How to get your choice of the litter

[tobee]

So thinking of buying a puppy in the next few months. Hopefully a kc registered one. I’ve gone on their website but would like to know how people get to choose a pup before everyone else gets the best. Presumably it would help to find a breeder with an expectant bitch? But all those listed say when pups have been born already. Would I do better to go on specific breed websites? Or what? I’m not in a hurry btw.

Isn't there also advice, though, that you don't go for the puppy that immediately bounds up to you, and don't go for the one that shies away? Or is that rubbish? I swear I've seen that somewhere, dunno if on here or not.

Take on the most boisterous with caution!

This is the one we always go for, the one that's so confident they're borderline obnoxious. It works great for us as they've got to come into a home already full of adult dogs who have their obnoxious boisterous moments and not be phased by it. That and both DH and I have a real soft spot for dogs who are basically complete knobbers

Haha Cornflake! See the perfect pup for you wouldn't be the perfect pup for me! We have young cats, kids and it was our first dog. Plus she's a wolfhound. The one that was boisterous wouldn't fit in our house.
That's why the breeder matters. Which dog suits which home? And they will know the pups much better than you.

Oh, and the bit of advice that I always seem to forget, but is very important ...

A 'licensed breeder' is very rarely a good thing. Avoid like the plague. There will no doubt be some good ones who need a licence just because they have a large show kennel, but it's difficult for the uninitiated to identify them. Far more are just commercial breeders, and the licence is certainly no indication at all that they look after their dogs well or care about their welfare.

Far more sensible to assume that a licensed breeder is a bad thing.

If the breeder is good and has bred properly, there shouldn't be a huge variation in a litter anyway, individual character differences yes, but they should all be fairly similar.

Just out of interest, how much can personality vary at 6 weeks? I spent a couple of hours with my new puppy's litter at 6 weeks. They were all the same sex and all a very similar size. One seemed timid but the others all seemed very similar - sociable, inquisitive, playful, no one particularly dominant.

I've never bred - but what else can a breeder see that will help them match more specifically to particular homes? What are the home traits that the breeder assesses? Working homes v family pets (for working breeds), children v non-children? What else? Experience with dogs? I'd assume no reputable breeder would sell to a home that wasn't appropriate in general terms (ie an active working dog in an urban environment with no access to outside space etc). So assuming that, what else differentiates homes?

This kind of thing made me really anxious when we got our first dog, because he was the last of the litter. We went to see him ready to walk away but didn't because he seemed sweet, playful, friendly - same with the other little really, but then that pretty much sums up the breed in general - and he's been wonderful. But I wouldn't say the breeder matched his temperament to us - it was more a case that she checked we'd researched the breed and could offer the right kind of home for him than anything more scientific on his personality and ours.

Just curious really. Sorry for the slight hijack.

I think Tabulahrasa is making my point - they were all fairly similar really. I had a feeling I could have taken any one of them and they would have been brilliant, perhaps with the exception of the timid one as she might not have handled Ddog1's exuberance!

The breeder can see lots that you won't see in a snapshot and may affect how a puppy would fit in to your home - particularly if you have other dogs, I would say - but I think it is very different from breed to breed in how much impact or concern this would be.

Very different matter in your average litter of my Collie breed to a working breed where some dogs may be obviously high drive, strong prey instinct, dominant with other males, prefer to eat alone, etc. etc.

I find it all really interesting. Prey drive a good one I wouldn't have thought of.

We've got a male and a female now, and the number of people who assume I will breed them amazes me. I still think of myself as a relative novice owner, I read up and try to do the best by my dogs and I love them to bits, but that really doesn't qualify me to become a breeder. I bet that doesn't stop lots of people though.

My cocker was one of the boldest and most outgoing of the litter. In reality, he's a right old timid little sausage in RL. What you see within the confines of the litter is only a snapshot of how they will be in RL. My Springer, totally the opposite! Just bare this in mind too.

A good breeder is one who absolutely won't sell just any puppy to any buyer, whether that's because, for just a few examples off the top of my head:

• they think the breed/sex is too much for the buyer (strong male in working breed, breed to much for novice owner, too much drive and/or energy for the home)
• they think the dog will clash with another in the house already (some breeds do not do well in anything but mixed pairs, some you absolutely keep males together at your peril)
• home situation not appropriate (too much time out of the house, too much already on potential owner's plate)
• little appreciation of grooming requirements and no interest in learning

and myriad other reasons. A breeder should be interviewing you as much as you are interviewing them.

