A CLUB UNITED FOR A BREED APART

You've found a breeder you trust and now it's time to select a puppy! Good grief, they're all so cute, how can you pick out the puppy that will be right for you? The first thing to ask yourself is this question, what do you see the puppy doing in the future, and what will the puppy's role be? Is the answer family companion? Perhaps you are interested in other pursuits such as herding, tracking, or conformation. Familiarize yourself with the breed's standard so that you can make informed judgments when viewing the parent dogs. Make sure you tell the breeder what purpose you see the puppy fulfilling. The breeder has been with these puppies for eight weeks or longer, and he/she will be able to give you valuable insight into the puppies personalities and temperaments to help you in your decision making process.

TEMPERAMENT

Observe the litter all together. How are they interacting with one another? Even little puppies in a litter will form a pack order with an alpha pup and the rest filling pack positions on down the line. Make mental notes on which pup seems to be dominant over the others, which pup is the most submissive, and where the other pups fall in the litter pack between the two.

Approach the litter and crouch down to their level. Don't coax the puppies to you; just observe how they react to your presence. You want to be able to see the puppies true natures without prompting. Are they fearful and running away? If they are, you might want to rethink picking from this litter. Pups that act too shy or fearful may have weak nerves. A puppy with weak nerves can grow up into a dog with weak nerves that may not socialize well and have difficulty achieving any goals you have in mind.

Normal healthy pups will come to investigate you. Some might be bolder then others, but even the puppies within the litter pack who are more reserved will show interest in you. They might attempt to crawl onto you, bite at your clothes and hands, sniff your shoes, etc. Talk softly to the puppies. Is there a puppy or two there that is looking into your face or eyes while you are speaking? Perhaps the puppy cocks his/her head to one side while you speak letting you know that the puppy is focused on your voice. This is an indication of the puppy's interest and willingness to interact with people and it's social capabilities. A puppy whose natural temperament lends itself to being social, is a puppy that may be easier to train in the future.

Now that you have gotten a feeling for the various puppy personalities present, reflect back onto your original question to yourself. What will the puppy's purpose be? If your answer was family companion, then the puppy you select needs to have a good stable, social temperament. These puppies tend to be the puppies between the alpha litter leader, and the most submissive pup. These middle of the pack puppies are neither too bold, nor too shy. Their temperament will tend to be a nice blending of the two. This personality and temperament will most often with proper handling develop into a wonderful companion animal who is loving, trainable, protective, and good with children when properly socialized.

What if your purpose for the puppy is companion animal and herding or Schutzhund? If this is the case you may want to consider the alpha litter leader. This puppy is already naturally showing you that he has a dominant forceful personality and temperament. These traits can be necessary in some dog sports or if the puppy in future will be expected to herd sheep on a ranch. The alpha puppy can be a handful to train, and may not be the wisest choice for a family companion. They can be challenging, stubborn, or make a contest out of who is boss in the house. This is not to say that the alpha puppy cannot be trained to know his place and respect you. Certainly he can be trained this way. However some owners do not have the patience it takes to instill within the alpha puppy his proper place in the household. The decision to pick the alpha puppy should be made with full awareness of your capabilities and patience.

People who want a quieter more reserved dog would be well off picking the more submissive pups. These puppies unlike the alpha litter leader are much less likely to challenge you in adolescence for a position of dominance in the household. The puppies tend to be more inclined to do it your way without much of a contest. Typically they are easier to train and more sensitive to voice commands. Eager to please their owners, these puppies seem to do well in less rambunctious households where they can bond tightly with their owners. Their gentle natures make them a wonderful choice for families with small children and elderly people.

STRUCTURE and APPEARANCE

Bigger is not better when picking out a White Shepherd puppy. Carefully look over the parent dogs to make sure they are within the standard for the breed. An adult White Shepherd male that is 29" at the shoulder and 130 pounds is not within the standard at all. Why do you want to only select puppies from parents that fall within the standard? Dogs that are too large have a tendency to have joint problems. Hip dysplasia, elbow problems, and the like, can be excruciatingly painful for the dog and result in tremendous vet bills if the problems are even treatable. At times the problems can be so severe that the only recourse an owner will have for the poor dog is to have it euthanized. A White Shepherd is structurally unsuited to attaining such a size. When breeder manipulation occurs to achieve such sizes, a host of problems can be the result. Beware of breeders who sell puppies by size. If it's an extremely large dog you want, you may want to consider another breed.

If you are selecting a puppy for showing in conformation, ask the breeder what puppies appear to be good conformation prospects. Pigment, coat color, good bite, and angulation are important factors in conformation shows. Your breeder will be able to help you select a puppy that is suited for conformation.

