We all love getting a new best friend the smell of puppy breath and the antics they do as they are growing make them irresistible to a lot of people. The one thing I have learned is to not let my emotions do the picking for me. I am a big softie for dogs I love puppies especially hunting or sporting dog pups. If my wife would give the okay I would have a dog for every species to hunt. But we have to keep it realistic I guess. I thought I would talk about a few things we have learned over the years from breeding and training dogs.
The first part of this is learning about your breeder. It is super important to see how the pups have been raised and what interaction they have had. I bought a pup once that at 8 weeks had never been outside she was raised in a basement and did not know what the outdoors was till I took her home. I do think this affected her some as she was not able to learn, explore and grow in outdoor experiences. She did turn out to be a great companion and loves all of our family but has very little desire to hunt. I really believe some of this is due to the fact that she did not have the chance to grow up outdoors and allow her natural instinct kick in. She has come a long ways and is a great dog
A lot of pups are bought online now. We recently sold our litter of silver labs online. It is amazing to me how people pick pups different ways. If at all possible go see the pups in person if you can and watch how each pup acts and what it’s habits are. Here are 5 tips I would consider vital in picking a pup.
- Determine what the purpose of the pup is. Is this pup a family pet? A hunting dog? A service dog? You need to know exactly what you plan on using the pup for before you buy it. Sure they can be pets and hunters but this will give you an idea of what to look for in a pup.
- Ask questions! Since you have decided the exact purpose of your pup you can now ask the right questions to the breeder.
- Ask for references. This is a major purchase no matter what the cost of the pup. Get some references and call them and see how the other pups have turned out.
- Trust your breeders instinct. Once you have selected a breeder you are comfortable with ask them for their advice on which pup would fit your needs the best. After all the breeder is in contact with the pups every day. They should know what each pups personality is and if they will do what you are expecting.
- The paperwork!!! Make sure you get shot records. Get a health certificate. If this is a registered pup make sure you get the papers with the pup. I have been burnt a couple times on this and can tell you it is a lot easier to do this up front.
These are just the start to having a great experience with a pup and a new best friend/hunting buddy.
Here is the only pup we have left in from our last litter he is by far my favorite and still no one has picked him. He is a lot bigger now.
