Does your puppy have what it takes to be a show dog?
 

I hear a lot of breeders say that they keep aside a puppy from a litter and watch it to see if it has the personality to be a show dog (assuming, of course, that it has everything else). Or they say that their puppy is looking good for the show ring, personality wise.

I am wondering, what do you actually look for in the puppy? What is it that says to you that this puppy is worth watching and just might be "the one"? :)

Good question - I'm curious to know too.

I take a look at them for the first time at 8 weeks......attitude first.......watching for that puppy that is more assertive.....not afraid of the devil. Then at 12 weeks again, I begin watching movement and continue watching for attitude.......The process of picking out the right puppy is not easy for the untrained eye. You need a mentor to help you....one that has been exhibiting and knows her dogs. An exhibitor may not make the final decision until they get that puppy in the ring at 6 months of age.

Selecting a show prospect is a long drawn out affair, especially if the pups have no outstanding faults at a early age. There are a few faults that can show up early that would eliminate a puppy from being considered for show, one thing would be the bite. Sometimes you can tell by 8 or 12 weeks if the bite will be overshot or undershot. Of course if the bite off a slight amount then it is possible that the bite can correct itself when the permanent teeth come in. The other thing that is sometimes obvious early and that is size. If by 12 weeks a puppy that appears to be too large or too small for show it can sometimes be eliminated from being considered for show. Of course size is not always easy to predict. I know many a show breeder that have been greatly disappointed when their show prospect ended up too small or too big.

Other things that would make a pup not suitable for show would be if they have a poor ear set, ears too big, too long in body, bad tail set, straight stifles, poor front, bad top line, improper coat type, the list goes on. Some of these faults might not be obvious until the pup is older. And, of course, like Mary said, the personality of the pup plays a very important part in if a pup has what it take to be a show dog. Some faults could be minor and the dog could still be shown. You can have a perfect yorkie with no faults but if the dog does not have that yorkie attitude then you can forget it.

It's just plain complicated LOL...one that still looks good at 6 months can go off at 9 months and so on....

Great question! I'll be interested to see what people say!

Your right Donna, it is complicated........A topline can go on and off, one day you'll look at your pup and go......oh no.....then in a couple of days it's fine......one day everything looks great, the next day it's gone to pot.

But, health, structure, movement and attitude are the most important things. Then of course a new pup should come from great lines for it to have any chance of being a show dog.

Barb,

you and I know that everything you mentioned above has been Championed.....even when they've had more than one of the above. What it boils down to is for the exhibitor to have the fortitude to take the judge the best of the best.....What some exhibitors fail to realize that it's not all about Championing a dog but, to gain approval of our breeding stock.

So you basically hold on to the ones you think may be show quality and just watch them and have them evaluated by someone that shows.

If your new, it is a good idea to have your dog evaluated by an experienced exhibitor/breeder or a judge. Though I think that when you're new you need a good mentor to help you evaluate which puppy has it......I know that when I first started I had my mentor evaluate my puppies on a weekly basis. The trained eye that knows what to look for.....they see stuff that a new person doesn't and usually knows how certain things in a line will develop.

I am not new & I do have a great mentor, but I do know what your saying.

Ah, then if you're not new....you pretty much know what you're doing. Experienced exhibitor/breeders know what to pick and it's not necessary to have your dog evaluated before showing it. Although, you know that we all ask each other's opinions on our dogs.

Boy do you got that right!!!

Donna

Yes I always ask different great show breeders/exhibitors to evaluate my dogs, cause you might just miss something.

I'm always asking other's opinions about my dogs! And when I ask I "expect" an honest answer even if it's something I don't want to hear :)

Donna