Help!! How to tell pups apart.

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celebrity6

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Hi Everyone, We have 9 Airedale pups (2 boys and 7 girls) who are 4 weeks old. New owners are now visiting us to select their pups. The boys are easy to tell apart but the girls look very alike. We've tried nail varnish on their ears, which they lick off. We've also tried to clip their fur, but it's too fine and the clippers don't have any impact. Ribbons or collars would be no good as they would be off in seconds. We've tried a marker pen on their legs but it faded within a couple of hours. I know you may think it doesn't really matter but we would feel really guilty if they took the wrong pup home. Any practical solutions would be most welcome.
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Don't shout at me for saying this but as an experienced breeder myself, the last thing I would be doing is letting people select 'their' puppy at this age. They change so much, even between the same litter that it's very unusual for them to pick out the same puppy when they're ready to go at eight weeks! By all means show them the pups and take a deposit if necessary but don't be surprised if any of them have changed their minds when it comes to time to collect. The last thing I would want is for someone to go away disappointed because they didn't originally pick the pup they now like best; I would be worried that they might find cause to pick fault with it (even though there won't be anything wrong with it of course,) and might think of it as 'second best'; not a good start for the puppy IMO.
When you have the time to really look at the pups for some time, try looking at a pair at a time, you'll soon find it easy to tell the difference between them, just by their mannerisms, how they hold their ears etc; but it does take time to just look - it'll come. As for marking them if you must, what about sheep marker, that's water resistant although I can't say if it's ok for pups to lick at it; might be worth asking the vet!
 
I've always used different coloured soft collars - never had any problems with this method - but as previous poster has said - there will be differences that become more apparant as the pups get older.


Puppy buyers are always very keen to come and visit and I do encourage them do visit at least once before choosing 'their' pup as I like to talk to them about the breed and let them know the 'warts and all' aspects of owning it.


It's surprising what comes to the surface once they actually start talking - I had one (very) misguided lady who said " of course as they are pedigree they will all be housetrained won't they ?" - actually no - they will poo and wee on your floors - chew up anything that is'nt nailed down and howl for their mum for the first few nights - she changed her mind ( and so did I )
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I know the problem only too well, after having a litter of dobermans. I identifed them by shaving a shape on their leg and keeping a record. I tried marker pens in ears etc etc. Shaving an area on the leg works.

My new owners choose from three weeks on, this is perfectly normal as people wish to do this and I have when buying a puppy. I personally would not wait until they are eight weeks until new owners came because selling puppies is a huge responsibility and it takes all this time to ensure you are getting the right people.

Of course people want to choose, and you want to ensure they have "that" puppy.

If you really cant shave, is there any "safe" paint when you can do a dot on them.
 
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I had one (very) misguided lady who said " of course as they are pedigree they will all be housetrained won't they ?" - actually no - they will poo and wee on your floors - chew up anything that is'nt nailed down and howl for their mum for the first few nights - she changed her mind ( and so did I )
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And I always thought only the nasty little crossbred pups did all that
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Our pup had sparkly blue nail polish on his claw
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I would say I picked my puppy at a couple of weeks old, but in reality, he picked me! We were playing with the pups in the kitchen, and they were all lovely, until one crawled sleepily into my arms and fell asleep snuggled in my fleece. (Little did I know the terror had obviously worked himself intoa frenzy all day and was exhausted! And there I was thinking he was the quiet one!) I saw them the day after they were born, and fell in love en masse, they were a lovely litter, and then at 2 weeks I knew which one I had to have as my wuppy! I would have been gutted if the lady had said I had to wait longer to choose one, he chose me!
 
Well my bitch had 7 pups this year 4 girls and 3 boys, bearing in mind they were weimeraners (which are silver/grey) they were near identical if not identical....best way is to look at the facial expressions and their bark, theres always one that will standout in a crowd....usually the one causing all the trouble..lol
 
Thanks everyone for your advice. I found that vegetable dye placed stratigically did the trick, although it had to be topped up a few times.
Once piece of advice I received from another breeder was that she doesn't allow prospective owners to choose their pup. Instead she assesses the personality of the owners and matches it with the pup she thinks will suit them. I don't I'll be having one of her pups (she probably wouldn't let me have one anyway!).
 
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