I have always wanted a GSP since seeing one at a hunting club when I was 12.  Now 32 and I am finally getting one.  I have read a book about gun dog training (very old) and have ordered the Perfect start videos.  But I have not found anything that really helps on how to pick the pup!  I have first choice of the males and will be picking in a few weeks.  The pups are 2hrs away so it is going to be a one time shot to my pick.  They will be about 5 weeks old when the breeder has asked me to make my pick so he can get the other folks in to pick before 8 weeks.  I am going to use the dog to hunt/track but first and for most It will be a family pet.  I want a calm house dog, that will train and hunt well.  Not to picky right!

When you picked your pup what did you do?  How did you pick?  How did it turn out? 

House, I would let the breeder help you pick out the best fit for your situation.  If you have first pick, then you should be able to wait a reasonable amount of time and pick towards the end of the period before the pups go to their new homes.  I would let first pick make their decision up to the end as long as it didn't hold up anyone from getting their pups timely.  They grow and change alot from 5-8 weeks.  icking puppies is a crap shoot, but the longer you can wait the better.  I would also go over and see them and spend some time before coming back to pick it up.  A couple of hours should not stop you.

My requirements were similar to yours, maybe even more like 99% pet with young kids and 1% hunting/agility/biking, outdoor buddy.  

I agree with everyone's comments about the breeders judgement.  I originally called our breeder about the female she had.  When I explained the requirements above, she steered me to their remaining male.  The female was very birdy and she was concerned we might not be able to appease her prey drive, vs the male who was "a mellow fellow". 

Thanks for the responses.  The breeder has asked that I come around DEC 13 to make my pick.  They were whelped NOV 1.  Should I push back on the breeder and see if I can wait a little longer? 

Pixie as far as the pedigree I don't know much about the history but I do see some FC, MH, DC, AFC and so on in the bloodlines.  So I think they should be good pups.  Here is a link anyone interested and tell Me what you think?  Eric did mention that he got the Dam because he wanted Rawhide line.  I thought he said he was the only 3x CH???

http://www.warriorsmark.com/gs_pups.htm

All your help and comments are greatly appreciated.

Nate

Assuming that you already found a responsible breeder, my approach would be:

1. Look at the litter and look for the shyest one (the one that hangs back, and the boldest, most aggressive one (the bully) and elminate these two no matter how quiet and adorable or bold-cute they may be.

2. Look at the rest and try really hard not to get hung up on markings etc. and run the Volhard test on the pups, it should narrow it down some.

www.workingdogs.com/testing_volhard.htm

3. Examine closely for conformation and structure and narrow it down some more. Then I guess you can look for markings, or let the pup pick you.

Ideally, this should happpen with the breeder's help. I once picked a dog this way and the breeder was most helpful in explaining and pointing out things about each pup. They were 8 weeks old at the time but I understand that preliminary testing can be done as young as 5 weeks.

My current dog was picked by my breeder. I didn't know they had any dogs available and just emailed them what I was looking for, my lifestyle and the temperament I like to see in my dog and she said she had the perfect pup -  11 weeks old already so that may have made it easier to match us up. So far, she's absolutely perfect and exactly what I was looking for.

Still a crapshoot, of course.

I would push back on the breeder on when you have to make your pick.  My breeder and I talked all along and I had pictures.  I also new the mother as I had another female out of her.  I had my preferences, but didn't make the final selection until I went down to pick him up at 8 weeks.  We had several very respected breeders there that evening as there was a big show that weekend in Houston, so I was lucky again as I got lots of advice on my male pick.  Turned out it was the one I liked at the very beginning when I saw the two day old pictures.  I will tell you though that I must have changed my mind a million times before the final pick. 

Listen to what the others have said to you in this thread.  For me in the end it is also about that special bond that happens between a puppy and you when you meet.  I have always said my dogs pick me, and Ringo, my male, was no different.  He also happened to answer the mail for the best conformation and hunting ability too.  I was lucky.

Good luck on your pick and don't forget to take pictures.

Thank you all for the great advice.  I have been going crazy waiting for the forum to come back up.  I spoke to the breeder and I like thier attitude and ideas.  They told Me how they wanted rawhide line so the sent across the country for that....I didn't know what rawhide is so I looked around and found most of the kennels in the pedigree which seemed like good kennels as well.  I feel really good when I get the positive feedback from some experinced folks like you.  I look forward to sharing stories, pictures and ideas in the future. They will send profile pictures of them in a week or so.  Here are the males I have the first pick.

One thing I noticed is that altho they purchase  puppies from titled parents and raise them and use titled studs, they do not hunt test in any venue. (That I could see.)What this says is that you are buying a puppy based soley on the breeder's ideas of quality,breedable traits of the parents.
I don't have a problem with this just it would send up a reg flag,especially if I myself didn't know anything about hunting dogs.
Also, there are quite a few FT dogs, many with MH titles. One thing to be aware of is how bold and independent these pups are expected to be.