The American Beagler Forum

Just wanted to see if anybody had any old wives tales about pickin a pup, I have heard a few but wouldnt mind hearin a few more, I got nine on the ground born four weeks ago and cant decide which of the females to keep. they all act about the same, anybody heard any good ones or a tried and true method? They are out of a tuff and t ann female and a hare dog out of ifc rattlesnake gunner. Should be some good ones. I do have two that are not spoken for if anybody lookin for a nice pup out of great stock. Take care and thanks in advance!

when it comes to females i try to pick the biggest one i also put alot in the looks because u don't have much to go from.but one thing i do try to look for which has proved to hold true for me is to pick one that has solid black in the roof of his mouth.every dog that i have liked has had this when i checked them some of them weren't even mine..but there ain't much to choose from when your pickin pups..

Thats what they said on Old Yeller it has to have a black roof in its mouth and you should be able to pick em up by the back of there neck without them fussing!! HAHA I'm in the same predicament I have pick of the litter and there are 6 females to choose from?!?!

I always heard watch them when they start walking the one that is most curious always comes out when you there the one that sniffs around will be your rabbit dog

For Males i always pick the biggest or most aggressive.

For females i always pick the prettiest as long as the prettiest one isnt a runt.

I let my kids pick

When I picked my male I had 2 male pups to choose from. I picked the one that did the most wandering aronnd, & didn't come right to me. Well, he hasn't proved himself yet, but I can't say that was a bad choice either as the other male went as a pet & has never been hunted. Now this female I got, she was hell on wheels with the other pups, & she turned into a good one!

I was told if i sell any let everyone pick if i want keep 3 when i get down to 3 them are mine the ones nobody picks are the best

One word stands out in the saying "old wives tale" and that is "tale"! If you breed and raise the pups then by now your selections should have been made, if they are not you havent paid enough attention to them. You made the cross and should have known before hand what you look for in a pup. Next, you should of had an idea of what sex you either preferred or wanted to keep which in turn should have immediately narrowed the selection process. From that point forward only you know what your preference's are in pups, by this I mean size, color, personality, etc. If they are of weaning age or beyond and you are just starting the selection process now, close your eyes and grab one. Kurt Robinson

I tend to go for the boldest and most agressive acting pup.

I was told, "Always pick the best looking pup because most of them won't be worth a crap and you don't want an old ugly dog laying around".

It's a crap shoot so may as well pick a well built bold pup that appeals to you.

Here are two ways that i've been told to pick pups of certain traits.

Dominant:
Take a smaller bone that pups can pick up but not swallow.
Let them sniff, lick, and investigate it.
Take it away for a few seconds.
Let them see you toss it a few feet away.
One pup will most likely end up with the bone.
Do this a few times each day and keep track of who gets the bone.
Your dominant pup should rise to the top. Sometimes its the runt!

Quick check work:
I like this one.
Take some small crackers to the pups, i like the goldfish variety.
Give each pup a cracker.
With the pups located where they can't see you.
Toss crackers into your yard, about 3 ft apart.
Walk the pups through this area.
Their noses will pick up scent and they'll start eating crackers.
Pretty soon they realize that they must "work quickly" to find more crackers.
As the days go on, this becomes a game.
Make it harder... less crackers each time!
My "cracker champions" have been quick check dogs!

good luck,
LPB

When my kids were small I would always let them pick the keepers. As they got older the the duty fell to me. It seems that in every litter, there is a pup or two that catch my eye. Not always for the same reasons. Sometime it is the color, or markings on a pup. Maybe she is always the first one to greet me at the fence. Or the one that goes everywhere with his nose to the ground. Sometimes it is just the one that reminds me of one of the parents or a good one from the past. Not very scientific, but usually, if you start watching there will be "THE ONE". Then in a year or so, when you hear all the other pups are doing great and yours is digging up mice instead of running, you will realize. "Well, that didn't work".

Bottom line. Unless you keep all of the females, it is a gamble. Pick one that you kind of like, and hope all the other pieces fall in place later. Good Luck.

Hope this helps (Can't imagine it will)
Chip Stamper
Honeyrun Beagles

PS.
This is not about picking a pup but it reminded me of a true story from my childhood. Not a Joke. My dad always kept coonhounds and bird dogs. When I was very young I asked him how you can tell the boy puppies from the girl puppies. My dad with a straight face said: "It is very easy son. When they get old enough to get around a little, you load up the whole litter and take them up to the gas station. Pull around the side of the building and turn them all out. Just sit in the truck and watch which bathroom they go into." I guess it is really no wonder why I turned out the way I did.

DELETE

DELETE