Hi, I was just wondering what makes a puppy the pick of the litter?  Is it always the biggest or can you really tell at a young age which one has the most potential? One of my dogs was sold as such (he didn't cost any more) he was certainly the biggest but he was the only dog so I expected him to be. This is just something I was curious about.
Thanks, Mel

It would depend on what the puppy was intended for, and what qualities it possessed to fulfil those needs

Well I have just been lucky enough to get the pick of the litter bitch from a breed specialist judge with over 20 years judging experience. (we had been waiting quite a while!)

She was waiting until they were 6 weeks old to stand them up and assess their conformation, but then actually waited longer than that as she didn't feel they were quite ready at 6 weeks. Temprement and personality was also taken into account as well as movement, I would guess.

So, I guess the pick could be the biggest, but not necessarily

But if the biggest wasn't the best conformationally, then the biggest wouldn't automatically be the pick of the litter ............I have heard of some breeders who wait until 12 weeks before picking from a litter, and have seen some quite drastic changes in puppies between 7 and 10 weeks, that would certainly make waiting those extra couple of weeks, well worth the wait

The biggest might be poorly marked or have a structural fault.

Thanks for all your answers. I guess it's a bit more complicated than I thought, only something an experienced breeder could tell. My little man does look good to me but I wouldn't have been able to say he looked better than his sisters ( except that liked him more cos I knew he was coming to me).

But if the biggest wasn't the best conformationally, then the biggest wouldn't automatically be the pick of the litter

I thought that was what i said?

generally, pick of the litter will be the one the breeder feels is the best puppy, conformation wise in that litter. It will vary from breed to breed and the expertise of the breeder at what point they can say what is pick. I went to see my puppy at 5 weeks, I didn't have a choice as I had last pick but both the breeder and the owner of the sire thought that as it was I had secured pick of the litter!!! 2 years on and Arnie has cirtainly been the most successful out of the 3 ( although all have done well)

Pick of the litter could actually be any one of the pups depending on the requirements of the new owner.  Someone wanting to show will be looking at different criteria to someone who wants to work or wants a pet.  I don't think size is a reliable indicator, not least because the largest pup may not grow to be the largest dog.
I was given pick of the litter with my last pup, and because I want to work and compete with her (not show), I would look at completely different criteria than someone looking for  pet or show puppy.

I guess the more litters you see the easier it is to pick them out but things can still change can't they? For example, my only bitch had perfect ears when I first had her but during teething they changed to the type which is less desirable according to the breed standard (but of course still totally adorable). I suppose if you know your own lines well enough you could predict things like this.

Also unfortunately the most promising puppy may end up with a bad mouth when the adult teeth come in or fail to grow on, or grow too big etc.

Also regarding waiting longer to pick.  Pups grow at different rates at different ages and their proportions change.  A knowledgeable breeder will try to choose pups when they are closest to balanced proportions.  In my breed breeders used to say 6 weeks and that after 8 weeks you could no longer be sure as different pups would go off at different rates.

Hi Mel,

If for a show prospect there are many factors to be taken into account - first and foremost, is pick of litter really just that - the most appealing prospect regardless of gender or the most appealing one of a single gender?  Secondly if a breed with coat markings, are there any poorly marked or even mis-marked as these will not be part of the assessment anyway; thirdly are there obvious conformation issues; fourthly are characters all as they should be.  These are just some of the steps but all play an important role and it could be that by week four or five a few of the litter have been removed from show selection already, either because they are the wrong s#x for the show home or because of one or more of the other "flaws" mentioned.  Many of this same criteria would apply to a working prospect too, but over and above that would be a need for the puppy to show the correct drive towards the type of work it was being bred for

When I first embarked on breeding it was with a view that I would keep what I assessed as "pick", regardless of whether dog or bitch, and allow second "pick" (again regardless of gender) to go to an overseas home.  As it happened both of us would have probably preferred males but IMO three of the four bitches showed better qualities throughout than the four boys   On inviting others experienced in the breed i.e. specialist judges, successful breeders and successful exhibitors, most had the three girls of my choosing as 1,2,3 of picks and my preferred two males of the four boys as picks 4 & 5.  That said, nobody would have dissuaded me from my own choice as pick of the litter as from 4.5 weeks onwards she was always the one to most catch my eye   Despite every effort on my part to not assess them too soon it was very clear by week 6 that this bitch would be staying put.

