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by Marge Kilburn
From: Top Dobe magazine, March/April 1974
"In my opinion the first step in evaluating Doberman
puppies involves the study
of both parents
and all four grandparents with a cold and honest eye. They comprise 75%
of what your
puppy will be. So put your personal emotions and love aside, and admit the
faults in these 6 dogs. For the novice it would be wise to write down the
virtues as well as the points where these dogs could have been better, in
separate columns for each individual. Any
of these faults
appearing in the puppies may be presumed to be there to stay. Do not kid
yourself that maybe it will change. On the other hand, any faults not prevalent
in these six dogs are usually not to be worried about if they seem to be in a
puppy.
My first step in evaluating a litter begins at 5 weeks
of age. My
puppies have had the run
of the kitchen for some time. I present them with a new environment. I
put different colored ribbons on each pup for sure identification at a distance
and open the door to the living room. The floor immediately inside this door is
stone. I seat myself in the kitchen with pad and pencil to take notes as the
puppies go into the other room.
Some rush in and immediately snatch up some object and start to play. These are
noted. They are the extroverts, the best showmen, the most strong-willed to
train, the most fun, and usually should not be sold to someone as his first
Doberman.
Next come the pups who inspect the stone floor, proceed to inspect each object
as they come to it until the entire room has been explored, and thenjoin the
fun. These possess, to my mind, the best Doberman temperament.
They are fearless, they think, they are happy to obey if they know what you
want, they are easier to live with.
Next, there are some who hesitate a bit, look at the stone floor, then look at
the other pups, and finally walk or bolt into the room to join the others.
These are a bit 'soft" in temperament, but will be OK if given plenty
of experience in
a home at an early age.
Then sometimes there will be a pup who stands in the doorway and cries because
he wants to join the others but cannot make himself step over the threshold and
onto the stones that first time. In my book, this is a shy pup and to be
discarded.
Neither of these
last two types should ever be used for breeding in later years no matter how
well the come along in temperament, due to proper handling and training, nor how
beautiful they become.
At 10 to 12 weeks my puppies' ears are healing and being taped. They are set up
daily and studied, always with pad and pencil for notes, and still with colored
ribbons for identification. It is wise, too, to cut a snip
of hair in case
ribbons are chewed off. I cut one snip
of the scissors
across the neck, mid back, croup, right rib, left rib, etc. I pick up each pup
and stand him on a high, eye level, non-slip surface to oil and tape his ears.
This done, I pick up the pup with one hand under his chin and the other under
his tummy or rear. Some pups immediately drop into good position. This is a
mark in his favor. He will be a better show prospect than one
of apparently
equal quality who must be pulled and placed into position. He may even be
better than the pup of
slightly superior quality who must be set up piecemeal.
"It is all very well to quote the standard, but few people know how to feel for
proper angulation. It is my opinion, that at any age a Doberman with perfect
layback of
shoulder will exhibit no more than the width
of my forefinger
between the peak of
his shoulder blades. This is indeed rare as you will soon discover when you
start feeling shoulder blades. So don't lose heart, the pups with the least
distance between the blade point will have the best layback and will have, also
the neck which flows smoothest into the shoulders.
The puppy with the highest tailset will be the one with the shortest distance
between the point of
the hip bones and the point where the tail turns up (or where it is set on).
This distance can be too short, though this is rare, causing a tail which is
too high and even turns slightly over the back.
If the pup's brisket is to the elbow at this age, it will be here again when he
is mature. If it is not, don't kid yourself, it won't drop materially. If he
has a forechest now, he will when mature. He may lose it for a time while
developing, but he will get it back. If he has none now, he won't later; let's
face it. If his neck is a bit short, that may change as late as 8 months
of age. This
must be judged by your knowledge
of his heritage.
If he is high in rear, when his hocks are perpendicular, he will remain high
there. If he has an arch to his neck, back
of his skull, he
will keep it. If he is low on his legs or long in body, he usually will
finish up that way.
Eyes often darken with age, heads must be judged by heritage again, but
resemblance to one side
of the other should be noted. Expression and eye wet will not change but
length of head
and muzzle may. An
undershot bite
will rarely change but considerable amount
of overshot
frequently does come perfect with the second teeth. If a pup has a good
backline he will probably keep it, but if he is soft in back he will often
improve, provided it is not caused by a high rear, loose shoulders, or front and
rear angulation out of
balance.
Angulation and proportion will not change, nor will shape
of rib cage.
"Pups with good shoulder placement and forechest will often set up with front
feet slightly turned out but will move true. the pup will stand true
when mature. However, a pup with no forechest and who has steep shoulders, who
does this, will not stand true when mature.
A pup who stands on the outside
of one or both
front feet will be weak in pastern. a pup who stand or moves with his hind feet
slightly turned in will be weak in stifle. Both
of these can
sometimes be hidden or improved by judicious exercise and expert handling.
Study the pups daily, mark your report daily, and gradually you will come up
with 1,2,3,4 placements on your litter. Then tie in the conformation placement
with the temperament placement. Sometimes, due to personality, number two for
conformation becomes number one for show, with number one for conformation
becoming a good gamble if placed in the right hands.
Many puppies look wonderful as pups but unless you are willing to gamble a lot
of time, money
and effort (and it appears most people are), remember that a pup from a long
line of champions
who have produced champions has a better
chance
of resembling his
heritage than one with only one producing line behind him.
You can't get "something" from "nothing" anywhere in this world, and genetics
is no exception.
Yours for better Dobermans....."
(Originally published in DOG NEWS, August, 1954) |