PICKING YOUR KEEPERS FROM A LITTER

[Mike Leonard]

At what age do you guys who raise pups usually pick the ones you are going to keep?

I usually know the ones I want by 5 weeks but this may be because I have stayed in the same line of dogs a long time. I quized a few old lion hunters here in the southwest and most of them said 4-5 weeks and they were decided but they also said they did their culling before they bred so they didn't leave much to chance. If a person makes some of his selection on color , size, and such at times it is pretty hard to tell until they get a bit older.


I just thought I woulkd throw this question out and see what others might say.

[PIGLET]

I hate pickin a keeper i usually pick a decent dog and give the superstar away, my buddy and i had just had a litter a week ago she only had 2 pups a male and a female so now i have a 50 50 chance!lol

[krk hunting]

Piglet,

If your luck is anything like mine you will pick the wrong 50%

Thanks

Junk

[bency]

it usually is for Piglet.

[slowandeasy]

boy just think soon we will be able to close all the jails in america. we can look over all the one year old children know what ones will be good adults and what ones will be felons. we could keep all the good ones in america and sell our discards to other unsuspecting country's. . it can't be done with people, horse's or dogs. so when you go to buy a pup do your home work go to someone that has bred the best to the best culled hard, and hopefully linebred to try to intensify desired traits. then look them pups over, pick one out and be confident your chance of picking the best one in the litter is as good as anyone's. don't make any difference weather your as old as mathusala, from the southwest, northeast, or a different planet . when we already know what is going to happen in the breeding pen and along the trail it's probably either time to quit, or there fixin to throw dirt on ya . after all i thought all the pups and hounds, and all the different unknowns were what made this sport an enjoyable challenge? don't get hung up the mojo!!

[ZeluvaRIP69er]

Dad and I would watch and study them, we would usually pick the same pup of coarse.

We would go for looks first off, when they hit the ground you can't really know much else. But as they grow we would see which was the bravest, which was the toughest, and which one was the meanest lol.

We would sometimes get a water hose and put it behind the wire fence, so when you turned the water on it sprayed wierd. We would watch for which pup was the most interested in it and would "fight" the water spraying at it.

When we had the jungle gym pen we would feed them up top, if they wanted to eat, they had to climb. It was a great way to teach them at a young age to not be scared of heights or wabbly rocks or slippery ice and such.

That's how we picked them for the most part.

[dwalton]

In my opinion we usually pick pups like ones that have turned out like pups before that turned out. Which works if the culling has been done before. Some pups just don't work out. To really be able to tell one needs to keep the hole litter. I feel some of the best pups are being culled to early you can't really tell what a pups going to do until it is done. The pups that show the most early, the child wonders a lot of the times are not as good in the long run as that pup that just is there not saying much but just keeps getting better and better until they are your lead dog. I think the smarter a pup is the slower it starts and the harder to train for most people. For me a smart pup with drive will always wins out. I think I can tell at 6 to 8 weeks old, but in all honesty it is a crap shoot if you don't have a pup out of the best dogs you can get. Some strains of dogs start a lot quicker than others. The running dogs start early, the old walker tree dogs start late. I have heard people say that they cull at 4 months, 6 months or by a year. You will surly never know what that one that you culled would of made in different hands. Good or bad that is just what is so. I have seen young dogs that I have culled make great dogs for other people but usually on different game. A dog that can't cut it for me on bobcat may make a great dog on trash [ lion , bear or coon]. You can usually tell if a dog is good but does not suit what you run or the are that you run in. What ever you believe no one has the breeding figured out as we would like to believe that we have. When you know it all you are kidding your shelf. Dewey

[twist]

I would have to say a good breeding program will help but is still not the answer. It is a close your eyes and pick type deal, yes we all think we no what we are looking for in a young pup (6 to 8 weeks of age) but when it comes down to it some are keepers and some arent it does make a difference on who is training the pup what conditions are used and how and when they are exposed to each type of training they are put through. I believe if a person could keep the whole litter and at a year old would have a fair shake at saying which ones are advancing quicker would be the ticket but in reality most never do this. A pup that has all the makings of a great dog in the wrong hands will be junk and an average dog put in the right hands with the right exposure at the right time could be a great hound. If we all new how to pick the super pup and what the magic cut of time for moving to the next pup and giving up on one we would have it made. Everyone has thier own thoughts and procedure on how to pick a pup but is it PROVEN?

[Mountainhound]

I let the pup pick me. I have only raised one litter personally and she only had 2 pups that only 1 survived. So my experiance is with doing my research on the line and breeder I want to take a shot in the dark with. 2 of my best dogs were leftovers sent by breeder. But when I have gone to breeders kennel I spend time letting pups play with each other and myself and explore, the one that takes the most interest in me I pick. I figuire they want to be around me, so are more likely to want to please me. But that only works up to a certain age (8 weeks or so). Then there are differant things I am looking at. But the truth of the matter is it is all a shot in the dark. I don't care who you are or what you think you know you can not pick the best from a litter of 5 week to 16 week old pups. After that you can see certain things that will say this one or that will be decent or not so decent. But then only if they run loose not sitting in a kennel.

[houndnem]

I have bred the same batch of pups 4 times. they have all made dogs, but the ones I like always have a certain kind of personality. can usually tell the ones that i'm keepin by 5 weeks. the longer ears and the cooler color help a little in the decision too just not in the huntin. onother way I used to do it was to put them on a roll cage and see which ones bark and try to get in and which ones run and piss down both legs.

[poser]

Mike, i believe it matters what you do with the pup more then the pup you pick. Not saying there isnt something to picking a pup but if you never take it out it wont be anything.....

With me i figure they are gonna set on the chain 97% of thier life so it really doesn't matter. I usually let everyone pick their pup and take the trash left over.

With all of our litters we have had, the guys that actually hunt "ALWAYS" end up with the best pups. Most of the time they dont even pick the pup it just gets dropped off at their house.

Grab one that appealing to the eye and put your time and effort into it. If it is out of good stock you will end up with something you appreciate.

Take care, jason

[Bplott]

I keep all my pups till they turn out or cull them... i feel if your going to breed dogs then you better not sell till you kno what your producing!!!

[Jeff Eberle]

Mike, i believe it matters what you do with the pup more then the pup you pick. Not saying there isnt something to picking a pup but if you never take it out it wont be anything.....

With me i figure they are gonna set on the chain 97% of thier life so it really doesn't matter. I usually let everyone pick their pup and take the trash left over.

With all of our litters we have had, the guys that actually hunt "ALWAYS" end up with the best pups. Most of the time they dont even pick the pup it just gets dropped off at their house.

Grab one that appealing to the eye and put your time and effort into it. If it is out of good stock you will end up with something you appreciate.

Take care, jason

AND THATS THE TRUTH THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH!

[poser]

Bplott, you still might not know what your producing if you dont get them out there for people to hunt. Too many people like different things....to each their own. As long as your happy with the dogs that you have thats all that matters.

But i dont believe you are gonna make everyone happy no matter what you do.

take care, jason

[Bplott]

I kno what im produceing i been breeding plotts for nearly 18yrs...I guarentee i culled more dogs then i have ever sold....most woulda made top noch lion or coon dogs BUT i dont breed to sell dogs or sell dogs that wont or cant do it all