Yep, I’m prepared to be turned down

I was prepared to be turned down too. I think it means you care and would be a good owner. Just find out about their specific needs a a how you can meet them. If I was a breeder I would worry about anyone who didn't think there was a chance I would turn them down. Suggests they put their desires over the pup's welfare. Clearly you don't.

As long as you've researched the breed, considered the breeds negatives as well as breed positives for you and your situation, are honest and can show you've considered how you will prevent issues from any negatives in your personal setup (for me that was very young DC), you generally won't be turned down. I did have 1 breeder turn me down but it was based solely on her not letting a puppy go to a home with children under 10 due go a previous bad experience, where a family made her think they'd thought it all through and new how to properly manage DC and puppy but in less than a week they had left DC unattended with puppy and DC had picked up puppy, dropped him badly and broke 2 of his legs. So totally understandable.

Snoogle whilst a good breeder shouldn't have big differences in puppies confidence/nervousness, they do have their own personalities. For example I have young DC, so the overly confident or slightly more reserved/timid pups in a litter tend not to be a good choice - overly confident can be too pushy around DC and more reserved/timid can easily end up fear aggressive to DC.

There are loads of factors to consider for the right pup in a litter - who is in a household - so older and/or younger, DC and ages, busy house or quiet house, anyone with disabilities (physical or mental), other existing dogs and their temperament (you wouldn't want to pick the bolshiest of the litter if pup was going to live with a timid dog), other pets, etc.

Really interesting to read this thread. Dh was initially rather put out that the breeder of our girl wouldn't let potential owners 'choose' from the litter - based I suppose on the traditional advice on picking the confident pup who comes to greet etc, etc. In fact, we only went to meet her once she'd been earmarked for us (with mum & other siblings too of course). Who knows, but she's working out totally brilliantly for us. Breeder was able to talk about personality insights from fairly early on... Good luck OP!

This is a fascinating thread. I have had a lot of choice the both times I have gone for a puppy. The first time it was because I knew the breeder and was the first to put my name down. She had already earmarked the one she thought I'd choose (she didn't tell me to start with) and she was dead right! This pup has turned out to be the most perfect dog for our house and family. So based on that and full of confidence, I decided to get another one a year later. I was not going to go for the bold one who was first out and the instigator of trouble but after watching them for a few hours that's exactly what I did. She is also perfect but still too young to call the second most perfect dog ever.

One thing that helps is to be patient and on a waiting list. I’ve had 6 Pups over the years, but only got to choose 3 of them. If you want one particular sex you might have limited choice, if the breeder is breeding to get a pup themselves then they will have first choice, as might the owner of the sire.

I knew exactly what I wanted and made plans last year, contacted breeders, joined online groups for the breed, joined in conversations. I said I had decided to get this breed for these reasons ... and that I was wanting a bitch puppy in 2017 but did not intend to breed myself.

I found a woman via the group who had two generations of her dogs (3 dogs in total) and was planning to breed the youngest in 2017 when she wanted another pup herself. If you go with a breeder who wants a pup for either show or work, then you know that they will do all they can to ensure good healthy pups. I’ve gone for a working breed so health rather than looks are top of the list.

She suggested we become Facebook friends so that we could get to know each other.

I was on the list for almost exactly a year. There was someone ahead of me who’d been on it a year before that! When it came to it then there were three people who wanted bitches already ahead of me a year before the bitch was even mated! Inc Breeder & owner of stud. If there had only been 4 bitch puppies I would have had no choice. If only 3 then I would have to decide whether to start over again or take a male.

I would be very wary of a situation where I got to choose a puppy without having been on a waiting list!

To be honest, dogs fit with your family. You treat them right and train them.

My dog was rehomed from another family. He's very affectionate and good with kids. I'm having to retrain him, but I'm tapping this in while he's snuggled up to me.

I love him, the family loves him. Sorted!

We didn't choose our puppy - the breeder had a litter of 11 (!!) and posted photos and videos daily to a closed Facebook group of all the families she had chosen as homes for puppies. We got to see them grow and develop and at around 5/6 weeks she matched families with puppies who suited their personalities.

She literally couldn't have been more right. We all still keep in touch and the puppies fit into our families so perfectly. I'd really recommend getting a trusted breeder who can help make the decision of which puppy for you!