This article describes just one way to look at a litter of fuzzy babies when you are deciding which one to take home with you. It is assumed you have already selected the breed best suited to your own personality, lifestyle, and goals. Many behavioral problems arise from having a dog that is mismatched with his home. Assess your environment before selecting a breeder, shelter, or rescue organization and a particular puppy.

Here is the bottom line - you can read all the advice available from the "experts," but your choice of dog will still come down to one thing: an emotional connection. Just keep in mind, when you are soliciting advice and reading all the how-to books, you are the one that is going to have to live with this baby for the next decade or more. The last word in this decision is yours!

Another thing to keep in mind is that dogs don’t read the books! This means that even though "Rottweilers are protective" and "Border collies are high energy working demons" and "Newfoundlands are good with children" — not all of them will possess those textbook characteristics. Remember, it is the average of any particular breed that we are talking about. Some will be outside average. Consider basic high school statistics. In a bell curve, most fall in the middle or "fat area," a few are out to either end, and there is always going to be one that falls somewhere out in left field. (According to Murphy’s Law, that is probably the one you are going to pick for your new pet!)

Having now emphasized the disclaimer, here are some guidelines to follow, and what I do to assess pups when I am choosing one:

• Don’t read any other expert’s evaluation or let the breeder tell you "this one is such and such…" until after you have looked at ALL the puppies.
• Remember you are seeing the babies for a short period of time. You may be seeing a tired pup that is more calm than usual, or a normally fearful pup that for some reason forgot to be afraid at that moment you met him.
• Gather information from the caretaker or breeder that has been with the babies every day and observed the first reactions to sibling competition, new environments, new food, new toys, new people, etc.
• Consider what others have observed about the puppies during the one time they visited them.

Your gut may disagree if there are inconsistencies, but if the pup you are considering has scored the same every time, or had similar comments about him by others, you may be seeing a pattern. Also, it is critically important to remember that what you see in a pup at 8 weeks of age is not necessarily what you will see at 8 months or 8 years.

The "Volhard puppy test" is recognized as a fairly standard method of evaluating puppies. There are others for evaluating working temperament and "drives."  I generally use the Volhard test when evaluating litters because so many people are familiar with it.

Personally, what I do before looking at any pups is decide what I ultimately want the pup to do. If, for example, I want a family pet, then I am looking for a calm puppy. I want one that won’t be inclined to chase and bite moving objects. (Like children running or riding on bikes.) This puppy is one whose first response to scary things is to run, rather than to stand and fight. It is the puppy whose first response to people is "everyone must love me," and will let me touch him on all parts of his body. He loves every second of the attention! All puppies are mouthy, but I want one that is not that way excessively or is aggressive in that behavior. I want a puppy that is not overly possessive of toys or food, and will let me take anything away from him without a fuss.

If I am looking for a Search and Rescue (SAR) dog, I want one that adores everyone. One that shows interest in getting and keeping a toy or food. One that is generally easy going with the other puppies. In fact, I prefer the pup that would rather play with people than other dogs. I’d need one that is very curious and exploratory, but will drop whatever he is doing and come running when encouraged. I want one that shows focus on things like a ball, a person, a butterfly … whatever. I might put a cookie (dipped in peanut butter!) in a Kong and watch to see who will dig at it forever until the cookie is slimy goo, disintegrating and falling out of the Kong, instead of trying in vain to get it out for a few seconds and then moving on to something else. I prefer to have a non-defensive response to scary things. I want the pup to run away if possible, not stand and bark or attack the "boogieman." I want to see a quick recovery from frightening events or startling things.  If it doesn’t go away, will the pup come up and sniff it without a lot of fuss and work from me? I like a pup that is oblivious to various surfaces. He will play ball on grass, asphalt, a slippery floor, a tottery pile of stuff. Environmental conditions or surroundings just don’t matter to this guy. I look for a pup that uses his nose. Drag a smelly thing on a string for a few feet and watch to see who follows with a nose to the prize.

If I am looking for an assistance dog, I want a pup that is not at all fearful of people, though disinterest in strangers is fine. I want one, however, that will attach himself to one person and stay with her. I want one that is confident playing with other pups, but not fighting for the "top pup" position. I want one that has a quick recovery from scary things, just like the SAR pup, and also is oblivious to different environmental conditions. I want a much calmer pup than a SAR pup, though. I want one that will play and interact with people forever. Depending on the age, I want him to retrieve a ball … a billion times if that’s what it takes!

