First things first:

Some guidelines:

Before you choose you must realize the following:

• There is no guarantee sold with any puppy.
• Although there are rough guidelines, you really do not know what the puppy will look like when he/she is grown up
• You cannot know if the puppy will have a big head, large ears or will be tall or short
• Know why you are buying the puppy. Will it be a pet or are you planning to compete in Breed shows. This will determine the things that you will look at when selecting your puppy

SO WHAT DO I LOOK FOR?

1. Temperament

• Genetics play a big role in the development of your puppy
• The chance are good that if the parents are excessively aggressive, your puppy will also tend to be aggressive.
• Ensure that the parents have a good stable nature. 
• If you play or pick the puppy up and it aggressively tries to bite you, chances are that it might grow up to be an aggressive dog OR it just might not be feeling well.
• Do the puppies look happy? (Are they running around playing happily or are they running away trying to hide)

2. Condition

• Make sure the puppies are in a good condition (Look at their coats and check if the puppies are underweight or not)
• Look around in the kennel area to see if there is any stools lying around. Good firm stools indicate that the puppies are not sick. 

3. Ask the Breeder

• Ask the breeder which dog he/she recommends. Some of the more experienced breeders will choose a puppy on your behalf, depending on your personality and home environment.

4. Breed shows:

• If you are looking for a puppy to Show with, it is important to look at some of the Breed Standard guidelines as well. 
• Although you cannot guarantee that your puppy will have all its teeth (you will only be able to see this at about 5 to 6 months of age), you can look at the bite. The puppy should have a scissor bite. Click here for examples of a Scissor bite.
• Your puppy might still be very unbalanced, however look at the way it is running towards you. The front and rear legs should move straight towards or away from you
• Eyes: Ideal eyes are dark. A puppy however does not yet have dark eyes. The darker they eyes at a young age, the better the chance to have nice dark eyes when the dog is older. 

Selecting a puppy as a show quality puppy is not easy and even if you follow the guidelines, you might still make a mistake. Ask people who have  experience in the breed to help you choose if you are not sure.

5. Puppy Test

• Ask your breeder if he/she has done a puppy test on the puppies. 
• Puppy tests reveal a great deal about the puppies mental abilities and how they will develop. 
• This might also help you make a choice.

6. Your personality

• If you are a very dominant, hard person, it is not a good idea to select a soft puppy. Here the a puppy test might assist you to select the correct puppy.

These are just some guidelines. It is important that you are happy with your choice of puppy.

ENJOY YOUR NEW PUPPY!

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