Puppy structure question for sheltie show-ers and breeders

A

Andalla

Forums Regular
Hi,
I'm very happy to announce that after about 8 months of searching, I've finally found a brilliant, enthusiastic breeder with lines that I like, and who also has pups available (they're currently 6 weeks). Here in Australia it's very difficult to find American/Canadian lines (there are only about 4 breeders in the country with imports and who actively breed similarly to the American / Canadian standard.) The mum of the pups is a beautiful American import (PaRay) however the father is a very moderate, albeit pretty dog of the UK standard. Two of the pups are quite solid, big, chunky boys: they appear as though (I hope!) they're going to develop to look like their mum, however my question is: how can I most accurately tell, at 6-8 weeks of age, how strong in the head and heavy in bone they will appear when they are older? If any show-ers, breeders or general enthusiasts out there could offer some advice regarding how to evaluate the potential of a pup (especially regarding the head, ie: correct head planes, stop, muzzle etc) it would be very much appreciated.

Warm regards :)

Ps: I would post photos, however I only have pics of them at 3 weeks, so it wouldn't do the pups justice.
 
I'm not an expert... but here's what I've been taught to look at here in the US. Hopefully others will chime in to correct me where I'm wrong and fill in where I've left things out.

Puppies that look "chunky" at this age will tend to be chunky (more bone, thicker heads) as they mature. Shelties do "grow bone" as they mature (a dog that looks like a small adult at six months may be overdone and coarse at six years; a dog that looks a little weedy at six months may be right where you want him to be at six years). However, given their breeding (half-UK), my best guess would be that there is less danger of the chunkier puppies growing up to be overdone.

The heads they have now will tend to be the heads they have later. Examine the heads just as you would an adult's, and look for the same things: parallel planes, correct stop, correct eye size and placement, etc. Look for enough fill under the eyes to make the whole skull smooth. Feel for a smooth zygomatic arch - nothing should stick out or curve out; again, the skull should be all one smoothly-joined piece. Look for enough underjaw to make a nice "finish" to the skull. Look for a short, attractive lipline.

In sum, you need to weigh each puppy against the Standard and find which one is most pleasing. Though they are immature right now in every sense, you should be able to see the virtues and faults that they will continue to have as adults (particularly in their skulls). The bone and heaviness will lessen as they grow "up and out", but it will return - in the heavier ones, it might be too much, and in the lighter ones, it might be just enough.

Again, I'm certainly not an expert, but this is the way that we look at our puppies, and I hope it will be a bit helpful to you.
 
I'm really, really reluctant to form opinions on puppies from pictures... you really need to put your hands on them to and feel what's going on.

That said, the second puppy (pictures 3, 4, and 5) is more appealing to me based on this set of pictures. He looks smoother, and has (in these pictures) a prettier eye.

Have you had a chance to put your hands on them yet? What do you feel?
 
tofu pup said:
I'm really, really reluctant to form opinions on puppies from pictures... you really need to put your hands on them to and feel what's going on.

That said, the second puppy (pictures 3, 4, and 5) is more appealing to me based on this set of pictures. He looks smoother, and has (in these pictures) a prettier eye.

Have you had a chance to put your hands on them yet? What do you feel?
Click to expand...

agree I like the second puppy based on pics without actually seeing any other angles or putting your hands on him...and Im sure though the breeder will also pick out the one they think is best suited for the show ring.
 
Thanks, lightplum and tofu pup. I go to meet pups next friday, where I will be able to see them and get a feel for them, and hopefully make my decision. Is there some sort of online visual resource for detecting correct structure in pups? (I know of the Clan Duncan page, (so good!) however as somewhat of a newbie to Shelties I find it a little tricky to apply the rules of thumb for full grown adult dogs to pups who are yet to develop).

Also, regarding ears, is it better to brace or glue - I would lean towards brace, however some expert advice on the matter would be wonderful.

Thanks again!
 
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