How to Choose a Puppy
For thousands of years there has been a close connection between dog and human - after all, the dog was and is a faithful companion of humans.
So, how to choose a puppy?
There are two things to consider: the health and character of the dog. The dog should have all the papers (pedigree and vaccination certificate) and you need a contract of sale.
Before choosing, the breeder should show you all puppies or juveniles of the litter and also the mother animal. The mother can calmly have a slightly exhausted eyes and be a bit thin, but she should make a satisfied, well-groomed impression.
The young dog himself must not have an unpleasant odor. His droppings must be firm and free from blood, his eyes must be shiny and his nose should be clean. His ears should be clean and his coat should not have dull, broken hair.
Incidentally, the young dog should be happy and playful, whether with the other dogs of his litter or with humans. After choosing and buying, you should take him to the vet. He investigates if the puppy is healthy and advises her on further vaccinations and deworming.
Furthermore, you should look at how much space the young dog has with the breeder: he will not be thrilled anyway, suddenly find himself in a strange place.
But if he had little space before and could not go outside, adapting to his new surroundings will be even harder for him.
Choosing one among the healthy puppies can sometimes be difficult. The best way to perform a few behavioral tests, as the American ethologist Campbell has put together. To do this, the puppies must be seven weeks old: before that, they are still too much influenced by the dam, and then they go through an emotionally unstable phase.
If you want to choose the right puppy, tests should be done in a closed and quiet environment that the puppy does not know. The person performing them should be neutral and not show pleasure, anger or irritation during the tests.
Attraction or attraction test when you choose a puppy
It can be performed with a seven-week puppy which you are going to choose. Carefully place the puppy on the ground and move away a few feet. Clap your hands lightly and watch the behavior of the animal:
- It starts immediately, the rod is raised, jumps up at you and nibbles on your hands
- It starts immediately, the rod is raised, scratching with his paws on your hands
- It starts immediately and wags its tail
- It comes hesitantly, lets hang the tail
- It does not come
Test to check the dominance acceptance
Must be performed by a person unknown to the puppy. Position the puppy in Sphinx posture, stroking it, applying pressure on the head and back:
- He fights with his paw, turns around growling and bites
- He struggles and turns around, trying to scratch you
- He struggles, calms down and licks your hands
- He turns on his back and licks your hands
- He goes away
Test to test the ability to follow when you choose a puppy
Is performed with a single puppy and without the use of the voice.
Stand up and slowly move in the puppy's field of vision:
- He follows you immediately, with his tail raised, pinching your legs
- He reacts as well, but without biting
- He follows you immediately, lets hang the tail
- He follows you hesitantly, lets hang the tail
- He does not follow you, but moves away
Test to test the ability to stand upright
Should be performed by a person unknown to the puppy that was chosen.
Lift the puppy forward by holding it with both hands under the rib cage and hold it upright for 30 seconds.
- He fights back, growls and bites
- He fights hard
- He struggles, calms down and licks your hands
- He does not resist and licks your hands
- The puppy you have chosen does not resist
Submission test when you choose a puppy
Should be performed by a person unknown to the puppy, which you want to choose.
Turn the puppy gently on the back, place your hand on the chest and hold it for 30 seconds.
- He fights back and bites
- He defends himself until he is released
- He struggles and finally calms down
- He does not resist and licks your hands
- The puppy you have chosen does not resist
The puppy you choose, should not be younger than 8-12 weeks before being separated from his mother. Puppies, which remain in the litter until the age of three months, later show less aggressive behavior, if the socialization process is continued even after joining the human / dog pack.
However, there may be problems if a puppy had largely no human contact during those early months. In his first 16 weeks you should keep your puppy in the house (except the corridors to the veterinarian), so that he does not get any illness from the park or from the street.
Be very careful when choosing a puppy, that has been raised with a bottle because his mother has rejected him. She did this because she knew something was wrong with the puppy.
The mother knows perfectly well that the puppy will weaken the pack, and the strength of the pack is above all for her. As practice shows, such a dog almost always becomes problematic. So, be careful when you choose a puppy.