things to look for when picking your puppy

[Acemac]

So the French Britney spaniel litter that I will get to choose from in July was born about three weeks ago.

I will be third pick of the females in this litter and I am wondering what things I should look for in the puppies.

I am getting the puppies from what i would consider the best breeder in the nation for this type of dog so i am sure I really cannot go wrong. That being said we are heading down to check out the puppies this week end I am curious what type of things should i be looking for in the litter?

here is a picture of the four females.

being the third pick i know that I will be limited but I am just curious what you guys think are important traits to look for at this age. I really want to have a dog that can hunt but its main purpose is going to be being a great house dog and company in the fish house.

[korn_fish]

In my experience, let the breeder decide the best pup for you. Especially if you feel that it is one of the best breeders in the nation, they should be able to fit you with the best fit.

But if your set on picking it yourself, here is what I look for at 3 weeks of age:

1 - shows curiosity. Can not be a lump on the log just sitting there. at 3 weeks each time they are brought out of there pen is like a new adventure to them. I want one that is curious but not so gung ho that he/she is getting into too much trouble already.

2 - behavior at the feed pan. I plan the visit at the breeder according to their feeding times. Watching them eat, I eliminate the ones that are the bully or is being bullied too much.

3 - Socialization - After the first two steps eliminates a few of the pups, I have the breeder remove the ones I eliminate and place them back in their pen. Then I play with the remaining pups to see which ones are social yet relaxed. Note - when the bully of the group has been removed, this step usually identifies bully #2

4 - after eliminations for 1-3 and there are a couple to choose from still, I any many miny moe it

[Ralph Wiggum]

I agree. If you've got a good breeder, tell him/her what you want from a dog and let them pick (barring any dead-set preferences like color). They're gonna know the dogs a lot better than you will be able to tell from a couple hour visit.

[Acemac]

We picked her out last night! 5 weeks old and as soon as she got out of the pen she put her nose to the ground and sniffed up 3 mouse traps. She also set the traps off and managed to not even flinch! We are super excited.

here is a video she is scratching because she got a ribbon put on to ID her as our dog

[jigging-matt]

Nice looking pup.