Choosing Your Mudi

Once you have researched the breed and decided a Mudi will be your next dog, the next thing you need to do is find the breeder you want to get a puppy from and then you need to tell the breeder what you are looking for in the way of temperament, ability and structure, that is, the purpose you have for the dog.

The purpose you have for your Mudi will determine how you and the breeder will choose the best puppy for you.  You may have a small wish list or a long must have list, it is up to you to decide what traits are important to have in your next companion.

Some people choose by sex and/or color and others want a particular temperment, while others choose by structure.  If you want to breed or show, you need to pick your next puppy very carefully, but there are no guarantees that any puppy will grow up to be breedable or a competitive conformation ring dog.  Certain sports have size requirements and the Mudi's average adult size is near to cut off measurements for class limits in agility and it is not possible for any breeder to determine the final adult size of a young puppy. 

Puppy teeth are not always replaced in the correct places and number and the bite can become incorrect, these are also things you cannot see in a young puppy. Missing teeth and incorrect bites are very serious faults and are genetic in nature and therefore should not be bred in dogs that have them. 

Testicles can be checked on pups as young as 4 weeks of age and can easily be felt at 7-8 weeks of age, but they can be retracted in later months in some males and never descend again.  Retained testicles render a male unbreedable as this is a serious health risk for cancer and this trait is passed on genetically.

Some other less serious faults can be seen at birth or shortly thereafter and some cannot.  An experienced breeder should be able to see color faults at birth or at least by the time the puppy is 8 weeks old, markings that are larger or in places they should not be are visible at birth, but ears that do not prick up by the pups first birthday and the final adult size are not able to be seen at 8 weeks of age.  These are appearance faults and will not affect the health, companionship, working or sport ability of any puppy. However they could affect to some degree the breeding or conformation ability of that particular dog which will matter to an owner that hopes to breed or compete successfully in the show ring.

In the Mudi, sex is not of any consequence unless you want to breed, then you have to decide to be a stud owner or have the litters.  Both males and females have the same basic temperament and working ability.  Males as in most animals, tend to be larger and more showy in appearance.  Otherwise male and female Mudis look and act very much the same. 

With this information in mind, some of the following characteristics to look for in a 6-8 week old puppy which you may want to add to your list and then prioritize in order of importance are:

-Purpose for your puppy: companion, sport, scent detection or other professional work, farm herding, breeding, conformation, etc.; this factor alone will determine most of the levels of trait acceptability on the list

-Sex, color/pattern: these are usually personal choices and if this is all you want to choose your puppy by there is nothing wrong with that, luckily most Mudi puppies fall into the same ability and temperament ranges and the end result is mostly dependent on the owner's ability, not the puppy's

-Tail length: is of concern to some people, the majority of Mudi litters have only long tails born, some breeders still dock, the choice is yours to make: long, naturally short or docked

-Structure: heavy, medium or light in bone and general mass; heavy may not be suitable for certain sports or professional purposes

-Visible faults such as color, markings, minor structural imperfections: depends on purpose and owner preference

-Activity or energy level: very high, high, medium or low; very much a purpose choice

-Sensitivity to correction: softer or harder, most Mudis fall just to the softer side of average; what type of trainer you are will matter most

-Playmate preferences: some pups will play more with toys or the other puppies and others tend to be more interested in the humans around them

-Learning style: do they try things themselves or watch others and learn, or need you to encourage them

-Persistence level: do they bark to get what they want, pull on your pants legs continually, do they find another toy, wait patiently, or follow quietly

-Toy preferences: do they like one type of toy more than another or no toys at all or only playing with other puppies, dogs or people

-Treat, praise, toy or play motivated: is one more important to you than another

-Attitude: alert, bold, brave, barky, curious, confident, friendly, clown, sensitive to others, watchful, cautious, gentle, reserved, submissive, fearful, shy, the list is almost endless; pick easy to spot attitudes that you prefer, you will get some, but rarely all, in any puppy in any litter

-Dominance level towards other puppies in the litter, other dogs and people: the aggressor-forceful, bully, unyielding, or not a pushover-but not the aggressor, or submissive and unwilling to fight back

-Willingness to learn, confidence level: easy to correct, teach and be with, adapts well to being held in new positions and exposure to new situations and sounds

-Does the puppy choose you: some people think the best puppy for them is the one that comes over and stays with them during their visit, that is, the puppy chooses them, this method of choice is also a viable option

In the Mudi breed the vast majority of puppies fall into the middle ranges of structure, temperament and appearance.  This is good as you can probably not choose wrong, but hard as it makes choosing just one from several similar pups more difficult, than when the differences are more clear. 

First, know what you want in a dog and what you want a dog for.

Second, make sure the Mudi breed has these traits in their repertoire.

Third, choose a breeder that breeds with dogs that suit your purpose and the purpose of the breed, as well as the other important issues in breeding, such as health testing and low inbreeding levels. 

Fourth, make a list of important features you want in your puppy as this is the best way to aim for them to also be in the adult.

Fifth, train, care for and enjoy your puppy.  You made the best choice you could in the raw material, now the finished product will be the sum of your efforts for the next few years till adulthood.

Lastly, be sure to end on a good note, we hope you enjoy many happy years together!