Avoid buying the largest or smallest puppy in the litter. Instead, look at the size of the litter; in general, the more puppies in the litter, the healthier they will be. Take a look at each puppy. Puppies should be nice and round, not too fat or too thin.
Your eyes should be clear, bright, and free of crusts or discharge. Your ears, nose and teeth should be clean and your gums should be pink. How size relates to dominance in terms of puppies is something of a chicken and egg question. A puppy that is more advanced or dominant will receive more attention and resources (such as food), which will make it larger and develop a little faster than other puppies.
You want to choose from a litter of puppies that are friendly, curious and trusting with their siblings and with you. Puppies are something of a blank slate when they are very young, and their early interactions with their mother, each other and the first strange people and dogs they meet contribute to shaping their later reactions and approach to other things. By the time puppies are ready to be picked up, the breeder should have a good idea of what each puppy's temperament will look like as an adult. The process of choosing a puppy from a rescue group, shelter, or breeder may be a little different, but the basic steps will be the same.
Which means that if they have a litter of puppies, you will be given the option to meet all the puppies that are still available. Pick of the Litter is a contractual and legal right to own any litter puppy that person wants. To choose a puppy from a litter, start by finding a reputable breeder rather than going to a pet store, since pet stores don't give you a chance to see how puppies interact with the rest of their litter. The largest puppy in the litter may turn out to be the greediest, probably pushing the other puppies to get the most food.
The GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the largest litter of puppies is 24, all of which were born on November 29, 2004 to Tia, a Neapolitan mastiff, owned by Damian Ward (UK) and Anne Kellegher (Ireland) from Manea, Cambridgeshire, UK. Then interact with the puppies one by one and look for a good-natured puppy who is active and playful, but not too shy or too aggressive. If you can choose a puppy from a litter, take some time to think about what you're looking for in an adult dog.