Structure is an important consideration, regardless of your goals. You can be more forgiving with a "pet," but for working conformation or breeding, structure is critical. There is no compromising with structure. Structure is a gamble when you are looking at an 8 week old pup, so you must look at the pup’s mom and dad. Make sure you do not see any obvious or disqualifying faults in the parents, and keep in mind you are taking a chance with a baby. If you are absolutely unable or willing to accept this, you have two choices: 1) Go to a breeder that will give you an unconditional guarantee that they will take the puppy back (you might not get all your money back, but at least you have an option to place the pup in a good home); or 2) Consider getting an older dog who has proven structure and temperament.

This is what I do when I visit a litter of puppies:

1. Walk in and ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over the adorable babies. I also make a fuss over the mother to get a feel for her attitude toward visitors. Is she nervous or relaxed and happy?
2. Sit down on the floor with the babies loose in the room. Are they focused and crawling all over me? Am I being mobbed by all of them, a few or them, or none? Are pups biting and chewing on me, eagerly crawling into my lap and snuggling, or are they oblivious to me doing my own thing?
3. Since I usually always have treats in my pocket, have any of them figured it out by smell, and are they now digging and trying to eat a hole in my pants? (Important to remember that if I want to do any scent work with the baby down the road.)
4. What is the pup’s response when I pick it up? Am I an instant chew toy? Does the little monster struggle and scream that he is about to be eaten and he’s not going down without a fight? Did the sweet little darling fall asleep? How about if I turn the baby onto it’s back and cradle it in my arms?
5. Let’s go for a walk one at a time. What is the response without brothers and sisters? How about on a variety of different surfaces such as carpet, tile flooring, cement, asphalt, grass, woods, or water (if you are lucky to have all of it available)?
6. What is the response to a strange noise (bring a kazoo or some other noise maker. You can get all these kinds of things from any party store.) If you can ask someone else to make the noise, you’ll be able to observe the pup’s response.  Otherwise, wait until he is not looking at you.
7. Scary things! I bring a big lawn statue that suddenly appears while the pup is elsewhere. Watch his response. Does he bark and run toward it or away from it? Does he go up and sniff it eventually? Do I have to give him treats to get him near it? You are looking at two things here: one is the "fight or flight syndrome." The other is recovery. If he doesn’t startle, you have not performed the test properly. It doesn’t mean he is "confident" and "bomb proof." It means you don’t know how he will react when he gets startled.
8. Depending on what I want I might do a tracking test, Kong toy test, or a game of ball with the puppies.
9. How about adding a bunch of people to the interview? Are they all welcome and fun additions in the pup’s eyes, are they frightening for him, or is he totally disinterested in them?
10. How about a group of puppies with a crowd of people? What is the overall reaction of the puppies? With mine, we have a party or picnic at this point and watch to see who they play with. Does the pup attach himself to one person? Is the pup a social butterfly? Does the pup prefer other pups to people? Is the pup so independent that someone has to keep bringing him back? Is he a chow-hound and beggar, or is he oblivious to food in this environment?

If I am looking at an older pup or adult dog, I want more focus. I’ll try a tug game or play with a ball to try to get him excited.  Does he calm down easily, or does he stay in "hyper-drive"? How is he with other dogs? Strange people? What if I get in the dog’s face or get pushy? Can I give the dog a toy or cookie and get it back? (The key here is to trade, don’t steal. If the answer to that little test is "NO!", I don’t push it. I just got my answer!)

If I’m looking for a dog to do scent work, I might try tracking and/or a run-away trailing exercise with the pup. Also, if I toss his toy in bushes or tall grass, will he look for it? How long? Does he use his nose or his eyes? What is his immediate response to basic obedience commands? What about operant, or workable, conditioning? Can I condition him to the word "good" in a few minutes? Can I lure him into a sit position a few times such that he’ll remember my hand signal a few minutes later? How is his energy level? Is he focused or frantic? Will he leave other dogs and come when encouraged to do so? Will he play with humans instead of dogs if given the choice? How possessive or competitive is he? How does he interact with people and/or other dogs?

