Pick of the litter?

[USMC03]

I read a book a while ago about choosing the correct dog form a litter but cannot remember which book it was or where I had read it and they had said there are ways to pick the correct dog for hunting. One of these ways, correct me if im wrong, is to clap loudly towards the litter and that will weed out the ones that may be skiddish towards gunfire. Another way was to hold them like a baby with their belly up and if they try to squirm away they may be very rambunctious and not be comfortable around children.
Thanks,
Chris

[USMC03]

Are there any other ways you know of, to pick the best dog for both waterfowl and upland bird hunting? Or are the ones I said different then what you know?

[Moving2thecountry]

Are there any other ways you know of, to pick the best dog for both waterfowl and upland bird hunting? Or are the ones I said different then what you know?

When I picked my dog, others had already picked.  But they picked early.  They had the better markings.  I picked my dog when she was about 5 weeks old.  She was the only one who would follow me.  The breeder claimed that she would hunt close.  She was right.  My dog is 1/2 bench bred, 1/2 field bred English Springer Spaniel.  Most days she is outstanding, though on a very few days she passes right by a bird that I end up flushing.  This has only happened 1 time on any given day. 

Her other fault is that she loves to catch voles.  I am not sure why.  But I am starting to be able to figure out when she is going for one, and she obeys me when I tell here to hunt 'em up.

So, all in all, I would wait, if possible, until the litter if 5-6 weeks old, assuming you're looking for a flushing dog, and pick the one that is most interested in humans.  This is based on my experienc of 1.

As for being gun shy, I trained her to not be gun shy.  At about 4-6 months, I would shoot a starter pistol behind my back, just after I tossed a dummy, while it was still in the air.  Later, I would shoot it in front of me.  The main thing is to keep training very fun for the dog, and don't start the heavy duty obdience until she is at least 6-8 months old.  Never chase the dog.  My dog from time to time tried to get me to chase her in the yard while playing fetch, when I was training her.  I would just back up.  When she dropped the dummy at my feet, I would put it back in her mouth, then tell her to fetch again, and praise her profusely when she put the dummy in my hand.  However, this is probably not that important unless you plan to do field trials (which I had been considering, but decided against, because I want my dog to chase rabbits, too, as my wife and kids love to eat rabbits).

She is not gun shy...though she doesn't like fire works (but she doesn't cower--I can just tell she doesn't like fireworks). 

[thunderpout]

At that young age its tough to get much from the clapping hands, throwing a wing in with em ect..... what if a few were sleepy, cranky what ever....  from my and others experiences,  first observe the pups in a group as a whole, which is the most submissive, then which is the bully?  Ya probably dont want either of those for obvious reasons... then do some interaction.  Which one pays attention to you and is drawn to you, I think this is probably the most important factor after ruling out the submissive/over aggressive puppies. You probably wouldnt want to go with a pup that would cower from clapping, but the "bully" could be the dog that you could end up with if you only go by that... go check out the pups more than once if you can, if its a good breeder, they will actually like this as it will show you care about your choice and will probably be more apt to give the puppy a good home, and you'll be able to see them in different behavior modes/moods instead of judging from one brief moment in its day.  Be very carefull with the introducing "gunfire" to a dog.  Dogs arent born gun shy, they're MADE gunshy! (usually by the owners ignorance or worse, some dumb walkin up behind the dog and goin "lets see if he's gunshy" then firing off a round for no reason. )The best thing to remember is NEVER do it unless it is related to birds!  You cant screw this up if ya remember this.  Getting a pup used to loud noises is good, but remember, Gunfire=birds... makes sense.  And thats way down the line/for another day....  But back to choosing a pup... Try to get the most social, confident, attentive pup that is drawn to you and you'll be just fine.  It amazes me how many people will go the route of markings, the biggest paws, size of the pup ect., unless you were a breeder looking for certain physical attributes.  A dog will (hopefully) be your hunting buddy and friend for 1/6 of your hunting days, so its great that youre thinking outside the box as to how to make a good choice.  GOOD LUCK!  If ya have any other questions the people around here will be happy to help you, or ya can PM us if ya would like...

[beeker]

a trainer I know told me this, find a breed you like, a breeder you trust, and a price you can live with and dump all the gender you want in a sack grab one and go home. 
 you don't know who was with the dogs before you got there or which dog was running around prior to you showing up? unless you show up there mutliple times to view them I would say it comes down to the type of training you provide.
the dog I have now we went there 3 times to figure out which pup we were taking. we paid for 2nd pick of the females not for a specific pup in the group.