Size, certainly in height anyway (unless excessively over or under) would not play much of a part in selection in my breed - often whelps that have a large variation in szie at birth and even up to 8 weeks or so level out and by the time they are ready for the ring the littermates are all pretty much the same size anyway.  On the proviso the bitch owner used a well matched stud and all the pups received the optimum nutritional care from conception onwards

Of course Mother Nature being a fickle lady there can be problems which are unpredictable at a mere few weeks, most commonly mouths going off

regards, Teri

> But if the biggest wasn't the best conformationally, then the biggest wouldn't automatically be the pick of the litter
>
> I thought that was what i said?

You did ....I was just agreeing with you

i feel that the pick of the litter is when there is the whole litter still available and the first person to visit gets the 'pick' of the litter

Teri, It's interesting what you say about sizes leveling out, I assumed my boy was pick because he was twice the size of his sisters. He is a breed that doesn't have markings except for a black mask so to my inexperienced eye there was nothing I could see as being not correct. The breeder said they would have kept him if I hadn't bought him. I'm taking him to see the breeder tonight for a visit as he said he was interested in using him to continue his lines so I'll find out if he lives up to their expectations.

Thanks everyone for all your answers, it's great learning about all these things

Pick of litter would vary for what the litter was bred for and what they people want, but generally pick of litter is the most promising pup and it the first pick.  In the last litter we brought in from the breeder had pick of litter bitches and we had second pick.  As it happends we each had different pups in mind for pick of litter

I choose one, Dad another (but closly followed by my pick) and the breeder another.

Dad's pick is undershot (as I predicted) breeders pick I don't like the head of but is quite mature in body and has done some nice winning, one I wanted (and convinced Dad to get, mum was already with me) is lovely IMO, although a slow maturer, won't do anything big untill she's about 4 (2 years to go!)

Hi lunamoona,

size can easily vary in youngsters and in any even males are generally slightly larger than bitches when mature so he should finish taller than them but not necessarily have a significant difference in height

As Rox has pointed out also, one persons pick is just that - their personal opinion, hopefully (if the puppy is for show or work purposes) based on sound knowledge and experience of the lines they are looking at.  Sometimes a few experts together don't agree but they should be able to rule out pups that are less likely to have the required attributes and probably get the focus down to at least 2 or 3 with what they consider among them to have most promise. 

Assessing a litter is not as easy as some think - otherwise breeders would never keep the wrong one LOL.   Also to be factored into things is that sometimes a mating hasn't worked and the breeder should be open minded to that - if none of them are genuinely looking good enough then none should be offered as show prospects.  Much as it would be disappointing to have been waiting many months, perhaps longer, for the correct puppy to become available, it would IMO be more disappointing to have one that ended up being just very average and had no realistic chance of fulfilling long held dreams.

regards, Teri

I like the slow maturers too Rox   Hope you've got yourself a great one when she eventually comes together.  They're definitely worth the wait.

As regards size -biggest could also end up TOO big. Certainly in Papillons it's a worry about the size as they must not be too small nor too big. Too big and the dog won't be showable, too small and if a bitch it cannot be bred from. So it's like Goldilocks -it has to be just right.

> i feel that the pick of the litter is when there is the whole litter still available and the first person to visit gets the 'pick' of the litter

I always keep the pick of litter back until last (if I am not keeping ti myself) unless of course someone had already wanted one to show, hoping that someone interested in showing it comes along, but of course a good home is the prime consideration.  A champion male I bred was the last of the boys, as no-one had expressed a wish to show a boy.  His owners only bought him for a pet, but started showing him at two years old after a bit of nudging, but he had always been the pick of the whole litter.

