# What are the signs of a weak nerved puppy?



## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

Picking my puppy out tomorrow at 5 weeks. Dont think I will be able to tell but any heads up things to look for would be appreciated.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

A good breeder won't let you "pick out" your puppy. They should be picking it out for you and they should be doing the temperament testing as an experienced breeder when the pup is older.


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## SchDDR (Dec 29, 2010)

A puppy that repeatedly shies away from being petted.
A puppy that does not recover quickly from being startled by a loud, sudden noise.
A puppy that barks or hackles at a strange person or inanimate objects.

Any puppy that seems significantly different in behavior from it's littermates is one that you want to be concerned about. Being the same age and having the same general experiences, they should seem similar in behavior. A dog that behaves different is probably evidencing some genetic temperament or drive differences.

This could be either good [the best pup in the litter] or bad [the nervy pup in the litter]; either way, it's important to take note of any pups that "stick out".


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Why are you picking your pup out instead of letting the breeder do it? Puppy temperament testing should be done no earlier than 7 weeks and at that time the breeder should have someone do it that doesn't know the pups so it can be unbiased. Then the breeder can look at the assessments and match the right pup to the right buyer. 
This link may be of help, and I would hope the breeder is familiar with it:
Volhard Dog Training and Nutrition: Behavior and Training: Behavior


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

WOW, YOU are picking out the puppy? AND at 5 weeks??? Can you say Back-Yard-Breeder?!!!! If I were you, I would run from this "breeder".


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

I don't think there is much you can really tell at their age right now and honestly, the breeder should be the one doing the picking because they've been living with the puppies the entire time and will know the pups better.


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

GSDBESTK9 said:


> WOW, YOU are picking out the puppy? AND at 5 weeks??? Can you say Back-Yard-Breeder?!!!! If I were you, I would run from this "breeder".


She is not a BYB. Matter of fact, she heads the Houston GSD association. She's narrowing it down to 3 and im picking from there.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

At 5 weeks, it can be hard to tell. Usually 7 weeks is the time for temperament testing. At what age do you get to take your pup home?


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

freestep said:


> at 5 weeks, it can be hard to tell. Usually 7 weeks is the time for temperament testing. At what age do you get to take your pup home?


8 wk


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

lonestarag05 said:


> She is not a BYB. Matter of fact, she heads the Houston GSD association. She's narrowing it down to 3 and im picking from there.


Final temperament testing should not be done by most good breeders until closer towards the 8 week mark. They just can't know enough at this age. 

I don't care what she heads, I would still run away!


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

If you can visit the litter several times, do it. Puppies are very dynamic and when you go visit, you are only seeing a snapshot of a pup in that particular moment. I wouldn't be inclined to make my pick until at least 7 weeks.

That said, I would go with what the breeder recommends. She gets to see them every day and has a much better picture of the pups overall.


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

Freestep said:


> If you can visit the litter several times, do it. Puppies are very dynamic and when you go visit, you are only seeing a snapshot of a pup in that particular moment. I wouldn't be inclined to make my pick until at least 7 weeks.
> 
> That said, I would go with what the breeder recommends. She gets to see them every day and has a much better picture of the pups overall.


We have been emailing daily and I am completely comfortable with her. She's been breeding GSD's for 30 years and is very knowledgeable. I went and met with her for 2 hrs before I decided to go with her, met both Sire and dam, awesome dogs. She's been with them every day and I am sure that she will recommend a puppy for me as she knows exactly what I am looking for.


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

Ok, nothing wrong with narrowing it down to 3 puppies but I'm confused about the 5 weeks old. Are you getting your puppy at 5 weeks? Or she is evaluating them at 5 weeks and making her decision then? Either way, it is WRONG! Sorry.


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

GSDBESTK9 said:


> Ok, nothing wrong with narrowing it down to 3 puppies but I'm confused about the 5 weeks old. Are you getting your puppy at 5 weeks? Or she is evaluating them at 5 weeks and making her decision then? Either way, it is WRONG! Sorry.


8 wks. And we'll just have to agree to disagree as I trust her and don't think there is any one right way to go about things.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

No, but there are many wrong ways to go about things. And this is one of them. Neither you or her should be making final decisions on 5 week old puppies.

What health tests have the parents had? Do you have a link to a website perhaps?


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

DJEtzel said:


> No, but there are many wrong ways to go about things. And this is one of them. Neither you or her should be making final decisions on 5 week old puppies.
> 
> What health tests have the parents had? Do you have a link to a website perhaps?


Again, I am going to defer to her judgement. Its not 5 weeks exactly anyway. If something happens between now and when I pick him up then we'll assess from there. Both parents are OFA excellent and the breeding was done professionally at a clinic. I trust her completely. Sire's pedigree is linked. 

Pedigree: Cindy/Z


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

I wonder why the breeding was done by vets? The dam has health problems? They did AI with the sire they own? Just curious.


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

GSD07 said:


> I wonder why the breeding was done by vets? The dam has health problems? They did AI with the sire they own? Just curious.


Natural breeding at the clinic with breeding specialists. This was the dam's first breeding and she wanted to give the breeding the best chance she could and thankfully it took.


