Sometimes, people waiting for a puppy from a litter, are confused about how the puppy evaluations and subsequent puppy selection and placement works.  Particularly there is confusion over how a breeder comes to a decision about which puppy will go to which family and/or the availability of pet puppies for pet homes. I would like to try and explain this process as clearly and straight forward as possible.

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First I feel I should explain what the terms show puppy (or show prospect) and pet puppy (or companion puppy) mean. A show puppy is one that has been evaluated as being a good show prospect. A pet puppy is one that for one reason or another, has been evaluated as being not a show prospect but a good candidate for a pet home. Most people would be surprised to learn that in a well bred, quality litter there is often very little difference between the two and that if there are any differences, often times these are not physical ones that can be seen but are rather attitude/personality differences. If there are minor physical differences between a show puppy and a pet puppy, many times these differences would only be seen or noticed by the most educated and practiced eye and would go unnoticed by the general public-they in no way effect the quality or lovability of your pet. Some of these physical differences would include tail set , tail carriage, coat texture, eye shape, size and color, ear set, amount of angulation in the rear legs, the angle of the shoulder, the shape of the feet, length of the puppies back in relation to the length of its legs, spring of rib etc. Again, all of these physical characteristics have no bearing on whether a puppy would make a great pet (companion puppy) but they are considerations when assessing a puppies show potential or lack there of.

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All purebred breeds of dogs have a written ‘Breed Standard’ that states what

is considered the ideal for that breed. All the above mentioned physical

characteristics are included in these written Breed Standards in great detail.

Certain characteristics are given more importance/priority than others. Some

physical characteristics are so important in a breed that the lack of them

results in a dog being ‘disqualified’ meaning it would be unable to compete

in conformation events (Dog Shows). Many of these disqualifying

characteristics are completely cosmetic, such as unacceptable markings on

the coat (the Poodle breed must be of a solid color with no white markings)

and would not make the puppy unsuitable as a pet but would obviously make

them unsuitable as a show prospect.

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Whether a puppy is destined for a show home or for a pet home, the puppy

should be sound of body and mind, healthy and possess a good temperament. Without these things, a puppy will not thrive in either a show or pet environment. A well bred litter is arrived at after significant consideration, research and thought so that each puppy in that litter is a valued member of the litter (and breed) no matter whether it’s going to be shown or is going to becomes someone’s pet. Sometimes people make the mistake of assuming that once a breeder picks out the show potential puppies in the litter, the puppies remaining are of lesser quality or are ‘seconds’. This is simply not the case. As mentioned above, there can be very minor differences between the show potential puppies and the pet puppies. Differences that in no way distract from a puppy being an excellent companion for a pet home.

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Sometimes there are more show potential puppies in a litter than show homes available and so a puppy that could do well in the show ring ends up going to a pet home instead. This is quite common and the main objective of any breeder should be to have all their puppies go to wonderful homes whether those new homes plan to show their puppy or not. Having said that, generally a breeder will breed and whelp a litter of puppies because he/she wants to maintain and continue the excellence of their dogs specific bloodline, for show and future breeding-and to enhance the breed as a whole. As breeding dogs age, they are retired from a breeders breeding program and new , younger individual’s need to be introduced . Therefore it’s essential that a breeder occasionally keep suitable pups for themselves. Breeders should always be working towards improving the breed by making wise breeding decisions based on that goal. When done properly and ethically ,planning ,whelping and raising a litter is a lot of hard work, research, time and responsibility….and of course joy!

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When a breeder plans a litter of puppies, they generally hope to have a least one puppy that they can keep that will be a good show/breeding candidate for the future (most times this will be a female but not always). Sometimes other people are interested in acquiring a puppy for show and/or breeding also. Again, as this is usually the main reason to breed, it’s gratifying to have others who are interested and willing to make the commitment of showing/promoting puppies from a litter. The breeders goal in placing puppies in show and/or breeding homes (and this is done very carefully and with strict contractual conditions in place to protect the puppies , the breeders bloodline and the breed as a whole) is to see some of their puppies go off and be good representatives of their specific breeding program in the show ring and make a positive impact on the breed by being used in someone else’s breeding program.

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The puppy evaluations are generally done at 7 to 8 weeks of age. During this evaluation process , each puppy is placed on a table and the breeder goes over every inch of that puppy. They are looking at all the physical characteristics mentioned earlier and more. A breeder will also want to watch the puppies on the ground, to see how they move, see how they carry themselves and to look for that special certain ‘attitude’. The puppy evaluations are generally done at 7 to 8 weeks of age. During this evaluation process , each puppy is placed on a table and the breeder goes over every inch of that puppy. They are looking at all the physical characteristics mentioned earlier and more. A breeder will also want to watch the puppies on the ground, to see how they move, see how they carry themselves and to look for that special certain ‘attitude’. 

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The puppy temperament evaluation is also done at 7 to 8 weeks of age. During this

evaluation process,  our puppies will go through the Avidog Pet Evaluation Test

(APET) course that tests for numerous behaviors. Some exercises are evaluating

specific traits such as sight or sound sensitivity, natural inclination to follow a

stranger, and desire to tug and fetch. Other evaluated traits are cumulative

behaviors seen throughout the test such as the puppy’s desire to connect vs. exploring

and entertaining themselves, their persistence and ability to work with a stranger,

and their self-confidence and willingness to investigate new, potentially worrying

things.

There is no right or wrong response as each home is looking for something different.

The evaluated traits will give you valuable information about what kind of home

that puppy needs, and what behaviors their new family will need to work on first.

It is a snapshot of what potential a puppy has to offer. 

 

Temperament test scores don’t necessarily reflect exactly how a puppy will grow up,

but they can give a good indication. A puppy’s environment and socialization until adulthood have big impact. But temperament testing is a valuable tool that can be helpful in placing puppies in homes where they will thrive. We do not prepare puppies for temperament testing; we prepare them for life past the breeder. We expose our puppies to many sights, sounds, and textures, and we introduce them to people. I work with the puppies individually to gauge biddability and drive. Breeders should not conduct their own temperament tests, but find a trainer or behaviorist with testing experience. Part of the testing is observing how the puppies interact with a stranger.

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Of course, puppies go through many developmental stages, including fear periods, which shape their behavior as adults. Both good and bad experiences during the puppies first year of life have a major influence on what the adult version of that dog will be.

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