This dog tip about puppies is by Dr. Alvin Grossman, an international dog show judge. He has judged dog shows in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Sweeden, France, Holland, Brazil, Russia, Taiwan, New Zealand, and the Phillipines. He is considered one of the foremost authorities on the American Cocker Spaniel. His books on breeding, dog showing, and the American Cocker Spaniel can be found here on our web page.

Copyright 1998, Doral Publishing

(Editor's note: While this dog tip is intended for dog breeders who are looking to breed show-quality puppies, the information that follows will also be extremely helpful for those breeders who are not necessarily looking to show. This tip is also useful for the prospective puppy buyer who wants to know how to choose the pick of the litter.)

If you're going to be a successful breeder you must be able to assess properly your puppies and sell those who don't qualify as top show-quality stock. If you cannot do this, you become bogged down with a group of "could've been" puppies. Your costs for maintaining them rises and their ability to be sold goes down as they lose their cuteness and appeal to the pet-buying public.

You must also learn the basics of salesmanship and merchandising so you can move those cute and cuddly puppies early. You must also combine your evaluation talents with your salesmanship skills to sell those show prospects to the right show homes. If you can do this, you will have completed the ring of all things necessary to become a winner--go for it!

Most breeders, after years of breeding within one bloodline, are reasonably able to predict the development and outcome of each puppy in a litter. Typically, they can estimate a puppy's ultimate size, when a puppy will go through its awkward stage of development, and whether or not the puppy can be considered show quality.

Most of the time, breeders base their predictions both on gut feeling as well as many years of experience. However, there is a way to assess each puppy's potential without having had many years of dog-breeding experience. By maintaining careful records of their puppies' developmental stages, breeders can quickly begin to understand the maturation process of their own bloodline. For example, they may discover that most of their puppies go through an awkward stage between three and eight months of age, or they may find that their puppies generally reach adult height at ten months.

However, no system is foolproof. Puppies that start off looking like excellent show prospects may end up being only pet quality. Or a puppy may be sold as pet quality, and then end up as a top winner in the show ring. It is impossible to predict the future of each puppy with 100% accuracy. But, by maintaining accurate, detailed records, a breeder can substantially improve their odds at predicting.

To assist in predicting the puppies' potentials, breeders should record accurately the measurements of each puppy in every litter. These include: weight, height (floor to wither, and floor to elbow), and length (withers to tailset, point of shoulder to end of buttocks, etc). These measurements should be taken at birth, two weeks, four weeks, and then every four weeks until maturity is reached.

Also, notes on head development, heaviness of bone, and personality should be recorded, as well as any other features the breeder may wish to track. Typical comments should be something like this:

5-1/2 weeks: At this age, all four puppies in litter #6A look like peas in a pod . . . great heads and good coats . . . neck and shoulders are good and all appear short backed . . . Such A Corker's head piece is outstanding . . . looks like it may be an all-champion litter . . . which one is best? Only time will tell.

7 weeks: All still appear outstanding. At this stage Such A Corker seems to be the pick of the litter. He is beautifully marked as a B/T [black and tan], has good bone and substance and his conformation, except for a slight steepness of shoulder, is excellent. He has a plush head with very good ear set, his coat is full and thick . . . measures one inch shorter down the back than his height at the withers. Such Class is a thick, heavy-set puppy with a massive head that has potential, but seems to lack chiseling . . . an excellent coat, neck and shoulders are good but a bit heavy . . . short backed and very strong, well-developed thighs . . . overall, he has good balance, one part blending well with the others . . . just seems to be "too much" . . . measures 1.5 inches shorter down the back than his height at the withers.

Such Brass is a substantial dog, less thick throughout than Such Class, but excellent bone &