# My new pup @ 10 days old :)



## Miller (Jun 13, 2010)

Here's the little boy - I know it's a little hard to tell, he's dark black with reddish markings. I did all the puppy aptitude tests on the entire litter and he seemed to fit my criteria the best. He's the talking-est pup in the whole bunch, always has been, but loves to crawl into my lap and sleep. I go over to the breeder's every 3-4 days to spend time with him so he gets to know me. 




























We haven't named him yet, though we are leaning toward Django or Austin.


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

I bet that you are so excited and can't wait to get that precious little one home with you.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

So tiny. Amazing the grand dog they grow into, huh?


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## Miller (Jun 13, 2010)

oh you know it! Now that I've picked one, it's hard not having him home with us!


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Seems a bit early to be doing any kind of aptitude testing...and handling of the puppies by anyone outside of the household at this age is questionable as well.

Congrats on the pup...but I suggest doing the testing later on, in a strange place. When the dogs are more mature. I believe the suggested age is 7 weeks old.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

martemchik said:


> Congrats on the pup...but I suggest doing the testing later on, in a strange place. When the dogs are more mature. I believe the suggested age is 7 weeks old.


:thumbup:


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## Miller (Jun 13, 2010)

my fiancée is a veterinarian, I am a vet technician, and the breeders are our longtime clients...we are the only people allowed to visit the pups until 8 weeks. and after all the research my fiancée and I have done on aptitude testing, 10 days is when you start certain simple tests.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Miller said:


> my fiancée is a veterinarian, I am a vet technician, and the breeders are our longtime clients...we are the only people allowed to visit the pups until 8 weeks. and after all the research my fiancée and I have done on aptitude testing, 10 days is when you start certain simple tests.


No offense...but you're the last people I'd want around a newborn litter. All you do is deal with sick dogs all day. The likelihood of you carrying something is much higher than the likelihood of me carrying something. I'm not questioning you being able to handle the pups but its just a bit weird to me...hopefully my future pup will be born sometime this week, but the breeders who are really good friends of mine have told me I can't see her (if there is 2 females) until they're at least 3 weeks old...its just a safety thing.

I'd really consider letting the breeder pick the dog for you and forget about those tests. You have nothing to base it off of, I'm sure you've dealt with plenty of puppies and dogs through your work, but until you deal with litter after litter of puppies you really have nothing to compare those numbers to.

We have a puppy class at our training facility and I'm telling you the difference between lines, breedings, and even siblings is like night and day sometimes. There are young puppies that just sit calmly at their owner's side, those that bark with a bit of fear, and those that aren't scared of a single thing.

Anyways...I feel like I'm sounding too accusatory and demeaning. I did a bunch of research on the aptitude tests when I was picking out a pup 2 years ago...and most of them were quite outdated and when done by an amateur didn't really mean much (not calling you an amateur btw). It's just better to tell the breeder what you want out of a dog and let them figure out which one fits that best, hopefully they have enough experience and knowledge to do so.

Mind posting a pedigree of the parents? Names possibly?


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## Miller (Jun 13, 2010)

Re: us being around sick animals all day - may be true, however we KNOW what exactly we are in contact with, we know to change our clothes, shoes and to sterilize our hands and arms before entering the property. Compared to random people who go to school, work, public places not knowing what they are tracking around, not knowing to change their clothing and wash up properly. We know methods of transmission of all diseases that could be spread from outside sources to the pups, and we are aware of how to prevent that from happening. 

The breeder has already picked her pup, and we have been working together every day to pick one for my family...it's not just a one-person deal here  We have had long discussions about wether or not a male was appropriate for our pack, and other pertinent conversations. She uses similar tests to choose her "pick of the litter" and even at this young age the pups consistantly show the same behavior patterns. 

As for pedigree, the sire Austrian's Gangster is by Jumbo vom Roemersteig (AUS) out of Wendy Von Favoriten (AUS). the Dam is Nindra vom Alpenhof who is by X Box Dei Precision (GER) out of Uschi vom Alpenhof (GER)


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## mandiah89 (Jan 18, 2013)

martemchik said:


> Seems a bit early to be doing any kind of aptitude testing...and handling of the puppies by anyone outside of the household at this age is questionable as well.
> 
> Congrats on the pup...but I suggest doing the testing later on, in a strange place. When the dogs are more mature. I believe the suggested age is 7 weeks old.


