am i being an idiot in not wanting to go see puppies before I can choose?

[Heathcliffscathy]

We are 3rd to choose...I really really don't want to meet the puppies, get to know one that I feel really good about, only to not be able to have it. am i being stupid?

we're planning to go up as soon as the other two have chosen at 5 weeks ish to choose, and then visit again before collection.

what are your thoughts on this?

Soph - if your going to choose then your saying this is my dog so therefore the breeder saves that dog for you.
If you don't go and choose then your going to be left with the last pup thats there which may be an unsuitable pup for your situation and i'm assuming if that happened breeder wouldnt refund your deposit?

If you choose one at 5 weeks (or before) I challenge you to be able to recognise it at 8 weeks

LMAO - Bella has a point!!

I tend to agree with you
we were 2nd on the list to choose for our puppy. We were sent photos of all the puppies at 2 days old and then again when they were about 6 weeks.
We only had a choice of 3 as we wanted a boy. We made our final choice on the day we collected him, the person before us on the waiting list had already taken their puppy the day before.
it was really hard choosing between 2 though! I would have preferred more choice or none at all.

ok ok. so what to do? we have choice of 3 dog puppies. go at 5 weeks? go and choose? not choose? argh. Been advised that before 5 weeks not much point as they are so focussed on the mum...saw them when they were days old (bella you know about this) primarily so that the breeder could check me out as someone had dropped out of the waiting list and they were offering it to me (thought we wouldn't get one til much later next year at the earliest).

i just want to get it right.

lucky to clarify, we are definitely being given 3rd choice of 5 i.e. a choice between 3 puppies. the puppy will be marked in some way to differentiate i think? not sure.

the breeder has wanted us to go up more (i think this is a good sign personally) but i haven't wanted to for the above reasons. also it is 2-3 hours away which i know isn't that much in the scheme of things but is a consideration.

Its upto you. Personally I would go at 5 weeks (once the other 2 have chosen if they have proirity over you) and pick the pup I wanted.

Find something memorable on it like a patch of darker hair or something (or take a collar with SOPHABLE'S in huge letters)

ok good, that's what we're planning to do lucky.

can you tell that I'M A BIT TENSE ABOUT THIS AND ABOUT GETTING IT RIGHT???

To me getting a dog (esp a puppy) is like having a child you want everything exactly right.

I'm driving the rescue insane that I had Tizz from checking that I'm training her right and giving her the right food etc! lol

They do mark them - little coloured ribbon collars or Tipp Ex for black 'uns
I'd go once the others have chosen too

X posts - passes diazepam round

@ Bella. When we coollected dd1's kitten, the woman wasn't sure which one was reserved and which one wasn't. In the end she gave dd1 the one she wanted and declared "If I can't tell them apart someone who saw them once, two weeks ago, won't be able to"

Take a collar Sophable

breeder won't put a collar on as they lost a puppy once this way it got caught on something and choked.

bella i'm so glad you agree that we should go after the others have chosen. i'm sticking to that.

[necks whole bottle of diazepam and looks around for vodka chaser]

I was joking about the collar.........

lucky i'm sorry. i should have known. but i am thick AND tense atm.

[tense emoticon]...god we really need one of those on here i reckon?

It's the CM in you, Lucky - you're suggesting cruelty to pups now!

Breeders can tell them apart in ways that us mere mortals cannot.

(do take some Tipp Ex though...)

My JR puppy wore an easy release kitten collar, when she was a puppy. Complete with bell, so the cats could hear her coming.

She was 9 weeks though. Not 5.

LMAO.......... Oh dear I really need to go to bed now!! LOL

Night, Lucky

We marked our black lab puppies with nail varnish......still difficult as unless you replaced it every day it rubbed off, and to this day I'm not sure that the people who chose them got the one they'd originally picked out!

I'm so glad I didn't have to choose. We got our border terrier on the off chance at 12 weeks and she was the last one left (mostly black whereas it seems people prefer the tan variety). She was timid and I'm sure we would have chosen a more boisterous pup. But she is just so much the one for us. She has been totally adorable and very friendly. It makes me sad to think 6 people didn't choose her though but am so glad she was left for us. Good luck with your puppy. Get used to the smell of wet dog - it has been torrential here!

I chose mine at 5 weeks but went to see him before hand. We knew we were having a dog, and were 3rd to choose from 4 boys, so got the choice of 2. But I did see him several times before we chose, and thought they were all so lovely I'd have had any of them. I have photos of all the 4 boys together so we knew we'd photographed ours. Chose him at 5 weeks, the breeder used some sort of marker on him, i think its the same as they use on lambs as she has a smallholding - but I'm not certain, but we'd have recognised him from a small white mark anyway!

Frostyfingers, someone I know got a black lab puppy which was marked with nail varnish. Their dog is on the manic side and their DD was saying the other day that she thinks they got the wrong one, something along the lines of the one they were supposed to have had green nail varnish and they got one with beige !