How do you pick personalities in a litter?

[newmom]

I will be choosing my puppy in a couple of weeks if I decide on this litter and was wondering if any of the boxer owners had any suggestions on how to pick personality qualities when their only 3-4 weeks old.

I am looking for a puppy who will be socialable, but not out of control. I know the boxers are very energetic and that is fine with me, but there will be another dog in house with the puppy and I would prefer to avoid an overly aggressive boxer.

I looking for a female and have been advised by other boxer owners to roll them on their backs and try to rub their tummies. If they let you for a minute and then roll over ready to play then they will be fairly controlled and trainable. If they fight you and won't stay still then they may be the hyper of the bunch and on the flip side if they lay on their backs and don't want to get up and play they may be too docile.

Any truth to this? Any additional suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks-Sommer

 

[JillHB24]

I have seen tests you can do on puppies that will somewhat help you determine their personality type. I think there are a series of ten tests you can to on them. I am almost positive I saw them in the puppies for dummies book. Maybe it would be better to do it at 8 weeks instead once more of their individual personalities are coming through or do you have to pick one already?

 

[Debbie Magon]

I dont honestly think there is any fool proof way of testing for a young pups temperament.
In all the years I have bred litters of both Boxers and German Shepherds, I have seen temperaments change , depending on their breeding, environment, handling, treatment etc.

What you see in the whelping box is far from the finished dog. Indeed a large portion of a dogs learning and behaviour will be influenced by the new owners and the environment it is placed into.
In saying this I think basic temperament stems from whence they came.
Many "experts" say 50% inherited, 50% influenced so I guess check out the first half , as best you can.
Try to meet the parents and grandparents either side.
See if they are of sound temperament.
By this I mean neither agressive nor fearfully timid.
Pups bred from correct dogs with good social skills have a greater chance of growing up with "normal" temperament.
As long as the litter has been exposed to a reasonable amount of human , animal and other stimuli and has been cared for in the correct manner by the breeder, then you should get "sound" pups.
Where they go from there, temperament wise, is often NOT inherited.

An old adage is you cant make a bad dog good , but you can sure make a good dog bad!!!.

If you like the temperaments of the parent dogs and you believe the breeder to be a devoted and informed person to the litter, then I would say each pup will grow up with a correct temperament, dependant on its future upbringing.
Dont let people tell you a shy pup in the whelping box is no good. Sometimes this shyness is merely an immaturity factor, not the Grown dog.
After all we were all, babies once and im sure have grown and developed our individual personalities according to the environment.

 

[sandymou]

We chose our boxer pup after visiting the litter twice, shortly after they were born. I think the 'roll-over' test may help, but also look at the nature of the mum. Is she friendly and does she let you go near her puppies?

 

[jaimie]

When I went to get my first boxer Britnee we were a little overwelmed when we walked into the breeders house. She had every boxer in the house (there had to be a dozen ranging in age) Everyone of them were sweet as pie even throwing their toys in our laps while we were getting interviewed. When we went to see the pups in the kitchen the mom came right up and greeted me and (scared me to death) licked my face while I was petting her puppies. I picked up each of the 3 female puppies that were there and then picked up Britnee. I flipped her on her back and she just stayed there all relaxed. She has been that way since day one and to this day she still is. She has her moments of playtime but she is the farthest thing from a spaz. I do think rolling them over on their back is a good thing to do, but spending more time with the breeder and watching the litter and mom is a smart thing to do. :D Good luck with your pick of the litter!

Jaimie

Mom to 3 skinkids Kelsey 7, Jake 5, Kayla 2

Mom to 2 fur kids Britnee (fawn w/black mask & cropped ears born 12/24/94.) Baylee (brindle w/natural ears born 1/1/96.)
Psycho stripes kitty (born 1/29/02) and Joey the bunny with a 'tude (born??)

 

[kassa]

>When I went to get my first boxer Britnee we were a little overwelmed when we walked into the breeders house. She had every boxer in the house (there had to be a dozen ranging in age) Everyone of them were sweet as pie even throwing their toys in our laps while we were getting interviewed.

That's a common approach breeders take when interviewing people. Let out the big dogs and see what the reaction is

You'd be amazed at the people who want to buy a male puppy but who are horrified by the tinest little boxer bitch walking up to them!

I'm not sure if the original poster has already gone ahead, but I certainly would not do personality tests (rolling on back, etc) on 3-4 week old puppies. The standard approach is to do the testing on the 7th week birthday.

I wouldn't personally allow people to come visit 3 week old pups, let alone pick one then (because I wouldn't have picked yet, but mostly for health reasons). But if you're going to visit, just observe how they play. At this age you'll mostly be judging how active they are more than how dominant they are, though there are clues to that in nursing/eating position.

 

[newmom]

Thank you all for the replies. I have decided to wait until the puppies are about 6 weeks. My breeder said there personalities would start showing more by then. She sent me some pictures and they were cuddled up together, sooo cute. Since personality is one of the most important things to be, besides health I would rather just be patient and go see them when I can get a better idea.

Thanks again for all the advice. I think BW is going to be a great resource for me as I feel like I am going into a whole new world no matter how much I read or try to prepare for it.

 

[Shadrap]

Hi
Jeanne left a link to the "Volhards Puppy Test" Gina's litter was tested by this method and I can honestly say that what the test showed at 7 weeks is very correct today. Since then, I have had the pleasure of assisting in many other puppy testings and am gobsmacked at the differences in some of the pups from the same litter.... each pup has it's own personality ... and on each occasion when following up .. what you see at 7 weeks remains and this is also supported by further aptitude tests at later years ( the Dog mentality test and the adult dog aptitude test). These obviously put the dog under a lot more pressure than the pup test, but what was there at 7 weeks is there at the other tests.

For a nice easy going family pet, may I suggest that you choose a dog which scores mainly 3's on the test.

Please bear in mind that it's very important that the pups should be tested in an room or area where they have never been before, and that the test is done on the 49th day after birth.

 

[kassa]

And that the tests have not been done before! It would seriously skew the 49th day test if people had been throwing keys and opening umbrellas around the pups from week 3.

 

[adeinert]

Hi!
I researched on the internet read a book on choosing a pup. Then I went to pick my guy. I had "pick" of the litter of 3. They were rescues found in a box without a mom. So, I visited them at around 10 days and again at 7 weeks. I was at the house to choose my pup all afternoon and into the evening! I must have seemed like a crazy lady. I played with all of them, together, individually, on and on. There were 2 dark fawn males and a reverse brindle female. Tulley is now a few days over a year and the most wonderful pup. I keep in touch with his brother's family and he to is a very stable, good natured guy. They looked almost identical. I thought Tulley had a certain gleam to his eye. Anyways I put a lot of thought into it and I am so very happy.
What Debbie said seems to be reflected in how these two grew up. Those teeny tiny differences, I think you will notice something that stands out. :D
What a joy!