[thunderpout]

Yep, actually knowing the breeder is great, cause they are with the pups, and know their traits better than anyone & SHOULD tell you which one would be a good fit.... but then again if your not in cahoots with them, they could just as easy push a pup on you that may be hard for them to sell...

[Bobby Bass]

I have had a few dogs in my life, always have two or as in the current stage having three dogs around. There are some questions you need to ask yourself when selecting a pup. Are you buying a dog to be a gun dog? Is it a dog that you are going to spend all of your time working to hunt or will it be a dog that is going to have several other duties? Like being a family pet. I have been lucky to have had a few dogs who were much better hunters then I am and they have made me look good. But more important to me was all the time I spend with my dogs when we are not hunting those few brief months in the fall.  You can train just about any dog to do anything, but if you have a dog who wants to please you, it is so much easier. When I look for a dog I go in and sit with them. Most will come and check you out but if you are lucky one of them will pick you. That is my key, Let the dog pick you not you pick the dog.

Two of the dogs I have are brothers. I owned their parents and the boys Bud and Barney came from a littler of seven. Bud was the first one born and I was the first person he saw ten days latter, He waddled over to my side and has not left it some eight years later. Barney did the same thing to my daughter and picked her. Might I have found a better hunting dog from the litter? Perhaps. But not a better companion. My advice is take your time, if you are lucky a dog will pick you.

[sjohnnie26]

Another way to rule out dominant/aggressive puppies is to pick them up and look them in they eyes.  If it continues to "stare you down" it may indeed be a pup who will be stubborn.   If it looks away it knows you are the master or alpha dog and may be easier to train.

[shanee]

I spent alot of time researching dogs to get the breed that I was looking for. I do alot of upland and waterfowl hunting, I was also looking for a good dog for the family, one that travels well because I do alot of driving and wanted him to tag along. Your best be is to spend the time figuring out the breed you want. Once you have done that finding a breeder is equilly as hard. You want to make sure it comes from a good blood line. The old saying you get what you pay for might play a roll in this, however, if you research enough you can get that expensive dog for alot less money if you put the time into calling around. For instance, I got my dog for 400, his father was 1500 and mother was 2000, which means I got a great deal, they are out there, but if you can't find something thats not expensive.... it might pay to pay.

Once you've found the right breeders, if able go spend some time with the parents, even better if they let you hunt with them. I am a firm beleiver that the type of dog you will get is at least 60% of what you will see from the parents so this is one of the best ways to find the right kind of dog. When I got my GWH he came from two of the best lines I could find, both parents had lots of awards but that wasn't all I was interested in. I had to spend some time with the dogs to really get an idea of what they puppies would be like when they grow.

When I picked the puppy I didn't pick one the first day I went. I accually spent a few days visiting and watching all of them, took some notes watched them play. You would be surprised at the differences each time I went. the first time I thought for sure I knew which one was the bully, which was the shyist, the most outgoing, and the most lovable. Everything changed the next day I was there. I decided that the more time spent observing and playing with them the better. I finally came to a conclusion between 2 of the 11 pups by the 5th day and beings I wasn't getting the first pick I had to wait but luckly got one of the two I had hoped for.

Just figure, Your planning on spending over 10 years with this dog, countless hours training, way more money that you plan on vet bills, food, toys, training stuff and everything else you don't think about.... so whats a few hours a few days while they are puppies going to matter.... in most cases alot I have found.

Now if you are looking at breads really do your research. Everyone is going to give you their fav. breed. If you are hunting both upland and waterfowl you should look for a dog that does both. Are you looking for a flusher or pointer? Do you want a close hunting dog or ranging dog, are you going to be hunting with large groups of people or just a few. All these things and more play into what breed you will want to go to. I can make some recomendations if you would like to let me know what all you are looking for in a dog just let me know.

[PJ Maguire]

Ask the breeder which one they would take. Usually that is the best.

[thunderpout]

yeah, if you completely trust them & they're not just pushing a pup that may have issues, ya better know the breeder well, or have reason to trust em to take their word, and they need to know what youre looking for in temperment.... all in all, you can go into a buying a pup situation wearing a blindfold with the its a crapshoot mentality, and get lucky and get a good one, or get stuck with a bad one for ten years.... or you can research & investigate a bit...slow down, & feel out breeders, & spend a bit of time with the pups to get a little control in the decision.  That and dont bring the kids along to make the decision bring them to show them the decision that you made.