Last February's 115th annual Westminster event is already history. Boxer lovers should be proud of the achievements of Ch. Keibla's Tradition of Turo, bred by Kitty Barker and owned by Bruce and Jeanne Korson, Turo Kennels and Kitty Barker. Tiggin is one of very few bitches in the history of the breed to win the Working Group. She was handled by Chris Baum. Congratulations to all involved.
While I watched the top quality specials class at the Garden, I found myself trying to imagine what these two and three year olds might have looked like as puppies. Indeed, the breeder's ability to "pick" a puppy, whether for himself or someone else, is critically important. Many a potential specials dog has been sold "as a pet" at eight weeks by breeders who made unfortunate choices.
When pups are born, we can immediately see markings and color. We call our friends with the news that we have "four flashy puppies." "Flashy" is a relative term. I have always thought that white socks, chest and a few white hairs above the nose were "enough." Others demand white collars, high stockings and full white muzzles. Still others cite the champion certificates of truly plain Boxers to underscore that quality is what counts, after all. Whatever your opinion, you will flnd as a breeder that you begin selecting your "keepers" at the moment of birth on the basis of color patterns alone.
At 10 to 12 weeks, you should be able to stand a pup up on a table and see, basically, a miniature of the adult to come. Length and arch of neck, shoulder layback, rear angulation, topline, tail set and body length are all evident, albeit subtly, at this age. Good feet sometimes disappear while teething, but if your pup never had them to begin with, they will probably not put in an appearance. You can even evaluate movement now, before gawky adolescence sets in. Mature patterns of gait will not be entirely in place, and a pup "in at the elbows" may straighten out when his ribs spring, but gross problems can be detected now.
Head type in a baby pup is sometimes more difficult to analyze. Those with blocky, squarish heads may well end up overdone, skully adults. If, however, the stop is not apparent, you may be sadly lacking in type and end up with a "Daney" head: no turned up chin, no filling under the eyes. Personally, I like to see a brickshaped head at this age: high, close ear set; clean cheeks; prominent stop; and dark, tight eyes. Of course, black haws would be nice.
Relative height and size in a litter mean little in infancy, but gain importance as pups age. Neonatal pups that get a poor start can fall far behind littermates in size and vigor. By six months, they should be pretty well caught up and can potentially end up the most imposing physical specimens. Don't automatically discount the littlest one, especially if he had a tough time during his first week or two.
Of course, the older your litter is before the pups go to new homes, the better are your chances for making the best decisions. Elegance or stockiness are easier to see later rather than sooner, but a clean, smooth, longnecked pup will rarely end up overdone. You can judge his "style" at that 10 to 12 week point. Mouths can be more difficult to predict; adult teeth make their appearance beginning at about four months and may bear little resemblance to that perfect, or suspect, puppy bite. Wryness may not show up until eight or nine months; likewise, the excessively undershot jaw may not become an obvious problem until this time. Happily, do not despair if your six month old has a mouth problem; it might only be a scary stage, and the mouth still has time to finish developing properly. You can still effectively make choices based on the degree of deviation from the ideal, and how likely it is, or is not, to improve over time.
As for temperament, shy or overly aggressive pups can be identified early. Intensive socialization may help, but poor temperament is inherited every bit as much as a light eye, and only you can decide if you wish to perpetuate what you know is only hidden under a thin veneer.
Choosing to keep that special pup, the one you hope will be a "flyer," is an exciting and often confusing task. The final decision is based on experience, a breeder's instinct and always a little luck. If we become keen observers of early puppy development, we may more easily envision the future Westminster winner within the cute little baby pup that asks nothing more than to be noticed, and loved.
Stephanie Abraham
P. O. Box 346
Scotland, CT 06264
