# Which puppy personality is best for me?



## Naomers (9 mo ago)

We have the choice between two males that the breeder thinks would be a good fit for us. One is more playful, runs up when she comes over, etc. The other is more “chill”, when she comes to feed he doesn’t crowd around with the others and kind of waits his turn.
What other questions should I be asking? I have a hard time discerning between nurture vs nature for the things we want: 
-very biddable with a good food drive but least prey drive. Want to do more than basic obedience with him, need excellent recall, will have a job, etc. 
-we have small children and other pets (chickens, ponies, cat) and live around other farmers hence the no prey drive. 
-confident, handles new situations and places with no fear, travels easily, wants to stick with us at all times.
-we’re an active family, lots of outdoor time, hikes, we run, etc. We wouldn’t mind a chiller dog, but don’t want to trade lower energy for lower drive as train ability is top priority


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

I'm no expert by any means, but I've seen breeders showing the intensity of puppies by how they go after a rag/flirt pole and their eagerness to capture and bite. That would say more about prey than jostling at feeding time I would guess. GSDs are genetically predisposed to chase and bite so even a more laid back pup will take some work.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

I guess I'm a little confused about how she differentiates between the two ... does that mean the second is stand offish with people? If so, I would go for the pup that wants to interact.


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## Naomers (9 mo ago)

dogma13 said:


> I'm no expert by any means, but I've seen breeders showing the intensity of puppies by how they go after a rag/flirt pole and their eagerness to capture and bite. That would say more about prey than jostling at feeding time I would guess. GSDs are genetically predisposed to chase and bite so even a more laid back pup will take some work.


Thank you! I know we’ll be putting a lot of work into the prey thing. So one puppy has strong ball drive, loves to go after them- would you think this is one we should avoid? Or does that not necessarily translate


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## peachygeorgia (Oct 5, 2021)

lower drive doesn't = lower energy, at the end of the day a dog is a dog, and theyre super athletic animals no matter the personality traits (most of them at least) ESPECIALLY a gsd, lol

IMHO, I think whatever puppy you do get, hiring a trainer and really nipping the prey drive in the bud, socializing the pup around the chickens, ponies, cats etc is most crucial!


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

I'm not sure. Someone with more expertise will hopefully chime in today. My current dog had no ball drive as a puppy, but when he hit adolescence it switched on.He chases critters out of the yard exuberantly.


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## Naomers (9 mo ago)

Galathiel said:


> I guess I'm a little confused about how she differentiates between the two ... does that mean the second is stand offish with people? If so, I would go for the pup that wants to interact.


she says he’s not stand-offish, more that the other one is very in your face while he’s just generally calmer. Still typical hyper puppy moments for them both and neither are super nuts


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## Honey Maid (Dec 25, 2020)

dogma13 said:


> I'm not sure. Someone with more expertise will hopefully chime in today. My current dog had no ball drive as a puppy, but when he hit adolescence it switched on.He chases critters out of the yard exuberantly.


Yes, Oskar did the same, no interest in a ball when a puppy, but now is ball, stick, frisbee OBSESSED. He likes to chase squirrels, and rabbits, though I try to discourage the rabbit chasing. He's good with the ducks and cats, though he likes to chase one of our cats if they are both outside, I discourage that also.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Honey Maid said:


> Yes, Oskar did the same, no interest in a ball when a puppy, but now is ball, stick, frisbee OBSESSED. He likes to chase squirrels, and rabbits, though I try to discourage the rabbit chasing. He's good with the ducks and cats, though he likes to chase one of our cats if they are both outside, I discourage that also.


Small fast things tend to trigger my dogs too.Rabbits with their little white tails ......  🐰


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## drparker151 (Apr 10, 2020)

Ask about an off switch and how fast each recovers from a startle. After recovery do they investigate or stay away?

low drive is harder to train, this is good article on temperament and drives.

