# Sticky  Evaluating/ Picking A Pup



## Patch-O-Pits

There are a few main things are that are looked for when an eval is done.
Most reputable breeders will eval and put the pups in order accordingly after looking at these factors as related to the breed standard of the org the pup is registered with:

-*structurally correct *
-*proper temperament*
-*working drive and ability*. 
-* overall health*

A pup that meets the needs and expectations of their breeding program as a whole is usually deemed the pick pup. Pick of the litter means different things to different people.

The sex of the dog may or may not be a factor if there is a preference but not as to quality as a whole to which is actually the pick of the litter.

When you have bred a great litter picking becomes harder and harder as many may fit the bill.

Often I see kennels advertising show or working quality pups that are newly born which there is no way to tell if that will be the case so early. You certainly can't look at a couple of week old pup and know much of anything besides that it is cute and its color. You can of course also see if the pup has obvious issues like a tail is kinked, if it has cleft palate.

Color should not be the basis of making a pick. Of course it is OK to have preferences but the other things listed are what is much more important.

That is why first and most importantly the knowing standard inside and out, and the breeders experience overall with the breed and doing evals come into play a great deal when you are searching for an addition to your family.

Then evaluation tools such as Puppy Puzzle, Volhard Puppy Apt test etc are extremely useful so is just daily observations of the litter and individual pups.
Links:
*Volhard Puppy Apt test *
Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test 
(I like to adapt this to my own needs and eval)

*Puppy Puzzle*
Dogfolk Enterprises - Videos, Books and Seminars for puppy evaluation and dog showing

After a proper eval is done it is easier for a breeder to help a potential new owner be matched to the right type of pup for them.
What the new owners are looking for in a pup ie. show working both or solely a pet needs to become a factor in placements. This helps to make for both a happy owner and happy pup. This is just one of the many reasons it is important to really get to know and trust the breeder you are dealing with when purchasing a pup.

Just sharing for those who are interested in Puppy Puzzle for evaluating puppies. It is a great tool that teaches you how to eval a litter more accurately

A pup at 8 weeks as long as they are not born premies, runts or have some other major health issue will pretty much give you a good idea of what the dogs adult structure will be; as seen in the below picts I took of Samurai who was a puppy out of my litter. Here is the day I did the eval and him as he matured. LOL almost the same pose too, what a brat :woof:

week 8 Oh mom, just give me the dang cookie this show stuff is making me hungry









Samurai the weekend he Championed... such a wiggle butt:









So as you see pups grow and change yet there are ways to sort of look into the future to help make better choices.

Of course no eval is foolproof but when looking for specific things in a new pup they are extremely useful.
Having a clear cut plan for exactly what you want and expect from your pup is a huge help when picking the right one for you and your family.

Hope that helps


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## Roxy_Nie

Awesome post!!

Very helpful....Thank you Patch


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## reddoggy

That's a really cool side by side Patch


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## Cain714

*Thank you*

This is a great post, thanks for sharing this good info.


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## Sadie

Oh you get rep points for this  Great posting Patch as always you are so helpful .... And Yippi for SAMURAI YOU SEXY BLUEBERRY MUFFIN !!!


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## ForPits&Giggles

:goodpost::goodpost::goodpost::goodpost::clap::clap::clap::clap:


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## purplestars21

thank you i will do this before i bring the puppy home and let you know how she scored


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## Trapboi103

Great post!! alot of good info!!!


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## Patch-O-Pits

Having a breeder that does evals or one at least willing to work with you to help you do them to me is a huge plus in helping to pick the right pup.


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## BedlamBully

Hey Patch, any tips on picking a pup when you can't actually go 'SEE' the dog?


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## Patch-O-Pits

BedlamBully said:


> Hey Patch, any tips on picking a pup when you can't actually go 'SEE' the dog?


 Make sure you have a REALLLLLLLY good relationship with the breeder, get them to send you both videos of all the pups and stacked and natural standing candid pictures. Hopefully the breeder will do evals and give you that info to help you as well. Have them explain each ones personality and drive too.


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## bahamutt99

And if you're going to trust the breeder to make the choice for you, make sure they've got the experience necessary to evaluate them. Don't go to a breeder who doesn't show and ask them to pick you a show-quality puppy. Same holds true for anything, whether you're looking for a weight pull prospect, SchH prospect, etc.


