These signs or stamps you refer to can obviously be difficult to assess in smaller pups? Correct? How would you go about determining if your dogs posses qualities such as mouth, wind, ability, intense drive? I could see how you can establish if your dog has intelligence by his overall display of mannerisms. But with the previous list I am stumped. Drive I guess you could see based on demeanor and alpha male qualities. What a few old timers told me is that you really dont get a true feel for a dog till it is away from the herd and has a opportunity to figure out for itself who he/she is. I don't know how much stock I put in that though. I feel from the minute that little sucker opens it's eyes it is telling you something if you know how to hear what he is saying. I may be making shit up in my mind but some of them right out the gate could just look up at me and just from the way that they carried themselves and the look in their eye I kept them around. Well, a few generations later and... I got lucky. I consider it luck simply because a lot better dogmen then me have made their selection through a process and not came up with dogs near like mine. I dont say that in a egotistical way(very proud,not vain) it just is what it is. I have piggybacked off other peoples breeding programs with my own little twist to things. It is not like I came up with a new cross or some shit. I just took the best I could lay my hands on and bred their asses together. So far so good. Now a few generations later it is really time to start seeing dogs that are a product of my thoughts, ideas, and program either sink or swim.

I just hope that I can create a protocol that will enable me to in essence write a list of qualities down that I am looking for in pups. From that list be able to ascertain exactly which ones out of a big litter I am able to part with and not feel like I gave up "that one".

Thanks for allowing me a cool place to get this shit out of my head and in print so I can see which direction I need to take my thoughts in.
Cheers to you Jack...

Eric