Picking a great puppy starts by finding dedicated, knowledgeable breeders and a whelping box filled with promising pups from a solid pedigree.

Clyde and Marilyn Vetter, owners of Sharp Shooter’s Kennel in New Richmond, Wisconsin, specialize in high performance German Shorthaired Pointers and have raised more than 75 litters over the past 35 years. Mary Tatum, DVM, owns Watermark Retrievers in Houston, Texas, and has bred more than 200 litters over the past 40 years. Watermark Retrievers received the AKC Breeder of the Year Award for performance Labradors in 2015.

“The goal for a breeder should always be to improve some quality, to amplify strengths and hopefully eliminate weaknesses,” Clyde Vetter says. “We strive to produce a litter that is as good or better than the parents. Do we need to improve the performance side, or the structure and conformation side? Livability? What are the good attributes and the bad, and how can we address that?”

Mary Tatum says the right pedigree and the calculated and deliberate pairing of a sire and dam can provide a degree of predictability to improve or maintain the standard or traits that the breed is known for.

Clyde Vetter takes predictability to the highest level with a pedigree software program and a database of 25,000 German Shorthaired Pointers including generations of proven performers from the Sharp Shooter’s line.

“Whenever I plan a breeding, I take a female and put it with five to seven males to determine how that looks on paper,” he says. “That information, coupled with gut instinct from hunting with our dogs, knowing their strengths and weaknesses, helps inform whether this particular breeding is the route I want to go.”

When the litter is on the ground, the fun and picking process begins.

“Early neuro-stimulation begins in the first couple weeks when you’re weighing the puppies, handling the puppies,” Mary Tatum says. “At three to five weeks certain traits start to emerge and you notice who is the precocious one? Which is the noisy one? And is it noisy all the time, or noisy on alert? Noise can be good or bad.”

Thinking out of the Box

Marilyn Vetter says puppy traits that excite her are curiosity, independence and a level of fearlessness.

“That first puppy out of the whelping box is often the leader of the pack,” Marilyn  says. “They’re problem solvers, climbers, and conquering the world right away. They know how to get out of trouble, and they know how to get in trouble.”

Mary Tatum says the bold puppy that scales the wall first is one that often stands out and is sought after.

“Again, that could be good or bad,” Mary says. “I’ve had people say they want a dog that will run through a brick wall. I want a dog that’s smart enough to go around it.”

Attributes before Aesthetics

Marilyn Vetter says most clients tend to pick puppies based on coloration and “looks.” She recalls a litter of five pups many years ago that helped confirm that assumption.

“Secretly, we knew which one we wanted to keep. He was a liver roan and the rest had flashy markings,” she says. “He was that first pup out of the whelping box and sure enough, he was the last one left. Nobody wanted the pup we named Sharp Shooter’s Hot Rod [“Rev”] who wound up being a Versatile Champion and one of Clyde’s favorite and most talented hunting dogs. Everybody passed on Rev because of color. They were so hung up on aesthetics they weren’t looking deep enough.”

Mary Tatum notes that Labradors can be black, yellow or chocolate and Golden Retrievers can be light or dark.

“If you’re looking for performance, don’t sacrifice brain power, tractability, or mental stability for color,” Mary says. “Focus on those attributes, then go for the aesthetics.”

Structure Matters

The Vetters start stacking puppies at 5 weeks to look at structure and conformation.

“We take pictures of them twice a week because they change week by week,” Marilyn says. “We look at coat, teeth, bite and structure.”

Clyde says good structure equates to fewer injuries and less downtime in the field.

“Good haircoats make better water dogs and cold weather dogs and also hold up better against barbed wire and briars,” he says.

Mary Tatum adds that correct structure equals less shoulder injuries.

All Clear?

Mary Tatum emphasizes the importance of health clearances and pre-breeding screening for parents of a litter.

“Certainly, genetic diseases vary by breed,” she says. “Hip and elbow screening is very important. If a breeder of retrievers tells you they’ve never had a hip or elbow issue, they’ve probably only bred a couple litters or they’re not aware.”

Other tests and clearances include eyes, heart, and screening for conditions like Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC). Mary recommends doing research about genetic issues for specific breeds and checking out the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) database to help determine what clearances are appropriate for your breed of choice.

Don’t Punt on the Runt

Somebody already snagged the big, bold puppy? Don’t be discouraged. Marilyn Vetter says the smaller pups sometimes wind up being the best. “They have to learn early how to fight for their food. How to fight for themselves.”

Mary Tatum adds that some dogs develop and mature faster than others.

“Maybe that male puppy in the corner seems a little slow,” she says. “But he has that great eye contact and other traits that are highly desirable. He’s going to be fine.”

Mary says that bold puppy that scales a wall no other puppy can – the one that barks on alert – might just make a FEMA Search and Rescue Dog.

And the shy, little puppy nobody wants?

“I’ll take that one,” Mary Tatum says. “I know how to manage and make the most of that puppy. Any well-bred puppy should be able to be a great companion or therapy dog or maybe even a service dog.”

Breeder Knows Best

Mary Tatum says “learning the litter” takes time.

“You’re not going to learn the litter from a couple of visits to the kennel,” Mary says. “Breeders can help match a puppy to an owner’s family structure and lifestyle, and they can and should be a direct resource on how to raise that puppy.”

The Vetters spend about 10 hours a day with puppies until they go home with their new owners.

“We’re fortunate that after 35 years of breeding we’ve gotten our performance to the level our clients want or need,” Clyde says. “Most people overlook livability. The average person might hunt with these dogs 40 days a year. That means the other 325 days the dog is living in the house. We want a dog that can settle. A dog that’s not anxious. We want a dog with an ‘on-off’ switch.”

Marilyn Vetter says an early indicator of a dog that can settle in the house is the puppy that picks up a toy, goes to a corner and plays by itself. She adds that mealtime provides another opportunity for puppies to gain independence.

“Our dogs are very addicted to Purina® Pro Plan® and they eat every meal like it’s their last,” she says. “At 5½ weeks we separate them and switch to tiny metal bowls. They’re by themselves but they’re listening to all the others eating and they get used to the metal bowl. We constantly expose them to new things, and they adapt.”

Time to go home?

Pups are typically ready to go at about 7 weeks, but Mary Tatum says 49 days is not a magic number.

“I try to accommodate that if I can,” she says. “We want to start that human bond and separate the mom bond. Show dog and conformation people like to wait a little longer when structure mimics the adult a little more – so maybe 8 weeks.”

At that point, the puppy and its potential are in the hands of the new owners.

“We estimate 60 percent of how a dog turns out depends on how it was raised in the first 6 months,” Clyde Vetter says. “If you have the breeding, the pedigree, that’s a great start. The next four months are so important for exposure and if you miss critical steps it’s hard to get that back.”