Since my breeding is limited to a planned occasional litter. I have been asked to help  find a pup...   The first thing I do is judge the home is it clean? Smelly? What do the other dogs look like? Are they well groomed? This is a  basic aide to preventing a lot of diseases that develop from less than sanitary conditions. Next I ask to see Mom and Dad. Are they polite? Friendly? Nervous or overly protective that I am here? What have they done  or what is their job? Are they trained in verious events?  Then I look at the pedigree to see what their ancestors have  accomplished. Is it a pink slip (for dogs registered in Germany) or AKC registered. Is the paperwork limited or do you have breeding rights. Next, have the dogs been evaluated by someone other than the breeder?  Why are they breeding? Do they know about the  breed? You would be surprised how many back yard breeders don’t know how the breed started, why and what the standard in Germany and or the AKC is. Next I check for OFA (hip x-ray) perhaps an elbow x ray as well. This lets me know the bloodline better. In Germany the A  stamp is approved for breeding and the hips have passed. In the USA we send our results to OFA and they are rated. As I mentioned before it is good but nothing is perfect. Next we move on to the pup. Temperament is the most important. Color is second along with coat type. I first watch the litter.  There is always three, the alpha, bully, and the passive pup. Depending on the needs of my client we do a temper test. This is a  series of teststhat help me evaluate the dog to the person. Then I will narrow it down to two and the pup generally picks the  owner. Make sure the pup is active, with no watery eyes or sniffles. You want a good healthy bouncy pup.  You don’t know how to test? General rules of thumb don’t get the most aggressive nor the most timid. Somewhere in the middle is a  good compromise for most GSD work.  Be friends with your breeder. Don’t call for every little thing but feel confident that she or he will give you an honest opinion of what works and doesn’t for them. Don’t be offended if they ask you questions. They are placing their pups in your care and they love dogs otherwise they wouldn’t have bred to begin with. Congratulations and may you have many years together in friendship and love. Lee Svec :)

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Test Purpose Score Code Social Attraction - Procedure - Place puppy in test area about four feet from the tester. Tester kneels, leans backwards and coaxes the pup to her/him by  clapping hands gently. Measures degree of social attraction to people, confidence, or dependence. 1- Came readily, tail up, jumped, bit at hands 2- Came readily, tail up, pawed, licked at hands 3- Came readily, tail up. 4- Came readily, tail down 5- Came hesitantly, tail down. 6- Didn't come at all. Following - Procedure - The tester stands up and slowly walks away encouraging the puppy to follow. Make sure the pup sees you walk away. Coax puppy to follow  by talking to it and attracting its attention. Willingness to follow a person. 1- Followed readily, tail up, got underfoot, bit at feet. 2- Followed readily, tail up, got underfoot. 3- Followed readily, tail up 4- Followed readily, tail down. 5- Followed hesitantly, tail down. 6- No follow or went away. Restraint - Procedure - Crouch down and gently roll the pup on his back and hold it with one hand for a full 30 seconds. Degree of dominant or submissive tendency. How it accepts stress when socially/physically dominated. 1- Struggled fiercely, flailed, bit. 2- Struggled fiercely, flailed. 3- Settled, struggled, settled with some eye contact. 4- Struggled then settled. 5- No struggle. 6- No struggle, straining to avoid eye contact. Social Dominance - Procedure - Let pup standup and gently stroke him from the head to back while you crouch beside him. Continue stroking until a  recognizable behavior is established. Degree of acceptance of social dominance. Pup may try to dominate by jumping and nipping or is independent and walks away. 1- Jumped, pawed, bit, growled. 2- Jumped, pawed. 3- Cuddles up to tester and tries to lick face. 4- Squirmed, licked at hands. 5- Rolled over, licked at hands. 6- Went away and stayed away. Elevation Dominance - Procedure - Bend over and cradle the pup under its belly, fingers interlaced, palms up and elevate it just off the ground. Hold it there for 30 seconds. Degree of accepting dominance while in position of no control. 1- Struggled fiercely, bit, growled. 2- Struggled fiercely. 3- No struggle, relaxed 4- Struggled, settled, licked 5- No struggle, licked at hands. 6- No struggle, froze. Retrieving - Procedure - Crouch beside pup and attract his attention with crumpled up paper ball. When the pup shows interest and is watching, toss the  object 4-6 feet in front of pup. Degree of willingness to work with a human. High correlation between ability to retrieve and successful guide dogs, obedience dogs, field trial dogs. 1- Chases object, picks up object and runs away. 2- Chases object, stands over object, does not return. 3- Chases object and returns with object to tester. 4- Chases object and returns without object to tester. 5- Starts to chase object, loses interest. 6- Does not chase object. Touch Sensitivity - Procedure - Take puppy's webbing of one front foot and press between finger and thumb lightly then more firmly till you get a response,  while you count slowly to 10. Stop as soon as puppy pulls away, or shows discomfort. *Do NOT use fingernail. Degree of sensitivity to touch. 1- (8-10) counts before response. 2- (6-7) counts before response. 3- (5-6) counts before response. 4- (2-4) counts before response. 5- (1-2) counts before response. Sound Sensitivity - Procedure - Place pup in the center of area, tester or assistant makes a sharp noise a few feet from the puppy. A large metal spoon struck  sharply on a metal pan twice works well. Degree of sensitivity to sound. (Also can be a rudimentary test for deafness.) 1- Listens, locates sound, walks toward it barking. 2- Listens, locates sound, barks. 3- Listens, locates sound, shows curiosity and walks toward sound. 4- Listens, locates the sound. 5- Cringes, backs off, hides. 6- Ignores sound, shows no curiosity. Sight Sensitivity - Procedure - Place pup in center of room. Tie a string around a large towel and jerk it across the floor a few feet away from puppy. Degree of intelligent response to strange object. 1- Looks, attacks and bites. 2- Looks, barks and tail up. 3- Looks curiously, attempts to investigate. 4- Looks, barks, tail-tuck. 5- Runs away, hides.