Advice on picking a puppy

Kazu

Next week going to buy a collie pup going to be used as a sheepdog

there is 7 pups to pick from any pointers in picking out the best one ?

Our man in Havana

Do not pick the smallest or the one that sits down quietly in a corner - pups should be full of life, have clear eyes, check the ears for mites (black dots) Generally pick a very lively in your face kind of pup - even if it tries to chew your fingers (all pups do this!)

As for the sheep dog aspect I have no pointers - just pick the healthiest dog.

EGAR

If they were advertised as working strain dogs, ask to see the parent(s) work. You wont know whether it's a good worker until it's old enough but seeing the parent(s) work will at least tell you that they are from a working strain. Make sure they were vacc'd and wormed. Bond has given very sound advice.

Sarah

padi89

Bond-007 wrote:

Do not pick the smallest or the one that sits down quietly in a corner - pups should be full of life, have clear eyes, check the ears for mites (black dots) Generally pick a very lively in your face kind of pup - even if it tries to chew your fingers (all pups do this!)

As for the sheep dog aspect I have no pointers - just pick the healthiest dog.

AAAWWWW poor little puppy sitting on his own in the corner.Tis true though, its best to pick with your head and not with your heart.
The last Lab i got my sister was with me and picked him out straight away because in her own words "he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders".From day one but he was a tad shy ,i just think this was to the fact he was one of the weaker pups in the pack.He cried alot the first couple of nights so we were told if you put a wind up clock in a pillow or blanket and put it in with their bed they think its their mothers heartbeat and dont cry.It worked a treat he stopped crying completley.
After that his confidence grew very quickly and he is now a very healthy active 6 year old.I have met other people out walking the other pups from the litter and hands down my own fella is in far better condition.I think at the end of the day if you are prepared to put the time in with your dog then the benifits will be felt for a long time.A good diet,proper traing and plenty of TLC.

Sigma Force

As said don't pick the shyest but don't pick the most forward pick one that's in between. Eyes, nose, ears etc need to be clear and clean. Wormed and vaccinated or at least be on their way to being depending on their age. Don't buy from a puppy farmer or from the side of the road. Make sure the parents of the dog can be seen and are healthy.
Sheepdog pups are usually full of beans as are all pups, pick an alert and curious pup, play a few games with the pup using treats mabey. Other than that it's hard to tell how a working pup will turn out it's not until you get them out there and start training that they give you a better idea. Sheepdogs are natural herders so the sooner you get them out working the better that and basic obedience training and you should end up with a great dog. Collies rock working or pet ones.

Kazu

I picked the puppy who was dominant one he was eating all the food on the other puppys the leader of the punch id say

Nala

You shouldn't pick the most dominant puppy as they are more likely to be over-dominant when they are older.

padi89

Nala wrote:

You shouldn't pick the most dominant puppy as they are more likely to be over-dominant when they are older.

Only with poor care and training.Its a puppy not a dog.

bushy...

Had one of these,might be a good lad for sheep minding , they were bred to guard flocks in Spain from wolves .Absolutely love kids and smaller things like cats.

Kazu

imagine the food bill

EGAR

Hi Bushy,

there is a big difference between guarding sheep and driving sheep . Nice dogs, though, I have always like the breed.

Sarah

crippledshutin

Go with the one you like the best, that's what I did-- and yes, I did get the standard advice about not picking the shy runty one in the corner, but that was who I picked and she is a loveable little sweetheart of a dog today. I was just drawn to her, even as other puppies pushed her out of the way to get me to pat them. I sort of knew when I saw her, she was the one for me.
She visits people in rest homes with me and loves to be part of things and to get out and enjoy things. A lot of how a dog turns out is how you raise the dog, what traits you reward and what you teach the dog. My baby became confident over time. She is just the love of my life.
ALso, is there not rescue group in your area that may have an older dog who might be a good fit with you? I was lucky, I didn't have to go through much paper training with my dog (five pounds, a little Maltese) as she was naturally very fastidious; the training books I read were saying get ready to take your puppy to the paper or outside roughly 16 times a day to help them get the idea of where to go. years from now, for my second dog, I plan to get an older one from a rescue group. You have to teach them less and they generally have been assessed for personailty, skills, etc and the good groups do try and match person and dog so that they go to the right home.