# Puppy Specification



## Kingsj (Sep 17, 2011)

After I ended up with an unhealthy, shy GSD mix I spent several years researching the breed to determine what a GSD should be and what I thought I wanted. After a lot of thought, reading, and more thought, I put together a list of qualities I wanted in my dog. When I approached my breeder, I was a little hesitant to share my list at first, but decided it was best to go in with full disclosure on my expectations. When I did send it, my breeder immediately coined the term "puppy specification", and that is what I still call it today.

I post this information in the hopes people new to the breed will realize the many traits to consider when speaking with a breeder about a potential pup, AND the depth of information a reputable breeder should have when they help you decide on what pup fits you best. My breeder and I had several in-depth conversations about traits and I am blown away by how accurate she was.



*Personality Traits___Value_________**Reason*
Prey Drive___________7+__________Ball crazy to help with conditioning workouts; Ease of training; FUN!!

Defense Drive________~6__________Want dog to be courageous and protective of home and family; do not expect top level DD; If needed dog should take protection work seriously.

Hunt Drive__________5-6__________Plan some scent work and games, but do not need top level HD

Social Drive ("pack Drive")_5-6_______Want dog to show affection; want dog to follow wife and/or children around, without being *too much* of a pest; looking for high-side of average

Food Drive___________7+__________Desireable food drive for ease of training; WH dogs exhibit adequate food drive

Confidence___________8+__________Must be able to take dog anywhere!!!

Shyness______________0___________Any shyness is unacceptable.

Threshold____________5___________Moderate thresholds desired, to allow drives to be accessible for training, without activating at miscellaneous distractions at home

Hardness____________~5__________Want dog to be bidable w/o getting feelings hurt, or have bad experience w/o causing issues

Scenting Ability_______5+__________Tracking may be an activity we enjoy

*Physicals________________________**Reason*

Weight_____________small+________Personal preference is smaller

Sex________________F____________Prefer a female

Length_____________shorter+_______Prefer the shorter length ("compact"); appears to be more conducive to agility type activities; working line build preference

Color______________*SABLE_________*Personal preference; Flexible…

Ears______________no pref_________Not a big issue for me - not breeding

Tail_______________no pref_________Not a big issue for me - not breeding

OFF-SWITCH_______MUST HAVE______Cannot have hyper dog; must be able to relax at home *after a workout*

Hair______________shorter+_________Easier to maintain

Build_____________Lean____________Prefer leaner build



This is what I wanted. This is not the spec for a top level sport dog, this is not the spec for a laid-back, couch potatoe. I wanted a middle of the road type dog with the confidence to go anywhere and the drive to do anything. I was also a first time ("real") GSD owner, have a family, and a job. It would not fit my lifestyle or experience level to get a dog with over-the-top drive or very strong personality. IMO, these are the types of considerations new GSD owners should consider.


Let me add, I still had many questions, but this sums up the meat of my wants/needs. When I felt the breeder could work within these requirements, the rest was just part of the package. Anyway, I hope the formatting isn't unbearable! Enjoy and happy hunting!!

There you go Onyx .

Kingsley


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

While I think that its a good idea to have this list, I'm not sure how realistic it is There are some things on there that a breeder might be able to predict with a dog from a certain line, but I don't think its a guarantee. What are you going to do if the puppy starts off with all of these qualities but they don't stick around? Or what if the dog has most of the qualities, are you going to keep looking for a dog that has all of them 100%? I think the physical traits might be more realistic, but I'm not so sure about the personality traits....Dogs go through different phases and to be honest you have to put lots into a dog to keep them or even get them to where you want them to be. Its just as much about your dedication as it is about the puppy itself.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Wow, talk about being organized for a list! I just sent long rambling emails about what I _didn't_ want and somehow Chris figured it out from there.


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## Kingsj (Sep 17, 2011)

You bring up a really good point. It is important to recognize that obtaining ANY puppy is a gamble. As a pup matures, their personality is liable to _shift_ or change, especially during adolescence.

With that being said, you can STACK THE DECK IN YOUR FAVOR. If the breeder is knowledgable and honest, they will tell what they expect from the parents.

I also agree you must work with your dog to help it reach its potential, but I do not agree working with a shy dog can make it bold. I do not agree that working with a very low-drive dog will ever build its drive to above average. There are some behaviors you can train, but there are many more temperament traits that are genetic.

It is my opinion you must start with sound genetics if you are ever to end up with a sound/trustworthy dog.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Kingsj said:


> You bring up a really good point. It is important to recognize that obtaining ANY puppy is a gamble. As a pup matures, their personality is liable to _shift_ or change, especially during adolescence.
> 
> With that being said, you can STACK THE DECK IN YOUR FAVOR. If the breeder is knowledgable and honest, they will tell what they expect from the parents.
> 
> ...



I remember the good ole days when one just picked up the pup and accepted it for what it was and loved it no matter what....too much science and technology for me...pretty soon one will be able to choose these traits and it won't be an act of God anymore Maybe I just prefer a challenge Good Luck with the puppy you get, I hope it all works out and you get what you are looking for I stuck to my old school train of thought and I couldn't be happier with my dog, she actually fits most of your criteria


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## Kingsj (Sep 17, 2011)

Then your one of the lucky ones. I wasn't with my first pup, and it cost me years of heartache and a lot of money.