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## Patch-O-Pits

Bumped up because this relates to a topic being discussed at the moment


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## FloorCandy

I'm glad it was bumped, great post!


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## redsky

Def. a great post!


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## Patch-O-Pits

Hope it helps


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## SuthernStyles

I will definitely be using the volhard test


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## Patch-O-Pits

Remember to make sure when using eval tools they are used at the appropriate ages or they aren't very accurate.


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## LadyRampage

Great post!!

One thing I've learned over the years, as a breeder, is to ask what the person looking for a dog WANTS. Especially when it comes to temperament. I don't want them to get a hyper pup when they want a couch potatoe....and this has nothing to do with structure..lol


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## Patch-O-Pits

LadyRampage said:


> Great post!!
> 
> One thing I've learned over the years, as a breeder, is to ask what the person looking for a dog WANTS. Especially when it comes to temperament. I don't want them to get a hyper pup when they want a couch potatoe....and this has nothing to do with structure..lol


 Yes , that is what the observations and Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test Eval helps with greatly. However I do find structure still even plays a part with that because a pup with poor structure may not be able to keep up with an active family in the long run.


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## Patch-O-Pits

BUMPING It Up For the Newbies...


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## pitbullmamanatl

Patch-O-Pits said:


> BUMPING It Up For the Newbies...


Love this post, Patch!


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## Patch-O-Pits

pitbullmamanatl said:


> Love this post, Patch!


 THANKS! :woof:


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## kodiakgirl

Thanks so much for that post! It's definitely going to be helpful for me since I'm going to be getting a puppy in July (chocolate lab, not pit) and I already know what to look for in a puppy, but I am definitely going to use this evaluation since I want to maybe get into some kind of competition with this puppy. I'm going to be there for the whelping (this week hopefully!!) and I know the breeders very well, so I'm going to be spending a lot of time with the puppies as they grow. Do you have any pointers on what to watch for as the pups mature to 8 weeks?


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## Patch-O-Pits

You'll be able to see a lot of changes over the weeks... I personally like a pup that is outgoing and wants to be a people pleaser from the start


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## kera5

great post,very helpful info there.


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## Patch-O-Pits

kera5 said:


> great post,very helpful info there.


 THANKS!:woof:


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## j/p

*pups*

i just joined today i do not have a papered pit bull not even sure if he is pure bread i rescued 10 dogs from the streets 9 2 week old puppies and the mother the mother died 4 days after i picked her and pups up from internal injuries (original owner beat her) and only 3 pups lived vet never figured out what happened to them but 2 got great homes and i kept the runt. the best dog i ever owned and hes only 4 months old now but i have never raised a pit bull before and need all the help (advice) i can get. only thing i know about pitbulls is that i was attacked by 4 of them when i was 6 and been a little scared since but bullett my puppy has changed my attitude about that he is great loveing puppy and highly intelligent he potty traind him self realy and loves all the other dogs and cats i introduce him to. i will put a pic up as soon as i can get on my comp hes supose to be an APBT but idk how to tell the difference between the bullies as i seen on the net and the APBT except pappers any advice will help me

thank you for your time


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## hell no they wont go

Patch-O-Pits said:


> Often I see kennels advertising show or working quality pups that are newly born which there is no way to tell if that will be the case so early. You certainly can't look at a couple of week old pup and know much of anything besides that it is cute and its color. You can of course also see if the pup has obvious issues like a tail is kinked, if it has cleft palate.


only thing i have to say is the best way to figure out how a pup so young might turn out is to take a look at how the parents are. that might not help very much at all. but it can help you decide what may b expected.


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## Patch-O-Pits

hell no they wont go said:


> only thing i have to say is the best way to figure out how a pup so young might turn out is to take a look at how the parents are. that might not help very much at all. but it can help you decide what may b expected.


 Actually, that only helps slightly, you'd have to know the bloodline and order inside and out and since within a litter there still can be a wide variety of personalities and temperaments, picking too young and or without knowing how to do an evaluation at the proper is a total crap shoot so to speak.


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## mredman4

can anyone help me identify a puppy i got a puppy from so jerk who did little to care for him but the way he acts doesn't remind me of any pitbull puppy i have seen before


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