Temperament


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Naomers said:


> Thank you! I know we’ll be putting a lot of work into the prey thing. So one puppy has strong ball drive, loves to go after them- would you think this is one we should avoid? Or does that not necessarily translate.


Not necessarily. Halo was ball crazy and went nuts when squirrels ran along our back fence. Cava is just as ball crazy but doesn't seem to notice the squirrels, even when we're out in the yard. She just doesn't care about them. We've also had neighborhood cats in the yard, and when we're outside she'll just look up at them on the fence with calm interest, the same if they're roaming around the yard and she sees them through the sliding glass doors. No barking, no lunging, no excitement. Halo would have lost her poop! She was fine with our cats, I had two Maine Co ons at the time that had been raised with previous dogs and were indoor only. She would chase them if they ran but wouldn't have hurt them. They were very dog savvy and had lots of escape routes so they could easily evade her. They were part of the pack, outdoor kitties were different - they were prey.

If your breeder is experienced and reputable it seems like they would be able to determine the pup that would fit your needs the best since they've been around the litter since birth.


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## Honey Maid (Dec 25, 2020)

drparker151 said:


> Ask about an off switch and how fast each recovers from a startle. After recovery do they investigate or stay away?
> 
> low drive is harder to train, this is good article on temperament and drives.
> 
> Temperament


What a great article, thanks so much for posting!


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

You are describing two very different pups. The breeder should know. Puppies change quite a bit growing up so you may choose a laid back one now that grows into a different dog. Then I would go to the one that appeals most to you and if you have a good breeder, he/she should let you go home with a fitting one. I once kept a pup that was second choice because I chose him with my brain. I have regretted that ever since. I was in love with an assertive pup but was worried that he would clash with my male dog. That pup grew up to be mellow without the owners having to do a lot of work (non GSD), while the pup I kept was insecure and couldn't easily recover from difficult experiences. But all GSD pups or older need a lot of work and most GSD pups will bite hard and chase.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

What do you mean when you say you’d like to go beyond basic obedience? Because, as odd as it may sound, prey drive may actually be necessary, depending on your goals.

Discussing prey drive is tricky. It’s often over used and misunderstood in my opinion. it’s contextual….. and can be (should be) channeled appropriately. My dog has average interest in balls, is pretty intense when it comes to critters, but has never been a danger or problematic with kids or cats.

If being food motivated is important to you… I would have the breeder assess each pup for that, better yet, send videos. I personally don’t assess a dogs food drives at mealtimes - while it can certainly provide information, it can also be deceiving and isn’t always consistent when looking for a dogs willingness and determination to _work_ for food.

With the examples the breeder has provided thus far, it’s like asking for a fast car and being told that one has comfortable seats and the other good gas mileage, lol

Ask for specifics, related to your goals


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## Naomers (9 mo ago)

Fodder said:


> What do you mean when you say you’d like to go beyond basic obedience? Because, as odd as it may sound, prey drive may actually be necessary, depending on your goals.
> 
> Discussing prey drive is tricky. It’s often over used and misunderstood in my opinion. it’s contextual….. and can be (should be) channeled appropriately. My dog has average interest in balls, is pretty intense when it comes to critters, but has never been a danger or problematic with kids or cats.


Thank you! I read mixed things- one one hand prey drive seems important for focus and training and on the other I’ve read that as long as they’re motivated in another way, i.e. food, that will work equally well for training. Beyond basic obedience I mean performing more on command like bark, open doors, pick up toys, etc as well as having a job and doing some scent work/tracking. One has more ball drive and is more in your face while the other is more laid back and all about getting love and attention. I just want to make sure I ask the right questions and appreciate all the feedback!


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Naomers said:


> *One has more ball drive and is more in your face* while the other is more laid back and all about getting love and attention.