The pick of the litter then could be a totally different puppy for each person who visits, especially when they are choosing for companionship only.

I have invariably found that people choose different pups and get the one they prefer anyway whether or not they have first choice.

If choosing for show and you have a very even litter you may well find that several breeders who look at the litter will choose a different puppy as pick of litter, though occasionally one just stands out, and I suppose similar would apply when choosing working dogs.

In a breed like mine that are all the same colour basically for a person choosing a pet they really would have no idea or see any difference in puppies, and I try to explain the pups individual characteristics and match them to the potential owners.

When a breeder advertises a puppy as pick of litter it will be the one showing most promise in the direction the litter was bred for, in other words show/working prospect.  The fact that the pups should b e well adjusted and temperamentally and physically sound goes without saying.

Wow, this is all really interesting!

My boy mightn't even have the best conformation, but just have the attributes his breeder wants to further in his lines or that will compliment his bitches. I never knew this could be such an in depth subject.

I guess when we all look for different things then we all end up with pick of litter in our own minds.

> My boy mightn't even have the best conformation, but just have the attributes his breeder wants to further in his lines or that will compliment his bitches. I never knew this could be such an in depth subject.
>

And that is exactly what should happen when a person decides to breed, they are (should be) looking to match the breed standard in looks temperament and working ability by finding a complementary male whose ancestors are strong in the traits you want/need.

If you thought selecting from a litter was complex try sitting down with two pedigrees and comparing the dogs themselves and the ancestors, especially any common ones, then add in health results, working ability and that factor 'x'.

Also a breeder should be looking at the breed as a whole, are there faults or exageratiosn (might be minor)that are becoming common?  They would be wise to avoid these, as they can becoem difficult to eliminate f a lot of the breed carry them.

It's like gourmet cooking.

If I was to choose a puppy for the show ring in any of the four breeds I have owned & shown, I would choose my puppy at birth, before the puppy had suckled(I would take a digi photo of the puppy now-then compare the photos after the whelping had ended)

I was taught this(& what to look for in my breeds)by a "old fashioned Dogman"many years ago. I found that what you see as a newly born was what you ended up with as an adult.

Not being really interested in breed any more choosing a puppy for Obedience/Working is totally difference & far more based on the breeding behind the puppies rather than the puppies themselves.

In Wukee's litter I had the pick of the litter (ie I had first choice), my friend had 2nd Choice, Helen in the Netherlands had 3rd choice before the puppies were born.

When they were born, I chose Wukee because of his markings as did my friend who had 2nd pick(we both chose the white faced ones)these were chosen at 1 day old BTW. Helen had the same photos sent to her & she liked another boy better than Wukee. A fourth handler wanted a bitch & was happy to consider the remaining bitch as she was classically marked

When it came to viewing the puppies for the first time, Wukee & Daisy-Mae were already right little characters-they were always together & were TBH a pair of thuggees waylaying the other puppies & generally being naughty-both with outgoing characters & that "bit"extra

When Helen came over she confirmed her choice as her boy was laid back yet outgoing-just what she was looking for. The other handler saw the remaining bitch & was smitten

The remaining two dog puppies remain with their breeders & they are the ones the breeders would have kept if they were to have chosen their picks of litter !

Wukee is the most bolshy & in your face of all the puppies(LOLOLOLOL just as I like my dogs), followed by Daisy-Mae & my friend loves her for that(her hubby is totally smitten BTW). The two other owners are amazed how clever they are(The are so very very typical of their breeding)

A really unique situation where all the puppies went to the owners who would have chosen them as their pick of litter

here we go with a lighthearted comment..........the 'pick of the litter' has to be the one asleep at your feet...