What would you do? - Page 7

From your description of the pup, what you wanted and expected and how much you paid I would have done the same thing; although reluctantly. 

Ekana:  I thought tthe same thing about the hearing.   I had a deaf pup out of a a litter once and it behaved very much like the description.  

I know the puppy testing (Volhard) has issues and I'm not saying I advocate it but it would have been interesting to see the results if the pup had been tested. 

When I read the description it sounded like a 6

"Mostly 6's

"So independent that he doesn’t need you or other people 
Doesn’t care if he is trained or not - he is his own person  Unlikely to bond to you, since he doesn’t need you. 
A great guard dog for gas stations!  
Do not take this puppy and think you can change him - you can’t, so leave well enough alone"

Then again maybe it was just traumatized by the trip.  Hopefully it will find a good home.   


 

Ekana is talking about Melba's pup, the one she started the thread about. She obviously confusing it with Eska, the pup I got from Melba. She doesn't realize Melba returned the pup already.

Stuff like this happens when you don't read the whole thread, or don't read it carefully enough.

Blitzen, no kidding!    YIKES!

I also read over a puppy evaluation I got that's used by the Shiloh shepherd folks. That pup of Melba's didn't do too well on that evaluation, either!

I used it to evaluate Star before I brought her home. In the end, what clinched the sale with Star was her desire to engage with me, even though I was a stranger. At the end of the test, she climbed up into my lap, gave me kisses, then settled down for a nap!

She also showed play drive, retrieve drive, hunt drive and was gunsure with strange noises. IOW, I knew she was a pup I could work with, using those drives, even if she HAD been more stand-offish.

Cannot help but roll my eyes at the Volhard description. I guess if you're completely novice, that might apply. Better someone with no experience not choose a strong, independent dog as they're not likely to possess the disposition it takes to get those dogs to work for you. But I had a few damn good dogs who were extremely independent and would have scored that way on that "test."  They are capable of sooo much more than a "gas station guard dog!"

Oddly enough, Ithe though of her being deaf did cross my mind, but then there would be some kind of audible distraction, and she would turn towards it. I think this has been an enlightening thread. Very interesting to say the least.

Melissa

Blitzen, my point exactly... we make decisions depending on our expectations, experience, needs, and many times, gut feeling.

Melba did the right thing..by the puppy and herself.. no point keeping a puppy she has doubts about. You did the right thing with that puppy that came out to be a nutcase.. I did the right one by my old man, and Sunsilver did by hers.

It was nice chatting you all

Melba; better luck next time I am sure you will find you a puppy that meets your expectations.

Martina

10 years ago I brought home a female puppy that acted similarly to the puppy you described. She didn´t want to play with me, paid no attention to me. She was little bit over 7 weeks old when I brought her home from the breeder. I tested her at breeder´s yard, she engaged well, had very nice prey drive. However, when we came home, she wasn´t interested in me or toys/rug/decoy at all for almost 3 weeks. And then out of a sudden she started to engage in bitework like an alligator. From 0 to 100. She was the best GSD I have ever owned. Very driven, extremely fast and tough in her bitework, very high food drive and civil drive too. Social with people but not friendly with other dogs - she was dominant and always wanted to be the boss while she was very tolerant with the puppies and a very good mother. She was not easy to handle during bitework. Obedience wasn´t her favourite discipline, lol. When choosing males for mating I chose males with high willingness to work for the handler.

BTW, you may remember a story of a police k9 Caro in Texas that was for sale in auction when his handler got a job with a private sector. That dog is her son. She produced very nice working dogs.

P.S.Caro was bought by his handler at that auction.

That dog was a nutcase. He attact his breeder when he was around 18 months old. Removed part of her cheek and lower lip. Still she kept him thinking she could "fix" him. When he tried to remove her 4 year old's left ear along with part of her scalp,  she finally realized that he needed to be euthanized. 

When I opened the door to his crate at the airport he bared his teeth, literally flew out at me, grabbed my wrist and wouldn't let go. Frankly I could feel the hair on the back of my neck starting to rise. I am not one to be afraid of dogs, but that dog terrified me. I couldn't send him back soon enough.

I remember Caro very well and was thankful that his handler was able to purchase him. Most of the AKC dog world was really upset by that story and were prepared to establish a fund to help his trainer purchase him.

You know this really isn't right.  People are getting angry with each other....over god know's what.  So...here's my take.

When I I first read the initial post, I thought Melba was trying to beat the pup's breeder to the punch.  He had said on another thread that he had recently taken back a pup and refunded the purchaser.  Why she posted is beyond me....after all, he hadn't mentioned her name even though he was probably irked by the whole matter.  Livid could probably best describe him now.

I think we are all looking at a very clear case of Buyer's Remorse.  Melba, I may be wrong, but I see someone who has simply been over extending herself.  You said you wanted to cut back.  Perhaps, it's time to really reel it in. Time limitations, possible money concerns (you've alluded that a 2,000 loss would be a strain) and the stress of placing dogs and older pups is now topped off with a newly arrived pup.......bringing everything to a head.  You probably felt it was a foolish purchase.  It has to cloud your thinking???? 

The breeder also probably saw this.  Could the pup not have been the best choice for you?  Of course. But you virtually made her look awful so you wouldn't look bad........and that was not right.......nor was posting this thread.

And....I just don't get stacking a little baby that you have just received. I don't see the breeder as someone who would have been stacking her beforehand.  How much fun would that have been for her?  She's just a baby.  What the .....?

To quote you, LMH....your entire post makes me go "What the.....?"