Show Prospect Puppies

From the moment they are born in hopes of finding “the one” that will go on to be that Best In Show Winner, but the truth is they change so much, it is nearly impossible to tell what you really have until they are at least 8 – 12 weeks old.

How I evaluate my pups is based upon the lines I’m working with. Other breeders establish their own “rules” and my methods may not work for everyone, especially iftheir Pugs are not related to mine. I have had enough litters that I can usually tell my show prospects by around 10 -12 weeks of age.

The first thing I look for is size and shape of their heads. Width of underjaw, bite, placement of nose, ears, and size of ears and eyes play an important role in “who’s who in the zoo.”

If you are familiar with the Illustrated Standard on the Pug Dog Club of America’s web site, the terms and traits I’ll be using will be much easier to understand. You may want to go to that site and print off a copy for this discussion.

Second to head traits in my book are the body traits. It is probably second at this point in my breeding program, because I feel Pugs are “a head breed” and as a general type, show breeders seem to be getting away from the traditional Pug head, much to my dismay. However, the Pug pup’s body is absolutely key to having a good sound representative of the breed for showing and breeding.
I typically see nice bone and substance starting at six to eight weeks. At this time I will see nice short backs, too, on most of my pups. So, heads are the first thing I look at, starting at about 10 weeks of age.

How far apart are the eyes? Wide set large eyes, with little to no white around theedges are important to me. I think our Pugs’s eyes are getting smaller all the time, and away from the standard’s ideal. A good eye may be prone to eye problems, if not completely correct, so this may be the reason, but a good eye can be seen on my boy Tyler (see below). Large, round, not protruding, soft in expression, expressive, and very dark brown.
Are the center of the eyes even with the top of the nose? Do the ears tips even with the corner of the eyes? These are the things I watch for, along with any noticeable problems with excessive tearing.

Head shape, should be as square as possible to me. This happens when there is a nice width of underjaw, the look of a square, blocky head. Ears should be set high  enough there is no “dome” to the top. Wrinkles are nice at this age, but I don’t expect them. Even the indication of where they will be is nice before 10 weeks, and I’m looking for the start of wrinkles, and a nose roll that covers the “bee sting” (bump above the nose) by 12 weeks.

Next would be the evaluation of the pup’s body. Bone is key in a show puppy. A pup at 12 weeks should have nice bone for their body. It usually isn’t as much as they had at 8 weeks, especially with the girls. Just don’t assume they will get more. It can happen, and I’ve seen it, but I never assume it. Most of the girls do not, and the majority of the boys, but anything is possible after sexual maturity.

Length of back and correct (level) toplines come next. Followed by correct lay of shoulder, rib cage placement and tail set. Any of these can be a deal breaker for me, and of course check those boys for their testicles, since it isn’t likely they will descend properly after 12 – 16 weeks of age. Nothing is worse than having the beautiful new show male pup suck one up into the abdominal cavity AFTER you’ve started planning that boy’s show career.

Movement can now start to be evaluated. Watch how they move on a level surface coming towards you, and away. Watch the side movement. After observing them move naturally, teach the pup to walk and trot on a lead. Once the pup is comfortable with the lead, have someone else watch the pup move, then have them move the pup while you watch. What do you both see? Is the front clean or hack-kneed? Do they move in a straight line, throw out a leg? Do they move cleanly in the rear? How do they gait? How do the stack themselves? Anything other than a clean natural mover and free stacker should be monitored closely and continuously before you make your final decision.

Last, but for showing purposes not least, we come to the cosmetics of the pup. If you want to win in the ring there will be some cosmetic traits you need to be aware of, but things that you may want for your breeding program that are out of style with the judges. Let’s face it, the lovely clear light coats are pretty, and the double curltail perfection, but what about pigment? Clear nails are no big deal to  some breeders, but in my opinion, just the beginning of other pigment problems. You must decide what’s important to you, winning, or breeding, or both.

We each have a type in our mind’s eye that we breed to, -that is within our interpretation of the standard. The traits we have, what we want, what we consider out of the question, what we don’t mind. All these decisions will make or break us inthe ring, and as breeders. Some can be changed or fixed quite easily, others will take years to remedy. We must understand each trait, how it contributes to the overall balance of the Pug, and what the alternatives are.