So now all the "tests" have been done. What does all the information that’s been gathered mean? When I am picking a young pup, I am fairly lenient. I look for a reason not to take a particular pup. For example, if I want a SAR dog, and the baby is shy with new people, that is something I will have to address before I can start training. Depending on the temperament and genetics of the pup, I may need to address that for the life of the dog, and he may never make the SAR team. If the pup is uncertain or not confident on different surfaces, socializing should address this. Given the choice, though, why would I choose the pup that needs a lot of extra work before I can seriously start training him for the purpose I intend? Puppies that don’t fit the mold for what I want are eliminated from my choice selection, which saves me and the pup a lot of extra work. (Just as in a marriage, the time to change your mind is before saying, "I do!") When I devise behavioral modification programs for pets that I am working with, I always tell the owner there can be no guarantee of the level of success. The program should help improve the behavior, but there are so many variables (genetic and environmental) that there is no way of predicting how much improvement there will ultimately be.

These days, there is A LOT of discussion about "dominance" and "drives." Notice I did not use either word when describing what I am looking for. Many people seem concerned about "the dominance issue." Anyone who has multi-dog household learns that there are no clearly defined alpha, beta or omega roles. Frequently, who is "dominant" depends on particular circumstances or a certain situation, and these things can easily change. Generally, when there are sibling rivalry issues, there is also usually an exasperated owner interfering in the conflict! The owner is trying to dictate that Fluffy must be dominant over Blackie, and Blackie may or may not agree! At any rate, don’t dwell on this when you are looking at a litter of pups. The "dominant" pup in the litter may turn 180 degrees in the other direction when he gets home and meets the resident cat. The real and only viable solution for some sense of peace is for the owner to assume the alpha role (and that is role, not roll!) There is a huge difference between simply posturing and really being the boss, though in a non-confrontational manner.

The other aspect of this topic has to do with "drives." They are typically described as play versus prey versus toys versus sex versus defense versus territory versus pack versus …and on and on. Personally, I don’t want to get into a catfight over it, but I believe there is only one drive: the drive to survive. This applies equally to the individual and species. All behaviors can be explained using this drive.

At any rate, consider that when you are looking for a working dog you have two things affecting performance: energy level and focus.

Energy does not mean endurance. Energy is defined by a dog’s activity level. A "busy" dog is always moving and has little down time. Focus has to do with intensity and persistence. 

Don’t think of this chart as separate partitions, but rather as a gradient. Think of it in terms of high, pretty high, medium/high medium, medium/low, low, and catatonic.

When I assess a dog, I try to assess activity level and focus as two separate behaviors, or as a combination of behaviors. Then I try to place the dog somewhere on this chart. For example, an energetic pup that is always into everything and constantly "busy" might fall into the high-energy category. If he is really busy, to the point of blocking everything else out (like my Beagle when a piece of kibble rolls under the stove), and so focused that he can’t hear me call, then he is also a high focus dog. This guy may fall into Category 1. On the other hand, if the energetic baby is so busy bouncing from one thing or thought to the next, I have a "Tigger" on my hands … or high energy-low focus dog (Category 2). This might be a good pick if I were looking for a mushing partner, but not so great for the lead dog or a working dog.

A Category 3 dog, the one that is a high focus-low energy dog might be your steady working companion. These are the dogs that will go out and work all day and all night, then continue to work the whole next day, too! They are nice and steady. These are the hunting dogs that are bread and butter hunting dogs, but not necessarily the flashy field trial champion dogs.

The Category 4, low focus-low energy dogs are like the hound from Hee-Haw! These may not be the sharpest working dogs, but hey! Put him in a busy family full of energetic children and you may have a non-reactive good pet dog.

The point is, when someone offers you a "high drive" puppy, make sure that the high drive comes with high focus. When breeders are breeding for winning trial dogs, there are a lot of excellent A-class pups. But there are also those pups that are not quite winning material. They may have the energy to be A-class, but they lack focus. (These would be the attention deficit kids.) Just because the pup is too energetic for a family home does not mean it is appropriate for a working home. Be especially careful with the adolescent rescues. A lot of focus can be developed in a young pup, but lack of focus in a older puppy as a habituated behavior can be very difficult to change.

You have to be honest with yourself. Personally, I prefer to work and live with a somewhat high focus-moderate or moderate/high energy dog as opposed to a dog that is off-the-chart, nonstop activity with focus. Remember, when it comes to dogs, there is no right or wrong answer. When it comes to working dogs, there is no perfect dog, and because the effectiveness of the team has many variables not limited to the dog, you want a human-canine team that works well together and complements one another. When working, the best dog is the one you can work with.

When selecting a pet, emotional attachment is the key to success. Good luck!

Laura

Copyright Laura Totis 2003