I agree with this as well.. he is way to young to even know what he will be like, all he knows what to do right now is sleep and eat, thats it


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## Miller (Jun 13, 2010)

we're not using the testing as a rule, you guys. It's more like trying to figure out the personality of the pup as they start to amble around and experience things for the first time. For example - the three females always sleep together, don't even make a wiggle or peep if you cradle them gently on their back, caress their feet etc. There's one male who screams bloody murder if you cradle him on his back or place him apart from the other pups. This is one who knocks the other pups away from the dam's teat and charges his way in every time. There's one male who always sleeps by himself, away from the rest of the litter, and immediately crawls over to any person who sits down, and cuddles up and falls asleep. He complains a bit if you roll him onto his back gently but settles within 3-4 seconds. Where as the first male doesn't settle at all, gets mad and starts barking and you have to let him up. Most of them are good with their feet being rubbed and their bodies being touched all over. 

They are the same initial tests the breeder uses, and she and her family have bred hundreds of dogs here and in Austria, for over 40 years. Obviously you don't know what you're getting until they grow up. That's just common sense. But we can at least weed out the ones who are very high drive or very lazy. Inherent traits are not all that alterable. Now is when they start to show them. Which ones wander off and explore? which ones just sleep all day. Which pup is always at the top of the pile? which is always at the bottom? Which pup is noisy? which one is pushy? etc


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

wow - no offense - I've never met a vet or vet technician that had much knowledge of animal training or behaviour . 
I would never allow for this . The breeder has familiarity through experience -- 

does not hold water -- sorry


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## Miller (Jun 13, 2010)

I guess you haven't been spending time with the right veterinarians then? All the vets at my clinic emphasise knowledge of behavior, training, socialization and early developmental stages. They don't just prescribe meds for behavioral problems, they help the owner to understand the reasons behind them and then work together with good trainers for a solution. 

I'm a horse trainer and have trained several dogs in obedience and tracking and agility...animal behaviour is in both our blood. 

My fiancee did the AI that resulted in this litter. The breeder made an exception and offered us to come up and visit as often as we would like so we could better choose the right pup. Who knows, maybe in 5 or 6 weeks a different pup will catch our hearts. It's entirely possible. Out of the males, she picked hers already and there's 2 others for us to choose from. One is very pushy and not easy to handle, the other is much more calm and cuddly. How hard is that to understand?


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Miller, you posted your thread in the picture section and I share your joy & excitment about your new puppy


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Miller said:


> As for pedigree, the sire Austrian's Gangster is by Jumbo vom Roemersteig (AUS) out of Wendy Von Favoriten (AUS). the Dam is Nindra vom Alpenhof who is by* X Box Dei Precision (GER) *out of Uschi vom Alpenhof (GER)


FYI: XBox is Canadian and bred by a Canadian kennel under P. Eram....

Must be quite a special breeder to do picks so early  - by 7 weeks or so, you get a clearer picture.


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## Miller (Jun 13, 2010)

she's learned her ways from her late father, who's bloodlines she is trying to keep alive now, by this litter and the new females she's purchased in the past few years. 

Everything they learned, they learned from him. He used to have 28 acres and over 30 adults all living happily together as a pack. Each one getting attention and love, each puppy being raised in the family with children and other pets. They have always lived for this breed, and each litter of pups. It's their life. They know what they're looking for


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

your statement above -- they know the dogs by being involved with them for decades, know the bloodlines , which are pretty tight . There are probably a lot of people on here who by looking at the pedigree can make a very good approximation of what to expect . I don't hold any credence in selecting a dog at 2 days , they aren't even fully wired yet - first social stage does not begin till around 4 weeks --- and all this irritation from handling can be adding stress . There is the bio-sensor and that can be overdone also by someone being over zealous , over stimulation. 

I listen to some of the vet-behaviourists on the radio once in a while - hoo boy -- one piece of advice , if your dog is afraid of thunder get into the closet with him and tell him good boy , sooth him. 

can't get that out of my mind --


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## Miller (Jun 13, 2010)

So I'm engaged to a whackjob of a veterinarian and getting a crappy puppy from an irresponsible breeder who lets random strangers parade through her house, causing an unstable environment and stressing out the puppies? Please. Go troll somewhere else.

There's no need to try to find faults in people just because they do things differently than you do. 

My fiancee is not a behavioralist. He's a SMV who has taken the responsibility to include behavior education in his personal training as a vet. I go over for a half hour to sit quietly with the pups and chat with the breeder (a friend) once every 3-4 days. 

No need for your drama, thanks.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Miller - you are in the dark about a lot of things. Not a great idea to lash out at people that have decades more practical experience than you do with breeding and raising pups. What your breeder is doing is extremely odd and practically unheard of in properly run kennels - picking puppies at that young an age, allowing strangers exposed to high risk animals to handle such young pups, and furthermore, you do not have remotely enough experience to evaluate puppies at such a young age. The entire practice is just very odd to say the least...


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## Fancy (Feb 17, 2013)

Miller

Congrats on the new puppy! I know how hard it is to choose a puppy. I just went thru it and it was very much a back and forth event on which one. What an exciting time for you..
Can't wait to see which one you pick out.


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