How To Choose a Puppy
First of all evaluate to whole litter don’t necessarily let the pup choose you unless you are ok with having a difficult dog to raise. Watch the litter play with one another to see who is who in their pack; you can learn a lot about them by watching them play. Also ask the breeder who is who no one knows more about these puppies than their breeder. Pushy puppies are the alpha of their litter and will require a dominate, firm, consistent, and loving owner an owner who knows how to handle a pup who will most likely test your authority. Take a look at the litter together if you are seeing 3 or 4 of the puppies running away from you, staying just out of reach or barking distrustfully at you Move On! Do not get any puppies from this litter even if there seems to be one or two who are ok you will probably have trouble with this puppy in the future (You will have bigger problems when it gets older You will have a very large aggressive dog who isn’t safe around anyone or anything probably including you!). Do not let the breeder laugh it off saying that oh they just haven’t seen many people or haven’t been handled much. Lack of socialization of the puppies means an ignorant breeder. You don’t want a puppy from an ignorant breeder this is the breeder who is contributing to the number of bad rottweilers in the world by their carelessness of just putting a male rottweiler with a female rottweiler with no consideration of temperament for money. These people do not belong in the breeding business. The shy puppy just like an overly aggressive puppy is not a good choice either. They will take a lot of work A Lot of work and even then it will probably still grow to be a shy adult dog who snaps at anything that scares them. Shy dogs are just as likely to be biters as aggressive dogs. They want to kill you before you kill them and that is all they see. Good signs to look for are, the puppies are walking around you, a little tugging at your pants and shoes, nibble your fingers a little climb in your lap some may nap after meeting you if you just came when they were having nap time or start wrestling with each other. These pups are curious, sociable, and trusting. You can tell a lot about the puppies by the way they play with each other; you can tell who is who in their pack. The strong, bossy one is going to require a firm, dominate, yet loving owner who is willing to do a lot of training. The quiet gentle submissive one will require an owner who is patient and loving who will be gentle and understanding with them. These guys are usually the sensitive ones who get their feelings hurt if you are too harsh with them. Most people can handle a puppy who is in the middle of the totem pole. This is neither the boss nor the lowest in the hierarchy. For most people you don’t want one who growls, grabs or bites. It is important to see the puppies individually ask the breeder to put the other pups away so that you can see one pup at a time. First of all look at it’s reaction to being by itself. Is the puppy afraid of everything now that his littermates are not there to back him up anymore? Is the pup calm and self-assured? Does the pup look comfortable and happy? Make a noise or talk to him does he look at you and pay attention to you ; one who pays attention will be easily trained because you won’t have to work as hard to get them to listen to you.
Here are some tests you can do to evaluate temperaments. 1st test. Kneel down a few feet away from the pup and start coaxing the pup to you by gently clapping your hands. Did the pup: Come gladly, tail up, jump up, or bit at your hands A Come gladly, tail up, pawed at you or licked your hands. B Come gladly, tail up C Come gladly, tail down D Come hesitantly with the tail down E The pup didn’t come at all.F
2nd Stand up and walk away from the puppy in a normal way make sure that the puppy sees you though. Did the pup: Follow gladly, tail up, got under and bite at your feet a little. A Followed gladly, tail up, got under your feet. B Followed gladly, tail up. C Followed gladly, tail down. D Followed cautiously, tail down. E Didn’t follow or went away. F
3rd Crouch down and gently roll the pup on it’s back and hold it there with one hand on it’s chest and throat or you can cradle the puppy like a baby for 30 seconds. Does the pup: Struggle fiercely to right itself, thrashes, bite at your hands and growled. A Struggle fiercely. B Settled, struggled and settled with some eye contact. C Struggled then settled. D No struggling and stiff, eyes are wide and filled with fear, tries to avoid eye contact. E Wiggles to right itself when released it goes off to do something else F
4th Let the pup stand up. Gently pet him from head to back while crouching beside the pup. Continue petting until you see a behavior. Does the pup: Jumps, is sensitive about all parts, bites, or growled. A Jumped and pawed at you. B Loves up to you and licks your face. C Wiggles and licks your hands. D Roll over and lick your hands or is sensitive about a particular part. E Went and stayed away and is completely uninterested. F
5th You will be lifting up the pup just off the ground letting its legs dangle. Bend over and cradle the pup under its belly, fingers interlaced, palms up and elevate it just off the ground. Hold it there for 30 seconds. Does the pup: Struggle fiercely, flailed, bit at your hands and growled. A Struggle fiercely. B No struggling, the pup is relaxed. C Struggle, settled down, and licks your hands. D No struggling and licked your hands. E No struggling but froze scared. F
6th Put the puppy in the middle of the room. Stand a few feet away from the pup and make a sharp noise. Banging two pieces of metal together works like a metal pan or bowl. Does the pup: Listen, looks toward the sound and walks to the sound barking. A Listen, look toward the sound and bark. B Listen, looks toward the sound and curiously walks to the sound. C Listen, and looks toward the sound. D Cower backs off and hides. E Ignores the sound without a care in the world. F
7th Put the pup in the middle of the room. Use a soft toy with a string attached to it a towel works best. Jerk it across the floor a few feet away from the puppy. Does the pup: Look, attack and bite. A Look, and barks with the tail up. B Look, curiously investigates it. C Looks, basrks with the tail tucked. D Runs and hides. E
8th put a collar and leash on the puppy watch him then move a few steps. Does the pup: Bite and growl at the leash and tug on it. A Bite the leash. B Is curious. C Is curious and will walk. D Freeze and won’t move. E Ignores you and the fact you want him to walk with you. F
9th give the puppy food in a bowl fill it with canned food before the pup finishes take the food away. Does the pup: Bite your hands, growl, bark, and jump on you to get the food back. A Growl and jump on you to get the food back. B Look eagerly at you. C Wag its tail and look eagerly at you. D Act too scared too eat. E Act uninterested. F
Putting the A, B, and Cs together. Mostly As. These puppies are very dominate. These puppies require very experienced owners. These dogs are usually only suited for working as a guard dog or a police/military dog. These are not usually your family dogs. Mostly Bs. These are dominant puppies. This is a dog for a natural leader not someone who is timid. These would probably do best with an all adult family. Mostly Cs. This is a dog that is outgoing and flexible. But still needs a firm fair owner. This is a family dog that will probably be suited for adventerous owners. Mostly Ds. This is a dog that is a gentle, affectionate, easily controlled and adaptable. They are dependent upon you. An all around family dog some of these might be suited for therapy work. Mostly Es. This is a very submissive dog who needs a gentle loving owner who is patient and not too demanding. Would do best with an adult family or older children. Mostly Fs. This is mister or misses independence. These guys are not very affectionate and don’t require much human companionship. An uninterested puppy can also mean a sick puppy. Look for physical signs of illness. Like messy eyes and nose, underweight, lame, or poor coat.
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