In an early post, I have talked about how performing a health check on a puppy and I looked at things to look for when you are purchasing a puppy. Today, I would like to talk about how to actually select a gundog puppy to ensure that you have a greater chance of choosing the best possible puppy from the litter.
Before I get into those points, however, I would like to mention a few things. First and foremost, when you are deciding on a puppy it is important that you really decide on a breed and that you know the breed. While I offer a lot of information about dog breeds here, I always stress the importance of meeting a breed in person and seeing it in action. The reason for this is because some breeds look amazing on paper but in person, you might find that you clash with the breed.
Once you have researched and chosen your breed, it is time to start looking for a breeder. My general rule of thumb is that choosing a good gundog puppy will take about 6 to 12 months from start to finish.
Depending on your breed, you might find yourself on a long waiting list and it can take over a year to get a puppy in your preferred breed from your preferred breeder, especially if it is a rare breed, so be prepared to wait.
When you are looking for a breeder there are a few things to be aware of.
1. Make sure the breeder is breeding field dogs. Some breeds have seen a branch off from their original use and it is not uncommon to find a breeder that only breeds show quality dogs. This isn’t to say that the show quality can’t be used in the field but many hunters have found that they get better gundog puppies when they purchase from field bred dogs.
2. All the health clearances should be done. This means hips, elbows and eyes should be checked and cleared and a health check should be done prior to breeding. If the breeder doesn’t do clearances, then run; don’t walk, away from that breeder.
3. Find a breeder that is knowledgeable. Since you are looking for a gundog puppy, the best way to find one is to find a breeder that is knowledgeable in that area. Try to find one that actually hunts or, at the very least, competes in various field or hunt competitions. These are the breeders that are going to answer your questions and they will also lay the foundation in the puppies to ensure they create amazing gundogs.
4. Choose the picky breeder. Most people, when they meet a picky breeder, often feel very frustrated by the process. They often wonder why they need to fill in questionnaires and why they need to give a pint of blood as well, okay, I might be exaggerating on the latter but if your breeder isn’t picky, then they probably aren’t going to invest that much into their puppies to begin with.
Once you have a breeder and the litter is on the ground, it will be time to choose your puppy. To do this, you will want to first assess what you want in your gundog. Do you want it to be independent? Do you want it to be a dominant with other dogs? When you know the type of dog you want, you can get a clearer idea of the puppy you should choose. Even if you aren’t sure, there are few tips below that will help you choose a puppy.
1. Look for balance: When you go to see the puppies, take the time to observe them in motion. Look for the dog that has good proportion and has fairly good balance for its age. Generally, if you wait until the puppies are about 7 weeks old, you can get a good idea of how it will look as an adult. Find the puppy that has the closest attributes to what you are looking for.
2. Watch the puppies interact: It is often surprising to many people that puppies as young as 6 weeks old have their own hierarchy but it is true. There are more dominant dogs in the litter and more submissive. Watch the puppies playing together and determine how the hierarchy is arranged. From there you can choose a dog according to what you are looking for.
3. Determine their interest: Some gundog breeders will expose their puppies to birds before they leave their home but try to assess how the puppies react to things like that. Bring a toy or dummy and toss it into the litter, make sure it is off to the side. Watch the puppies that show an interest in it since these are usually the puppies that have more hunting instincts.
4. Check to see if they are healthy: Lastly, when you have narrowed your gundog puppy down to one or two puppies, do a health check. You can follow our health check or you can ask your vet for a sample health check.
Choosing a gundog puppy can be fairly easy and it is important to make the final decision based on everything I mentioned as well as your gut instinct. If for any reason a puppy just doesn’t sit well with you, then don’t purchase it. In addition, make sure you really take the advice of the breeder since they will often know the puppies much better than you can in one visit and will point you in the direction of the best dog.
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