done.

This doesn't mean that you should not have a discerning eye when going to see the "puppies".

I feel it is a very valid question many folks have asked. Which is "what do I look for" when I visit the breeder and see the pups. And so this is what I think.

I believe wholeheartedly, that the public should expect from a purebred breeder a healthy pup; and that includes structure and temperament.

Quite simply put one buys a purebred dog, as opposed to a mixed breed, with an understanding of what the breed is. How large it will grow, the temperament of the breed, etc. It is the basic rationale and goal of any breeder of pure breds; to breed true to type.

I mean more than just “getting to know”, but actually really believing in their program and be willing to support it by taking any dog that they won’t be showing. It’s just my philosophy on how we can support the Yorkshire Terrier breed. I definitely think if you are going to a “pet breeder” it’s important to understand these things.

I'm not too sure I understand the last part of this post. First I don't believe anyone should take any dog a breeder has determined is not for show. Good grief, you can support the breeder in other ways. You can offer to sponsor them in their show pups, you can offer help in other ways. But you don't offer to take a dog that is not a match for your home, your personality, your hopes and dreams for this pup.

I don't understand your last sentence about going to a "pet breeder" and understand these things?

A pet breeder is someone who is breeding for financial gain, and they aren't breeding to "improve" the breed, but simply to supply pets to anyone who can afford it.

I certainly didn't want to cause a big argument and said this is my philosophy. What I was trying to say is that I would rather take a dog with a slight overbite or under bite from a breeder like Loraine or Mardelin than a dog with a perfect bite from a pet breeder. Breeders who are breeding to improve the breed sell imperfect dogs to lucky pet owners. I think your ideas are very helpful. I just don’t want pet owners to miss out on a wonderful dog because it has a slight overbite. I also think the most important way we can support good breeders is to give a home to their offspring. I'm not sure if you can determine if an individual puppy is "a match for your home, your personality, your hopes and dreams for this pup" at 12 weeks. More importantly, this isn't for everyone I guess, I would hope that there are some, that are flexable in their personality and dreams.

Thanks Nancy for clarifying your thoughts to me. For sure there are decisions one needs to make, and usually when the dog is just a pup. I would rather they be "informed decisions" than not.

A slight under or overbite, or a slight deviation of alignment, is just that.. minor.

That is and never was what I was talking about. I was talking about things outside of the norm.

Gemy,

This really should be a "sticky". It is such great advice, and so well written.

Sheila

I agree it is very informative.

I'm confused... if a show home can't sell it's puppies that aren't destined to become Champions, what are they to do with them? I have a boy from the Prestigeous line who is almost perfect. 'Almost' being the operative word. Prestigeous has produced many, many, Champions, and that's what they strive to do. From what I've read, dog shows are extremely competitive, and the slightest fault will rule a dog out. That fault may not show up right away -- but when it does, cruel as it sounds -- it becomes just one more mouth to feed, and needs to go to a forever home. Max was 15 months old when he came to live with me. He is gorgeous!! He was in full show coat when I got him. But he couldn't make the cut. He has very long legs, and his back legs are slightly longer than his front legs, lending to an unlevel topline. He weighed just 4.5#. Now, as he approaches his 3rd birthday, he is almost 6#; has a short 'puppy cut'; rules the house and my other Yorkie; and generally loves life. So, if show homes aren't supposed to sell their imperfect pups, what are they to do? Kill them? Thank God the Prestigeous people did not consider that an option. I love this little guy like life itself!

I think you misunderstood Gemy. You might want to re-read her response, and the post to which she responded.

I didn't understand her to say, don't buy an imperfect pup from a show breeder. I understood her to say, don't just buy ANY available imperfet pup from a show breeder as a way to support that show breeder, but rather critically examine the pup and make sure it is the RIGHT dog for you...that it is the right fit for you & your family.

Being "imperfect" for the show ring does not make any puppy less desirable as a pet.

No it doesn't at all!.

Thank You Kazzy that is exactly what I meant. And let me say this loud and clear... THERE IS and HAS BEEN NO Perfect DOG born. All dogs have imperfections including show dogs.

Great information. I wish I could put you in my pocket to help with the decision should I decide to add another pup to my gang!

I am here for you jacqueline. Anytime I could be in your pocket:D

First as the title of the thread indicated it was for pet owners and evaluation of puppies. In no way was I targeting or delineating show breeders or their pups.


And you are rather over the top to equate a reasoned evaluation with KILLING a pup.

Pet puppies by their very defintion are not show worthy pups, but that does not mean they should not be a very healthy and fine example of the breed!

This is for folks who do want to know what to look for in a healthy structured pup!!