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## robk (Jun 16, 2011)

The pedigree looks like all American dogs. How far back do you have to go to get one dog from Germany? Do any of the dogs have a schutzhund title? There is a good chance that all the dogs will have weak nerves. I am going to check out a breeder tomorrow that both parents are imported and every dog in the pedigree is titled. At this point I am not even concerned with the puppies. I am checking out the breeder, the facilities and the parents along with other adult dogs from the breeding program. If its a solid breeding program the puppies will be very consistent with each other in temperament and look.


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## neiltus (Mar 10, 2011)

robk said:


> The pedigree looks like all American dogs. How far back do you have to go to get one dog from Germany? Do any of the dogs have a schutzhund title? There is a good chance that all the dogs will have weak nerves. I am going to check out a breeder tomorrow that both parents are imported and every dog in the pedigree is titled. At this point I am not even concerned with the puppies. I am checking out the breeder, the facilities and the parents along with other adult dogs from the breeding program. If its a solid breeding program the puppies will be very consistent with each other in temperament and look.


She actually could be buying a show gsd...I know, I know... (kidding)


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

In all honesty, you don't have a lot to go on. 

Five weeks makes it hard to decide.

If I were you, I'd ask to withhold decision for a while and ask to visit the litter to observe and interact with them several times in the next three weeks.

Your pup looks to be American show line pup. The reason some are a bit iffy on temperament issue is that it doesn't appear that the dogs in the line have any temperament testing either with working titles or other temperament related links. the titles are all related to how well the dogs conform to the appearance of what Amerrican show lines value.



Good luck


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Rerun said:


> A good breeder won't let you "pick out" your puppy. They should be picking it out for you and they should be doing the temperament testing as an experienced breeder when the pup is older.


Not necessarily true. 

If you are an experienced handler and you know what you are doing and looking for, the breeder might let you make the pick. Doesn't make it a bad breeder.


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

Mrs.K said:


> Not necessarily true.
> 
> If you are an experienced handler and you know what you are doing and looking for, the breeder might let you make the pick. Doesn't make it a bad breeder.


The breeder has 5 GSD's from the past on her property and I spent hours with all of them. As to temperament, they were all great with us.


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

I'd prefer to make a final decision a few weeks later but if the breeder has a strong track record of producing sound, healthy dogs that are consistent in temperament & personality I don't think there's much to worry about.

I hope you've talked at length with the breeder as to what she wants & produces with regards to temperament. Nobody wants a weak, nervous pup that lacks confidence but when you get into the details what one person is seeking can be quite different from what another wants. For example, excellent with children is essential to me. I want a discerning dog capable of good judgment but I don't want a deeply suspicious dog. Nor do I want one that is hyper reactive. Others might seek exactly these qualities. Assurances that the parents have 'good temperaments' is the very tip of the iceberg in evaluating exactly what makes them 'good or desirable' GSD.

I'm glad you have such a good rapport with your breeder. That can be invaluable in a relationship that will hopefully extend for 12, 13 yrs or more.


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## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

My breeder has also done this for 35 years and she finally had 2 in mind that fit what I was looking for...but she let me pick at 8 WEEKS between the 2...

Like others have stated, there's not much to tell at 5 weeks. I don't believe my breeder even really starts giving them a good look for prospects until 6 weeks +.

Have you done a search on the breeder on google or this forum? Maybe other people have had experiences with them.


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## reflex_0 (May 18, 2010)

There is a video for your reference about what a good nerved 8 weeks old puppy look like.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

ahh folks - it is DEFINITELY a ASL litter - Grand Victor is ASL equivalent to Sieger....

Only thing I will suggest is to take each puppy away from the familiar area alone and play with it....see if it hunkers down and is intimidated by the strange surroundings or explores.... make sure it is confident and happy and will follow or come to you in this area where it has NOT been before! If it is not happy, you do not want that puppy.

Lee


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## EastGSD (Jul 8, 2001)

I think this is a very nice pedigree. There are a few dogs in there that I absolutly loved and a few you do not see all the time (Such as Frequent Flyer) It is an older pedigree IMO and Color Guard produced some amazing progeny.

I do not see anything wrong with the buyer picking their puppy. I also had a choice for my buyers as people stated a number of pups in a litter will be very similar in temperament and giving the buyer a choice of those smilar puppies is fine. letting someone choose does not make someone a BYBer or a bad breeder. As all breeders know that puppies change so very much as they grow. I have seen puppies that were on the tougher side end up being very laid back and laid back puppies being very active and on the go. While some are saying you cannot tell much from a 5 week old IMO you cannot tell much from an 8 week old either. Temp tests and do a little IMO but they do not account for environment. It is a combination of environment and genetics that form the personality this is why temperament in a breeding animal should not be truly judged till the animal is an adult as they can change so very much.

I have always said, and always will say, that is is the breeders experience and know how you are purchasing. If that breeder knows what they are doing and has integrity it is up to the purchaser to decide to trust them.

To the OP just remember that what you do with the puppy after it leaves the breeder is every bit as important as what the breeder did in deciding upon the breeding.


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