Description
This article is from the rec.pets.dogs: Getting A Dog FAQ, posted to
rec.pets.dogs newsgroup. Maintained by Cindy Tittle Moore with
numerous contributions by others.
009. Selecting the puppy
Many breeders let you see and play with the entire litter at once. One
puppy may come right up to you and investigate. Of course, it's cute
-- all puppies are. You may think this puppy has "chosen" you.
Instead, it's likely to be the most dominant puppy in the litter.
Dominant puppies will check new things out before the rest of the
litter does. Your "chosen" puppy may not be right for you if you're a
novice at dog ownership or obedience training.
A better way to select a pup from a litter is to do a little
temperament testing and pick the dog with the temperament that best
meets you and your family's needs. The Monks of New Skete's book, "The
Art of Raising a Puppy," discusses the Puppy Aptitude Test developed
by Joachim and Wendy Volhard. They indicate the degree of social
compatability and how readily a pup will accept human leadership.
If the breeder picks a puppy out for you, that's also normal:
responsible ones will have evaluated their puppies and match one to
you based on what you've indicated you want.
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