Puppy Reservations

This is a difficult time, as everyone is wondering if they will get a puppy, and which one it might be . . . I keep explaining to them that I don't KNOW yet. Over the next month we will be deciding which pups might go to show or performance homes, and which ones will go as companions.

Evaluating puppies is not an exact science, and is based on observation, personal opinion, and experience. There is a standard for each dog breed of course, describing the ideals for the breed, but evaluating dogs is very subjective and all standards are open to personal interpretation. Evaluating puppies is even trickier, as there is really no way to know things like adult size, tail carriage and bite (tooth alignment). However spotting, proportions, temperament and soundness will be used to make the evaluations and are there to be observed in 6-8 week old pups. We just make intelligent guesses, based on what we see, what we have observed in the past, and what we anticipate the pedigree lines and individual dogs will produce.

Responsible hobby breeders do not do a litter just for kicks, because they need a down payment on a car, or to send the kids to college, and in fact doing a litter the right way is often a money-losing experience. There is also the potential heartbreak of losing the mother (my first Dalmatian died during a botched caesarian), having dead pups or losing them later (10 of her 13 puppies died), and the possibilty of having deaf pups (which most responsible breeders have euthanized). Not a decision to be made on a whim.

We generally do a litter because we are looking for a special puppy to keep for showing, and hopefully as a useful addition to our bloodline (if we are longterm breeders). Tom and I are both hoping for a show puppy from this litter, and it would be great if there was a puppy for each of us, and maybe even a few others that deserved to be shown. Only time will tell on that.

The puppies that go as companions will have similar good looks, the same good dispositions and health potential, and will have been raised with the same care and attention as their show potential littermates. Which brings to mind another topic to be addressed later - Show QUALITY as opposed to "showable", as the latter only means the dog is registered, resembles its breed and has no disqualifying faults. It could be shown, but is not really a show quality animal. It might also be absolutely gorgeous - that's what we hope our companion pups will look like - but it is most important that pets be healthy and have excellent dispositions.

So be patient with breeders, please. They have a lot of time, money and emotion invested in a litter, and are hoping that it pays off in a fabulous pup who will be a superstar in the showring. But it takes time to make those decisions, and puppy evaluation is an ongoing process.