My current pup has met or exceeded all the criteria I established in my spec. I could not be happier! She is 6mo old on Saturday, so I anticipate somethings may shift, but I am prepared to roll with the punches, too.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

The only one that really stuck out to me was "scenting ability"...I mean really? The breeder can gauge that with a 8 week old puppy? A lot of the things you have listed are usually just referred to as "drive" but it is a cool little survey. For someone that knows what they're talking about, its a useful tool, but for the other 95% of the people wanting to buy a GSD puppy, most of those words mean nothing.

I am happy to hear that it lead you to the pup of your dreams though!


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## BlackthornGSD (Feb 25, 2010)

I love the spec list! This is sort of how I think of it, but not all written out and detailed--I'll sort of pull it together from what a puppy person describes to me in emails and conversations.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Thanks for sharing your investigative specs! 
As far as the


> The only one that really stuck out to me was "scenting ability"...I mean really? The breeder can gauge that with a 8 week old puppy


I think a breeder should be able to see a puppys scent drive quite easily. For the most part, where the nose goes, the body follows(luring as an example)
If more people would be so anal(sorry Kingsj about what they want in their pup~ choosing a breeder and satisfaction should be as easy as it was for Kingsj to find exactly the right pup) 

Even though most pups are a 'crapshoot' according to the experts, having a list of criteria surely can't hurt?
The only thing I would add is health history of the pedigrees....is there digestive sensitivity or other factors that the breeder may hide....some breeders will breed regardless of the dam having a chicken allergy(example) I'd want to know these little tidbits as well. And I wouldn't discount a certain breeding if there was such a sensitivity. Just knowing would be a bonus, so avoiding what can be an issue is good!


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

I think the list is great! Some of those things are on the Volhard Test. (similar) Even if you can't get all those exact qualities it helps to weed out the things you definitely don't want.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

I think the list is great. The main value of this list is the 'reason'. It really forces the puppy buyer to look deep into himself/herself and understand why any particular future puppy trait is important for them. Too many people want the 'most dominant dog' of the litter, and if you ask them why? they go blank.


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## guddu (Mar 14, 2012)

Nice list. So what is a prey drive of 7, or a defense of 6. How do you test for that.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I could see using the list to help define a questionairre - but rather than ranking I would see more about current living arrangements and intended use of the dog. 

For example, I wanted hunt drive = 11 - and yes you can get a feel for that both with genetics and watching the puppy use its nose..though it is true pups are a gamble. Some of these terms would halso have to be defined as folks STILL get into arguments about prey drive.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

While it's great to have a list, IME you aren't going to be able to predict things as specific as you are looking for in a pup. You may be better off looking at green dogs or young adults.

I would also recommend sticking with low-med-high for your drive specifications. I mean, what is really the difference between a 5 and 6? a 6 and 7? Or for that matter, a 5 and 7?


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

i think a drive is fine as long as there is a balance. you want a dog that wants to engage in activities, go after a ball or toy, great training tool. Breeders claim they know what they have for pups, but it is not a quarentee on temperment, every so often they might get an odd duck, a pup that does not follow suit. looking for proven breedings where the parents have had several litters can help. some pups end up not being balanced in things. to much prey drive, shy, fearful, etc. although a really good breeder that spends day after day testing and plyaing with the pups should very well be able to see what they have in a litter. i train with a breeder who does just this, and she says she can see what she has in a litter at 3 weeks old. 
i got one of those odd ducks in my last puppy. told the breeder what i wanted, had several conversations about it etc. wanted a sold, stable pup i could take anywhere, wanted to do SchH, and several other activities. this pup ended up being fearful of dogs, people and other things. very disappointing! she would have taken him back, but i knew he was not going to be a canidate for a family with kids or most homes, so i kept him. started him in puppy classes, the first day we got there he was scared to even get out of the car. eventually he did. he did not like the training room, to many people and dogs, which made it worse. long story short, he's 4 years old now, i have kept him constantly around people and training. he is an awesome tracker, great Obedience, and has learned to accept most of our friends, but does not like people to get to touchy feely with him. still working on other dogs. he has some dog friends we walk with, he is generally good, but does have to be corrected at times when he inapporpriately tried to go after them.
he can go just about anywhere now, onleash and with Obedience. we spend time at play grounds doing Obedience, shcool yards etc. he's come alot further than i ever thought he would with ALOT of hard work and getting the right training help. it unfortunate that there are alot of dogs like him out there, and most people give up on them because of the frustration, time, and lack of good training help. this is something i would never care to repeat with my next pup, but at the same time i have learned alot from this guy, and its made me a better trainer/handler.


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## Falkosmom (Jul 27, 2011)

I am not sure if this should be posted on this thread or not, but what about adding extroversion and introversion (totally separate from shyness) to the list? Do breeders even breed with these concepts in mind? 

I would think an extroverted pup would thrive on a lot of activity and human contact, parks, malls, city streets, etc. If left to its own devices, I would think it could easily become bored, destructive, frustrated and/or disobedient. I think an extroverted pup would be a great dog for a busy lifestyle with lots of social contact and activity.

On the other hand, I think an introverted pup would thrive in a quite environment, lot of activity in the woods, and other more isolated locations. I think an introverted pup could more easily be mislabeled fearful when in reality it may just be in need of less busyness and more down time. I am not saying it would be less confident, just not as enthralled with all the activity and would prefer to seek out a more quiet environment. Perhaps such a dog would be more successfully matched to a household that is less socially busy and with children that are not so rough and tumble.

Just seems to me it could be a mistake to overlook these traits and it would not do a family or the dog much good if there was a mismatch.


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