Picking out a puppy

[coyotee]

Hi we're very excited to finally meet our future puppy this weekend. They'll be 5 weeks old and we'll be able to pick out which one we want.

The only problem is I don't know what to look for! They all look pretty much the same (they're yellow labs), some are a bit lighter than others, some are slightly bigger.

Can you tell anything about the puppies' personalities at this age eg. which puppy is likely to be the most shy/cuddly/bossy?

Thanks for any help!

When I got our dog (now 12) she was the puppy who sat on my lap and wouldn't budge. Think they choose you!

I've heard before that you shouldn't pick the most confident or the shyest, go for one in the middle.

I don't think you can tell too much at this stage personally, especially from a single meeting. The breeder may be able to tell a bit more, but even then at 5 weeks I think it's a bit of a guessing game.

When we met our pup there were 3 black girls (labs) all very similar sizes. We went with the one that interacted with us the most but would have been happy with any of the three.

We picked the girl that settled with me and dh.

Our first ddog we chose the one who barked at me as the dc said it must be brave to backchat me! The next one we actually changed our minds from the one chosen by colour to a more reserved one we felt wouldn't be so much in ddogs1's face!!

Louise Glazebrook’s brilliant book ‘The Book Your Dog Wishes You Would Read’ has a bloody brilliant chapter on picking out a puppy. She has highly sensible advice around this subject.

Let the puppy pick you; you’ll know which one

It depends. Have you had dogs before? Do you know what kind of personality you like, and can work with?

i went for the least dominant pup. Because I’ve had a very submissive dog before and I find if you build the right bond they are so eager to please they are very trainable. A more confident dog I’d find difficult.

but i know many people advise the confident pup as

We chose both our JRT because they both came too us when we looked at the litters .
Wonderful doggies 🐶

I had to pick from 10 red setter pups who looked identical - I just decided to pick the one who sat down near me rather than the ones trying to destroy my shoelaces. Honestly it was basically random. Dog is 7 now and I'm happy with my choice!

Omg a red setter Timmy!! As a dc my df had one. Beautiful.. Any chance of a pic?

It's so hard isn't it! We viewed our goldie pup at 4 weeks, they are basically half potato at that age! Anyway, we knew we wanted a boy so that more than halved the options for us. From there, we listened to the breeder I.e.'pink collar is more cuddly, green collar loves his food etc..'
The one we picked probably did 'pick us' but I remember watching them play and noted that he was happy to be the dog on top and also the dog underneath which I liked. Also, after a play he was happy to take himself off away from the others to have a chill. Wether or not these are good things, I don't know?
Good luck and pic updates please 😁

Here you go Summer:

Oh many thanks! In the 7 years I have lived in this busy seaside place I have only seen 1!! Your ddog is beautiful! I have serious envy!

Everyone I meet comments, "I haven't seen one of those in 20 years!" Not sure why they fell out of popularity so, they're gorgeous dogs.

This book is a must read for anyone who is thinking of getting a dog or puppy.

I did glance at a breeders site as we were looking for a new addition... Quite eye watering £££!!
One day though dd has her eye on an Irish Wolfhound...

The breeder (if a decent one) should be helping you here. They should know the pups extremely well and be able to match temperaments etc to your circumstances. Although 5 weeks is still early to really determine personalities, they should still have a decent awareness.

Agree with Mintbiscuit. If you're using a reputable breeder who is helping mum look after the puppies well and monitoring them, they ought to have picked up a bit about personalities.

We bought our first family dog (lab) from a breeder (although subsequently have always had rescues). Breeder was able to tell us which was the greediest and bossiest pup. That was the one we went for 🙄. We had her for 12 glorious years and the whole family absolutely worshipped her.

I wish you many years of happiness with yours op.

If you trust a breeder enough to buy a dog from him/her, then it is useful to trust her input into your choice from the litter, once you have talked about what your priorities are. In our case, I think the breeder had already decided which pup was best for us -- largely on the basis of his coat being less rough than his siblings (we had said we preferred a coat that would hopefully not need stripping out). The choice was also restricted a bit by the fact that a couple of the pups had already been earmarked to go to some keen fly ball competitors that the breeder knew.

In terms of personality, there didn't seem to be a huge amount between them. If I'd noticed a dog that was hanging back, or one that approached us really assertively and barked, I would have rejected it. But they were all just roly-polying about in much the same manner as one another, exploring the room and playing with the family's children.

However, the one that we were being steered towards bumbled over to me after a little while and plonked himself on my lap for a snooze, staying there for ages. It wasn't anything initiated by me and none of the other pups did the same. It made me feel good about the decision. Perhaps she had coached them all beforehand.

A few months before, another breeder that I had been hoping to get a pup from had just one puppy available in a litter. She advised me against taking him as she judged him to be quite a dominant little chap who perhaps wouldn't suit my personality and preferences. I accepted her decision but felt a bit frustated at the time. However, looking back over our first few months with the dear dear creature we ended up with, I think she was right. It was hard enough work with a terrier pup of middling spirit, and the more asserive dog would have been a source of difficulties for me I think, even though I have had the same breed before. Apparently he ended up as a working dog, which was what he probably needed.

Thank you for the advice, yes I'll definitely ask the breeder to help us pick too

@TimmyHos that's such a beautiful dog!

Our first dog was the only boy so we had no really choice as such, he has a lovely personality and settled immediately as if he's always meant to be here.

New pup chose us, he just came for cuddles every time from 3 weeks old. Again he settled straight away, totally part of the family.

Thank you for the photo @TimmyHos. A long time ago my DFriend's family had two. I've loved them ever since ❤️

How could I not pick this cuddly boy with pink toes fell in love with him instantly.

I would definitely ask your breeder's advice if they know what you are looking for. There's no harm in just picking the one you have a 'feeling' about or feel drawn to though. If you have a very busy, noisy household you may want to choose a more confident pup and the breeder can guide you on this.

My most recent pup (now 6 months) I chose as I felt was a good example of the breed and I want to show, but the majority of the time she isn't a show dog, but a pet, we have to live with her being part of our family. I also wanted the most outgoing pup possible and she is an absolute joy!