Keep in mind that even for conformation, a pure snow-white coat is unnecessary and perfect pigment is rare. The dog should have good skin pigmentation, and a fairly white coat. Coat colors of white with cream or white with biscuit are extremely common and should not be considered faulty. These coat colors are perfectly acceptable.

HEALTH

Look the puppies over carefully and observe their overall appearance. The puppies should be clear eyed, alert, and lively. The bodies of the puppies should be firm and substantial without being too rounded or too thin. A big round belly on a puppy can indicate the presence of worms as can a pup that's too thin. The fur should be clean of feces on the rear end. If you see the residue of feces on the puppy's hind end, the pup may have diarrhea. This can mean the puppy has a health issue like worms, Giardia, Parvo, or other things. Question the breeder about it and make sure you investigate the cause thoroughly.

Ask the breeder to show you the records for the puppy's worm treatments and vaccinations if there are any. The breeder may have wormed and given some vaccines to the puppies by eight weeks of age. It isn't uncommon for a breeder to protect their puppies very early from infectious disease. Parvovirus, which can be deadly to puppies, can be vaccinated for as early as three weeks of age . Coronavirus is another disease with a high incidence in young puppies and often is seen at the same time the Parvovirus is. Vaccination against Corona can be given at six weeks of age.

If the breeder hasn't administered any vaccinations, you may want to rethink purchasing a pup here. If you are determined to purchase an unvaccinated pup, make an appointment with a vet as soon as possible. It is very important that you protect your puppy from infectious disease and parasites. While the colostrum that the puppy received while nursing on it's mother can protect the puppy from infectious diseases for a short time, the puppy's immune system will soon have to start fending for itself. Vaccinations can provide your puppy good protection against life-threatening diseases.

MALE or FEMALE?

This question often crops up when people are seeking a puppy. Would the family be better off with a male or female puppy? Sometimes the answer to this question will depend on what you are going to do with the puppy. The gender preference may also come into play if you have a prize-winning garden in the backyard, and don't want a male dog marking his territory on the rose bushes!

As companion animals, both the male and female will blend into your household and family the same . They are both loving, loyal, and protective. However, if you already own a female, another female may be a cause for concern. Two females in one household can struggle for the alpha female position. These struggles for power may result in displays of dominance, protective actions over toys and food, or even fights. These same scenarios apply to two males in a household. The males can squabble for the position of alpha and be disruptive to your peaceful family existence. Consider the current dogs in your household and the possible ramifications of getting another animal of the same sex. It may work out fine, or it may result in trouble.

Males: The male of the breed will tend to be larger then the female. A larger dog is typically a more powerful dog. This can mean that an elderly owner or a child may have trouble restraining a large male dog. The male is driven by Testosterone. This is a plain fact of nature. Testosterone is what contributes to drive, assertiveness, and willfulness in the male. It is also the hormone responsible for the impulse to mate. Males can make a nuisance of themselves running away to seek out females, or challenging other males they might encounter on walks. Neutering the male can help greatly with reducing his drive to be dominant, and curb the impulse to mate. Male dogs will mark (urinate) on your shrubs and flowers which can be a concern for some people. Typically a male will have a longer maturing time. This means that the puppy attitude can stick around longer with a male dog, making training a bit more difficult and demanding of your patience. These traits in the male however are the same traits that cause him to excel at dog sports and police work. On average, it is a male of the breed that will have the drive it takes to achieve a Schutzhund title for instance, or be a more active, insistent herding animal.

Females: The female of the breed will tend to be smaller and therefore weigh less then the male, making it easier to control and restrain. The female is not driven by Testosterone, and is commonly easier to train. She typically has no desire to run off and search for a mate. The female is not prone to marking her territory like a male. You won't catch her lifting her leg on your prize-winning roses. However, her urine does tend to be stronger then the male's, and she may kill a patch of grass in your lawn where she chooses to go potty repeatedly. The female will come into heat. If you don't wish for puppies, this can be a concern if the female is not spayed. The Testosterone driven male can find a way to get to her. Fences can pose no obstacle for a determined male. Jumping over, or digging under is something he will do to get to her. Unwanted puppies are the result. If you don't wish for puppies, the best thing to do is have the female spayed. Spaying the female will also eliminate her coming into heat altogether. Some females can have a messy cycle which can be problematic if she is a household companion.

There are no firm rules concerning temperament in a male or female dog. There are always going to be exceptions to the general male/female traits. All dogs are unique in temperament and personality. Careful evaluation is the only way to ensure that the puppy you pick will be the right one for you.