This _could_ indicate higher engagement, more pack driven - seeking out your attention, a desire to work with you, a willingness to please. Or not. But it's worth having a conversation about engagement with the breeder and see what they think, since a dog with high natural engagement tends to be easy and fun to train. It was something I specifically asked the breeder about before deciding on Cava. She assured me that her engagement was great, and she was not wrong. If Cava's engagement were any higher, she'd be annoying, lol. If I'm trying to train a new skill, I'm usually the weak part of the equation. She WANTS to learn, and if I know what I'm doing and can clearly communicate it to her, she picks up things incredibly fast, almost instantly sometimes. She'll get frustrated though if she's trying as hard as she can to figure out what I want but I don't know how to show her in a way she can understand.


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

If you want an easier dog to live with the second more laid back dog is probably the best candidate. If you want something beyond basic obedience, the more excitable dog sounds like a better candidate. There’s a lot of information missing however that can shape this decision.


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## Naomers (9 mo ago)

Bearshandler said:


> If you want an easier dog to live with the second more laid back dog is probably the best candidate. If you want something beyond basic obedience, the more excitable dog sounds like a better candidate. There’s a lot of information missing however that can shape this decision.


thank you! It’s an ongoing conversation so if you have any suggestions of things I should ask/look for I’m open to all advice!


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Naomers said:


> thank you! It’s an ongoing conversation so if you have any suggestions of things I should ask/look for I’m open to all advice!


if there’s a serious interest in tracking, info on hunt drive would be easy to gather. toss food or a ball (whichever is more motivating to each pup) in some tall grass or something similar. how easily do they give up… do they give up when the reward is not easily found, does finding one kibble intensify their search for more, or do they find one and consider it mission accomplished.

i think someone mentioned recovery time if the pup is startled….. i’d probably want to see this done in a familiar and unfamiliar environment as well as repeating the exercise a week apart.

in some ways this could all be considered going overboard…. but if a breeder isn’t already doing these things (preferred), i’d want one who’s willing, and lastly, i’d want lots of videos prior purchasing a pup sight unseen UNLESS you already know and trust the breeder and they’ve narrowed it down to a single pup, then i’d take their word for it, maybe, lol


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

As a pup I would have said my Sabi had no drive. Nothing. None. For anything. She would fall asleep while eating. She was most often found sitting by herself watching things. Not noisy, not excessively friendly, not energetic, not playful for the most part. 
She followed the kids everywhere, but seldom actually played with them. She was just there. 
She was weirdly both stupidly easy and insanely difficult to train. Easy because she proved to be scary smart, difficult because if she didn't wish to do something she simply didn't and no power on earth could make her. 
She excelled at tracking, detection and protection and served as my patrol partner for almost 9 years.

The dog I have now was a wrecking ball as a pup. Chase, bite, off to the next thing. Over the top hunt drive. Ball drive through the roof. In your face attention seeking, energy all day long. I had to crate her to get here to stop at all.
And incredibly difficult to engage. The attention span of a flea. Training was annoyingly difficult. She is the ultimate in self serving. I swear she has ADHD. In the middle of eating she will race off to watch a commercial. As I am putting her leash on she remembers where she dropped a toy. She loves scent work, but will indicate and then take off to see some birds or (as she just did) for no apparent reason she just stands up and leaves the room.

All things being equal Shadow would probably have been the more appealing pup. Sabi would have just sat and stared at you. But as adults Sabi never left my side, Shadow would abandon me to follow a butterfly.

I just wanted to give you a different perspective.


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## Naomers (9 mo ago)

Sabis mom said:


> As a pup I would have said my Sabi had no drive. Nothing. None. For anything. She would fall asleep while eating. She was most often found sitting by herself watching things. Not noisy, not excessively friendly, not energetic, not playful for the most part.
> She followed the kids everywhere, but seldom actually played with them. She was just there.
> She was weirdly both stupidly easy and insanely difficult to train. Easy because she proved to be scary smart, difficult because if she didn't wish to do something she simply didn't and no power on earth could make her.
> She excelled at tracking, detection and protection and served as my patrol partner for almost 9 years.
> ...


I loved this, thank you!


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