Choosing A Pup Among It’s Littermates

So you’ve decided to buy a pup and you even have a choice from the litter.

This can be as exciting as it is agonising and there is no full proof method to finding the best pup in the litter, especially when they are just a few months of age.

Brett Lee is a classic example of this. He was part of a sublimely bred litter born in 1998 that was for sale at an early age at $10,000 each. While every pup in the litter sold in quick fashion, Brett Lee, being the smallest in the litter and with only one testicle, was unwanted.

He was eventually sold for just $3,000 yet turned out to be arguably the best greyhound of all-time, winning four Group 1 races, running numerous track records and then becoming one of the greatest stud dogs this country has seen.

Most people look for confidence in a young pup, although there have been many examples where the shyest pup in the litter has turned out the best.

Long legs, a thick back, deep chest, straight toes and a long body are examples of other traits people look for in pups.

Colours are also something people are superstitious about.

Most of the best greyhounds of today are black, but that’s because black is the dominant colour of the time. The reason for this is that a lot of the top sires of recent years are black themselves.

It is the same reason that in the nineties a large percentage of the elite greyhounds were brindle.

Some believe that the majority of blue greyhounds struggle to reach a high level of racing, but they also believe that if you happen to fluke getting a good one, they are usually exceptionally good.

Another important decision when choosing a pup is whether to pick a male or female. While female greyhounds are less appealing to some because their racing careers can be interrupted by seasons, females with proven racetrack ability usually hold good breeding currency. Keep in mind that only a select few male greyhounds are good enough to make it at stud.